The cassette comeback - it's fun all the way!
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Thursday April 27, 2023
David Mellor
David Mellor is CEO and Course Director of Audio Masterclass. David has designed courses in audio education and training since 1986 and is the publisher and principal writer of Adventures In Audio.
Andrew Dupuis: i still have Sony 7 inch reel to reel i was playing it yes day it still works. back then made things last long time
Sal Morreale: Are cassette tapes subject to sticky shed? Tape is fun! Fostex E2, Optimus SCT-86. Thank you for posting.
Audio Masterclass replies to Sal Morreale: That's an interesting question. I have never encountered it myself in cassettes but have most definitely suffered on reel-to-reel.
Mike Ter brake: Believe me! Cassette’s are really good, I got a Akai GXC-46D cassettedeck with GX heads! (1973) Great machine, and I got a GXC-710D (1976). My recordings sound the same like the source from my laptop or CD! Definitely HI-FI!. Most people think cassette’s are bad but most people had cheap decks sOo the sound quality is bad with cheap decks (P’s I am 23 years old)
Cro Doc: I always hated cassettes.
Dennis DeMark: YES! Fun indeed.
John Carter: Todays cassette tape players the mechanisms are not as good as they was back in the day.
maxbg: Thanks for mentioning the legendary Nakamichi tape decks! 😂
Dylan Sainsbury: I've loved cassette's since I was a kid and its an ever lasting enjoyment. I guess for me the difference between cassette's and vinyl/CDs is that it's recordable by the average person. Vinyl is pressed, CDs are hard coded, but a cassette is reusable, over and over. You can create something personal to you, that represents your personality. No fancy gear, just a deck and a cassette. I think that's why it hasn't died, like the iPod, its a format for you, the individual and it's personal.
Redline: Cassettes are great and I'm happy to see them making a comeback. But I do worry about tape breakdown for collectors. Even in climate controlled storage magnetic tape starts degrading after about 10 years. And after 50 years a tape is going to have a lost a fair amount of fidelity from new. There are chemical treatment processes that can be done for rare/valuable magnetic tapes today to slow that down. But normally experts would suggest copying to another tape or medium before it gets too old. So I kind of wonder how collecting something that has a relatively short shelf life compared to other audio formats will work in the long run.
shitmandood: In the old days, I liked to record the radio, CDs, and vinyl to tape. It was engaging activity.
I still like to record music from Spotify or YouTube concerts, but recording on the PC, is a hassle. They put inhibitors in there in such a way, that Audacity can’t record it easily. There’s always some rigmarole and it’s tedious. With a tape deck, I can just pop in a blank, play the YouTube or Spotify, kickback and click the record button.
I’m supporting the revival by buying a new tape deck, already bought a We Are Rewind portable, as well as the new type 1 and 2 blanks (plus buying old releases tapes, used and NOS).
I get a lot of satisfaction from the activity, just like I did in the distant past.
Oliver Dixon: I burn high quality FLAC vinyl rips to CD-R... does that count?
Paul Strickland: You made a video saying the cassette comeback will never happen. Now this? Haha
Daz Anderson: like hear audio drama or cassette then on cd as keep hear track change as not smoother
Daz Anderson: cassettes only good as what you played them on or way they rec or transferred copy is
Anthony Toth: I had a kx930 Yamaha kx670 Yamaha nakamichi zx9 cr7 and 4 Sonys two pioneers and 4 technics loved them and miss them… I love seeing them in a rack spinning or turning
Nothing wrong with what you like. Each to their own. Never had a cassette jump or skip in a car like my crap cds. I always serviced them and never had a tape chew up. In fact I had over 250 hifis in 53 years and the cassette decks always stood out and complimented the system more. The displays on them looked amazing with peak level meters too. In fact when listening to music it’s nice to see the displays going or uv meters. Better than looking at a phone screen all the time swap swipe swipe swipe. With vinyl and cassettes you were forced to listen to a whole album to its full entirety not like now everyone skips music. 😮
Mark Philpot: There are some with high grade decks like myself, fanatical about tape recording and meticulous about cleaning and demagging them. If you want to get the most out, you must be willing to put out the effort. This is a hobby that can reward your effort. Dolby? I don’t think so, but that is my take on that. As far as I can tell, it dulls the sound and degrades the experience. The key is knowing what level to use with each brand and grade of tape and do not compromise on any of these. I know some will say no Dolby, he must be deaf or daff. It’s a choice and it has worked for more than decades. I don’t kick others for their choice. They will do me the same and we both will be happy. The recording level is critical, but the reward is a cleaner result and none of the residual issues of Dolby’s use. Two Revox B215s and an NAD 6300 make fabulous tapes as do Naks. To each their own. It is fun to me. So would reel to reels be, but way above my price point. Taking care of them is key to the experience. It isn’t a hobby for the lazy or the ones who only look for convenience. Physical media gives you that, but it requires a level of involvement most are not up to. The reward is worth the effort. Only you can decide if you are up to it.
Zeus Suez: it is not about fun, it is the music playback from a medium, vinyl, cassette tape, digital are 3 distinctive mediums each sounds different, quality does not measure by digit alone
Doug G: I remember when music recorded to VHS was a small thing.
Tim S: Screw the corrupt music industry and their monopolies. Screw the rip-off streaming platforms. Screw stuffy snobs with posh accents. Make and trade cassettes, support your local scene, that’s rock and roll baby!