1975 Scotch High Energy "Super Ferric" Type 1 Cassette Review - A 45 year old Super Ferric? Really?!

Old Scotch cassettes aren't know as being "survivors". This is 45 year old and claims to be a Super Ferric. I have a look and listen as well as review it's surprisingly useful packaging.
Deck Used : Nakamichi CR-7
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[@watershed44]

*Wow that free recording guide is excellent, back when they knew that people would actually read things that were instructive...*

[@vwestlife]

That dance tune is missing the ubiquitous sample of Alison Moyet laughing!

[@CassetteComeback]

I wanted the "Yeah! Wow!" Sample, but couldn't find it without a drumbeat behind it 😆

[@BilisNegra]

You here, Kevin! So nice.

[@Takepowers]

You mean that Yazoo sample? Yes that would work. 😁

[@Rompler_Rocco]

HAAAAA!!!!! The tape blew me away, until the song quickly stole the spotlight!!! 👍👍👍👍

[@Fluteboy]

He had me at "AHH YEAH!"

[@sonntagskind84]

Got one of those in my collection. Hasnt aged well, or was recorded badly in the "GDR" back then. My father recorded music from the radio on it an wrote down all the tracks with a pencil onto the inlay. Nice piece of sentimental remembering him. 😊 Thanks for your video. 😊👍🏻

[@jokingpants]

What an amazing find! That booklet is a real treasure - an artefact. You are genuinely bringing the past back to life showing us that. Please scan it. Also, thanks for so many videos during the lockdown period, I really appreciate it.

[@CassetteComeback]

I'm going to PDF the booklet

[@convair52]

Great Scotch!!! I can't believe what I'm hearing for this Ferric tape! Amazing for a 45 year old cassette!

[@octopuscorsica4839]

This is most likely a 'microferric' tape instead of what we currently understand under 'superferric'. Page 8 of the booklet refers to the use of 'extremely small and needle-like particles' for the Scotch High Energy tape. That refers to the innovations introduced with the second generation of Type I tapes in the early '70ies, which are now commonly referred to as microferrics. There is no reference to cobalt-doping anywhere in the booklet and it seems to stand to reason that Scotch opted for the 'super ferric' moniker because this sounded commercially appealing and because the later distinction between microferrics and (cobalt-doped) superferrics wasn't being made at the time. Check out the Wikipedia article on cassette tape formulations for more on this.

[@TucsonAnalogWorkshop]

I'd be willing to bet these Italian-made Scotch tapes were made by the film manufacturing company Ferrania in Northern Italy. 3M acquired Ferrania sometime in the late 60s and sold many types of Ferrania film under the Scotch brand until the early 2000s. Factory totally shut down in 2008, I believe. Interesting addendum: a small group of filmmakers & former employees acquired the abandoned factory and saved the old equipment via a Kickstarter campaign in 2013 and are now making new B/W film. It would be interesting to query them about what info or equipment to make magnetic tape might still exist

[@vhkeulen]

I'm born in 1975 and this super ferric Scotch sound superb and beautiful for a 45 years old cassette!

[@richiereyn]

I still have some of those cassettes I bought back in the 70's as a kid. I used to tape the top 40. They still play to this day.

[@derekporter7658]

Wow!! It handled that well!! That 45 year old cassette was a surprise indeed!! Your music was more late 80's, a very good track!! Tony does it again!! Cheers for the video 😁👍 bring back tangible media!!

[@timothycunningham2122]

I used to buy scotch audio tapes from Woolworths back in the 70,s seem to remember they had a transparent blue shell . It doesn’t surprise me how good it sounds because I always thought their video cassettes were the best and they also had a life time guarantee. Great video Tony . I love cassettes as they are far more user friendly than blank CDs . My option is just because a technology is old it doesn’t make it bad ,that’s why I’ve stuck with with cassettes .I think they truly are unbeatable.

[@stuffmadethen]

Awesome vid!! Stunning little booklet, wow! What a great one Tony

[@jeg1972]

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing I believe...

[@allenschmitz9644]

3M

[@richmorrison8194]

You are correct sir.

[@Thanson199415]

This is one of the best videos I have seen from you. That cassette surely dropped my jaw when you where switching from source to tape.

[@Takepowers]

Funny story, I actually heard of your "Jack The Jack" tune on Bandcamp before watching this video, lol.

[@crucie75]

I've allready said many times I enjoy your videos, but this one was truly a great one to watch! I'm not entirely surprised at the result, I've never met a bad Scotch from entry to top end, and those MASTER series pictured are simply jaw dropping, no matter it be type I, II or III. Thank you Tony, goes without saying you've earned respect for your content from me and dare I say many others too, and such praise is well deserved

[@hughjanus6975]

Ah yes it's been a while since I've been able to see a video of yours. Glad to sit down and watch this one. Only a few minutes in, if I have any comments I will certainly write them.

[@alanburns538]

Looking and sounding great! This type of Scotch has definitely aged better than all those squeaky Dynarange ones that I remember...

[@fhwolthuis]

I love that guide, hope we can download it somewhere in the future 👍😊

[@RetroCore]

That free book was awesome. If stuff like that was available in wider numbers back in the day we may have appreciated tapes more than we did. Love the track you put together. Very early 90s. Just the sort of stuff I listened to back in the day 👍 And man, that tape preformed amazingly for even a new cassette. 45 years old? Unbelievable.

[@CassetteComeback]

I wish I'd had that booklet back in the day...

[@nickbitten6037]

My oh my- have not seen Scotch cassettes for many a year. Not sure if i have any left myself. Yet again, another great video.

[@kelvingreen3736]

Well that brightened up my afternoon. Thanks Tony. 😁

[@jamalmoss9543]

Great job as usual, Tony! I’d love to read a PDF version of that recording guide, if you get around to it. Scotch is one of my favorite tape brands.

[@steveoszman8746]

Love to have some of that Scotch action. My 45 year old deck would look and sound good with that tape. One of your finest vids to date.

[@grantbassett2048]

Hi, loved the Song. And loved the Northern take on the Yank Accent 👌. I'd be up and Danceing to that!!!!!! The Tape Was Very Very impressive. Great looks and Preformance. And 40+yrs old!! Amazing. Cheers Grant 😊

[@Mouse2113]

Great vid Tony, that booklet looks like a great piece

[@pootis3836]

What a wonderful cassette. Great video. Also that song was lovely. Sound cheerful and happy to me, how could one be in a bad mood while listening to that!

[@JamesE707]

I think what cassette has over reel to reel (apart from convience) is that of *housing*. The wound cassette tape is kept away from the elements, whereas a R2R tape is far more exposed. Very enjoyable video Tony.

[@arthurfraguas]

Superb, Tony! A Super Feric witha super sound!

[@windyhoop62]

A surprising result! I honestly wasn't expecting that. Nice J card too! 😀

[@75eszhgclk]

What a remarkable cassette tape. I reckon that sounds better than the 1980's scotch bx and cx.

[@PaulTaylor1]

This is what I like - trying to kick some life into really ancient cassettes. I'd enjoy seeing a full video of the major contenders of 1975, and another of superstars of the 60s. Who knows what could happen with the right bias and level and some 2020 music???

[@moshezaharia4666]

Great track Tony! I loved it!!! And of course the Scotch sounded awsom!

[@gwEmbassy]

Great video! I actually really look the look of the black 70s shells :)

[@BeatRatio]

Amazing tape. Made in Italy too! (although I presume it means 'assembled in Italy' but still, proud of my little country ;) ) Thanks for your reviews; always an enjoyable watch!

[@Musicradio77Network]

Mine is a US edition of Scotch High Energy cassette, but I only have the C60 version of Scotch High Energy cassette with a guy playing a guitar on the cover in a black background which was really cool, but it has no instructions on the US edition.

[@ralphreinhardt6020]

All right Tony, if that is your real name. I gotta say this was another cool video. With a real neat old Scotch tape. Enjoyed it alot.👍👍

[@CassetteComeback]

It's my real name.

[@RyanSchweitzer77]

Wow--for a cassette that's about as old as myself (I'm currently 43), it sounds and performs amazingly for its age! And the recording guide booklet is a nice bonus too. Considering the tape is made in Italy, I have to wonder if it was Ferrania who manufactured these, since they were owned by 3M in the 60s and 70s as "3M Ferrania", and manufactured photographic film (and I believe magnetic tape also) under both the Ferrania and 3M brands.

[@connorm955]

I bought a new old stock 1977 Scotch Master I 60, and it took around +6 db, but i didn't know at the time because i messed up the volume level pots of my Sharp RT-100 because on playback the level display was too low. Playing it back on my new deck (Onkyo TA W100, because the levels are at factory settings) it sounded good and was peaking at plus 6.

[@moco2802]

I love this tape! I remember having a few of these in years gone by. My father used to buy scotch dynarange tapes in the 70s including c120s! Dying to see you do a feature on one or more c120s.....

[@CassetteComeback]

That's an idea

[@moco2802]

Cassette Comeback I always had a fascination with 120’s, and yes we were all advised not to use them, but personally I had no more problems with them than any regular c60 or c90. My dad started using scotch, audio magnetic, alpha plus and alpha super in the 70s, later on I carried on the tradition in the 80s and 90s with boots audio, memorex, Agfa , basf and tdk and even Tandy concerttape c120s!

[@CaptainDangeax]

Hi K7 commeback. Opening one of those Scotch 3M tape will be very interresting. Those tapes don't provide little wheels on the side, but just a metal cylinder. With time, this doesn't work anymore. Many car radio died because of that

[@Rompler_Rocco]

Worst recording I've EVER made: 1995, dollar store Scotch BX60 in a 4-track portastudio... Understood NOTHING about bias🤦

[@PaulTaylor1]

Oh my... don't they always say to use Type 2 tapes in a portastudio?

[@Rompler_Rocco]

@@PaulTaylor1 Absolutely! That was my first lesson in not ignoring Tascam's instruction.. it sounded like it was recorded in a dishwasher🙁

[@getzapped313]

BX tapes are great, ive done a few zappa albums on them and they played great even in a car stereo, i will say that it is a noisier tape but i was using live albums that were recorded on 2 track uher tape recorders so really the performance could have been the reason why the noise was louder, Bias levels, azimuth....all of it matter, dolby should be Calibrated also

[@patrikandersson648]

Låter fantastiskt bra med tanke på dess ålder! Kul!

[@koiyujo1543]

I'm about to soon get one for myself which is great

[@ivayloandonov4177]

Damn,this is pure gold!45 and shining ⚡📡⚡

[@CannondaleCAAD]

These are pretty neato! I want to pick some up now!

[@sebastianchibrac4877]

wow the packaging is beautiful. you cant find something like this nowadays!

[@stevesstuff1450]

Yep... it is... but that was just how it was back then - it was the 'style'... often a lot of brown and orange shades. Stylish designs and colours that were thought of at the time as 'futuristic' but nowadays look.... dated! But they were beautiful! I was a youngster during the early 70's and it all looked fantastic, and so many styles looked sci-fi which was great for me then as I was 'space/sci-fi mad'... Cassette tapes were hailed as the new best thing for the future; it was said at the time that they'd never wear out, and outlive vinyl records.... and nowadays, it seems it's a pretty close race with both vinyl and cassette production constantly climbing! However, the fact that a 45 year old 'cheap' tape in it's day can still sound sooo bloody good today, really does go to prove how long-lived tape can be! Many 45 year old records sound terrible having been used and abused on crap record players over the years, but a decent cassette can still go on, unaffected by the quality of the playback decks (as long as it wasn't faulty and didn't try and eat the tape!!).... Sorry... Went on for far too long there! But yeah, you're quite right.... beautiful, and nothing like them today! :-)

[@TheRailroad99]

This test shows that this tape still can sound excellent after 45 years, but it can't show how well a recording would have sounded today, even if it would have been made with very high quality decks, and how it would have performed after laying in rough climate. It's save to say, that vinyl is pretty much indestructible as archive storage. Tapes can suffer from heat and especially humidity. But I agree: Tapes are still sounding great after some time. However some tapes had a lot of problems after long term storage. ("dirty ones" where the glue disintegrates and the ferric particles can be seen on the pinch roller and tape head)

[@joelcarson4602]

IF we could get NEW cassettes that are as good out of the wrapper as these were 45 years ago when they were brand new, then the circle would be near complete. And from a time when the letters RTFM indicated that there WAS an actual manual to be read, said manual included as well. And a thoughtful and informative J-Card on top. I thinks we has here one of the normally elusive Trifecta's displayed before us. Very satisfying.

[@MSI6728]

Just love your channel... :)))

[@mikewhiles4635]

Tony, love your channel and reviews as I was a massive user of tape ( once) . I have a ' collection' of old decks, Pioneer, Sony and Yamaha that need service. Can you give any advice or suggestions ? Many thanks .😎😎😎

[@CassetteComeback]

Sure, don't eat yellow snow 😆

[@luthiercremona]

Thanks Tony for the vídeo!!Very interesting cassette tape which performs amazingly!! Congrats for the tune!!Very Nice music!!I Will search Villarosso!Regards!Rafael

[@tjlee1595]

I like putting my own songs on tape too, I like trying to make stuff that sounds real early 80's synthpop. Even though I mess it up alot, I still really like the way it sounds on tape

[@wrestletube1]

For Dark sandpaper and pure sandpaper era tape this reproduced really well. For 70s guess it is indeed a real deal Super.

[@ShawnTewes]

10:30 Microphones... give you the greatest scope. I like how you casually skipped over that illustration (lol). They're all pretty funny, actually. Love the 90s homage on 70s tape made in 2020. Heard it first on the Retro Nouveau, and it really sounds like it could have been a hit 3 decades ago. The tape performed surprinsingly well for going on nearly half a century.

[@UrOpinionsSucc]

I got my hands on a Scotch XSII. Such a beautiful tape.

[@ElectoneGuy]

I believe those were made in the 3M Ferrania factory.

[@madtopp]

i'm glad you done a video on these as i just happened to buy a couple of sealed ones a few months back for the collection and wondered wh they looked like and they are a great looking tapeand the j card is also great and informative. like you say we like the 70's tapes and i am one of them also. i am blow'd away by the performance of the one you used as you say it a 45 YEAR OLD thing of beauty and perform's as it looks to boot. make me wish i would have brought more of the seller instead of the 2. and the free book is something else if you manage to pdf file it let us know and you latest release sounds great but to me it a 80's sound witch is the best decade

[@CassetteComeback]

Yeah, "Jacking" was really late 80s...

[@jeremytravis360]

They were very good cassettes and the booklet was full of good information. I would love to see a copy of the booklet Tony.

[@markphilpot4981]

Pretty impressive performance from an old guy. This was not expected yet it stepped up just the same. Not bad! Hey Tony, toss a few for me! Wish I could join you too! Be careful me mate. Can’t afford to lose you!😊👍🏻😷

[@BilisNegra]

What a great episode on a true gem... It's depressing though, to think I'm nearly as old as that cassette and ageing so very much worse.

[@Musicradio77Network]

As of a couple of days ago, I found a Scotch High Energy cassette, and it was the US edition, so I got it a few days ago. The US edition has a guy in silhouette playing a guitar which was a nice looking cover art. It has a gold label with a welded clear shell.

[@rafabaazy1657]

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[@rafabaazy1657]

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[@rafabaazy1657]

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[@rafabaazy1657]

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[@rafabaazy1657]

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[@stpworld]

I have loads of high end tapes from the 80s still sealed including high end sony and maxell metal tapes to.

[@vidtech2630]

Dick Smith Electronics had a similar booklet in the 80s , you could buy for 50 cents. Yes I bought one.

[@CaptainDangeax]

At that time, my uncle was working for the 3M company and I got a lot of those tapes for free. They didn't last long. Not because the tape was crap, but because the box was missing capstans in the angles, replaced by a metallic cylinder. Too bad...

[@senilyDeluxe]

I've seen 90's ferric cassettes you commended perform way worse to the point where I could clearly hear the treble loss on the playback. This one? Nope. This cassette adds some hiss but takes away nada!

[@retrorambles517]

Did you get round to making a PDF of this ?

[@seand67]

WOWWW.....Awesome find from 1975

[@Trafo888]

It looks beautiful with that gold label on a black shell... Id like to get back to the hobby but those prices for a decent tape decks... Maybe someday.

[@ramil90]

I hope you have reviews for ATR Magnetics Cassette Tapes

[@dataneekeri]

Just can't wait to put one of those in my newest deck, Revox 215S. Let's hope both of those come in one piece :D

[@peterbrussels4949]

I think the revox should like them. I have a 710 mk2 and my 215 is on its road to be fully serviced. I use to play Agfa ferro on them and they sound great.

[@blearmoon]

Hi! have you able to pdf it yet ? I would love to read it !

[@bob7872]

The shell looks familiar with the index lines above the window and one on the bottom (and did side 2 have 2 on the bottom?) Is it Audition from Woolworth's?

[@rich_edwards79]

The track puts me more in mind of the late 80s, maybe up to around 1991 or so. Reminds me a little bit of 'Party Line' by Bizz Nizz. Looking forward to that PDF for nostalgia value. I made some truly dreadful recordings as a kid in the 80s and 90s because despite having a half-decent hand-me-down Sony deck, I had no idea what I was doing with it!

[@CassetteComeback]

Good ear. Partyline is a song that I had in my head whilst making this.

[@dwoodog]

Wish I understood BIAS and all that back n the 80's and 90's. Would love to know when and where we could get a copy of that recording guide.

[@redrobbosworkshop]

I have one of these in my collection. Very nice tape.

[@saladfatoosh2293]

Hopefully you'll do the Denon MG-X 100 someday soon. What a beautiful and great sounding cassette. Oh yeah. That Scotch is a wee bit 70's sexy!

[@CassetteComeback]

Unless someone sends me one, I'm not shelling out £100 to do that video 😆

[@rodantkapoor9721]

First comment lol! I'm always amazed when old cassettes still shine. I'd love to read that booklet as well, thanks for sharing!

[@jonahmcgarva]

Ditto. I’m even more amazed when I come across used ones from the 70’s that still record and play perfect. It’s really just a crapshoot, ain’t it? 😂

[@CassetteComeback]

It's all about the storage...

[@jonahmcgarva]

Cassette Comeback true. Most of the time. But like vinyl, I’ve come across many wonderfully stored media that has deteriorated badly despite the care. 🤷‍♂️ But it’s always exciting to be surprised by something like this. I’ve been surprised many times myself over some great finds. PS - that booklet is AWESOME. Wish I had that back in the 80’s as a kid. 👍🙏

[@Rompler_Rocco]

Is there an absolute ideal storage temperature? I've read lately that people kept cassettes in a hot car for 30 years and they play good as new. Living in FL, I go to great lengths to keep mine relatively cool (70°'s). I learned a big lesson years ago, stored tapes in front of an AC which was only turned on at night.. the daily fluctuation caused the lot to go moldy very fast.

[@j.w2000]

do you have these cassettes avaliable on your webstore? if so for how much? meany thanks

[@paulgoudfrooij6561]

These really were good. They were my go-to cassette at the time.

[@UrOpinionsSucc]

Wow! Never seen a tape like that before! Though i have a few super ferrics myself. They sound great! And i've recently got a pre recorded 2016 Re-issue of a cassette tape and surprisingly it's not ferric.

[@CassetteComeback]

There are still decent pre recorded cassettes being made, but they're not the norm.

[@antonisxenos1053]

Great video, thanks Tony. Talking about 70s, 80s recordings... Is rerecording with an equalizer the way to revive them? Anybody?

[@CassetteComeback]

If it sounds good to you to tweak them, then that's all that matters

[@f16pilotjumper]

That's an awesome booklet!

[@karensingh2020]

i remember in 1976 ish in walsall had this tape or similar to record from fm on a mono rec.player. sounded good i thought at the time.

[@ET3Roberts]

Did you FFWD and RWD like the booklet said to do before you started the recording?

[@tarstarkusz]

Have you turned the booklet into a PDF yet? Do you have a link? I'd like to read it.

[@CassetteComeback]

I will

[@ychesnokov]

Wow, what an interesting booklet by Scotch

[@lloydgarland4667]

I remember buying one of those at Woolworth with my pocket money. At the time they were quite expensive. Used it to record over and over again, the top 20 on Radio One - it lasted very well and sounded a lot better than anything I had at the time. That tape shouuld have a black "anti-print through" coating on the back. I also remember how they advertised them on Radio Luxembourg, about how it never snaggled, never chewed up - pretty much like the video cassettes they made in the 80's (re-record, not fade away....) Haha, memories! Oh, and back then the Beano wouldn't have cost anything like 35p, I remember them being 2p a copy just after decimalisation and went up to (I think) 4p not so long after. Excellent video!

[@CassetteComeback]

I wasn't an itch in my daddies pants back in 1975, so wasn't sure how much a Beano was 😆

[@lloydgarland4667]

@@CassetteComeback 5p in 1978! broughttobook.com/the-beano-comic-1978-complete-year-dc-thomson-no-1851---1902-7304-p.asp

[@andrewlittleboy8532]

Has the pressure pad deteriorated as it looked pushed down flat?

[@kirkmooneyham]

Well, even though it was through the internet and computer speakers, the only real difference I could tell was that the source was a tiny bit brighter. Impressive for a tape that old, for certain.

[@rubenp8750]

I. expected the highs to be gone but this is a great tape.

[@Musicradio77Network]

I have some Scotch cassettes from the 1970’s and they were US made, along with a few Highlanders, and one C90 cassette. The 1975 ones are the US made ones, and it sounded not too bad.

[@fickfehler3866]

What's your informed opinion about Scotch Master III super ferro chromes ?

[@powercut68]

Wow wasnt expecting that. Have scotch dynarange with foam head pads not good. The cassette and booklet shows scotch once did care and made decent stuff. Bit of history that booklet look forward to you uploading this historic document

[@jonahmcgarva]

Wow. I just noticed that there is a “hole” on the left side of the bottom of the tape! 😮 What’s that about? Did you find any plastic inside the case?

[@Frankonero12]

5:52 You can see it clearly. Good catch.

[@channelzero2252]

May I suggest "The Cassette Recorder Book" from Usborne books UK (1982)

[@CassetteComeback]

Cheers. I used to love Usborne books as a child.

[@keithneal5369]

I gotta get my hands on some of these. Welcome back car boot sales.

[@bentbilliard]

Have you ever thought about tape hiss as working like an instrument? It's like when you record dialogue and the sound needs some white noise in the background to make it sound more realistic. The same way I feel about tape hiss. It makes the music sound more realistic/alive/fuller to me. Of course that isn't true for any kind of music, but I find myself liking hissy songs better, more often than not.

[@CassetteComeback]

A lot of synths allow you to add white noise to a patch, to give that hiss effect

[@stevealexR1]

I totally agree - as a boy I bought a couple of Scotch Dynarange tapes and they squeaked when running and one jammed. I did have a High Energy cassette which I seem to remember did produce better recordings on cheap cassette recorders (before I moved onto proper HiFi decks later in the Seventies). Nevertheless, I never really trusted the brand. By the way, the information must have been from later than 1975 as I saw pictures of the Scotch Master range that was introduced in the late Seventies...

[@BigKelvPark]

That booklet is a priceless article that should be preserved. If you have any problems turning it into a PDF, give me a shout and I'll help out. It could easily be made into an A4, folded to make an A5 booklet.

[@CassetteComeback]

Yeah, I'm going to take the staples out and scan it properly and compile it in to a PDF. Cheers for the offer.

[@BigKelvPark]

@@CassetteComeback Way to go mate!

[@chevycaprice87]

Now check Sony HF from 1971. I have 1968 Sony C-60 it takes +3, no dropouts, a bit hissy, but it has very smooth balanced sound and it's 52 yeas old tape!

[@watershed44]

@ChevyCaprice90 Back when Sony meant the top rung of quality.