I will try to be short. Tape stopped being produced on any real level around 2003 just a guess. So been close to 20 years but can still get Type 1 tapes. But no high bias and so on like it used to be. How long did it take the record to return get back in circulation as it is now? I never left. If they are still manufacturering Type 1 cassettes is there hope that they might start again. I am sitting here listening to tape Maxell probably that I recorded off the radio remember radio ? Anyhow thought I could kick it around. Because tape still sounds great and radio stations can still be found here in the Northeast side of the USA.
Will Cassette Tape ever return
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Thanks, I will have to check into some of that. If they have been able to produce vaccumn tubes for all these years and with the restrictions put on them with the materials used and how they have still stayed steady on a small level with LPs they could do it. Well I guess we need a movement, something to bring them back into the peoples ears and eye's again somehow. Because the sound quality you dont need a dragonfly adapter or Schitt Audio set up to bring the sound out a decent deck will do the trick just like a decent table and cart does it for LPs. Always been consistant sound with tape. I beleive the whole tape is dead due to CD was a lie anyhow. They just wanted to push CDs and look how that turned out. People would rather buy a 500 dollar table then listen to most CD formats for a variety of reasons.
There others on this forum who know a lot more than I.
The thing holding back production of type II tape is plain economics. It takes a lot of money to set up the hardware and source the materials needed. Environmental\OSHA restrictions can be overcome, with very expensive hardware to comply with them. Some of the materials for the coatings are not readily available. Now, they can be made available-but how many tons of that compound do you need? Maybe it's say: 10 tons\yr. To make the economics work, it might only be feasible to set up to make a run of say 500 tons\year.
How many cassettes can you expect to sell at perhaps $5.00\each? (and some will wine about that price-"I used to pay $2.00 for Maxell UDXLII"). If the batch of a compound is only 10 tons, it can be produced, but at a dramatically higher cost per lb. That could make the unit cost of the tape $15, perhaps. Few will pay that.
Tape and vinyl never died, but they went from 10's of million units sold, to 100's of thousands\year. CD's were promoted as "perfect music forever". For the casual listener, CD's just made more sense. Those same listeners now go with iTunes, Spotify, etc. It makes sense to them-even easier than CD's.
I know little of the materials and processes used in vacuum tube manufacturing.
For vinyl records-the base material, PVC, has remained a strong selling compound-used by many industries. Heck-I bet the armrests of the office chair I am sitting in have PVC coverings. Record pressing, even in it's heyday, consumed a small fraction of total output. Environmental\OSHA restrictions are present in record pressing plants, but are far less costly to comply with, and the base material, PVC, is easy to come by, and can be purchased for a low per unit cost.
The thing holding back production of type II tape is plain economics. It takes a lot of money to set up the hardware and source the materials needed. Environmental\OSHA restrictions can be overcome, with very expensive hardware to comply with them. Some of the materials for the coatings are not readily available. Now, they can be made available-but how many tons of that compound do you need? Maybe it's say: 10 tons\yr. To make the economics work, it might only be feasible to set up to make a run of say 500 tons\year.
How many cassettes can you expect to sell at perhaps $5.00\each? (and some will wine about that price-"I used to pay $2.00 for Maxell UDXLII"). If the batch of a compound is only 10 tons, it can be produced, but at a dramatically higher cost per lb. That could make the unit cost of the tape $15, perhaps. Few will pay that.
Tape and vinyl never died, but they went from 10's of million units sold, to 100's of thousands\year. CD's were promoted as "perfect music forever". For the casual listener, CD's just made more sense. Those same listeners now go with iTunes, Spotify, etc. It makes sense to them-even easier than CD's.
I know little of the materials and processes used in vacuum tube manufacturing.
For vinyl records-the base material, PVC, has remained a strong selling compound-used by many industries. Heck-I bet the armrests of the office chair I am sitting in have PVC coverings. Record pressing, even in it's heyday, consumed a small fraction of total output. Environmental\OSHA restrictions are present in record pressing plants, but are far less costly to comply with, and the base material, PVC, is easy to come by, and can be purchased for a low per unit cost.
grillebilly
Empty Head
I don't think so. For the reasons mentioned above. I think the vinyl resurgence is fueled by nostalgia and the "cool factor". Like I've read here, no one ever wants to see your file library.
There are bands selling very limited edition cassette tapes. They do sound good on decent equipment.
There are bands selling very limited edition cassette tapes. They do sound good on decent equipment.
Jack Keck
Well-Known Member
Circa 1974, when my Mom offered to get me a stereo for my college graduation. I wanted the capacity to tape my records so I could listen to the tapes and not wear out/scratch my records. I mentioned this to one of my instructors who was into technical stuff and used it in his doctoral research. He told me not to get into 8-track tapes, which were being phased out in favor of cassettes. So I got a cassette deck with my receiver, TT, and speakers.
I did tape all of my records. However, what I came to find out over the years I found that the cassette decks were the least reliable components I ever had. There was no close second. I had JVC, TEAC, Harman Kardon, Hitachi and even Nakamichi decks. The HK was the only one that did not leave my system because it malfunctioned.
Now that I can rip CDs and LPs to digital and can stream much of what I want to listen to, I wouldn't bother with cassettes if they were to make a "comeback". Frankly, If the few LPs I have became available on CD, downloads, or streaming services, my LPs and turntable would probably be gone. I have nostalgia for the music, not the gear.
I did tape all of my records. However, what I came to find out over the years I found that the cassette decks were the least reliable components I ever had. There was no close second. I had JVC, TEAC, Harman Kardon, Hitachi and even Nakamichi decks. The HK was the only one that did not leave my system because it malfunctioned.
Now that I can rip CDs and LPs to digital and can stream much of what I want to listen to, I wouldn't bother with cassettes if they were to make a "comeback". Frankly, If the few LPs I have became available on CD, downloads, or streaming services, my LPs and turntable would probably be gone. I have nostalgia for the music, not the gear.
the recent resurgence of cassette with the younger crowd has something to do with these movies
Late Boomer
Super Member
That's because people are... well, because they do it for a variety of reasons, none of which has anything to do with sound quality.
I do have nostalgia for the gear, but at least I understand where I am coming from and I do not pretend to hear better quality in a cassette recording than in a 128 kbps MP3.
LPs are back because making an LP is simple, and the most complicated part of a record player is a cartridge. Magnetic tape is a whole other level of technology, and playback machines are more intricate. Good decks will not return, good tape will not return, this is outdated technology that should be let die gracefully, that is, use what's up there, do not throw it away, but do not make new machines or tape, because it is just a waste of resources and ultimately, plastic junk.
P.S. Not only compact cassettes, but DVCs are also out of production. Prices on DVCs have jumped threefold on eBay. But the video crowd has generally welcomed the progress in videomaking, probably because the improvements are instantly visible to everyone, and there are no self-appointed gurus who expatiate on the "warmth of analog sound" or something like that. Video crowd is more democratic than audio crowd despite that video equipment has traditionally been more expensive, how ironic is that?
"You're an imbecile!" — He was right. On a related note, Just a couple of weeks ago I received a pair of orange earpads, all the way from Ireland
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Legrace
Super Member
Some of my friends call me retro dude because of my affinity for vintage gear. I consider a large scale revival of any tape format as likely as old style tube tv's coming back. As to radio the number of locations where radio is good is far outnumbered by the number of places where its awful. I long ago ditched my cassette collection and while I still own a stand alone tuner its sitting atop the need to sell pile.
Schanz
Well-Known Member
Ditto what @Late Boomer said. I recently organized my old cassette collection (man i have a ton of old TDK and Maxell) and have used my tape players a little more but these things are destined for extinction. I acquired an SCT-30 fixer-upper for my Realistic ensemble and spent a couple of aggravating weeks getting all the springs and gears correct as well as constantly searching the floor for tiny e-clips and springs. These contraptions will only be around so long. I'll keep the ones I have going as long as I can but then that's it for me. I do like playing cassettes and reels just for the mechanical joy of the blinking lights, spinning wheels and meters. The rising prices on the auction site for decks still shows the demand.
benricci
Super Member
Vinyl is an easier sell when it comes to comebacks, because you can still get great brand-new turntables and great, brand-new cartridges and great, brand-new vinyl pressings. The gear is still being manufactured at all levels, entry level to high-end (in addition to whatever's on the used market) and the records are still being made (both new albums and reissues).
The problem with tape is there are NO GOOD NEW TAPE DECKS and there are NO GREAT NEW TAPES. The tape formulation that is still being manufactured is just OK at best, and any new commercial releases being duped don't have any NR applied. Couple that with the fact that Dolby's not even licensing noise reduction anymore, and you're basically stuck with whatever you have access to on the used market for old machines. Which can be great, but is also hit-or-miss.
And trust me, no manufacturer is going to invest the time and money developing good, new tape decks for such a limited audience. Doesn't make any financial sense.
Bands releasing tapes nowadays are mostly doing it for novelty value, whereas LPs are being pressed to be actually played.
The problem with tape is there are NO GOOD NEW TAPE DECKS and there are NO GREAT NEW TAPES. The tape formulation that is still being manufactured is just OK at best, and any new commercial releases being duped don't have any NR applied. Couple that with the fact that Dolby's not even licensing noise reduction anymore, and you're basically stuck with whatever you have access to on the used market for old machines. Which can be great, but is also hit-or-miss.
And trust me, no manufacturer is going to invest the time and money developing good, new tape decks for such a limited audience. Doesn't make any financial sense.
Bands releasing tapes nowadays are mostly doing it for novelty value, whereas LPs are being pressed to be actually played.
A lot of good replies here most have there value. And you can make a case for tape never returning due to the economics of it all. That said I still enjoy the sound of tape and it has lasted many decades where people say it would not. The end value is in the sound reproduced and enjoyed. Nostalgia and hip factor would never drive the Album continuing on or staying relevant in the music listening era we are in today. Same with tape. If people grow up not knowing good sound they will never know it exists but once exposed some will get the thrill of what good sound reproduction can sound like. Tape allows for that to happen along with well produced recordings on the LP level. It was a good knock around tho and I appreciate being able to do that. At least kick it around without trying just to win a useless argument. I understand people hear as differently as they happen to think things out. If you are done with your old type !! tapes and your decks are useless as far as enjoying music at least pass them on to someone who enjoys them is my only suggestion. Same goes for Tuners or Turntables. I find it wrong to have a medium that produces music on a level that many people enjoy being taken off the market or made extinct due purely to economics but that is a topic for another day.
vwestlife
Super Member
Sales of cassette tapes more than doubled in the UK in 2020, selling over 100,000 for the first time since 2003:
https://www.altpress.com/news/cassette-tape-sales-2020/
TEAC and TASCAM still make good new cassette decks, but for the $300 - $500 they cost, there are plenty of used cassette decks that can surpass their features and performance. And yes, Dolby has not licensed any of their analog noise reduction systems since 2014. But for every person who complains about the lack of it, there always seem to be several more people who say they never used Dolby NR anyway, even on decks which were equipped with it.
https://www.altpress.com/news/cassette-tape-sales-2020/
TEAC and TASCAM still make good new cassette decks, but for the $300 - $500 they cost, there are plenty of used cassette decks that can surpass their features and performance. And yes, Dolby has not licensed any of their analog noise reduction systems since 2014. But for every person who complains about the lack of it, there always seem to be several more people who say they never used Dolby NR anyway, even on decks which were equipped with it.
Without even trying I collected about 100 tapes of Radio Shows all blues shows non commercial from FM stations. Average 20 years old or better. They are now a small box of gold to my ears. I never thought radio would get hijacked by the money boys the way it did. That is a story all to itself that has been written and talked about. I still have two or three non commercial stations I record on a regular basis. What happened to radio should never have happened. I read a thread on homerecording.com out of the U.K> ? not sure. But they were kicking around ways to adjust bias and so forth. So the interest still exists which is good for a lot of reasons. There should never be a ban on any type of music or music source weather the ban is intentional or not.
Kuojo
New Member
Sorry, does anyone have tried the cassettes bought on Thomann?
https://www.thomann.de/it/cassette_compatte.html
https://www.thomann.de/it/cassette_compatte.html
no type II, plenty of type I still available all over the net.
What are most peoples thoughts on the sound quality of tape talking when you had a choice of bias types and so forth, but we could keep it at Type 2 if you all want ? Compared to you favorite medium mine is LPs which vary but overall the best sound for my set up. Would like to hear from people.
to a cassette this day.