Cassette "OAPs" - 1979 TDK D & Sony CHF / 1982 Maxell LN - Can They Still Cut It?

In this video I take some genuine, entry level, classics as compare and contrast and see if they are purely collectors pieces now or if they can still give great recordings whilst overflowing with nostalgia for many of us?
Deck Used: Revox B215
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[@spacedogsuk3789]

Lipsmackingly good Tony ...nice one

[@zuiko21]

Three classics. Beautiful memories. In this era, I recall being more of a Sony CHF kid, while my sister was into Maxells... and her boyfriend, into TDKs. Later in the game, I tended towards "premium" Type I, like the HF-S and, lately, the Maxell UD-I. Still using cassettes in my 21-year-old car... they work great!

[@graemelightbody1144]

51 - those were the big 3 back in the day on a budget - amazing all rounders

[@erwintimmerman6466]

Wow, when you got out the boombox you became so enthusiastic, almost emotional, even. You love that thing to bits. And that's what it's all about, innit? Loved that part. And the rest too. Great video.

[@CassetteComeback]

Can't see me being teary eyed over my smartphone in the future...

[@RoughJustice2k18]

I used to love the old-school Maxell tapes - that new smell they had when I first removed the shrink-wrap. Happy memories.

[@RoughJustice2k18]

Blogs like this show what the tapes look like inside the pack so I know what to expect when I buy some (eBay sellers have them - new-never-opened-never-used-still-sealed). Very helpful. Glad to see this. 2 thumbs up.

[@2prtv]

Just for your information: 1979 4th generation TDK D 1984 3rd generation Sony CHF 1988 5th generation Maxell LN All absolute classic staples in my radio recording days. :)

[@peter_aka_hamamass]

Love the look of the old tapes, there's just something about them. Lovely nostalgic feeling. Same with the boombox, no price can be put on that nostalgic feeling!

[@CassetteComeback]

Electronic progression is all about convenience and profit.

[@thinlizzysupporter]

TDK were always my first choice, only bought other makes if I couldn't get TDK and couldn't wait. The AD90 was my favourite, best balance between price and performance for general use. I used to write to TDK's UK office to get replacement index cards and they were good enough to send me some for free. Great days !

[@2574mcu]

I just purchased my childhood cassette player. It's a General Electric brand called the music machine. It was mono as well and had one 6 inch speaker. It did not sound too bad. When I use it, it brings back memories of my childhood.

[@nickbitten6037]

Enjoying the video-i still have my old Tdk D's. Never got rid of them.Keep up the good work.

[@MsMarciax]

The Maxell LN held up really well for it's age... Nice!

[@brianstuntman4368]

I have a few of those old TDK C90s. I recorded some early Black Sabbath onto one of them, and it sounds fantastic. Quite often when I play a cassette I just stare at the reels, and marvel at how it sounds far better than it has any right to😁

[@guerrillaradio9953]

The only tapes I've kept over the years to this day from my dad's old stuff are his bunch of D-C60s and D-C90s. They're well used, and still re-record perfectly after a good bulk erasure. Great workhorses, don't get wound up in car decks, not overly pretty sounding, but reliable.

[@rrus73]

Из России. У нас были и другие. 1979- зеленые, с прозрачным корпусом. На порядок более стильные и красивые в экстерьере. True mechanism. SONY- эти прорыв. SONY CHF- делали европейский звук, с реальностью по середине и низам. Безумно качественная кассета. Небольшое возвращение к чувствительности на высоких частотах на железе было хорошо реализовано на кассетах EF от производителя. Удивительно, но HF так тогда не удивлял при записи euro-pop. Mike Mareen например. Да и вообще итало-ориентированной эстрады. У вас наверно даже незнают The best of Italo Disco или Italo Boot mix.

[@KimGamingPH]

Sir, Thank you for creating this channel, I love collecting cassettes since my teenage days, I'm 42 now and still a lot of things to learn about cassette, I found your channel very informative and helpful.

[@CassetteComeback]

42...snap 😎

[@Astounding33]

Found your channel a week ago, and man is it great. Back in the day I never payed attention to what tapes I used, so I've learned a lot.

[@CassetteComeback]

Me neither, price determined my choice then, but I guess we were only kids.

[@ralphreinhardt6020]

Another cool video there, Tony. I was hoping to get a new video and you delivered. Outstanding job,keep up the great work sir.👍👍

[@eidoscognitio]

It really seems to me that I've been waiting these videos for ages. I wish I had this info when I started taping in '91. It would've saved me from bad tapes and would' ve moved to a better deck and a full undestanding of what recording to analogue means. Thank you so much. Best of luck in the business.

[@JamesE707]

When I look at my old cassette collection, I so wish I didn't write on some of them back in the 1970s.

[@jameslove1092]

Hi. I still have all my tapes from 1978 and they still play and record great.

[@freibier]

17:35 the KZbin "audio-free" library, the best way to test tapes :-)

[@CassetteComeback]

😂 Royalty Free. The best way to test is to play The Message by Grandmaster Flash.

[@mikafoxx2717]

The ReVox may be a little annoying and slow to calibrate.. but darn does it sound good. It can get 40 year old type 1 tape sounding better than the mastering on many songs..

[@ChrisSmith-gt6lg]

Excellent video. Audio sounds amazing too! Your Revox is awesome, and those tapes bring back lots of memories. I love those old TDK c90's. They really hold up well and they're nice to look at!

[@gloriaf2341]

The Sony tape there was very popular then. I get them on eBay and collect them as vintage and antique.

[@stuffmadethen]

Did you get a new mic? Sounds great with a tad more highs. And the lip smacking comes accross more cleary too. Good stuff!

[@vaughanwarburton9623]

The gray TDK says one thing to me - Jeff Wayne's war of the world's-

[@2ndPyleOfVinyl]

I love how this video covers my dad's staple cassettes. Thank you so much for the rundown, Tony! I have a request if you ever get time. I would like to see you cover the "Type 0 for the Audiophiles." The mysterious Yashima cassettes. Dad bought those and some appear to be typical Hong Kong tape but others appear to be reject TDK stock. The brand even had an endorsement from Cleo Laine back in 1979. It would be so cool if you took time to discuss them and go through the different grades such as UFO+, UFO I, UFO I Super, UFO II and UCD. Thank you for these great videos.

[@Qubeorama]

Excellent video! I remember seeing a lot of those TDK D's and Sony's way back then. The first cassettes I personally bought were Dixon's C90 'Super Low Noise' - ones with red labels and green bars going down. Keep trying to find some for sale but never really have any luck. The other cassette I remember buying a lot of were boots ferric 90 with the holey hubs, even found that I had a couple still sealed! Much to my surprise my old tapes still sound ok, the Dixon's have a few dropouts here and there but overall they're okay. The boots tapes play pretty much perfectly!

[@rubyalfaro2576]

0:30 to 1:00 is best!!! I love it. Another fantastic video. Thank you for this, I am very much enjoying and learning so much anew about cassettes.

[@PaulTaylor1]

Those CHF and BHF cassettes are part of my childhood... in fact they were 'new' to me, as my original Sony cassettes were the ones with the red and black labels. The excitement of having my first tape recorder is something I'll never experience again.

[@timemerson4162]

Love those TDK's and Maxell's.

[@Seiskid]

My childhood nostalgia tape was that light grey TDK. Really liked how that Maxell sounded.

[@theunitedfederationofgamer4697]

I got myself a pair of TDK D-C90s They sounded great and they still do.

[@ScottGrammer]

Love your videos, lip smacking and all. Very interesting. I remember all these cassettes when they were new. (I recorded my first cassette sometime around 1974). Keep up the good work!

[@thomasmaiden5298]

Really enjoy the videos, find them very interesting and entertaining, keep up the excellent work!!

[@jamesbennettmusic]

Brilliant when you got the boombox out - I did exactly the same. Grew up peeking over the edge of the kitchen counter, staring in wonderment at the cheapo Bush radio cassette (actually Samsung made) in the kitchen, with the massive tape window just like your Panasonic. Blank tapes for Crimbo for years. When it was replaced with a CD player, they let me take it to bits. I grew up to be a studio engineer. I found the exact same model on ebay a few years ago and just HAD to buy and restore it. I've even recorded drums with it since!

[@CassetteComeback]

That's what it's all about. Not how it sounds, how it makes you feel.

[@bletheringfool]

Keep them lips smacking Tony! That was hilarious in the opening. The Seiko tape looked the colour of a very milky tea. Funny you mention taping the top 40. I used to listen to Radio Luxembourg (and a very young Chris Moyles though I didn't know it was him at the time) it eventually became Atlantic 252 and I didn't bother recording much at that point.

[@DuckGWR]

What a classic those D-Cs are... classic, classic shell design for sure, one of my favourites. Somewhere I have an Argentina Sekai tape that's a very close copy of the look. Liked Sony's J cards and labels from around then too, the CHF and LNX and a real beautiful shiny purple type II UCX that I've only come across once. Haven't had too many experiences with type I Maxells to be honest, plenty of time spent with their various type IIs and a few IVs but I can't say I've ever used the various Is I have from them

[@notsorandumusername]

Very impressed by the quality of all three of them; the Sony and Maxell sounded virtually identical to the source, the TDK warmed up the sound a little and I actually preferred that over the source. I have two of those old TDK's (albeit the 1982) version and both are still in their wraps. I think it's time to get them out and use them.

[@simongallagher2177]

Another strong video. Had no idea those Maxells date back to 1982, I definitely had a pack of those bought new in early 90's prob from Woolies, must have been NOS.

[@kiirunavaara]

The design scheme first appeared in 1981/82-ish with the UD, other types subsequently following 1-2 years later. Then, the first LN's in this design still had the old, black shell with triangular pattern. The clear shell as featured in this vid is a later version, my rough guess is that the clear ones were sold ca 1985/86-1989/90, until the design was changed and the designation became S-LN. Excellent tapes by the way, for being basic ferrics. I think they are just as good as a mid/late 1980's UR, only with less "lametta" for the package and often seen at low prices in multi-packs. That is, if you lived in the right country. In Germany, we didn't get any LN and S-LN (exception: the original LN from the 1970's, before they turned into UL). Maxell has had a cassette assembly line in Korea since the late 1970's, many of the US market LN and UR were made there. So I don't think any of the other Korean tape makers has been involved in this blue LN.

[@simonguppy6023]

Wow i was also five in 1982 and my dad bought me a very similar mono radio for christmas and a 3 pack of sony chf60s. He didn't trust me to run it off the mains at that age so had to beg him every saturday for 4x D cells from the market to tape the top 40. Those were the days Tommy Vance 5pm on sundays. Mixcloud has quite a few old top 40 recordings archived to listen to.

[@Musicradio77Network]

There were some variants, the one with the black shell, and this one with a clear shell. I guess this Maxell LN clear shell is from the late 80’s with a blue stripe label. The previous one of the LN had the light gray label with dark gray shell. And that was from about 1985-ish.

[@virtuosowins]

Growing up I had these TDK (60s) and Sony at home. There was one maxell of this kind but pre-recorded with hits of 1981/82.

[@kennynvake4hve584]

Listening to the Sony CHF 60 and Sony LNX 90, now....I dont see many Radio Shack or Realistic, ones on here...like a LN-90, and the Supertape Hi-Definition HD-90. I seen on the side of the road, in the trash, about a year ago at least 100 recordable tapes, mostly TDK, Sony, Maxell, BASF, and a SKC JX60...and a few prerecorded music tapes...To me the clearest one is the Maxell XLII Epitaxial 90. Thanks for all of t he work you do in your video's

[@mongo2044]

I have a Maxell LN that has Ultra Low Noise on it. It came from an AM radio station. Used mainly to play interstitial or advertising. It is made in Korea of Japan components.The case paper is orange and black with 90 in blue.

[@petervanvalderen9136]

Great as always! Both thumbs up!

[@q0w1e2r3t4y5]

I like these plain and simple but nice looking older tapes.

[@chevycaprice87]

Its very interesting. I have TDK D-C90 True Mechanism (clear shell) series 1979 that have dark-brown tape, Japan-made Maxell LN90 1980 that have light brown tape. I think if tape not USSR-made, it will be fine after many years of proper storage, for example I bouht Basf Chromdioxid 120min 1974 that sounds brilliant for 45 yo tape.

[@PaulTaylor1]

I too have just bought my first tape recorder model off eBay - an unopened Universum CT-1172 from 1979. Totally remember Christmas morning aged 9, with the free pack-in C15 and some Sony A+B C60s helpfully provided by Santa. And soon I'll get to do it all again. 🙂

[@erwindewit4073]

Yes, that does give me fuzzy feelings.. I used to buy TDK D right around that time.. I bought a bunch of used ones, because I couldn’t get them in their foil still....

[@mathumphreys]

Liked straight away for the lip smacking!! (But I also have a Sony CHF90 that was one of the first tapes I ever used (back in 1983). I also had a mono radio recorder almost identical to yours and did the same thing (recording off the radio) - hence my early tapes are in mono. Classic.

[@callumthomas6152]

I have a few TDK D-C90 from 1979 and the tape inside all seems in perfect condition

[@Musicradio77Network]

I have tons of 1979 D’s, and a few “True Mechanism” D’s which were counterfeits.

[@c462-]

the lip smacking is a nice addition in my opinion, like unintentional asmr lol

[@tim7099]

It was the same then as it is now, it's all about the biasing, which is why I bought an Aiwa AD3150K back in the early 80s and the adjustable bias made a great deal of difference to the sound. Still does...

[@autodidactic278]

I remember some really bad cassette back in the day. I think Centron, Lucky, and one just called Audio tape LoL 😂. The sad thing, my friends would want me to record my CDs on them and the play back was terrible. One even started shedding while recording and it was brand new. When it comes to tapes, cassette and reel to reel, never go cheap.

[@AndyBHome]

Holy perfectionism Batman - when the tape cassette is placed into the Revox is immediately tensions the tape by turning both hubs. Now I want to see a tape with a lot of slack in it placed into the Revox B215.

[@gctechs]

I love your lipsmacking. It's like you are hungry and have an appetite for all them tapes.

[@claudeabraham2347]

Very good video. Thanks.

[@venturarodriguezvallejo1567]

Agree with you: the Maxell has impressed me the more (all caveats of lossy KZbin sound taken into account). Maybe the reason is the program itself: it has a remarkable spatiality the other two tracks haven't. By the way: gorgeous and funny gadget, that Pocket Winder!

[@timesurfer917]

I love the Maxell LN

[@benkrake3678]

Impressive how good those type 1’s sound, considering how old these tapes are. Makes me want to get back into cassettes just for fun!

[@CassetteComeback]

That's the best reason to get back in to them.

[@2574mcu]

When I was around 12 I had a general electric cassette player called the music machine. It had a decent sound. I loved that thing. I ended up getting one on ebay. Im 56 now and when I use it, I feel like a kid again

[@CassetteComeback]

There's the appeal of the hobby.

[@Musicradio77Network]

The second one I remember was the Sony CHF, I used to have a couple of these, and they’re usually sold in the US and elsewhere, because the LNX was on sale, and as you know Sony also did the LNX cassette, a similar version of the CHF and it was available in the US during the early part of the 1980’s, and I do have a few Sony LNX cassettes, and the label and the shell itself looks the same as the CHF, and they added “45 min. per side” underneath the Compact Cassette logo, and the wording “Type I (Normal) Position” looks the same as the CHF in the earlier version, and then it changed to “Type I Position (Normal Bias 120ms EQ)” underneath the Sony logo.

[@winni223]

Pulling from your experience, do LNX and CHF sound more or less the same?

[@Musicradio77Network]

Both CHF and LNX sounds exactly the same.

[@svenschwingel8632]

The Maxell sounded best IMO, followed by the TDK. Sony was a bit low on power. And yes, the Revox counter was pretty neat back in the day. Later TOTL decks from Pioneer and Technics (?) did offer the same feature.

[@Lucrativecris]

Sven Schwingel TDK went downhill after 1995

[@lauriseaden2846]

mighty impressed at the trolling tony

[@watershed44]

@Cassette Comeback I always prefer tongue lashings after a good lip smacking. Haha. Nice one! I wonder.... do the trolls get paid by the word? Thanks for all the work you share with us Tony!

[@sebastianchibrac4877]

i know what that guy meant with the lip smacking. its called misophonia, which i have too. misophonia is the hate towards specific noises such as chewing, tony smacking (XD), sniffing and coughing noises. whenever i hear those noises i get uncomfortable too. but hey. its a free video! you put so much work and love into it that i simply FOCCEN IGNORE those smacks. keep smacking mate! :)

[@EddieJazzFan]

I used to like Sony's slogan from the 70s: "Sony, No Baloney"

[@s.g.3042]

We used a pencil and some wrist craft ;))) as a pocket winder back then

[@scrumtrellecent]

My first view of Cassette Comeback Channel...most likely recommended from viewing other cassette videos... What does OAP stand for ? Great channel...subscribed...

[@CassetteComeback]

Old Age Pensioners

[@adamwheeldon]

Nice Video Tony 👍

[@Ale.K7]

Great video.

[@ElectoneGuy]

Mine would be a blue Scotch Highlander in a GE portable cassette recorder.

[@jenson1066]

Late 80's taping the chart and late night broadcasts on a cheap bush mono radio cassette most likely from Woolies - finger on the pause button ready, with some of those Maxell LN's thats what I remember then a few year later with a cheap Alba midi system. Cheap n cheerful but brings back some memories! Shame I don't have thoses tapes now.

[@CassetteComeback]

It's all about the memories.

[@dariamongus4964]

This is the first mass good cassetes in USSR .Called "ninerublevka.". Were still Denon dx1 , AGFA ferrocolor , BASF LH (Yellow.). Apeared after the Olimpics 80 were tdk was sponsor. Turner out to be netter Swema mk 60 ( type 0 )😊.Mk were good only with type chrome ORWO ( DDR AGFA).It cost 4 rubles

[@TheGrantourismo]

They've appeared summer '83, to be exact. TDK D was newer version in dark gray opaque case. AGFA ferrocolor was the worst, AFAIK.

[@MikeBracewell]

Seeing the wrapper for the TDK took me right back to being 14 - like being punched in the face by fist-full of nostalgia! Most of my tapes, around then, were TDK-Ds & I swore by them. Had a few Sony CHFs but they never seemed quite so good, probably because of the way my dad's cheap music-centre was set-up. Never had Maxells, they were too expensive & for posh kids, only until I got a decent job & spent way too much on a load of proper Hi-Fi separates. From that point on it was was chrome only for me Denon DR-101, including That's cassettes which were as rare as hen's teeth but brilliant. Anyway enough reminiscing. Even i'm boring myself... Ah, jumpers for goalposts, Morecambe & Wise at Christmas, TB, Rickets...

[@CassetteComeback]

That's the point Mike. What is this young generation going to collect when they get older? All the tech of their youth will either be unrepairable or useless.

[@watershed44]

@Cassette Comeback Good point that many others, even younger people are starting to think about. Older tech usually was purpose specific built to be pretty durable, it wasn't software driven so it would never keep the item from working due to the software becoming "obsolete". I think it's starting to worry the elite titans of electronic companies /smart phone makers because more and more consumers are waking up to these facts, even the younger buyers and that's why you see vinyl records, compact cassettes, even reel to reel tape making serious comebacks. Not only that the quality of streaming items isn't that great and seems to have not improved that much either surprisingly, also more modern digital based gear like CD/DVD ect are failing more than you'd ever thought possible, same with the machines they play on. Digital media is questionable but still better than the cloud of course. Ha.

[@shaun9107]

No KZbin License No demonetization This channel is our channel without TAX .!!! I was never able to keep my firs HITACHI stereo radio cassette back in the 80s . It stopped working . I could not fix it back then . Panasonic are for real sound good , look good , and they LAST !!!

[@batteryman2852]

Joking: "oooohhh my gaaaad, your breathing are annoying!!" But anyhow, you pointing out someone gets annoyed by that lip smacking made me laugh real hard. XD And that TDK, sounded lowely clean in its response curve. very natural, not sure the dolby effected it , but i'v seen them everywhere on google search, always wonder how they perform.

[@michaelholloway347]

Came across a funny looking tape today... made by Scotch called "Scream'r" made me laugh. Didn't know if you had heard of these. Nice videos btw!!

[@CassetteComeback]

Yeah, I've got them in my store. US only. Basically the same as the Memorex DBS "clown" cassettes.

[@HyperBiker]

Didn't know the CHF's were that old. I was buying them in the mid 80's. Think I had a AHF and a BHF at some point, too.

[@2574mcu]

I wish they had music with vocals on the KZbin music so when people demonstrate tape decks you can hear how the vocals sound.

[@CassetteComeback]

Oh, I wish I could use some "real" music too.

[@ychesnokov]

damned! can't stop licking my lips watching your cassette videos ;-)

[@CassetteComeback]

😂

[@75eszhgclk]

My first machine was the Philips el3302 in the very early seventies.

[@markphilpot4981]

So you got not just a hater, but maybe a troll hater now! Smack away my mate. Old Mark has your back. What a fun video this time with some type 1s. Didn’t sound bad either although I think I’ll stick to type 2s and if I get flush on occasion a type 4. I despise Dolby, so type 2 for me my mate! Haven’t seen one of those carry rounds in a while. I had a real geezer, an RCA with a single mechanical control. It was a junker, but my first cassette player/recorder. Got it in 1970 and used what you call type 0s in it. It was all I could do back then. Broke!

[@stevesstuff1450]

One more 'Like' for the lipsmacking...... ;-)

[@RoughJustice2k18]

I had a few Sony CHF 90's in my teenage years (I still have a couple stashed away) - good quality IMO. Never had any problems with Sony tapes back then - most of them were made in Japan.

[@runetech]

I recently got an old Sony Dolby S deck just because I am curious about Dolby S. That will be explored later. What I already did do was to get all my old recorded tapes out to see how well it was aligned for my old Nakamichi 582 (+ NR-200) recordings. Still got the Naka, but that wasn't the point here. Anyway, I got rid of all old Type I tapes, but I have a couple of hundreds of Chrome and Metal tapes and a few Type III's. So I did align up the Sony to a lot of the tapes just to get a good average playback.This became a pretty interesting check on how old recordings stand the test of time. Winner was hardly surprising TDK MA-XG, but after that BASF Chromedioxide II was the tapes that kept most information intact, Followed by a Denon Chrome-tape of which the name escapes me now. All the Sony tapes (Chrome and Metal) lost a lot of high end and also fluctuates a lot. In between a lot of tapes sonded better in the middle than in the beginning and the end, and so on. However. I tried out a few of the tapes for recording (Had some blank B-sides and some true crap recording to try different types) and all of them seems perfectly fine for new recording. But what it shows is that Cassettes are not very reliable for long term storage of recordings. All of them had lost high frequency detail, just to varying degrees. And all of them played back slightly better on the Nakamichi than the Sony. It is a fun time capsule to go through all the old mixed tapes. I was very particular with writing down dates and stuff, so you can really get a feel for what you were into at different times... Anyway, I don't know if you have done any reviews of longevity of recordings, but this was certainly interesting to me. And fun.

[@baron_lawder5886]

I really prefer the CHF. I'm 19 years old so i don't have the nostalgia for any of them. But i love the way the Sony looks. To me they all sound good enouth. I think the look of cassette is one of the most important things in the hobby. I have more cassette than i can record but i'm still searching for new ones in garage sales.

[@previousslayer]

19-y brofist 😄 Got a valuable family recording on a CHF. They're indestructible, too

[@CassetteComeback]

Indeed, as chefs say: "The first bite is with the eye"...

[@s.g.3042]

Maxell LN one love

[@maximilianomeza892]

¡Excelente!👍🏼

[@sexytasmin]

I have a TDK D90 from 1979 (bought in 1979) and I thought I would try recording on it (Nakamichi deck). It sounded absolutely terrible. The tape had completely degraded. It had been stored in a good environment. All the TDK D’s I have used going back 45 years have been very mediocre. I much preferred the TDK AD.

[@ishakali8634]

Can you not disable the led on the tape deck to use the tape from the beginning?

[@jaha_trini_2]

Love the TDK's tho. I love the sound of any light colored TDK. For some weird reason, I'd rather the older TDK's than these newer whatchamacallits we have now on the market... It'll be fun to compare the quality of tape from back then to the ones we have now... Or, that can be a great idea for another video (I'd suggest) That lip-smacking thing tho... lol!

[@CassetteComeback]

Have a look through my videos. I compared old SA to the latest one.

[@jaha_trini_2]

@@CassetteComeback yup, saw that. I'm talking about the TDK D.

[@tyroneaugustine229]

All the 70s early 80s TDKs are dope!!!!

[@morrismckinnon6047]

I have lots of those Sony CHF 90 cassettes, I forgot I had them. I tried recording on one using my laptop connected to my amp but the input was too "hot" sent my VU metres in to a fit! The levels brought them down but then I got lots of hiss. There seems to be a fine balance of adjusting the volume on my laptop, the volume of the song playing and the levels on my recorder to get anything decent sounding. How do you record digital to analogue cassette the right way? I want to know as I have a cassette player in the car but nothing decent to play in it.

[@CassetteComeback]

Have a watch of this. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHSyc5p_nq6Ae9U

[@tarstarkusz]

5:55 You were buying cassette tapes at 4 or 5? IMHO, if you have a fairly small boombox, it really doesn't matter if it is stereo or not because the speakers aren't far enough apart to get any real separation. In a small footprint, I am pretty sure that 1 large speaker will sound better than 2 speakers 1/2 that size. I have a Panasonic RF-888 radio boombox type thing and it is also mono, but I think it sounds great. It has a very good quality 2 way 6" speaker and a decent quality amplifier and those things really make a difference. There is only a single chip in the whole thing which acts as an IF-Amplifier (not the output) and uses discrete amplification and not an op-amp or other chip based amplifier for the actual output. I don't have the schematics, but I assume it is a class A push/pull amplifier. It also has outstanding reception. It out performs any other battery operated radio I have and it is from 1973!

[@showstopperrob1097]

Hi Tony, Forgot to ask where can I get the Nagaoka Pocket Winder?

[@alexandershalin3543]

I like cassettes from 70s. They look classy.

[@darinb.3273]

That's incredibly funny customized lip smacking just for that viewer... hilarious... I appreciate laughter and its healthy too

[@CassetteComeback]

You have to laugh at this life...

[@tarstarkusz]

I really like the clear tapes and find the colored tapes to be a bit boring. I am not crazy about the paper labels either. I like when the cassette is printed directly on and with included paper labels for putting the names of the songs on. I have some TDK D tapes from the mid 80s and I think they look so cheap and boring compared to the smoke colored tapes especially.

[@jamesbennettmusic]

I grew up loving the clear ones too, because you could see how they worked inside. I have such a soft spot for the Memorex DBS 'clown cassettes' because they just look so much fun. They still make me smile now, even though people frown upon them!

[@Scratcher1tbp]

I never saw a Maxell LN that was transparent, but gray and later black. Sony tapes I had like that looked exactly the same brown transparent but were "LNX"... not sure how they differed if at all.

[@CassetteComeback]

LNX was how the CHF was branded in America.

[@tobymummert3035]

I really like this video because of the whole Nostalgia thing mostly. Back in 1979 through 1982 I was buying mostly type II cassette tapes. I had a few normal bias here and there. But you are right 100%. It's all about nostalgia when it comes to these cassette tapes. I have an old Ampex normal bias tape that sounds like shit but I love the way it looks. Another tape from back in that time frame were the Memorex MRX 2 and the Memorex MRX 3. Absolutely terrible tapes to record and Playback on! But, let's face it they had the coolest outer wrapping I've ever seen. Solid black with Memorex written at the top and the length of the tape beside it and the cassette shell was unique and the storage case was unique as well because it was like an L-shaped case and you lowered the bottom of the L-shaped case and pulled the csssette out. I have a few that I will never open just because they're so fucking cool looking! As far as comparing those three tapes in this video, and I'm just speaking strictly for myself, I would have used the same source for each tape. You can't really A/B a cassette tape to see which one sounds better if you're using a different source for all three. Okay, so you got a little bored. LOL! But in all seriousness whenever I do a comparison on cassette tapes I have to use the same source to see which results are the best. Other than that, seeing this video with all those unwrapped classic cassette tapes from 40 years ago was terribly nostalgic for me and a real Joy! Thanks Tony! Keep the great videos coming!..... Maybe you should have just recorded the lip-smacking thing on the cassettes and try to compare them with that???🤔

[@CassetteComeback]

I did a video on the MRX2, if they've been stored well they're useable, but it's all about the case. As for using the same source, it was more to show that these oldies are still decent, and the nostalgia, more than trying to show which was really the best sounding. It was the Maxell, but I still prefer the Sony...

[@tobymummert3035]

@@CassetteComeback I do you recall viewing your video on the MRX 2. I remember how much you liked the cases! I think perhaps they could have been one of the greatest tapes ever if they would have only used a regular pressure pad instead of that foam behind the tape. I mean, I have about five of those MRX 2 and I believe one MRX 3. I have three that are sealed and they will probably stay that way. I found six sealed Memorex cassette tapes on eBay after watching your video and all six tapes were sealed. If my memory serves me correctly, I got all six sealed Memorex cassette tapes for around $12 USD including shipping. And honestly, I bought them for nostalgic reasons. I did however open up the MRX3 and maybe two of the MRX2 just to try them out. The reason why I feel that they are terrible to record and Playback on is because of that foam pressure pad. Yes they are usable and don't sound terribly bad. But I ordered these strictly for Nostalgia because they were just too damn cool looking sealed and I just had to have them and the cases they were in or the coolest I've ever seen ! That's why I feel that with that cool case and look and if they would have used a regular pressure pad and some better tape in the shell, they wouldn't have got the bad rap they've had all these years and they would have gone down as one of the tapes to be sought after!

[@tobymummert3035]

@@CassetteComeback I also recall back in the mid-1970s, I believe, Memorex had a similar-looking tape only the labeling was blue and silver instead of Black and silver

[@tobymummert3035]

@@CassetteComeback Keep up the good videos, mate!🎵🎧🎚👍👌

[@svenschwingel8632]

The thing about the Revox red light: if I recall correctly, it was implemented to prevent the shock when reaching the end of the tape on FF/REW. This would protect both the mechanism and the tape itself from unnecessary wear. I get that it can be annoying, though. Especially given all the electronics inside the B215, it should have been easy to use the leader detection to slow down the motors for a softer stop at the end of the tape. 😂

[@CassetteComeback]

Make sense, but sometimes you just want to rewind to the beginning...

[@svenschwingel8632]

@@CassetteComeback especially since cassette manufacturers always told you to store their tapes fully rewinded :D

[@MrTmilovan]

@@CassetteComeback Just press rewind again when it stops, it should go to the beginning. At least mine does that.