8-tracks: Sound good or awful?

If I could I would have a long time ago!

 

I guess its all how you look at things buddy,I LOVE THOSE THINGS and think they are MUCH BETTER than what they make now!!!

In my opinion the world died in the 80s and has been getting worse ever since......

 

I am not in denial, I am bewildered!

 

Bewildered?

Why does anyone have a liking for vintage anything - cars, motorcycles, aircraft, locomotives, typewriters, amplifiers, turntables etc. and use them? They have all been out engineered. I myself am fascinated with obsolete technology obtaining much satisfaction and enjoyment from something doing it's thing as it did when it was state of the art. There is beauty in that.

Current state of the art is fleeting at best. As far as I'm concerned, technology is doled out at a predetermined rate and marketed to make buyer's of the latest and greatest lust after the next newest thing. Maybe in 50 or so years when I'm well into my 100's I might feel differently but for now, new stuff has no soul or character. It's just a statement and bragging rights.

If someone is not one of the select few who appreciates the obsolete, then move along folks, there's nothing to see here.

In 10 years, what is going to become more desireable, a restored 1967 Chevrolet Impala or a restored 2017 Chevrolet Impala? And which one will attract more attention?

 

A good point to remember is that when that '67 Impala was new, your choices for music in the car were:

1. AM radio

2. FM radio (usually, back then, an add-on to the AM)

3. 8 tracks.

The argument about 8 track sound quality is specious. In 1967 it was the best thing available.

When cylinder recordings came into being, folks were amazed how much it sounded "like the real thing".

Cheers,
Larry B.

 

Sorry I took so long to reply. I lost track of this thread.

The tape stripper is a clear plastic molding (in Telex decks, anyway) right at the capstan and around it and it's purpose is to "strip" tape away from the capstan if the tape gets stuck to the capstan to avoid the tape winding around the capstan, which is the main cause of tapes being ruined. The capstan gets dirty and sticky and then the tape sticks to it. Of course, the way to avoid it is to be sure to clean the capstan and other elements which come into contact with the tape periodically.

If you look into one of our decks, you should be able to see a clear plastic structure right next to the capstan which is concave and the full height of the capstan.

The effectiveness of the tape stripper is variable but better than nothing.

Yes, I was/am aware Ford had both the standard knob/dial radios and the all-electronic ones at the same time. It all depended on the model car which one was available for it.

Doug

 

Fortunately, my copy of Aqualung is quad, so no song splitting.

 

that's cool...

 

My buddy in high school briefly had his grandmother's '78 model. Unfortunately, noone had 8-tracks by 1986, much less quad ones!

 

I keep it as a novelty. If I want to hear Aqualung in quad, I go to the R2R or the blu-ray.

 

yea, times have sure changed...never imagined back then we'd have such a convenient way to enjoy our treasured albums playing on a shiny disc!

 

It would be interesting to learn from a label exec if they ever considered their tape format recordings surviving 40+ years and still sought out and listened to albeit by only a small number of individuals.

 

Yes that is a hard analogue album to get sounding good!!!

I had the 8 track and it sounded bad...... Luckily my UK 1st press sounds quite good!!!

 

Most of the problem with commercial 8-tracks was the cheap, hard plastic pinch rollers they used which quickly wore the tape out. Just think of that relatively fragile tape being ground between the hard plastic roller and the hard metal capstan.

Better quality tapes had a soft plastic or rubber roller in them which resulted in a much longer tape life and much better wow and flutter numbers. Our RCA test tapes were always well constructed with very good pinch rollers. and well-made reels with lubricated bushings.

I always maintained that if the efforts put into cassettes to make them an acceptable audio medium were put into 8-tracks, 8-tracks could have easily surpassed cassettes for sound quality.

Doug

 

I recently bought a large lot of both used and NOS sealed blank 8 tracks. I'm starting to bulk erase and refurbish the better quality brand tapes and do some recording from CD/Vinyl. Using a Pioneer H-R99 deck, I'm experiencing much better sound quality than most of the pre-recorded tapes I own. It's been a fun though somewhat time consuming project. The "Sgt. Pepper" 2017 Remix recorded from Blu-ray @ 24/96 sounds very good. Probably the best sound quality I've ever heard from an 8 track tape........which isn't too surprising considering the source.

 

I did a needle drop of Led Zeppelin I and II on a NOS Scotch 90 minute tape, recorded on my newly acquired Akai CR-80D-SS, which is thankfully "static" free. I used the George Piros early 70's Monarch pressing for I and the Robert Ludwig for II.
The recording turned out very well and blows away any pre-recorded 8 track tapes of these albums that I own. Although I don't have the original UK's to compare it to. This recording sounds great!

 

I listened to a few of them my parents had in with the vinyl collection they left me. The sound was 'okay.' My impression is you're still better off with a CD or even a cassette tape.

 

I dont wanna make anyone mad but anyone who says 8 tracks dont sound good have been severly conditioned and brainwashed and they dont even realise it........

 

I've just dubbed some 4.0 SACD/DVD-A/Blu Ray audio to 8 track on an Akai CR80DSS. The results were mixed depending on the tape used, but the better tape stock was pretty impressive.

 

I might try dubbing some Moody Blues SACD's that are 4.0 on my CR-80D-SS. Tape quality means a lot. I have some sealed Scotch and Maxell that should work pretty well.

 

Ask me this question in 50 years.

 

10 people actually voted "great"? My Gosh....

 

Never dealt with 8 track. In the 60's my mom always bought the best (Fisher receivers and Klh speakers were at my grandpas house) so when she wanted to add a tape machine to our Magnavox console tv stereo, the best piece of suburban woodwork combo from 65' , she got an open reel tape machine then a cassette deck by 1969 never 8 track. In 1969 cassettes were very new. Even our cars had factory cassette when finally offered by 1971 model year. Prerecorded cassettes were no better sounding than 8 tracks then.
My friends family's were all into 8 track tapes for both home and car. When I got my first car, a 1973 Dodge Charger in 1977 , it came with a console cassette dictaphone and even when I got my 1971 numbers matching Plymouth GTX in 1990 it had the same cassette as the Charger. My parents, uncles, and myself were all just civil servants not a snoby person among my whole family but when it came to electronics we always bought the best we could and 8 tracks were not it.
8 track never sounded right to me and everyone who had one seemed to be on their ways out, matchbook under cartridge, garglely sound, tape getting chewed up(cassettes were eaten too) and it just reaked with cheapness to me, which is wrong I know but that was how I saw them. Played records at home and cassettes in cars. 8 tracks were at my friends house/ car. I miss those days much!!
Take care, John M.

 

The 8 track was super cool in the 1960s for automobiles, but is far from quality recordings for home use with the cheap home based players. The cassette came out a few years later for use in cars & home gear was far superior for cassettes.

 

Yes what you transferred was not analog so YES im sure it was impressive....

Very nice Arnold -- thank you for sharing