Does the sound of cassette suck?

[@scaleop4]

to this day i'm still using cassettes and they sound much better than a lot of people seem to think.

[@intense_vibration]

scaleop4 I'm new to cassettes . where can I find a good cassette player to them please help?

[@scaleop4]

i got mine from amazon (was not cheap)..you might be able to get a good one from ebay...or a fle market...good luck bud

[@jessikasnak6837]

Agreed

[@yaboidustin2447]

I've got a around 40 cassette collection and I'm 14, cassettes sound amazing people just believe the media with whatever they say

[@automachinehead]

@@yaboidustin2447 Gotta agree with you there lil bro.

[@charvelgtrs]

The problem was most people didn't have the budget to have a quality stereo system/tape deck to get the most out of the format, which is why most saw a pretty significant improvement switching to CD since it doesn't require as much of an investment to get a quality experience.

[@Curi0u50ne]

💯 % spot on period

[@14489]

And if you invest the same money on a hi end cd player it will sound incredible, so expensive cassette decks are really pointless concerning sound quality is just acceptable, nothing to "knock your socks off", as the sound of a good digital system would.

[@verastaki]

I've been recording all of my music unto compact cassette tapes since the 80's and I'm still recording my music unto cassettes till this day. Cassettes last a very long time as long as you store them properly and don't play them on cheap stereos. All my tapes still sound amazing, even the ones from 1960's. Tapes are awesome!

[@Sol-Amar]

Hello, if feel like sharing, do you have any recommendations on which kinds/models are the best to purchase and how to properly store them?

[@klenchr3621]

I still use and maintain my Kenwood KX 1060. I think people forget that the Japanese built some serious audio hardware back in the day. My friends assuming I'm streaming or playing a CD until they realize it's a cassette. And then, they ask how I got it to sound so good....they start to realize that streaming isn't tight, deep, or have a wholesome sound. Welcome to analog.

[@verastaki]

NO, The sound of the cassette is amazing!!! I managed to make all of my cassettes sound louder and cleaner than CD'S. All you need is the right equipment, top of the line cassette decks and chrome or metal bias tapes, and good ears to hear the sound. All of my tapes sound professional. I play them at the clubs and parties, and people think that it's the CD that I'm playing. Nope. The sound, coming from the speakers is coming from the tapes that I'm playing. Compact cassette tapes are awesome!!!

[@brentfisher902]

Of course the good thing is that a single cassette can play for 120 minutes unlike a CD which has trouble getting past 81 minutes. And they are better for the car as they don't scratch. Sony made the UX Turbo cassettes which were heat resistant for summertime car use, even.

[@SuperSy99]

Tdk normal tape is good too.sony suck in normal

[@Curi0u50ne]

@@SuperSy99yep I got crystal clear recordings on TDK D’s to me they record signal better than the horrible SA’s that appeared before the end of production

[@DUOCAPRICORNS]

pioneers are one of the best decks...killer sound!

[@HK.Paul.]

Cassette deck sound could be comparable and even better than CD

[@robinfoxx4339]

Good deck + good audio source + quality cassette = great sound!

[@macnerd93]

Pioneer CTF-1250 my dream cassette deck

[@RWL2012]

*CT-F1250

[@ethan1970]

I own the 1978 Pioneer CT-F1000 and the 1975 CT-F9191 and they are both awsome cassette decks, I love them, and after a full recap and mechanical rebuild they are going strong as ever

[@macnerd93]

Ethan Whitmer I now own a CT-F750 but my main deck is my Sony TC-K990ES unit. Lovely elevated standard deck from the early 90s

[@autisticrebel1253]

I have two cassettes from 1967 and they still sound good and I got them for £0.99.

[@CoolAstrost]

Dang thats a good deal

[@vincentm1212]

I have never once thought that cassette tapes sound like shit. I have a pioneer ct-1380wr hooked to an onkyo surround sound received in my living room and my tapes sound very amazing. No, most people that say cassette tapes suck probably have not played them on a proper real cassette deck with a proper receiver and speakers or with proper powered speakers. Tapes simply do not suck and can be found regularly at thrift stores

[@HiFisquarepants]

No...the sound of cassette doesn't suck. Period. I'd be great if you could provide a link to the original file, i.e., the source of this recording ;)

[@Hyzian]

Check the description, there's a lossless .flac file of this recording there.

[@HammyTechnoid]

I like coupling my CT-F1250 with either a Nakamichi High com II, a Sanyo Super-D or a dbx 224 NR, and yes, cassettes can sound extremely good.

[@TheWalkmanArchive]

I see you are also a NR fan, like I am. I also have all those NR units, plus a rare Dolby professional 422 reference and an AIWA High Com and Toshiba Adres. I always loved NR; not sure why, I guess it was a sign of high technology inside...

[@ethan1970]

I would recommend trying out a 1978 Pioneer CT-F1000 Cassette Deck, they are awesome machines

[@brentfisher902]

@@TheWalkmanArchive If you look online they have an open-source Dolby B encoder and decoder program so you can use your walkman which doesn't have NR to play the prerecorded cassette albums properly (once digitized using that same walkman)

Sounds really great. The sound is really warm.

[@Mariofans-gn1lu]

no they dont cds are better cause ps1 ps2 ps3 xbox xbox 360 xbox one

[@DaxyToTheMax]

The Pioneer CT-F1250 is probably my favorite deck aesthetically. Hoping to pick one up someday!

[@cliz305]

I think we don't have to own an expensive cassette deck to make good recording. As long as you know what you are doing, you can make good recording on a two head deck as well.

[@jackoliver4483]

I have a high end walkman and cassettes can be on par with vinyl sound wise..

[@datsunmadman]

I stream music from lossless sources and record them with my denon 3 head deck and I am impressed with high quality recordings on 40 + years cassettes

[@skyguy1988]

casettes are awesome!

[@willrobinsonensoniq]

People are always focusing on clean recordings but forget the listening environment needs to be addressed as well. You can here at start and end when the room ambience is noisy. We learn to block it out but cannot forgive the poor cassette. BTW I find low level hiss soothing. Rant over.

[@EVRLYNMedia]

its videos like these and hearing about high end equipment from back then that makes me have a better view of cassettes. i didnt grow up with them but all i heard about them were issues with noise, wow and flutter and tape types. its really interesting though

[@kforkrish]

I have around 500 cassettes, all from late 90s and early 2000s and berely about 5 number of them have sound deterioration which were caused by keeping in unsuitable weather conditions anyways. Means if you keep these good, they perform great. Same goes for CDs as well but if they work, sounds superior but went bad, there's no repairability.

[@deejaysoundsgood]

Wow I gotta give you credit man! You have a nice deck and loving that Audio cassette tape TDK SA 3rd Generation. Quality sounds amazing crystal clear (As if you're in a studio doing professional work. I had a same one way back while i was a little boy. anyways. Also dire strait and the song. I like it! grew up listening to it. plus i believe this song released in 1985

[@ethanmanriquez6583]

Esos Cassetes TDK son de los mejores, la verdad la calidad de la cinta es tan excelente qe algunos que tengo que son de mi padre suenan excelente, pura nostalgia con las cintas, saludos bro.

[@HK.Paul.]

I have 500 tapes and 20 cassette decks

[@TitoMariategui]

Which are your top 3 favorite decks you own?

[@ttv_switcher260]

SOUNDS AWESOME

[@antonisxenos1053]

Hi friend,I very recently bought this recorder and it's wonderful. No difference when I play a recording from my Planar 3. This was my HIFI dream. Next step the NR 50 that you are showing. First time I see one!Thanks for your video.

[@koleksiflac2178]

very nice ...tape deck

[@harrystevens3885]

I was recording a load of Blues music this afternoon on my Technics 3 head deck using one of those last of the line modern TDK SA cassettes straight out the wrapper (no Dolby) but they are not as good as those mid 80s Japanese one's.........God I love cassettes and nice video:):)

[@MatNaryo]

These setup georgeous

[@antonisxenos1053]

Great video. Thanks.I have the CT-950. How do you rate it?

[@patrickc8007]

Casette > Vinyl

[@tonyrussell7275]

I love cassette decks but just a quick query.i believe this song came out in 1985 so how could it be recorded in 1979?

[@macnerd93]

It wasn't recorded in 1979. The tape he used to make the recording on was from 1979.

[@tonyrussell7275]

Ahh ok. I should have thought of that!

[@datsunmadman]

I don't buy prerecorded cassette. I love with strong passion blank cassette with a high-end deck you get near cd sound. I been recording on decent deck since 1994 (14 year old). Recently I recorded pink Floyd on cassette from cd on wow when played it back

[@kravchuk007]

I have same very first TDK SA from 1974 , Sounding just Best !

[@plisskentv6501]

this video is biased because he's using an Awesome Expensive Cassette deck, but cassettes still sound great on mid range walkmans.

[@UrOpinionsSucc]

I have a 90's walkman, my cassettes sound amazing even with hiss. It's also chrome and metal compatible as well. I use super ferrics and chromes.

[@samak12]

Two things, he said he was using an external Dolby c nr unit and that the cassette was recorded with the same model deck in 1979, was a Dolby c nr unit used to make the tape then. And this song was released in 1985.

[@TheWalkmanArchive]

Nope. in 1979 was released the deck, but the recording I made it in 2018... It's explained in the video.

[@samak12]

@@TheWalkmanArchive 👍

[@jake105]

I use my tape deck a lot. I enjoy recording shorter versions of compellation CD's like The Stones 40 Licks for example. Way too much music on it and I could care less for songs after Tattoo You. But the quality of the new CD's are excellent. My earlier Stones CD's like Exile & Sticky Fingers that I bought in the 1990's are lousy compared to 40 Licks and the London Singles collection box set wasn't any better. So 40 Licks became my "25 Licks"! I did the same for a 3 cd collection of Burt Bachrach. I cut it to a 60 minute tape. Even a type-1 sounds fine. I suppose if I had a remote on my CD Player I wouldn't bother. (Nah!)I recently recorded over a 90 min Maxell XLII I initially recorded in 1990. I put together some early Beatles from the US Capitol Albums Box Set. Sort of my own version of the Red Album. It sounds great!

[@milojenikolovski7522]

I feel precense of Dolby filter, never use on when play music from audio cassette, only when recording on some bad quality tape.

[@wyre5547]

Great song choice sounds great 👍

[@basicsteps]

99% of the time nowadays. Try playing a store-bought pre-recorded one. They will sound excellent if you got serious cash to get that kind of equipment especially since they don't manufacture them anymore. The irony is, to enjoy these tapes, almost all the time you need to buy new cassettes and have a digital source to get the best performance. So why not directly listen to those CDs from a cheap player? As a 50-year-old myself, the habit of collection for nostalgia has started to kick in.

[@peterjon2758]

I own a Technics m255x; from my understanding this was a entry level, perhaps low-mid level deck from the early 1980s. It still plays fine and I bought it for about $40 2 years ago. However, it sounds NOTHING like this. That being said, how do you know if the cassette itself is bad, or the heads or whatever else? Any particular guide on how to determine if a cassette deck is in good shape or not?

[@julioeliasdiazcabrera4731]

Hermosa maquina , altisima ingenieria del diseño dice mucho de la exelencia acustica del sonido . Obra de arte tecnoligica Japonesa .

[@Gigidag77]

the issue: most pre-recorded cassettes sound crap, and if calibration of the source was ever so slightly different to the ine in your deck, the quality also suffers majorly. thats why imo a general tape deck calibration is useless. I adjust the azimuth for every cassette i record or listen to by ear.

[@hakunchristiansen9745]

Casette tape is not as bad as many says it is. use good amplifer, and make sure casette tape player is dust free, that's how you can save many tapes for years without trash sound, tip. Just clean your casette player regulary for dust. The best way the get perfect sound if you have Pioneer, Sony, Technics, Sony, JVC. etc. Buy high quality speakers to get better sound, normally speakers that comes with the system is garbage. Example. I have Sony amplifer, and sony speakers not good sound. I changed my speakers to Jamo, much better sound quality

[@idontsmile666]

My saying is, the best cassettes you can get are the ones you record yourself, every pre recorded tape i get is a Russian roulette if its listenable, tapes you record yourself on well maintained equipment will always sound better than mass produced albums since modern tapes are just seen as merchandise, not a high quality music medium, unfortunately newer tapes aren't as good as older formulas but there are some good ones out there.

[@Jordan-fn5rj]

why record cassettes and not cds? do you like the static, the hissing/crackly noises? the muddy/tinny sounds? and the low audio output? i dont but i guess you do. I prefer high quality sound, cds are my format cause they dont have all those flaws

[@Livewire91]

Just ordered a Sony Walkman WM EX194. Read some reviews that it's good. Any opinions on it?

[@cashuuu]

I have an EX193, and I think it sounds great.

[@Livewire91]

supercashbros Yup, sounds goodz👍

[@cashuuu]

Live Wire glad you like it.

[@giuseppelavecchia775]

Quella cassetta ha un suono perfetto!

[@Saki630]

so a good O.G. tape on an O.G. deck with all O.G. gear sounds just as good as a ripped Mp3+amp+headphones? After how much gear and money do you just stick to digital or even CD recordings? After getting these HD650's I dont think spending more for an expensive cassette or digital system would not be a noticeable improvement to my hearing experience and enjoyment if highquality mp3's sound just as good. Does the music get better when you have tons of speakers and bass in a large room?

[@Luckystone211]

Sound of the cassettes DOES NOT SUCK.After the Vinyl it's the audio cassettes, make no mistake. CD s are no where close to listening comfort when compared. The Vinyl and the cassettes should make an urgent COME BACK. The Vinyl are there, but expensive, They should be more in numbers along with the audio cassettes. The online music has finished off everything.

[@JoshuaWestbrook]

I love the sound of cassettes. Just hate when they get eaten. Sucks. The best warmest sound tho to my ears

[@tefltoulouse]

so far away came out in 1984. Nice 1979 SA though!

[@matteovrizzi]

But one thing i don't understand is why you use flac/cd source. Your analog setup is amazing but if source is digital....?

[@jalexenglish]

hope i had a deck but instead I used to listen and record in a boombox trying different brands of cassette, still some were great even in not too decent equipment.

[@samsicles_jr]

Ooh lovely. And very nice looking watch too? Is it a Casio?

[@PatentSTM]

you don't need to turn on Dobly C is it is not recorded via C ??

[@j7ndominica051]

Cassette tape sounds better with the level backed off and with Dolby-HX that dynamically reduces the bias. If allowed to reach saturation, the treble obviously disappears. I don't find hiss objectionable because it is constant and doesn't breathe or otherwise modulate like with poor digital systems. If the tape is stopped and rewound, it develops wringles or holes in the coating, and the dropouts are then noticeable and doubly so with Dolby noise reduction.

[@paxvelocity]

que nueva la tienes la pioneer ct-f1250 suena muy bien hugo muy buen video.

[@aminen5316]

We dont deserve cassette tapes

[@Jordan-fn5rj]

so we dont deserve a format with poor sound quality? im ok with that we can keep cds which are high quality in terms of sound and we wont have those annoying noises/static/hissing/crackly sound like tapes have

[@moskic153]

cassette sounds just good but problems raise with time old cassets and older hardware

[@jessikasnak6837]

Sounds so good🎶🎶

[@davidcross701]

If recorded on a good system like HI FI stereo of the the time, they sound crispy. I have some too that sound great . Cuz I used my dad's HiFI stereo for dubbing cassettes! Or a great signal from the radio station on a good tape.

[@brentfisher902]

I discovered the azimuth trick where you fiddle with the screw next to the playback head when digitizing my boom box tapes I recorded off the radio and WOW does it sound a lot better. Do not align it to a calibration tape as that assumes that the person who recorded the tape used a similar calibration tape. Do not align to the tones at the beginning either...it could have been done on a different machine. Only align to the signal of interest. Listen with the amplifier switched to mono and turn the screw and see how it changes the sound. You tune for maximum high end. If the cymbals stop, rewind back to where the cymbals are. Don't worry about making a tape sound screachy or annoying. You can dull it back down on the computer before you burn the CD. There is no setting that will make it sound brighter than the original recording. Anything but the correct setting will make a duller muddier sound.

[@matteovrizzi]

Question- your source was digital. i.e. as you say a file extracted from cd via computer So the cassette recording will be (at best) as good as what you have used as your source? Am i correct? I am asking as a novice. Surely if you want true analog quality you need to record the cassette from another cassette.... or a vinyl record... right?

[@TheWalkmanArchive]

Well, the source was vinyl, and in this case is clear that it surpass digital source, as you can hear. However., when recording on cassette it happens that many times the cassette sounds with more life and richer than the very source. I experienced this myself many times.

[@matteovrizzi]

@@TheWalkmanArchive that is very interesting. Yes i can hear as such, as you say. My question comes from curiosity mind you. I am just now diving (back) into the world of cassettes and 33rpm records and Walkmans so I find your resources very useful. Thanks.

[@ThePierre61]

@@TheWalkmanArchive ok... so you can try to pass tape to tape to tape and so on... must be heavenly!

[@skyguy1988]

casettes taught more patience.

[@verastaki]

NO! The sound of the cassette sounds amazing. I make my cassette recordings sound louder and cleaner than CD'S. It's possible if you use the right equipment and state of the art type II or type IV chrome and metal tapes.

A quality cassette, optimally recorded and played back in a deck with a good play head and perfectly adjusted has the potential to sound considerably better than CD since it is analogue and can have almost infinite levels within its recording limits - as it is an analogue signal.... CD, even if perfectly recorded, can ONLY ever have the limited set of levels within the constraints of 44.1khz at 16 bits - this is a finite number (a VERY large number, but still finite and much lower than a cassettes possible analogue numbers). Even the most newbie audiophile knows this, so anyone saying CD sounds better than cassette is either completely ignorant of the technology or a moron. CDs may be more convenient, but they are not superior in EVERY way.... not by a long shot.

[@DineshC]

Yep Its Great When you have DECK like that \m/ !!!!!

[@redkinsley4251]

It sounds fine. I don't understand why people are saying it sounds amazing. Nothing amazing about cassette audio quality.

[@UrOpinionsSucc]

I beg to differ..i've got Type 4 Metal tapes that i've recorded onto, calibrated and biased, and it sounds just as clear as a CD. Trust me i record onto tape all the time.

[@iorreneft]

​@@UrOpinionsSucc they sound good if done right but no way do they match the cd sound quality.

[@UrOpinionsSucc]

@@iorreneft it does....lmao with a high end deck. And Dolby S. Which removes all hiss!

[@tenzackyogi1742]

This cassette deck is high end quality. So maintenance cost is high either.

[@olechobackintime2218]

Bueno, gracias!

[@hectortorres8188]

What's the point of listening to a tape instead of the original font (vinyl, CD)? it's silly.

[@TitoMariategui]

El sonido es distinto y particular del propio formato. Además, con lo avanzado del Internet el catálogo digital al que uno tiene alcance es inmenso, por ejemplo, hay música que no la encuentras ni en vinilo, ni en cd, pero sí en streaming (incluso streaming de alta resolución) y puedes grabar esta en un Cassette de calidad desde una grabadora deck de calidad. El resultado es buenísimo. A los que les gusta el sonido análogo lo pueden disfrutar, ya que NO se puede grabar en vinilo, sí se puede en cassette.🎧👌

[@Yersitosan]

El sonido es de otro mundo

[@Synthematix]

Trouble is very few people had decks of this quality, in turn it ruined the reputation of tape, 8 track should never have happened though, it was bloody awful. and gimmicks like decks with no cover like this one here are useless, all they do is let dust into the tape and mechanism

[@SiarheiHladkou]

this deck require speed adjustment for about 2%, it plays slow currently

[@yaboidustin2447]

Anyone else just love how comically small cassettes look in this deck

[@ajg2558]

No not , I had a dual capstan deck made by nakamichi with maxell ud/xl 2 , I like Dolby b better

[@laudy467]

I don’t know why but no matter what I do my tapes sound like crap which is sad cuz I put a bunch of money into this

[@exitar1]

Y.E.S.

[@horaciodelre2210]

Un cassette de buena calidad, grabado en buena calidad, si lo escuchamos en un equipo de buena calidad, se va a escuchar bien. Lo que no entiendo es como después de tanto tiempo, sigue teniendo esa calidad.

[@Waffledogchat]

Not bad for a 1979 SA

[@chuckgillespie1]

So...How was everyone so easily bamboozled into CD’s? Got a R2R about a year ago and was blown away....Got a cassette deck on EBay today cause this whole tape thing has me confused....The R2R outperforms vinyl (at my house anyway)...I’m perplexed

[@brentfisher902]

Of course the Reel to Reel outperforms vinyl because people forget where the vinyl album's sound comes from. That's right! A reel to reel magnetic tape recorder. Vinyl doesn't hold a candle to reel to reel, especially at 15 or 30 inches per second with 1/8 inch wide tracks.

[@Curi0u50ne]

The 3 headed deck hype is sooo overated. It’s just so you can check the recording while it’s being recorded….most of us can calibrate and produce good enough recordings anyhow. 3 head decks do not have any impact in the quality of play back. I have both and I find recordings with my 2 head deck delivers good enough recordings. Just saying.

[@ValentinDona]

I can send you a mp3 with this song that sound much better...... Much, much better....

[@TheWalkmanArchive]

Ok, 👌🏼 please send to me. If possible send a Wav or flac or mp3 with the highest bitrate to thewalkmanarchive at gmail dot com

[@ValentinDona]

@@TheWalkmanArchive Sent

[@TheWalkmanArchive]

Ok, downloaded and heard. I admit it sounds great, but seems to me that the difference is more and EQ than other thing, but I'm not really sure. Where does this capture came from? R2R I read?

[@ValentinDona]

It-s not just the eq. Try to record it on cassette and listen the copy..... The original file is a DSD.... I remastered it a little bit to sound like a R2R and created the noise at -70 dB to be more natural .

[@TheWalkmanArchive]

@@ValentinDona DSD? But what release is exactly? What label?

[@Jordan-fn5rj]

yes i cant stand the sound, the sound quality sounds horrible and very crappy i can barley hear the music over the static and that little annoying hissing/crackly noise the music just sounds muddy and all over the place, with cds its like a night and day difference

[@furzkram]

You gotta be kidding me. That song is from 1985. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_Far_Away_(Dire_Straits_song)

[@RWL2012]

yes and...? in case you haven't worked it out, the *deck* and *cassette* were made in the late 70s. of course it's possible to record a "newer" track with them!

[@UrOpinionsSucc]

And?

[@gomiwomi]

Cassettes are terrible especially the Prerecorded ones.

[@dt7717]

While y’all might think they sound good, the sound is pretty weak in comparison. Using these for events or tbs is understandable. Or If you don’t have access to a digital version. Maybe you have too many cassettes to go through and download. Sure there are no other reasons for you to be going out of your way to use these? A lot of these comment are really sad. Evolve if you can. There’s so many cons to using cassettes that it’s not worth it. To overall improve ones life they must improve the things in it

[@UrOpinionsSucc]

Shut up and let people enjoy things they like.

[@tallguytallguy7498]

This deck has a the cassette tray not cover all dust goes into head reader its a shitty model