What the funk is this?
- Thread starter Telecolor 3007
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One of the few orphaned audio formats I can't play. 
Though it looks like it's regular four-track 1/2" tape in a big cartridge. It's rather humorous to hear them tout 3.75ips speed and four-track recording, which eventually became staples of the RTR world.
Though it looks like it's regular four-track 1/2" tape in a big cartridge. It's rather humorous to hear them tout 3.75ips speed and four-track recording, which eventually became staples of the RTR world.
Telecolor 3007
I love old stuff
Some one plays todays with one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE0-dLPKcvk&feature=related
Telecolor 3007
I love old stuff
Why this format didn't catch up? From the clips it's seeming to provide good sound... better sound that audio cassettes could provided later (the audio cassettes only sounded better by later mid '70's, abiout 12-13 yrs after they where invented). Or the people dind't liked the idee of this new format?
Arkay
Lunatic Member
I found a few huge tape cartridges like those recently in the government-surplus place, but they were some kind of commercial telecommunications or data tapes, from a different brand. In other words, they were a commercial/industrial equivalent. I almost got them just for fun/curiosity value; if they had been audio(phile) stuff instead of industrial, I would have.
Interesting to think how much data could be put on them, at what size, and then think of what can be put on a tiny iPod today.
Interesting to think how much data could be put on them, at what size, and then think of what can be put on a tiny iPod today.
SaSi
Seriously Illogical
I have one of those decks and a couple of dozen of tapes. Mostly spanish music. It's actually 1/4" format and predates compact cassettes by about 5-6 years. It came out in '59 and was a proprietary format introduced by RCA. The Cassettes I have are home recorded - I have no clue what the source is, probably contemporary radio broadcasts.
It was meant to be portable and convenient. I wonder why it died. In retrospect it seems like a good idea. The compact cassette is in improvement in terms of size although I bet early cassettes didn't sound as good as this at 7.5 ips.
The Elcaset was a revisit of this format although by it's time both R2R and cassettes were so improved that Elcaset had quite a few improvements to build on.
It was meant to be portable and convenient. I wonder why it died. In retrospect it seems like a good idea. The compact cassette is in improvement in terms of size although I bet early cassettes didn't sound as good as this at 7.5 ips.
The Elcaset was a revisit of this format although by it's time both R2R and cassettes were so improved that Elcaset had quite a few improvements to build on.
Telecolor 3007
I love old stuff
What is the size of this kind of audio cassettes?
Man, that cassette is HUGE! Those are even bigger than the Norelco/Phillips "bulkcassettes" of the 1960's. The bulkcassette never caught on either, but in their case the idea was to be able to listen to music in the car. Wollensak and Norelco made portable bulkcassette players and recorders in the mid 1960's but then the 8 track format was introduced and that was the end of that.
Neat post, thanks for that!
Neat post, thanks for that!
Telecolor 3007
I love old stuff
I want to get me a cassette like this and an cassette recorder for it. If some one comments that the usual audio cassette is too old, I want to show him/her one like that! 
RobRoy
It's just stuff - but fun
Reminds me of the Sony Elcaset. I used to sell them, but not many. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elcaset
They were not portable, one of the main strengths of the casette. They also took the idea of "holes" to identify tape and prevent accidental erasure to a new level. Those things must have had a dozen tabs to set off sensors in the tape deck to tell it everything but hte tapes moms maiden name.
They were not portable, one of the main strengths of the casette. They also took the idea of "holes" to identify tape and prevent accidental erasure to a new level. Those things must have had a dozen tabs to set off sensors in the tape deck to tell it everything but hte tapes moms maiden name.
Telecolor 3007
I love old stuff
Belive it or not, I saw a cassette like this and an portable player? (don't know if recorder) for it in Romania, at an radio exhibition! The Romanian guy who owns it also got an "Sony" elcasete cassette deck plus one elcasete cassette!!!
KentTeffeteller
Gimpus Stereophilus!
The Large RCA Cartridge failed due to few manufacturers supporting it. RCA, Bell Sound, and 3M were mainly it. Pre-Recorded music was only available from Bel Canto and RCA. Not very well promoted. Expensive then. Most people who bought tapes bought comparably priced open reel.
howie123
Stuck in the '70s
I still have my Sony EL-7 (shown below, just recently resurrected after 28 years in storage). I bought it new in 1980 for $100, about 10% of it's retail price, after the format died. It's a shame the format never caught on as it takes the best features of a good RTR deck with the convenience of a cassette. BTW, it still sounds great.
Back to the topic at hand, that RCA cassette looks at least twice as big as an Elcaset. Although Sony never made an Elcaset car unit, they did make a portable Elcaset, the EL-D8. Unlike the Compact Cassette, the Elcaset was always meant to be an audiophile format as the specifications (and just plain listening) rivaled some of the better RTR units out there.
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Telecolor 3007
I love old stuff
Well, since the 2 cassettes where one near other, I will say that the "R.C.A." cassette wasan't so much bigger comparing to Elcaset.
SaSi
Seriously Illogical
From memory, I'd say the RCA cartridge is bigger than an elcasete as the elcaset is compared to the compact cassette.
I'm on vacation now, but the pic made me want to take a picture of the RCA cartridge, an Elcaset, a compact cassette, a DAT cassette and a pearlcorder one in series. Just to make the sequence complete, I might add an 8mm camcorder and a miniDV one, but thought audio only would be the proper selection.
I'm on vacation now, but the pic made me want to take a picture of the RCA cartridge, an Elcaset, a compact cassette, a DAT cassette and a pearlcorder one in series. Just to make the sequence complete, I might add an 8mm camcorder and a miniDV one, but thought audio only would be the proper selection.
Delawheredad
Active Member
Cool video. I love orphaned formats. Remember AM stereo from the mid to late 70's. It failed because of too many providers. The FCC decided to have the formats duke it out in the open market. As a result none caught fire with the public and they all died.
Delawheredad
Active Member
Here is what wikipedia has to say about this format:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA_tape_cartridge
Looks like a good idea but it does not give enough playing time. I would imagine few audiophiles of the 50s and early 60's, who were primarily classical music fans, would invest in a system that gave them less playing time than LP's on their turntables or reel to reel tape.
The reason why cassettes and 8 track caught on was because you could put a whole album on them even if cassettes offered, at first, less audio fidelity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA_tape_cartridge
Looks like a good idea but it does not give enough playing time. I would imagine few audiophiles of the 50s and early 60's, who were primarily classical music fans, would invest in a system that gave them less playing time than LP's on their turntables or reel to reel tape.
The reason why cassettes and 8 track caught on was because you could put a whole album on them even if cassettes offered, at first, less audio fidelity.
asoundhound
Definitely Low-fi
i've got one of them. they were produced from '58 to '64. mine is a '62. i got the transport working, i'm still trying to fix the electronics.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=188990
http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=2796
the cassette is a little bigger than an elcassette.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=188990
http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=2796
the cassette is a little bigger than an elcassette.
