Metal Type 4 IV Cassettes - Why would any sane person use them?

They're the most coveted and expensive cassettes out there. Why would anyone with brains buy and use Metal Cassettes?
CASSETTE DECK USED: Nakamichi Dragon
Tune used:
villarosso.bandcamp.com/album...
If you'd like to purchase cassettes shown in this video, visit my online store at:
www.cassettecomeback.com
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[@vonempalmeolmos]

"When did hobbies have to make sense?" That's pure wisdom, right there.

[@davidperez5089]

Wasn't it Bobby Bacalieri who said that?!😂

[@DavidMander-rs4uk]

Using tapes as a hobby in 2024 is laughable and makes no sense!!

[@davidperez5089]

@@DavidMander-rs4uk if you're not from that generation you'll never understand. Good luck finding a hobby!

[@OneRoomShed]

Respect for actually opening and using tapes. I've got about 75 unopened (type I & type II) tapes that I've been saving for countless years. I've reached a point in my life where I realized that I'm saving stuff that I might not ever get a chance to use (you never know what life might throw at you). So I started making mix tapes again. Ive recorded about 15 tapes in the last 3 months. I almost forget how much fun it is recording and listening to them. You only live once and you better enjoy it while you can. Much love and respect for all of my fellow tape enthusiasts out there. Great video btw.

[@OneRoomShed]

AUDIO MAN We are living the same life my friend. It's funny because, today I'm actually setting up a different HiFi in my basement. I'm getting out the all components that I haven't used in a long time. Many are my "back up" components. I started to wonder if I've been saving equipment that might not even work properly anymore. At least I'll know now. So far no problems. Just like you said, I'm gonna enjoy everything and use it as long as I can. That's the reason I bought all this stuff anyways. Those are words to live by. Glad to hear your enjoying all of your stuff as I am.

[@markm0000]

Also, who will buy your tapes and actually care ? There are so many of these tapes in museums that keeping around blank tapes is pointless. Use them all and record mix tapes. Life is short don’t wait until tomorrow.

[@commandertaco1762]

I recently got into taping myself, I got a sony deck with dolby S on it and made mixtapes for me and my friends, even went through the trouble of making a custom j-card for it, but you know what, that was some of the most fun i've had in a while with music lol.

[@ZEUSDAZ]

Well fancy seeing you here OneRoomShed! lol

[@eggshellskullrule7971]

I'm with you all the same!

[@robbrown6934]

My tape deck did not discriminate. It would eat them all☺

[@johnw2026]

These newer tape decks are cheap, they often start eating any tape you put in them after less than a year. If i buy a tape deck i try to find an old one that still works good.

[@georgeprice7922]

Musta been one hungry deck!

[@UberPilot]

Rob Brown Buy a Nakamichi

[@_Ramen-Vac_]

tape decks actually require maintenance, thus one must carefully inquire as to the condition of the tape-loaner's deck, because between-decks, tapes are scuzz-carrying vectors. I'd , not only dislike probably the tape someone would want to throw in my deck, I'd tell them "it's probably too dirty and my nice clean head/capstan/rollers etc, will be fouled if I throw on this.. Stryper.. :^(

[@tomzielinski9506]

@@johnw2026 just buy a Nakamichi or ReVox B215 The Nakamichi decks might need fixing. But full rebuild, ESL labs. Partial rebuilds Perry Esposito, or Willie Herman out in California. They are all former Nakamichi techs....😃

[@ryanjofre]

A moment of silence for all tape collectors who died before people on ebay payed $50+ for one sealed metal tape.

[@RevDoc100]

A question I've asked myself time and time again since I got back into cassetes three years ago : "Why am I doing this, this doesnt make sense". You're absolutely right : a hobby doesn't have to make sense. It has to feel good. And it does.

[@CassetteComeback]

Time (and money) you enjoyed wasting, was never wasted.

[@brantisonfire]

I never had a better reason to break open my old UR 90 tapes and just say fuckit. I have a 1991 era TDK SA90 that I’m hesitant to tear open.

[@nakamichi682zx]

Totally agree but I could think of 10 good reasons why it actually does feel good!! I could wake up from a drunken stupor and still think of 6.

[@hamidnia7242]

We have a saying in Farsi: Keep your money under the sun and you rest in the shade. Having said that, I live in a way not to be the richest man in the graveyard 😉😉

[@basedvato]

Glad you say this... Same this last year I been collecting all the hiphop cassettes of my youth. I think yes I could get them on CD, Spotify etc. But for whatever I like it on cassette. Its pleasing to the ear.

[@AleLGB]

When I was in vacation in Swiss a couple of years ago I came across a thrift shop and bought 6 cassettes for around 2 CHF, and one of them was a Type IV TDK MA90. Best deal ever.

[@danijelujcic8644]

LUCKY

[@MX-S]

Lucky if it doesn't/didn't spew its dandruff all over your heads in 2018.

[@anthonylee7263]

Metal or not, you always make best cassette on a Nakamichi Dragon

[@micheltremblay4774]

I go along with your findings, even the cheapest cassettes sold or recorded on the Dragon to be above average. I use metal for the analog recordings and and chrome for the digital ones. The prerecorded cassettes also sound good but something is missing as they come mostly with the Dolby B noise reduction (sometimes they sound muddy with too much bass and not enough highs).

[@stevecarol686]

I heard a Thats top of the line on a Nakamichi CR-7. So good. On my Denon late 1980's three head Metal tapes sound so much better than a chrome. I lots of unopened tapes (type 1-4) from the late 80's to 90's. Found them in storage some years ago.

[@JD-lk7im]

I love the Aiwa AD F990 'Dragon Killer' 🐲

[@micheltremblay4774]

@@JD-lk7im Aiwa were very good but a "Dragon Killer"? It needs to learn a few tricks to kill a Dragon.

[@Anthony-cc8bx]

I can hear the clarity of the crystal highs drop off on the tape.

[@joshuascholar3220]

Look, back in 1983, you bought an LP, the first thing you did was record it onto a metal tape with your expensive deck, Dolby C and HX pro on. And that was what you listened to so you didn't wear out the record.

[@SynthTweakscom]

Exactly!

[@arichison]

I did it all the time. I played the record once and then listened to the tape.

[@danielboshears6474]

That’s why I bought my first TDK MA-R...I had bought two Mobile Fidelity Half Speed Masters, Boston’s debut album, and Foreigner’s Double Vision.

[@ryanjofre]

With a really good deck & really good type II tapes One can record hot tapes with awesome dynamics and little noise. HX-Pro is also very sweet. I have plenty of IV's but i mostly use Type II. The current prices for cassettes are obscene. I don't like all the sound you loose with Dolby B&C. I record my tapes as hot as I can without audible distortion. I will say that great metal tapes have almost no noise for 0 db recordings.

[@westelaudio943]

Just bought some unopened Sony Metal XRs on the flea market. 2 bucks :)

[@gixxerboy555]

Same here.. ;)

[@ryanjofre]

@@westelaudio943 That’s amazing. Those aren’t amongst the best metals(they’re low grade)or Sony but that’s an incredible deal you got.

[@LegendaryMaoMao20]

This is actually the first time in a while that I've heard a good A-B comparison between metal and ferric tapes through a video, and I understand now again why metal tapes are praised so much, I ain't going to buy one though lol

[@75eszhgclk]

Not only are those metal tapes sounding incredible, but your record is also superb.

[@JamesMoore-un3cu]

I used to use Metal tapes throughout my musical life, recording stuff from (even) CD's, before there were CD players in cars! I paid about $3.50 per tape back in the late 80s, early 90s and I can tell you, the high end was incredible. But then, I always had better than average decks to record/play them in. I just "rebuilt" my Onkyo Dual Tape deck with new drive belts and it works great again. I just had to throw away an MA110 today, because it got caught in a deck, and it was (literally) impossible to get it back in the shell. The tape is entirely too thin because its much longer than the 60s or 90s.

[@allaudione]

Wish they TDK /Maxell would restart the manufacture of tapes again

[@AnnaVannieuwenhuyse]

It probably wouldn't be profitable or possible in some aspects. The infrastructure is a lot different now, I guess.

[@CassetteComeback]

Nope. The Maxell UR that are common have now stopped being made too.

[@TheSirjohn2012]

The MAXELL UR series is limited at the highest recording ranges and at best is limited at +1-4 recording ranges.That's all.

[@micheltremblay4774]

@@CassetteComeback I see the Chinese companies selling some in the near future. They go whereever there is a sale to be made.

[@adrianredodo]

In the fist 80s i knew a old guy how loves Jazz and he was a big collector. He has "digitalized" him collection in Metal cassettes tapes and plays on a Aiwa. This Aiwa Walkman was very, very expensive. Not only has power to play Metal cassettes, even can record metal tapes: a walkman!!

[@steversystems]

That might've been a professional one for reporters. I believe either Sony or Marantz had one as well. It went for around $350- $450.00 back in the late '80's. Aiwa was Sony's research and development division.

[@adrianredodo]

+Steven Marlash Wow, I did not know that commercial detail of Aiwa. It could be this, but I'm not too sure :( walkman-archive.com/gadgets/walkman_aiwa_01_j600_eng.htm or vintagecassetterecorder.com/2018/02/ultra-rare-vintage-aiwa-hs-j08-cassette-player-metal-recorder-hi-fi-walkman-sony-2/ Sorry :)

[@scotthullinger4684]

Metal tapes indeed reign supreme among all others. But you need to have a tape deck good enough to take advantage of them.

[@ByUrien84]

props to Nakamichi Dragon

[@CassetteComeback]

It's kind of a bad thing, as I've no desire to buy other decks because of it...

[@melvinch]

@@CassetteComeback Would a Teac Z-7000 pique your interest ?

[@CassetteComeback]

Yeah, I'd look at one of those, but a working one in unobtantium where I live.

[@cardinaloflannagancr8929]

I used to prefer the higher quality TDK back when I had a walkman. Not only was the sound good but they were so well designed. Playing cassettes I could run near as long as using radio on batteries.

[@CassetteComeback]

TDK are good gear!

[@GNeuman]

Wow, complete nostalgia, takes me back to the 80s when I used a Fostex X15 multitracker portastudio

[@davidparker5055]

You hit the nail on the head. Great video. I am restoring a Sharp GF-8989. I just bought 3 TDK MA90 and paid £50. I will make three 80s mix tapes and be in heaven. It's not the most cost effective or best music reproduction. But it reminds me of 1982 when I had that same Sharp unit and used to record John Peel's Festive 50 when I was 16. And that is why I am doing it.

[@nicomeier8098]

I completely agree with your analysis of when to use chrome and when to use metal. Chrome I use for pop and jazz, metal is for Kraftwerk, Vangelis, JeanMichel Jarre.

[@rocker11281]

Depends on the kind of music you prefer. I love to put my psych and prog rock vinyl records on metal, cause it is nearly an 1:1 copy soundwise. Chrome is the allrounder in my opinion. Anything sounds great and "clean" on it, if you have proper tape and a decent deck you record on. Ferric tapes can give digital sources a certain analogue charm. Plus they are the most affordable and you can still buy new ones. Love to put extreme metal music on Ferric. It warms up the harsh sound and more pleasent to listen to it.

[@guerrillaradio9953]

Don't put black metal on a Chrome tape (screeeeee), agree about putting extreme metal of any kind on a good ferric. Also a type 3... just record and play it as a type I.

[@TheEleventeen]

Thank you, this made my day ! It sounds unbelievable even through KZbin compression !

[@david9572]

Tony, thank you for introducing me and my son to Fires in Paradise. Fantastic tune. Keep the videos coming please.

[@sinistarmr2]

Having recently looked through the handful of now-vintage cassette tapes I've managed to hang onto over the years (most of which are from 4-track recording projects), I discovered I have one metal tape on hand -- a 90 minute Sony Metal SR -- where it says on the J card "Digital Excellence." So per your comment that metal tapes seem like they're trying to be digital, it seems Sony was in agreement, at least from a marketing standpoint. Aside from that, my tape was unlabeled, so I gave it a listen and was horrified to find it was a mixtape with every song recorded way too hot. Judging by the songs, I recorded it sometime in the mid-90s, and obviously didn't pay attention to the recording level on the cassette deck I used. It is now wiped clean and back in the blank tape rotation. No idea what I'd choose to record on it next for a second life, but whatever I go with it will be done a much higher quality tape deck (a Pioneer) than whatever I used back in the '90s.

[@scottwolf8633]

In the US, used to buy boxes of 10, TDK MA 90's, for about 20 bucks a box, still have 31 Boxes. I believe it was from Tape World, same place I'd buy 7 inch reels of Grandmaster 456, cheap. Sold off my Revox B 77 and reel tape, but kept the Nak, and cassettes. Used the cassettes sparingly, as I then bought a Tascam CD recorder and Audio Note Kit DAC, to replace dubbing CD's from the Library, onto CD RW's instead of cassette tape. Recently, found out what the cost of the MA 90's are worth. Insanity, when Tascam now sells a recorder with zero moving parts, recording onto SD cards with a 24 Bit, 96KHz capability.

[@zulumax1]

Remember the white Maxell Metal capsule tapes? I have the Nakamichi dragon and several other high end decks. Tapes are made to be used, collectors of unopened tapes is like the guys who collect unopened hot wheels cars. It is not an investment, use them if you already have them. Metal tapes are hard to erase completely so use an unused tape for archival of analog treasures. My favorites are the high end ferric tapes, TDK ADX and the like for most usage. (edit: changed AD to ADX)

[@joyoussound]

I have the white ones. I liked them the most and I don’t think they cost too much either. The sold them cheap when they stopped carrying tapes in stores

[@wildbilltexas]

I remember looking at the blank tapes at Sound Warehouse, and a older woman who was also looking asked me if metal tapes were for recording Hard Rock or Heavy Metal! The first Metal tape I tried was a Realistic Supertape 90 minute in 1986. It sounded great on my home stereo, but on my 25 watt Kenwood car stereo it sounded about the same as a Maxell XL II or TDK SA. So I didn't buy many until the price for them dropped by the early 90's.

[@pokepress]

wildbilltexas I thought the name was silly because the other tape types are metal too-just different metals.

[@solaris7404]

Just got a used 1982 MA-R, and I can say it sounds excellent! Thanks for the awesome video as well, this channel got me into cassettes again, and I do remember using them as a child. I may only have an MCS 3556 as my deck, but it still sounds awesome. 10/10 tape.

[@bryede]

It's funny how many tape formulations came about because we needed something that worked well at 1-7/8 ips. Metal tape would have been too expensive for reel to reel use, but probably would have been usable out to nearly 100KHz at 7-1/2 ips.

[@jongbun09]

I found a MA-R at my Secondary School back in '97 in the Music Class, Still got it today! lol, Cheers Tony

[@martinvaldez8745]

Jonathan Goodbun you FOUND one?! 😉

[@1980sGamer]

"This video is on metal tapes." I can hear the extended dynamic rage already :)

[@maxbago7598]

Respect for unwrapping that tape, it brought back so many good memories... good job!

[@rubyalfaro2576]

I have been watching, admiring and enjoying your videos as I have recently started enjoying tapes once again as I did in my teen years. Much respect, my good sir; my hat is off to you as you opened that gem of a tape. That and your knowledge and demonstration of these gems have tipped me over to sub to your channel. Thank you!

[@CassetteComeback]

You're welcome.

[@zarkoujdur9424]

You need to smell those tapes... each one has its own smell... chromedioxide too...))

[@CassetteComeback]

Oh yeah! www.cassettecomeback.com/products/pure-chrome-t-shirt

[@buckfiden6227]

Zarko Ujdur this is what I was thinking when he opened the tape. It must’ve smelled awesome!

[@dzevaludinjasaric3080]

@@buckfiden6227, Yes, and each model had its own unique smell and charm ...))

[@Wescone]

maxell UR - the best (very unique scent) of all.

[@david9572]

All the Maxells UD range. They all had very squeaky cases when you opened them.

[@benkrake3678]

I know this song you used in this video was only released last month, but if I hadn’t watched this video, I would have never discovered it, thank you. I was blown away when I heard it!

[@CassetteComeback]

Glad you like it. In this world the hardest thing isn't being able to do something, it's letting others know you did it 😀

[@dougswinford389]

I've had two different Nakamichi decks for years, because back then I only had a cassette deck in my old car, and didn't want to put a CD player as a upgrade, so I would record on my CR-7 or RX-303 ( first deck I bought ) for travel use. The CR-7 was the best of the two decks, and I always used TDK SA 90 or MA-R 90 depending on the source ( LP or CD ). Loved both decks and still have them as well as a complete box of unused MA-R 90s in the still sealed shape. I've been surprised at the cost, and interest of the old format, but I'm not too surprised, since the sound quality was always top notch in my humble opinion. Great video by the way !!

[@Zuiyo1974]

6:18 that was marvelous. I would have never imagined a video on tapes could get so emotional. Thank you. You made something great.

[@CassetteComeback]

A moment of madness 😂

[@Zuiyo1974]

It felt genuine! If you had that in store from the beginning, you're a great actor!

[@Fluteboy]

The last metal cassette I owned was a Richer Sounds freebie - a That's as:IV. They used to advertise in the Big Issue and there was a voucher offering a free 46 minute cassette, just for the asking. When it came to buying cassettes from Richer Sounds, I stuck with That's CD/IIF. Annoying tiny windows but they were tremendous and only £2 each at the time. How times change! The first Metal cassette I owned was a 1988 TDK MA-X with the blue shell. Friends could not believe how loud they could go. These were friends with the latest Aiwa personal stereos who liked to drive them at full volume, and that cassette gave them the tinnitus they so craved!

[@CassetteComeback]

I remember when RS were clearing out the Suono metals for something like 79p each. I was in buying a blu ray player thinking "Who the hell still buys those..." 😭

[@joshuagood4237]

Yes I remember the days when opening a cassette was so much fun and to be quite honest it still is 😀

[@ii1185]

In 1982-85, I illegally sewed jeans in the USSR and spent all the money I earned on recording equipment Technics, every six months or a year updating it to new top models. I remember that my most successful purchases were the SL-QX200, RS-M253X, and RS-B66W models that I used for copying. In the reference library, I had 200 pieces of TDK MA-R90 cassettes. Now I have watched your video and clearly remembered what a wonderful tape it was. From my point of view, these were the best cassettes in the world, so I only ordered them from foreign students who studied in Kiev. They cost $ 9, and I paid 25 rubles for them. A good salary then was considered a salary of 120-150 rubles per month. If you translate 25 rubles to the standard of living and the costs of that time, it turned out that I bought these cassettes in 1984 in Kiev for about 70-100 dollars apiece and was happy! With respect,

[@jfk-od2wy]

In 1990 I used metal tape in my recording Walkman for an AC/DC concert thinking I was spending more and I would get better results. The tape recorded at a much lower level (the recording wm was auto level) & between songs it got lower & slowly got louder as the band started again) - that was the last time I tried that. -from your video I now know that my $200 aiwa recording Walkman was not powerful enough to write onto metal tape- the tapes I used were TDK MA-110 (bought em new in the US -NOV./‘90)

[@pericn]

Mmm dragon!!!

[@TheBebe666]

Just bought this tune Fires in Paradise. Love it.

[@Johnathan_Waters]

Thank you for opening these up!!

[@lewis72]

I bought a TDK MA-R 90 in about 1989. It cost me £5.50, which for a 16 year old back then was a massive amount. Still have my Yamaha KX-500 deck from 1988 and that cassette but I swapped the internal out for those from an MA-90, as the tape got chewed.

[@alvasaiel]

Thank you the video ☺️ it was true enlightenment! I was reading Found Audio where the protagonist transcribes audio from at type IV cassette. I was curious how can extract so many information from the audio and then I saw your video! Amazing 🖤

[@Di3mondDud3]

This is a good introduction to metal tapes without having to watch more than one video, and i felt the pain when you unwrapped that gorgeous cassette

[@CassetteComeback]

It was actually fun to do 😀

[@Di3mondDud3]

@@CassetteComeback unwrapping something so clean is, loving your channel so far, retro audio stuff is so interesting

[@ParityError0110]

First off.... I am very pleased to see a review like this that actually plays music! Second, I have a Sony Metal Master and love it! Used it for recording CD's. Heavy little bastard. That is an amazing looking tape deck you have - I have never seen anything like it before. Now, you discussed calibrating your deck (or not calibrating for this video). I need to understand this more. This is the first video of yours I've see, so I hope you have a video discussing about calibration that I am going to look for. Thank you for the entertainment!

[@tweakerman]

Hello, I've just come across your channel & subscribed, nice videos, two questions for you, do you think cassette can be audiophile & what is the lifespan of a cassette( ferric, chrome & metal).

[@CassetteComeback]

I don't like the term "Audiophile", Alan Parsons summed that breed up when he said: “Audiophiles don’t use their equipment to listen to music. Audiophiles use your music to listen to their equipment” I think looking for perfection in anything is a fools errand, as nothing ever has been or will be perfect, especially when it comes to cassettes. Can cassettes make great music recordings, yes absolutely, but this format is a mixture of sound, aesthetics, nostalgia and hard work. Where a "perfect" digital file only stimulates your sense of hearing, cassettes also stimulate sight and touch. As for longevity, the basis of most tapes is rust. Rust can't degrade further, it would be the binder that degrades. It's all about use and storage. I have 45 year old cassettes that have been stored well and work like they did brand new. I also have 14 month old SD cards that will have to go in the bin...

[@tweakerman]

What about records, I have some excellent pressing that digital could match.

[@EtoileBleu52]

i would like to thank you for opening that MA-R considering the price i saw on ebay for one of those also a minute of silence for those tape collector that died of an heart attack ps: you forgot to mention that metal tape wear more the head than type 2 and type 1

[@mihaiirimia7091]

I may hated a small bit how soundas that godparents mix tape on 90's, to he's probably sounds too bad. Are it might to be too old?

[@litgamer6205]

@@mihaiirimia7091 what?? your English is terrible

[@svenschwingel8632]

If you consider 2,59 for the Sony expensive, you haven't checked what TDK sold these MA-XG's for. Their pricing was nothing short of INSANE, even when they were regularly sold back then. And it wasn't even the tape material itself which was pretty much the same TDK used in the MA-X. It was the solid cast-alloy frame in the casing. By the way, TDK and That's actually used tape and technology from one and the same company. Which was Taiyo Yuden, who were also known to produce the best-quality media for CD recording.

[@Biowar67]

Good stuff Tony. I brought a Technics RS-T55R in 1988, £300 back then! Then started using Chrome & Metal tapes from 1988 too. I was recording from a Rega Planar 3 & Trio DP-850 CD player & all going through a 1975 Pioneer SA-9500 MkI. Started buying TDK SA90's & then moved onto MA-X90's, all are very good. I also brought loads, LOADS, of That's MR-X60PRO's, MG-X90's , CD/IIF90's & CD/IVF90's along with many Maxell XLII-S 90's, these are great cassettes too. I've only ever owned about 4 MA-R 90's, 3 of which I still own & use. Been using all of them since new & still going strong. I know I have over 35+ Chrome & 45+ Metal tapes. People always say "Cassettes, you still use tape cassettes! How hipster. Why?" I've not brought a cassette since around 2000, so I play them back what I have recorded & they realise why I use them. Never had a problem with "White Powder" forming, ever. Never had a tape chewed in any of my machines, & yes, I still use the RE-T55R to this day. I service it myself to keep it running fine. Never use Dolby B or C as it seems to make everything sound muddy to me, anyone else hear that? I record from both Vinyl, on the same Rega I brought in 1988, & from a Pioneer PDR-609 CD player/recorder onto both Chrome & Metal tapes, I have always found the Metal has slightly less hiss overall. Is this just me again? The recordings are always crystal clear whichever type of tape used, Chrome or Metal. I've asked many people to tell the difference whilst listening & 75% can't tell if it's the original Vinyl or CD source playing or the recording onto Tape! The Pioneer SA-9500 has a great 8k & 12k filter to kill surface sound on tape, way better than Dolby B or C, that is why it fools so many people. Love em & still use them daily. The best advice I can give is 1: Only use both Chrome & Metal tapes on decent, well serviced machines. 2: Always rewind the cassette when not used or the tape in that open portion will be exposed to air & oxidize. That will "Rust" that portion of tape if left alone for sometime which shows as speckled surface deterioration & can never be used again with any clarity. You can splice out the ruined portion & just have a shorter tape to fix this. There are many companies now making both Chrome & Metal cassette tape to the length you want for much less than the original collectible 70's, 80's & 90's cassettes. Anyway, I know this has been a long reply. If you get the chance, just use them & enjoy them.

[@CassetteComeback]

The best is the things we do because we want to, not because we have to. Nice reply 👍

[@imansfield]

Saturday mornings for me as a teenager were spent going into town on the bus and spending my hard earned paper round money on blank tapes. I’d spend ages in Dixons or Boots contemplating on which were the best to buy. Usually I went for quantity over quality but every so often I’d go mad and treat myself to a fancy chrome or metal tape! I have a few to this day which still play and sound great! Namely a Fuji Metal FR. PS love geeking out to your videos. Keep up the good work!

[@CassetteComeback]

Snap. Usually end up with UR or D, but around birthday and Christmas, SA and XLII 😀 That's part of the appeal right there, buying the stuff we did buy or couldn't afford to in our youth.

[@KRAZEEIZATION]

Why? The MA-XG is awesome. I bought one in '89 and still have it. Overengineering by TDK. The MA-X is a serious cassette too and the 1986 version is amazing looking. I was a Type II bunny in the 80s/90s and now I love Type 1 with the bias - and levels pushed. Sony HF-S, HF-ES and TDK AD are great. By 1992 the quality fell across the board as CD was killing everything. I have an MA-R too. Savage! On a high end deck with Dolby a Metal tape can deliver big clout!

[@16v15]

MA-XG FTW! 200W of Alpine/ADS in the car, the mid-late 80s, good times. The best tape for collecting all the good stuff off albums - even cds! Sadly, DAT never took off, so I went back to cassettes until burning CDs became affordable.

[@stevej6813]

Well said, I have a few of the MA-XG, they were the ultimate cassette, they kicked arse on my powerful car sound system, there was nothing better. But of course any cassette is only as good as the turntable and tape deck used to record the material 👍

[@zorantobdzic7364]

@@16v15 What about MiniDisc.

[@12voltvids]

How about the type 3 Ferichrome tape. Ever used one of those?

[@CassetteComeback]

Just done a video on one

[@jonsingle1614]

That was my go to tape for my pioneer CT500 deck.....sounded great in the car....then they disappered

[@12voltvids]

@@jonsingle1614 One of the best sounding tapes I ever used. I bought a case of them and still have a few sealed boxes. Double coated tape. Oxide base chromium dioxide on top. Grey punchy bass and sizzling highs.

[@jonsingle1614]

I used Scotch tape....it was cheap....played back in the type 1 setting ( normal ) it was great for sizzling highs ....even with dolby B

[@4130aykut]

nice clip man, thanks for makin that one. I got plenty of tapes, but have no space for building up my stereo. Life is hard;-)

[@jessefillmore]

Thanks for the great video's ,Tony . I'm a late 30's musician so I grew up with the 4 track cassette recorder . Nobody sat me down to teach me the differences in cassette quality . To be honest in the mid 90's people looked to the future and CD's . I still remember seeing metal tapes for $4-$5 during the CD-rom boom . I was just like everyone else "who the f*** is going to buy these " LOL . Early 2000's I finally found the info about type 2 being good for 4 track recording . I bought a few but if I knew the shortage was of doom was coming I would had bought it up lol . Recently , I did find 30 Metal Type IV cassettes at a local shop . Some Sony Metal SR-90min , Sony Metal Select 90min and some Denon HD-M 100, for a great price lol . They're still out there

[@CassetteComeback]

They are still out there...but not in the UK. Never seen anything other than the new UR for sale in any shops here. Hindsight is a tortuous thing 😀 I remember when a hi-fi chain over here was clearing out all their That's Suono metals for 79p each...

[@tappel0]

I think I still have the TDK MA from early 1990s that my piano teacher made me record my excercises to. That's the only times ever I've used metal tape.

[@gavincurtis]

Those MAR tapes always had the best fidelity in my answering machine.

[@caseystrange]

It's really nice to see a Dragon in action. (I have a Nakamichi CasseteDeck2) It's cool seeing a Type IV tape in action. I'm glady you have a video on Type III tapes and I'm relieved to know that I can play it on a Type I setting.

[@georgeanastasopoulos5865]

Wonderful, enlightening! Thumbs up, Cassette Comeback. I was very surprised by what you revealed about type 4, metal tapes! I always thought, when I got into hi fi listening to music more in the late 1980s, and 1990s, that metal tapes were supreme, and almost perfect; and to me very expensive, and they are still a wee bit expensive. Further, I had the impression that a really good type 2 tape, by TDK, or Maxell, or Memorex was almost as good with recording music compared to type 4. However, it is a bit more complicated. Although I still have several metal cassettes together with type 2 cassettes, I'm going to see if I can find any decent type 2 tapes. There were few chrome pre-recorded cassettes that were available in the late 1980s, 90s; but mostly I did not seek those type 2 tapes out to buy. I purchased mostly records. I listen to mostly analogue play back so I have and buy a couple of more vinyl records than CDs, and cassettes. I am fortunate to have a very good cassette deck especially that vinyl, and the recent cassette tape is making a resurgence. I play back more CDs than cassettes, but I still listen to compact cassette that I play on my Harman Kardon TD302 (bought in 1988), that has HX PRO, and Dolby B, C. I have become more aware of the capability of type 4, metal, and am going to have a more informed direction. Thank you for the revealing, excellent demonstration, and wise advise.

[@CassetteComeback]

A good tape, in a good deck, makes a good recording regardless of the Type...but you have to treat yourself to a metal every now and again.

[@richardbates2367]

I was 19 and got ahold of 3 sets of live album 2 cassette sets that really made me pay attention to metal and chrome tapes.. Aerosmith a little south of sanity, Ozzy Osbourne live and loud... And I can't remember the other one but treble adjust and the increased DB... impressive!!!!!

[@richardbates2367]

Hank Williams Jr live.

[@hommerecorder7003]

maxwell chrome xl2s no dolby. thats the sound.

[@AVadim]

Great cassettes, sound and Dragon! :)

[@shaun9107]

That Big deck sounds Fantastic ! I have seen this white powder on VHS tapes but now clean . Uncomprest sounds laid back to me the sound I aim for & I play club MIX on my system , decks included . Sounds GREAT this end !

[@Prattvw91]

Hi just ended my 3 year ownership of my Teac v-900x 3 head deck and sold it. I had a lot of fun experimenting recording onto different types of tapes. Metal was by far the most challenging to get to calibrate right, but once you do, the sound is almost indistinguishable from the cd source!

[@Spock105]

Still have about 15 of those TDK MA-XG one's & MA-R . They are the best in my collection. Back in the 80's I did a test with a bunch of tapes on an spectrum analyzer and compared the signal input when recording - to the signal output. This MA-XG & MA-R were the only ones where the output signal was higher . In those days that tape was 12euro. The most expensive was the Maxell Metal Vertex , that one was 21.25euro.

[@tonywillans7556]

Still outrageously priced $2-250US for one.

[@lancepage1914]

I have a few TDK MA-XG 90 blanks that my missus picked up for free from someone giving them away on a community page. They obviously had no idea what they were worth. 😆

[@user-zf7mz3il7b]

​@lancepage1914 , one more point to add to this is, in india back in 80's /90's indian record labels used to sell 1 prerecorded tape for 35 cents. Back then, audio tape/boombox culture was the way of life, the 35 cent tape will be played in cheapest of players to death, fidelity down to the drain. For the common man, had no clue if a dragon cr7 or b215 ever existed and whether a top tier product such as the MA XG MA R can even exist, for them it never mattered and they though tape can only remain the cheapest medium.

[@Fluteboy]

Eee that were right grand! Clarity just shining through.

[@precisionxt]

I know it was hard to open that MA-R. You’re a champ!

[@fflynnful]

If your tape deck is properly adjusted, a type 1 tape can sound just fine, just try not to record at a level that puts the tape into saturation.

[@mihaiirimia7091]

I love the type 1 tapes, and one of type 2 tapes, also a mixtape of brand electrecord, where was a symfonical music on it i recorded a lot of comunist love songs on different languages, over to turk, greek, portughese, italian and more, but i has a problem with song Sti Diskote, greek by elpida on her middle the band e a small bit wrinkled. yet it is a mix tape of 90's! By one of godparents of my father and mother. And i try record me to again on it some new but won;t it good!

[@johanvanderpulst5250]

The performance of a top deck with Metal tape is as good as a very good reel to reel. You won't get that quality with a normal tape (type one).

[@fflynnful]

@@johanvanderpulst5250 That is true of course. But, at -20 down from operating level of 200nb/m, many of the Nakamichi decks will sweep out to 20Khz. The heads of many other tape decks will stop at around 14Khz. A Chrome or metal tape will do much better in terms of headroom, but few other tape decks will give you response beyond 15Khz. This is what I mean by saturation. Metal will take much more fluxivity before it reaches saturation than an oxide tape will. If you avoid hitting saturation, you can have a good sounding tape. You can hit metal or chrome a lot "harder" before you get to saturation.

[@johanvanderpulst5250]

@@fflynnful many top decks have a frequency response of 20 kHz or even 22khz. My JVC tdv711 and my Teac V9000 are that good.

[@fflynnful]

@@johanvanderpulst5250 Some people think cassettes are no good, but 22Khz is beyond what a CD player can do. The better cassette decks can be surprisingly good.

[@codebeat4192]

I was a big fan of "That's" tapes (not included in your video), I think it where the best ones. These tapes are excellent (especially the early FX-serie) to record high volume (up to +6db at peak) and/or rich bass music without distortion. I have also allot of metal tapes (bought around the 90's) and survived pretty well, they still sound pretty good in 2019. I am glad that I have used good quality tapes back then (with quality equipment) because I record some rare/unique material that cannot be found elsewhere. So yeah, I am glad that I had the 'brains' to spend a little more to be able to enjoy the benefits of a right decision nowadays.

[@hugodeckers3880]

No, there's a That's tape in the video..

[@hugodeckers3880]

At 11'21

[@roygalaasen]

You mean at 5:47?

[@3rdPlaya0709]

My god what was that beautiful music

[@CassetteComeback]

Thanks! All my own work : villarosso.bandcamp.com

[@benkrake3678]

I know right??? As soon as I found out what that song was, I downloaded it off iTunes straight away!

[@JacobFrey]

Love this track. Purchased on Google Play.

[@markstewart1807]

Brilliant video really enjoyed it,do you think a Sony Walkman Pro could fully exploit a good metal? or is it just as well to use normal or chrome etc

[@CassetteComeback]

Probably not, but it would be fun to find out 😁

[@markstewart1807]

@@CassetteComeback will try when I get mine back from being refurbished

[@negroju]

Me gustan mucho tus reviews porque hablás desde la pasión, sorry for my english. Era joven cuando salió la metal tape. Y la cinta MA R de TDK era realmente state of the art. Hoy día es lo más alto de la evolución del cassette, junto a la Nakamichi Dragon. Gracias, amigo. I really enjoyed your devotion for this beloved things of another era. Abrazo!

[@tobymummert3035]

A really, really good metal tape which I have used is the 3M Blackwatch. They are super neutral. A lot of depth and actually have some real warmth to them. Try one sometime, if you can find one. I own a couple that I bought in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Good luck!

[@joshuagood4237]

Oh my god that tape deck it is something out of a sci-fi film I want one now

[@micheltremblay4774]

If you live near Montreal, I have one for sale.

[@joshuagood4237]

@@micheltremblay4774 I live in Belfast

[@sentihcn]

Enjoyed the video! Curious question though. What is the song at 8:32?

[@CassetteComeback]

open.spotify.com/track/5wrV8u9nD8ZJMHnsNPiSom?si=pkI5dA2EQp6CDgzHQm6E3A

[@ElectoneGuy]

You forgot the 3M/Scotch Metafine and XSM-IV.

[@johanvanderpulst5250]

I wanted to have at least one of these MA-R and MA-XG tapes back in the day. I still have them, but wish I bought more of them. The tape inside a MAX is the same as the one inside a MAXG, and I have a lot of MAX tapes.

[@duprie37]

There was a great moment around 2001-2003 as MD and CD-R were getting popular when Type IVs were going insanely cheap. I still got a couple. What would you use them for these days though?

[@CassetteComeback]

To treat yourself 😀 Yeah, if only I had the foresight 15 years ago...

[@bucknasty69]

I recorded a demo for my band on an old Tascam 4 track with a type IV for shits and giggles, and it sounded absolutely amazing.

[@vinylcity1599]

I'm a big vinyl guy, but I miss cassettes so much! They brought me so much joy as a teen, and twenty something! I use to love recording on metal bias tapes! I need to get a cassette deck to go with my turntable and CD player!

[@CassetteComeback]

That's it. The music of my youth was cassette and their varied looks and characters.

[@xyz360400]

Back before MP3 players were a thing, I used to make my own mix tapes on metal from my CD collection to listen to on my Walkman, and while I am by no means an audiophile by any measure, I could definitely tell the difference between the proper recordings I did on my Sony metal tapes vs my mix tapes on regular retail blank cassettes. In fact, I really couldn't hear any difference between the metal recordings I did and the original CD sources when played back on the same system/device and 'hiss' is something I grew quite accustomed to NOT hearing in my music. I'm glad I took the chance that day I was in the music store and decided to pick up one of those metal tapes as an 'experiment' to see if there was any real difference. There definitely was, and if I was still making any mixes/recordings today, I would use nothing less than metal for my recordings.

[@albear972]

Holy moly! As a pre teen back in the mid 80”s I heard about metal tapes and that some were made of real metal, I never ever saw one before. I thought up to now that it was an urban legend.

[@CassetteComeback]

I'd only seen them once and wondered how could one tape cost so much...

[@kennethlarsen2801]

i have a revox b 215 and it loves metal tapes

[@wesmatron]

I remember using an old Fostex 4-track recorder that insisted on using metal tape

[@sexytasmin]

Great video Tony, thank you.

[@johnstark5324]

That TDK problem is the lubricant dried up. This happens with a lot of the GX reel to reel tapes and a few of the LX tapes.

[@patrickcoughlin-qj9uk]

Whale oil ? As lube on the tape Do not know if this was true Or not .

[@IBrianrish]

When he opened it I thought dear lord what have you done 6:11

[@_Ramen-Vac_]

My older brother (born early 60's) had a nice loud stereo in his p/u truck. used TDK MA 60 - was always impressed with the dynamic range/frequency response per hiss/distortion ratios when recorded/played back thru Dolby C- I also used c tapes for the better part of the 80's and 90's.. and just got by with CrO2 maxells and dolby b for my punk rock. .. He listened to lots of Pink Floyd and Hendrix, where sound quality/volume were more the quest. This is the best nerd-out subject in all of audiophilia

[@CassetteComeback]

It's because it's the most challenging format to make "good" recordings on. Digital is a piece of cake. Vinyl is only cut by specialists. R2R isn't as challenging as it's a better format.

[@josh8178]

The best deck i currently have is an Aiwa F810 which has no auto calibration whatsoever and according to Tapeheads is not particularly a good deck (what do you want for a fiver at the car boot sale). However I am only recording on Maxell UR tapes for my car and with a bit of bias tune to boost the treble i've had people in my car think I was playing the music from a CD because it sounded so good. I literally can't imagine how good these Metal tapes sound. I might bite the bullet and buy a metal tape but the cost just kills me haha. I have some TDK SA but i find the ones i have suffer from a few dropouts now so might just stick with what I can buy from Wilko! Loving the videos dude. I'll buy some tapes from you soon. I just need better equipment!

[@CassetteComeback]

The best sounding decks, are the ones that make recordings that sound good to you.

[@DrDroogkloot]

Hi. I recently bought a 1977 technics deck. The thing is. I like tapes because of the tipical sound caracter of it. And i only use vintage 70's decks. Sadly i never had a chance to use a metal tape for myself but i think those type 2 tapes are good enough. Perhaps i will do some new recordings again. Mix vinyl straight to tape. Nice video 👍

[@CassetteComeback]

I've got a nice 70s Technics I use for playback. If you really want full nostalgia...use a Ferric.

[@DrDroogkloot]

Then it would be a 90’s gabber mix recorded on a ferric tape recorded with the technics. Pure nostalgia.

[@randallstewart175]

Years ago I bought hugh end Pioneer deck and had its Metal settings calibrated for the Fuji Metal tape then being sold. I used it to duplicate CDs. It had the capacity to switch between source and tape outputs in real time. There was no audible difference.

[@JacGoudsmit]

I somehow had the privilege of being in charge of playing the music in the lunch room at my school two or three days a week, for a few months. I made my own mix tapes for that using a sound mixer and sometimes I got a tape from someone else that I would play. I remember one time someone handed me one of those MA-R tapes and it was just amazing. It feels really heavy and the person who owned it had recorded some really high-quality music on it.

[@CassetteComeback]

They're a bit of industrial art

[@davidnguyen5028]

I’m here because I’m restoring a Tascam 122MKiii and I can’t wait to record music on a new old stock Maxell XLii-S90 High Bias.

[@CEzikMaj]

6:10 You don't wanna know how much pain I've took

[@tomzielinski9506]

ReVox B215 was a great Deck also.

[@guyfromsac1]

Nice video. I've got about 40 tapes I recorded on my Nakamichi CR-1 back in the late 1980s. They still sound fantastic. Most are TDK MA-X or Denon HD-M and I thought they were worth the premium price over Type II cassettes. If I remember correctly, Type II were about $5 each while the Type IV were about $8 each (here in California).

[@CassetteComeback]

If I was an adult with a job when I was using cassettes en-mass, I think I would have had a better deck and used a LOT of Type IV. But I was a kid with BPC until the mid 90s...

[@AlexTechYT]

Just bought a maxell metal tape from you. Can't wait for it to arrive! :)

[@ederst9759]

I had a couple Maxell MX, I think I still have one I recorded "Broadsword And The Beast" MFSL LP with DBX noise reduction... DBX worked very well with metal.

[@emanueltomasini9947]

he did it again!!!! just lovin it. destroying the collector value :-)

[@larnaqueur78]

Congrats and thanks to open it for all 👍🙂

[@peepers4763]

Thank you for opening MA-R90. I didn’t recall the one but the others took me on a walk down memory lane...