"Cassette sales double in a year..." BBC News 12/2020

SET Man · « **on:** 16 Jan 2021, 05:20 am »

Hey!

https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-55476419

Well, I didn't see this coming. I remembered I went to Rough Trade store here in Brooklyn NYC back in October 2020 and they do have a stand with albums on prerecorded cassettes. Maybe 8-Tracks is coming back soon?

Buddy

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #1 on:** 16 Jan 2021, 06:16 am »

Merchandising, why they dont use dcc or DAT ? It have better sound than cassetes, not tô mention CD or Minidisk, MD is a very fancy encased format.

toocool4 · « **Reply #2 on:** 16 Jan 2021, 10:55 am »

Rough Trade in the UK have been carrying cassettes for years, nothing new for us in the UK.
I have to admit I never stopped using cassettes, I still use my Walkman everyday for my commute to and from work. That was when we could still travel to work.

FullRangeMan “why they dont use dcc or DAT ? It have better sound than cassetes”
Cassettes are cheaper to produce hence lower outlay for the producer. DCC sounding better than cassette? I beg to differ, cassettes recorded from good source, good tape deck, good metal cassettes will give any source a run for it’s money. You don’t even have to use metal cassettes to get good recordings.

I do my own recordings with a Nakamichi CR-7 onto TDK MA-XG’s, all of my audiophile friends that have heard my recordings are impressed.
Cassettes can sound good if done properly, like any format it’s GIGO.

Attached is a pic of a cassette I was listening to the other day.

Phil A · « **Reply #3 on:** 16 Jan 2021, 01:29 pm »

Way back in the day I owned a Nakamichi 680zx. It sounded just as good if not better than other cassette decks I owned even recording at half speed. When I had LPs in the late 1970s and early 1980s (and I only had about 40 nice ones in pristine shape vs. the rest beat up from being played on crappy equipment), I would record them and it sounded great. I still have a cheapo (double) cassette deck (not hooked up) and some tapes in a closet (last time I listened was probably just under a decade ago). I gave the Nakamichi (needed a tune up) to a salesperson at a local store (who was always helpful to me and wanted it) when I moved about 25 years back.

Bemopti123 · « **Reply #4 on:** 16 Jan 2021, 03:17 pm »

Quote from: toocool4 on 16 Jan 2021, 10:55 am

Rough Trade in the UK have been carrying cassettes for years, nothing new for us in the UK.
I have to admit I never stopped using cassettes, I still use my Walkman everyday for my commute to and from work. That was when we could still travel to work.

FullRangeMan “why they dont use dcc or DAT ? It have better sound than cassetes”
Cassettes are cheaper to produce hence lower outlay for the producer. DCC sounding better than cassette? I beg to differ, cassettes recorded from good source, good tape deck, good metal cassettes will give any source a run for it’s money. You don’t even have to use metal cassettes to get good recordings.

I do my own recordings with a Nakamichi CR-7 onto TDK MA-XG’s, all of my audiophile friends that have heard my recordings are impressed.
Cassettes can sound good if done properly, like any format it’s GIGO.

Attached is a pic of a cassette I was listening to the other day.

When I took a couple of amplifiers to be looked over at a technician's shop in CT, I saw that he dealt with reel to reel equipment and then I asked whether he worked in Cassette decks and he said that due to the sandwiched assembly of the circuits and the innumerable belts that some of them have, he stopped repairing them years back due to his eyes being unable to see that well.

DATs and DACCs were only made for a handful of years, if something were to go bad with the deck, then, good luck with attempting to get it to work again.

For those people who are into recording, perhaps just a recording software in a standard computer might provide you better options for the long run.... copies of files that will outlive the machines in which they were made.

Bemopti123 · « **Reply #5 on:** 16 Jan 2021, 03:22 pm »

I wonder what machines do people who purchase these tapes use to play them but then, I think the people who purchase them do not do it to get audio enjoyment out of them but because they see potential gains as collectables.

https://www.urbanoutfitters.com/shop/blackpink-the-album-limited-cassette-tape?color=066&type=REGULAR&size=ONE%20SIZE&quantity=1

PS: I am beginning to see prices skyrocketing for physical CD albums that Kpop artists released just a decade ago.

Letitroll98 · « **Reply #6 on:** 16 Jan 2021, 03:32 pm »

I sold a really nice 3 head Pioneer deck and gave all my cassettes to the vets organization years ago, 2013 I believe. I wasn't using either, but I wondered what artists I gave away, but now with hirez streaming I'm missing nothing.

jcsperson · « **Reply #7 on:** 16 Jan 2021, 04:13 pm »

Hmmnnn. . . I have a mint Nakamichi BX-300 just sitting in its original box. I looked at what they're asking for these on eBay. Zounds!

toocool4 · « **Reply #8 on:** 16 Jan 2021, 05:52 pm »

Bemopti123 I would not say I am into recording, I just use cassettes because I have always used them. Since I have a topflight player recorder, I keep using it.
With regard to servicing, I use to take into Bowers & Wilkins Nakamichi for a full service every 2 – 3 years. Bowers & Wilkins Nakamichi just shut last summer, so not sure what I will do about servicing next. There is a Nakamichi specialist in Holland, I may give him a try next but I will have to take it down to him as I do not trust the postal service to get it there and back without breaking something. When Bowers & Wilkins was around I use to drive it down to them for service and collect it when it was done.

jcsperson anything Nakamichi commands a lot of money, but I have to say not all of them deserve the high asking price. If you are not using the BX-300, sell it now while the price are still high but to be honest I don’t see the price coming down anytime soon.

You should also checkout the price new blanks and used cassettes are going for. Not prices I would pay as I have stockpile of mainly TDK MA-XG 90’s new un-opened.
If you look at Cassette Come Back https://www.cassettecomeback.com/collections/type-4-metal-cassettes, he sells new old stock cassettes. On that site TDK MA-XG 60’s go for £80 each.

dB Cooper · « **Reply #9 on:** 16 Jan 2021, 06:55 pm »

Quote from: FullRangeMan on 16 Jan 2021, 06:16 am

Merchandising, why they dont use dcc or DAT ? It have better sound than cassettes, not to mention CD or Minidisk, MD is a very fancy encased format.

DAT was limited to 16/48. DCC was a joke, a format that delivered 8-bit performance with all the flaws of the original analog cassette. It was a largely DOA formt for the most part

While flawed, a really good recording on a really good deck sounds better than it has a right to- nothing a glass or two can't fix, although in an A-B it. will fall short of CD-spec or better platforms.

In a scenario like this, where you already have the deck, why not, although I would not 'start out' on this platform today. In fact I have been looking for find someone who can digitize a couple I still have.

Phil A · « **Reply #10 on:** 16 Jan 2021, 06:58 pm »

Wow - look what I just found (could have more). Have not played a cassette in almost 10 years and it has been over 7 years since I moved and packed my audio and video cassettes up but I have 4 unopened tapes.

toocool4 · « **Reply #11 on:** 16 Jan 2021, 07:06 pm »

Phil A if you don’t want them, I would be interested since I still use them.

dB Cooper · « **Reply #12 on:** 16 Jan 2021, 09:44 pm »

I wonder if Maxell could still keep this promise.

toocool4 · « **Reply #13 on:** 16 Jan 2021, 10:00 pm »

Ha ha

dB Cooper worth a try but I guess I know what the answer will be

dB Cooper · « **Reply #14 on:** 17 Jan 2021, 02:09 am »

I mean, does Maxell still make cassettes? I haven't looked.

RadioShack used to sell 'lifetime guarateed' tubes. It would have been fun to walk into one before they went OOB and try to get a replacement for a 20yo vacuum tube.

dB Cooper · « **Reply #15 on:** 17 Jan 2021, 02:20 am »

Quote from: Bemopti123 on 16 Jan 2021, 03:17 pm

DATs and DACCs were only made for a handful of years, if something were to go bad with the deck, then, good luck with attempting to get it to work again.

Yeah, all parts are made of unobtainium. DACC not worth resurrecting to begin with.

Quote

For those people who are into recording, perhaps just a recording software in a standard computer might provide you better options for the long run.... copies of files that will outlive the machines in which they were made.

A good laptop or tablet and a good soundcard is all you need. Don't put it too close to your TT.

Bemopti123 · « **Reply #16 on:** 17 Jan 2021, 02:33 am »

Quote from: dB Cooper on 17 Jan 2021, 02:20 am

Yeah, all parts are made of unobtainium. DACC not worth resurrecting to begin with.
A good laptop or tablet and a good soundcard is all you need. Don't put it too close to your TT.

I still remember recording with a couple of 3 head tape decks until the early 2000s. Afterwards, everything became digital with playlists and the like. Slowly and steadily, the joy of collecting CDs and other physical formats in order to make mixed tapes went to oblivion.

I guess I still keep the carcasses of two of these tape decks, a NAD 6300 with Dynaq circuitry that Tangberg introduced, vintage 1987 as well as a Pioneer Elite CT-43? I forgot the model, it has 3 heads as well as Dolby S. This machine had a trim pot which aligned the heads in order to improve linearity.

Sadly, now, what I am still collecting in terms of physical formats are CDs as well as Vinyl.... 90% of the time, I listen to Apple Music, with thousands of tracks with questionable compression. When I find an artist I like or an album, I hunt for its vinyl version.

Will I ever resurrect my tape decks? It seems to be an exercise in futility.

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #17 on:** 17 Jan 2021, 02:39 am »

Quote from: toocool4 on 16 Jan 2021, 10:55 am

FullRangeMan “why they dont use dcc or DAT ? It have better sound than cassetes”
Cassettes are cheaper to produce hence lower outlay for the producer. DCC sounding better than cassette? I beg to differ, cassettes recorded from good source, good tape deck, good metal cassettes will give any source a run for it’s money. You don’t even have to use metal cassettes to get good recordings.

My first source was a portable K7 and after a CCE deck, make recodings was not my intend since LPs and TT was more expensive than cassetes, so I had always purchased pre-recorded tapes which were poor made even the plastic case, these pre-recorded tapes lasted only one year average til the next winter, the sound level decreases and a loud squeak appears, the after market TDK tapes of the time were better thou, how much I dont know.

I would add one more reason to they have choosen analogue cassete tapes to this revival wave, cassete tape is a finite short life format as well as the celebrated mass media acclaimed vinyl, making to the ~~(audiophool)~~ dear custumer to buy the album again after some time, Philips always was strong in planed obsolecence.

toocool4 · « **Reply #18 on:** 17 Jan 2021, 09:29 am »

Quote from: dB Cooper on 17 Jan 2021, 02:09 am

I mean, does Maxell still make cassettes? I haven't looked.

I think the last lot of cassettes they made were the type I UR’s and they have not made those in years.

JLM · « **Reply #19 on:** 17 Jan 2021, 01:57 pm »

Had a Nak 700 back in late 70's. Very good fidelity, but only for tapes recorded on the machine. Tapes recorded on it did not translate well to any other machine, even a Nak 1000 (the hand built version of the 700) due to due to machine specific idiosyncrasies. Bought it as I volunteered at the small college radio station that thought I could nab the albums before they went to the vinyl grinders (broadcast turntables). No such luck.