7 Cassettes In 7 Days - Day 4 - EMI XT

In this video I unwrap a EMI XT, have a look inside and put it through it's paces.
Deck Used : Aiwa AD-S950
For your North American cassette needs, go to:
www.cassettecomeback.com

[@clarencehoover6748]

Impressed with the results. Better than I expected! Point taken: A quality, serviced deck is worth the investment. Keep up the great content. 💜

[@amazinganimallearningandfu3842]

does this series of recent videos, mean 'you're back'? can't tell you how much I have enjoyed it all so far. you have really made my week Tony. Remember these old EMI's in Woolworths where I lived, I used to buy the navy blue EMI Super along with the Winfield cassettes, and only discovered the rest of the EMI range from vintage cassettes website. Even managed to get some XTs from Ebay. I thought they made had been made by Philips as the shell design was very similar to the Whsmith own brand cassettes of the 80s. Remember recording a Roland Rat single on one. Funny how stuff sticks in your memory,....Thanks every so much Tony for bringing back some wonderful memories.

[@CassetteComeback]

I'm on sabbatical at the moment, so I've got the time to rattle a few videos out 😁

[@co9753]

Tony you’re colorful descriptions and English lingo mixed with the accent are a delight to listen to. Love the channel thanks for quality entertainment!

[@stevie.dx1710]

Fantastic that you explained that it's the capabilities of the deck making many of these tapes usable. And that's exactly why I watch your channel. It's interesting to see you try out all these different cassettes from all over and made at different times. Tapes were the way we took our music with us in the 80s and 90s. I'll always love them. This 7 in 7 series is great. Thanx a lot Tony. Keep going.

[@moogultop]

I couldn't agree more with you Tony about the deck. I also own a Aiwa 950 and it is like brand new. What I specifically like about it is the way that it can 'colour' the recording. For example, when you use the Nakamishi, it makes a beautiful one on one copy of the original. A bit like making a drawing with a very fine pencil. The Aiwa uses a whole box of colour pencils and gives it just that little bit extra. It's hard to put it in to words, but it's for me the reason I have one. Please keep on putting out more of these lovely videos. I'm always looking forward to them!

[@richardporcari7206]

Sounds so good off the tape. It sounds fuller, more alive, than off the source!

[@hughjanus6975]

Don't let the astronaut thing bother you, keep at it!

[@S7EVE_P]

Owner of Aiwa tape deck (f810) - they are really good. Look no further if you want a nice sounding deck at a sensible price. They seem to make any tape sound better than it should!

[@kiirunavaara]

In the description on the back they refer to IEC 94 and the primary reference tape batch R723DG for type I. This standard was defined in 1981, so the cassette can't be older than that. Nice video, keep up the good work!

[@thejoojooman6538]

Cassette Comeback can't B stopped.

[@johntammaro]

Enjoyed this thanks for the detailed annotation of your work

[@ElectoneGuy]

My JVC DD-V9 is by far the most advanced and best sounding deck I've ever had the privilege of using. It can take a bargain-basement tape and make it sound like the source. Having said that, my lower-end Yamaha KX-300U is only a 2-head deck, but some of my most cherished and high-quality recordings have been made on that deck.

[@ralphreinhardt6020]

Another excellent video there Mr.Tony . Keep up the great work sir ! 😎👍

[@ubtrippin9980]

Thanks for these videos Tony!

[@Jim_2E0HKM]

Another nice video Tony, Mirrored my test results with a used batch I got which included some EMI super (basic entry ferric) HFX and these XT, all looked like dull junk when I checked out the tape & pushed my Sony KA6ES to its limit on Bias & level, but, they all sounded very good, amazing levels of Bass too so good for dance tunes. I wasn't too surprised as I had a EMI super I used as a kid to record the Sunday chart show off the radio, it stood about 8 years of none stop abuse, getting chewed up in various crap dirty decks but it never broke just went a bit wobbly in the chewed section.. ha ha

[@Fluteboy]

Woolworths used to sell EMI Standard and Super cassettes in the early 80s. I bought them for their looks more than anything, and they were always useful only for shoebox recorders.

[@danniielle]

Once again, I'm in total agreement with your sentiments Tony. I have a few of the Australian market versions of those EMI tapes that I have had since the early 80s. I haven't tried any new recordings on one though.

[@christopherredfern6472]

well that was a surprise ! i'm lucky enough to have a cr7e so spoilt with constant good results - albeit i doubt i would buy EMI tapes - great day 4 test -- lovin the 7 days stuff

[@aljustal7577]

Big upper mid boost made that sound way more exciting than the source, not an accurate recording but still sounded great, and that's all that matters 👍

[@BilisNegra]

I'm afraid we're getting massively spoiled with so much content in such a short time span! I hope we will at least still have new videos regularly and the channel won't go into sleep mode for months like at some point in the past. I'm enjoying this series a lot in any case!

[@CassetteComeback]

I'm on holiday at the moment, so have the time. Once "real life" kicks in again, then the amount of videos will drop. The truth is that because this is a niche channel, that uses products that could be sold for more money than the videos generate, there isn't a financial incentive here, unlike most "big" generalist KZbinrs you follow. I tried a patreon and no one was interested and the channel is too niche for anyone to want to sponsor it, so I'm afraid videos will be done exactly when I feel like it 😆

[@BilisNegra]

@@CassetteComeback I follow the channel so I know/expect that. Just there not being a like 5-6 month long gap is ok to me, well, more or less. Thanks for all you show us anyway and have a nice vacation.

[@middlesbroughmike1027]

​@CassetteComeback I'm really surprised that no one was interested in supporting the channel. I'm amazed at what some people are willing to support!

[@BilisNegra]

@@middlesbroughmike1027 Me too, but I wasn't wanting to be tiresome and write yet another reply on the topic... Guess I have just done that anyway.

[@dhamrenjr]

❤ this Channel

[@azcoyote]

EMI's American affiliate, Capitol Records, had a magnetics division around the same time, and made their own tape which they sold as blanks along using it on their duplications.

[@kiirunavaara]

Yes, and unfortunately a good share of these Capitol tapes are sticky now, especially the higher grade cobalt doped ones. EMI UK tapes are different, they also had their own magnetic tape production in England, and they usually have no ageing issues.

[@jeroen1158]

Hi Tony, you should try the STABILO point88 pens for winding the tapes. The pen is the perfect size, even better than Bic - I didn't even know this could be possible.

[@previousslayer]

Out of my 4-year cassetteless slumber to say: I'm noticing much the same thing with computer RAM and motherboards when you overclock that stuff (silly hobby I know 😅 but that's what I've been up to lately since the last tapedeck tech here delisted his services) as you did with tapes and decks when you put music programs on that stuff. Too bad my S550S is/was pure autocal, no challenge in chasing bias & levels 😂

[@EZ647]

Hi I have one EMI audio cassette, but different model and packaging than in your video. The shell is identical though. Then I have two audiotapes with the same shell, probably made by EMI in GB. Although the shell looks with a small window like the Basf, or the Magna, what I wrote to the video about Yashima, here is the difference in the scale under the window. But what is important is the vertical texture of the lines on the shell surface, which is not present on other cassettes shells with this design. I'm assuming EMI as the manufacturer for now, I know little about the tape. But in my tests it surprised with excessively high output, but the treble was again slightly suppressed, like most of these old audiotapes. In your video you can hear the big power difference very well. My test recording on the EMI Hifi Fidelity C60 model (the model will probably be a generation older than your cassette in the test) On my Akai DX-57 the level was getting up to +6db in the peaks, but the bias was very low to be happy with the trebles. The difference in tape and source level was 2db (This Akai does not have level extra calibration) Sonically a very dynamic and pleasant sounding tape. No distortion or azimuth fluctuation. Regards EZ

[@kiirunavaara]

Yes, I also assume that EMI made both the shell and the tape in their own factories. EMI sometimes used third party shells for all of their cassette generations (Hellerman, ICM, Magna, Audio Magnetics...), but the tape was mostly one of their original formulas.

[@EZ647]

@@kiirunavaara Since audiocassettes production consists of two main manufacturing sectors, audio tape and plastic components, many companies have kept these separate and sometimes even with the big brands it is not certain what tape is in a particular shell. Especially for these Europan manufacturers. But I haven't recorded the Emi, just tried a short test, so while it seems excellent, I don't know how it will fare in durability. Recently, binder collabs have become more and more common. Bonding, or strong rubbing. I've most recently heard this problem with the latest generation Maxell UR and these are very new cassettes indeed. That's why I'm also a bit more skeptical of the new current manufacturers, even though some have achieved interesting results, the production may not be as well tuned for durability, even if they are covering up the formulas of famous companies of the past. EZ

[@JamesE707]

Biasing is generally important, but 'levels' - not so, why? Well, when examining the level control from many (if not all) circuit diagrams I've studied, they appear just to be a secondary input level control, much like your level control on the outside of the deck. So the question is - why bother with them internally? My answer would be this Tony - they are there (internally) so that when you apply input at (say) 0VU, then after adjustment, it will be (very approximately) 0VU at playback. If anyone finds that on their non-calibrational machine, the playback levels don't appear to match, then my suggestion is - adjustment input until (on playback) you peak at where you want to peak. Some inferior tapes may saturate earlier than others, ie distort more, so adjust record level down accordingly. Caveat: My examination of many circuit diagrams however, has not included the likes of the AIWA used here, nor a Dragon, nor a Revox (I have one), as their 'level' circuitary is probably buried within their chipsets. But I suspect strongly that the methods they use simply mirror what I've mentioned above. Of course all the above assumes that the deck in question has its playback levels calibrated first using a full track reference tape. Hope you don't mind me adding my thoughts on this subject Tony. :o) PS: That small 'window' on that EMI cassette reminds of another tape I have, but I just can't think of which one!? May be the old BASF .... I must go and have a look.

[@CassetteComeback]

It's all about the mol of the tape. They're not all the same, hence why the best decks calibrate for level, not just bias. That way the amount of signal recorded on the cassette will match that of the input.

[@JamesE707]

@@CassetteComeback Come to think of it, yes, the Nak/Revox etc may employ in their automation process the 'over bias' techniquem where MOL is first established. Many R2R service manuals describe the processes.

[@borisbjedov6848]

​@@JamesE707 Level calibration is necessary for Dolby tracking. Many older decks had level calibration only (without bias calibration).

[@bentbilliard]

On my iMac speakers the tape sounds better than the source.

[@SimonOldSydneyTown]

Hi Tony, Thoroughly enjoying this 7 tapes in 7 days.👍 You've done the right thing by using the same audio to get a fair comparison, however I think you should also be using the same deck to record.😮 It appears that this EMI tape is the same as the Yashima UFO I-S. Yes you got the EMI to sound great using the Aiwa but the Yashima had the privilege of being corrected with Azimuth on the Nak which helped fix the individual Bias on both channels 😱 Another thing I have noticed is the Aiwa appears to be higher in level on the Left channel compared to the Nakamichi decks. Is that an Azimuth problem 🤔 Regardless, thanks for a great series. Cheers from Australia Simon

[@CassetteComeback]

Variety is the spice of life. There's no real reason to actually compare each cassette with each other, other than they were sent to me as a present, but using different decks also shows more variety in the capabilities of the decks.

[@kiirunavaara]

Hi Simon, while they really look similar, they are different cassettes: The EMI was made by EMI themselves (both shell and tape), and the Yashima is a Magna shell with maybe Zonal tape. Cheers from Sweden! Martin

[@mariogambrelli]

Thorn EMI also used to make fluorescent lighting for LT buses, as well as fire extinguishers and bits and pieces for helicopters, didn't they?

[@michaelturner4457]

Thorn EMI at one time were doing almost anything, including cookers, washing machines, TV rentals, videodisks, cinemas, restaurants, hotels, and the Blackpool Tower.

[@middlesbroughmike1027]

I think those of us that have internally calibrated decks with no manual Bias adjustment would struggle to get a decent recording on those.

[@CassetteComeback]

Indeed

[@Micjoh]

The tape EMI used in their pre recorded cassettes was shocking sandpaper rubbish. I had a few blanks in the late 70's early 80's that my dad got free with electrical gear ( thorn EMI produced a lot of stuff for electricians) . I didn't think much of them. Recorded poorly on my technics 2head deck

[@LJW1912]

What's the best way to keep a cassette deck well-maintained? I bought a Technics cassette deck from 1985, which is a decade older than I am, and it works fairly well. I use it for the recordings before I play the cassettes mainly on my Walk FX-313, which sounds lovely, but I just wondered about the best way of keeping them all sounding well!

[@CassetteComeback]

Clean your heads, capstans, pinch rollers and tape path regularly. Don't let it sit idle for ages. The other things that can go wrong, especially the belts, you can't predict.

[@yanks1fan09]

Between the case and the cassette it seemed like rather underwhelming reminds me of the old Certron cassettes cheap shell and look. I am guessing these were more suited for dictation or answering machines. So far the Yashima has been impressive with minimal calibration.

[@martijnappeldoorn8686]

You spelled cassettes with 3 T’s in the intro 😉

[@CassetteComeback]

Ooops. Rectified now going forwards, ahem...nice spot 😬

[@paulb4uk]

As of yet all the emi tapes I have are used ones from my dad and none of them have been useable all knackered .

[@CassetteComeback]

Age and storage...

[@jouniko]

Up your voice recorder bitrate if possible, It always sounds something like 44 kHz 56 kbps per channel mp3 or mono 96-128k mp3 from a bad encoder, like Tascam dr-05 has. Music seems normal to me. Sorry if I said this already, I forget.

[@CassetteComeback]

It's recorded as a WAV on a Sony PCM-D100 recorder. You have to think that it goes to KZbin as a compressed MP4, which KZbin further processes. More importantly the "Synergy" source file is an MP3. Expect to be able to hear if something is good or bad, not if it's accurate to the same degree as listening to it directly, as that's impossible on this platform.

[@jouniko]

@@CassetteComeback Thanks for reply. So, what is Synergy, and does it limit the bitrate? I can search it, but many things go by that name. Do many people use it? If you had at least 256 k bitrate in all stages, it's hard to believe you would get such artifacts even after youtube is done with it. YT can sound excellent for my silver ears. Maybe the bitrate is not what you tell it to save as, or it's bugged variable bitrate that goes low sometimes. Anyway, I'm just hoping there is some low effort fix, like raising the bitrate. But if it's maxed, then it's fine. Also, if you want to use noise reduction, then it's also fine. Almost one cares about audio artifacts.

[@CassetteComeback]

Synergy is the name of the song I use. It's from the KZbin audio library.

[@Shrebina-kq4cs]

tape sounded better than source.

[@nigelpez5056]

Never seen one of these, Hello from white rose to red rose (accent based) presumed 😂

[@CassetteComeback]

You got it 😁

[@robetclo2516]

I would say this unless you have a 3 head deck that tapee will probably not sound good.

[@josephmay4937]

I thought emi was a recording label

[@pavlegasic819]

Tony, I was wondering, what's your opinion on Onkyo decks?

[@CassetteComeback]

Never had one, so can't say. Owners seem to like them...

[@pavlegasic819]

​@@CassetteComebackOk, I'm getting the Onkyo ta 2570. It's a weird deck. It has auto bias calibration and manual level calibration. People praise the deck for the precise auto bias calibration. Its the top of the range deck of the 1988 Onkyo catalogue. Maybe it's controversial, but I think it can go toe to toe with the CR7.

[@connorm955]

I have a TA-W100, the motors got a bit squeaky and now the speed is inconsistent.

[@rccc5806]

@@pavlegasic819 I have a top of the line Integra 2870. For me it's the reference deck from a little bunch that includes Akai gx-75, Denon. Others sound rounder but this one is the most transparent when recording, it can drive +5, 7 db on any decent casette without any distortion and the recording sounds great on any other deck after that.

[@stevengagnon4777]

Had a Onkyo R1 it was OK but all my other decks sounded better. The Aiwa, Akai, Teac, Sony and my JVC DD-7 ( what a work horse , well built good sound and heavy a good 15,000 hours need to recap it now inspite of that still hanging in) . The belt melted in the Onkyo and killed the capstan drive motor. I don't think that R1 stuff was thier best though kinda price point rack thing. I'd recommend direct drive capstans and hard heads the Sendust in the JVC are still very good and the glass heads on the Akai last a long time too.

[@anthonyperkins7556]

I used to buy multipacks of these from Morrisons in the early 80's and the results on a Ferguson stereo music centre with Dolby B engaged for recording the Radio 1 Top 40 in FM Stereo from the Radio 2 FM frequencies were quite reasonable. When you played the Dolby B encoded recordings on non Dolby music centres and HiFi systems with Dolby B off they sounded much brighter and clearer.

[@CassetteComeback]

Thorn EMI owned Ferguson so perhaps their decks were calibrated to them...

[@anthonyperkins7556]

@@CassetteComeback They probably did calibrate Ferguson equipment to get the best out of EMI brand blank cassette tapes.