Cassettes may be dead. But prices are not (2021).

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by alexpop, Jul 6, 2021.

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  1. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits.... Thread Starter

    There was another thread, but it’s locked.
     
  2. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits.... Thread Starter

    I was just checking eBay prices for TDK Cassettes... and their sky high.

    Will these 1980s nos tapes still work ?
     
  3. macster

    macster Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Diego, Ca. USA
    Ummm, is there a particular one that you had in mind?

    FYI, the TDK "D" version works quite well, far beyond what you'd expect.

    Anyway, your link didn't work.

    M~
     
    Grant likes this.
  4. Hardcore

    Hardcore Quartz Controlled

    Location:
    UK
    Yes, they seem to work just like new. I bought a bunch around 5-10 years ago and recorded to a lot of them with no problems at all.

    You do get the odd ones with mould problems, if they’ve been stored somewhere damp or something, but it seems pretty few and far between.

    The ones that have things like ‘for CD’ plastered on them seem to go a bit cheaper as tapeheads turn their noses up at them a bit.
     
    alexpop likes this.
  5. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits.... Thread Starter

    SA-X in particular.
     
  6. Hardcore

    Hardcore Quartz Controlled

    Location:
    UK
    Yeah you’ll pays a premium for those. Even 10 years ago SA-X and XLII-S were pretty pricey.
     
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  7. macster

    macster Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Diego, Ca. USA
    Do you have a pic, I have several versions some "I think" wrapped, but I know that I have a bunch used.

    M~
     
    alexpop likes this.
  8. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits.... Thread Starter

    eBay ..
    I’m seeing 50.00 for one cassette, Lordy.
     
  9. Hardcore

    Hardcore Quartz Controlled

    Location:
    UK
    Yeah that’s crazy! I think I paid between £5-10 for the majority of mine. They must be few and far between these days, a lot of people are into the hobby and are all chasing the same tapes.

    The MA-R are even more insane, I wish I had just one they look so cool.
     
    alexpop likes this.
  10. elvisizer

    elvisizer Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Jose
    wow I wonder if I still have any boxes of XLII-S's around . . . .
    that used to be my 'nice' tape for my 4 track recorders so I had a ton of them
     
    rcsrich, bever70 and bloodlemons like this.
  11. Francois

    Francois Forum Resident

    Location:
    Montreal, QC
    I got a whole bunch of blank tapes I bought before it became crazy, I'm glad I'm set for quite a while! Now if I could only get myself a good Sony WM-D6C... Why won't they release new good quality ones again?
     
    Shak Cohen likes this.
  12. macster

    macster Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Diego, Ca. USA
    Here are some of the ones that I haven't gotten around to wiping with my demagnetizer yet.

    [​IMG]

    I just bought them way back when, with the intention to use them at some future date.

    M~
     
    Manutius, Grant, andrewskyDE and 4 others like this.
  13. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Innocent Bystander

    With proper storage, I'd say the odds are good. Some of my tapes date back to the mid-'70s and still play fine. The only ones that seem to have deteriorated are a few BASF Professional III.

    Other than that, all my TDK, Maxell, Fuji and the odd Scotch are all equally OK.

    And +1 on TDK "D" - I have quite a few that sound more than adequate. Sure, SA-X is better, but not THAT much better...
     
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2021
    clhboa, alexpop and Hardcore like this.
  14. Jack Francis

    Jack Francis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    alexpop likes this.
  15. macster

    macster Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Diego, Ca. USA
    Agreed

    I was quite shocked at the performance of the tapes, it was an eye opener.

    M~
     
    jusbe likes this.
  16. jusbe

    jusbe Modern Melomaniac

    Location:
    Auckland, NZ.
    I was going to talk about my love of cassettes and add my voice to those who champion quality type 1 tapes on a good deck. But then sentiment and prices would only creep up just a little bit more.

    Cassettes are fun.
     
  17. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits.... Thread Starter

    Doesn’t anybody make blank cassettes anymore?
     
  18. Hardcore

    Hardcore Quartz Controlled

    Location:
    UK
    Yeah, you can still get Maxell UX and other basic cassettes, made in Korea I think.
     
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  19. macster

    macster Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Diego, Ca. USA
    Uhhh

    No one uses cassettes they are a dead format. :sigh: So you are safe.

    M~
     
    jusbe likes this.
  20. Jack Francis

    Jack Francis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    alexpop likes this.
  21. Stone Turntable

    Stone Turntable Independent Head

    Location:
    New Mexico USA
    Just got my long-sidelined Onkyo Integra TA-6711 refurbished and its worn-out belts replaced, so I'm looking forward to getting back into the cassette game, and digging out my old mix tapes and the new-music compilations my music-mad best friend sent me monthly for a couple of decades starting in the early '90s, plus a random assortment of bootleg stuff.

    [​IMG]
     
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  22. Rodant Kapoor

    Rodant Kapoor Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Cassettes are not dead here, I'm having a blast making great recordings on my 3-head Sony TC-K81.
    The elitists can thumb their noses all they want.
    There is a large market for the better quality cassettes left out there, as they will never make Type II & IV Metal cassettes anymore, so grab 'em while you can.
    There are premium Type I's that you'll have to pony up for, but there is still a huge supply of NOS TDK, Maxells etc. that can really sound great with a good deck.
     
  23. luckybaer

    luckybaer Thinks The Devil actually beat Johnny

    Location:
    Missouri
    I’ve saved some money by buying Type I tapes. Not sure if they are new or NOS. I have purchased a handful of NOS Type II tapes, but they are pricey.

    I like the results I’ve had with the Type I tapes and my DR-2 (CD5003 as source). Haven’t felt the need to burn one of my Type II tapes yet.
     
    Archimago likes this.
  24. tommy-thewho

    tommy-thewho Senior Member

    Location:
    detroit, mi
    I have quite a few so I'm set for now.
     
    Moon42 likes this.
  25. Roy Crossland

    Roy Crossland Forum Resident

    Location:
    Skåne
    There are people still recording new music on 4-track cassette recorders. They want good quality cassettes. Sometimes they make copies of their own produced music to a cassette and pass it on to friends. Underground music is shared in this kind of old school way but I like the idea.

    Some artists still release new albums on cassette and they are sometimes limited and numbered.

    I still have my TASCAM 244 Portastudio somewhere!

    I had many type II cassettes and even metal tapes still sealed but I sold them on the internet. I got payed good and didn’t need them anymore.
     
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2021
    Shak Cohen, alexpop and Rodant Kapoor like this.
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