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

[@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!

[@TheFlenen]

​@@DavidMander-rs4ukthey're analogue, portable and relatively cheap. Vinyl is only one of these. Some people like analogue music over digital and prefer their music to have dynamics. Could you point me to any evidence of tape being a shit format though? Because I guarantee you can't. "The tapes got eaten" yes if you didn't maintain your equipment "They don't have the same frequency response as digital" well last I checked most people can't hear 22khz and it's subjective too. "They're ugly" subjective "Tapes deteriorate" only if you treat them badly. There are tapes from 60/70 years ago that are still going strong.

[@stevenclarke5606]

Hobbies don’t make any sense, if you have the bug it makes complete sense to spend ridiculous amounts of money, to achieve your dreams

[@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....😃

[@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.

[@ryanjofre]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@Waffledogchat]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@david9572]

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

[@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 :)

[@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.

[@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.

[@GNeuman]

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

[@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.

[@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 👍

[@arminfatol]

Hi, I have a question: If you hear/record the line out of this deck when it is ON, but stopped, then you hit play without a cassette in there (maybe you need to "tell" her there is a cassette in there), is there any sound/noise on the line out on "play" state? I am looking for a noise I hear on all cassette decks, while playing in idle, with no cassete in.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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 😀

[@TheEleventeen]

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

[@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!

[@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.

[@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!

[@mechbear]

@7:58 "and you don't wanna be sitting here watching me calibrate... " yes we do sir...

[@scotthullinger4684]

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

[@maxbago7598]

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

[@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.

[@MikeDS49]

6:30 I wonder if we could use the measurements from the MA-R to CNC shells for new calibration tapes.

[@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?! 😉

[@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 !!

[@pericn]

Mmm dragon!!!

[@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!

[@1980sGamer]

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

[@maddog3902]

I am new again to cassettes. I did a lot of cassette work making demos on an 8 track in the 90's. I am a lucky man with a privately owned thrift store and I am able to bank up all the cassettes that come in to the shop and even get packs of sealed cassettes from time to time. I have a few questions. #1 I have a few dozen metal cassettes that have been previously used to record various things ranging from church services to Abba records. What is the best way to wipe them? #2 can a once used casette be 'good as new'? #3 Currently I am working to bring a Yamaha MT120S 4 track back to it's original condition. In part to use as a musical instrument on it's own , similar in some regard to a melotron, and also to use as a recording device for original works. What kind of tape is best to use in a classic 4/8 track Audio production workstation? In the 90's I was told by 'store guy' something to the effect of "Oh bro man, bro, if you're gonna be laying straight master tracks you GOTTA go with the METAL TAPES bro" was he right? TYIA

[@NikoNoxious]

1: Get a degausser on ebay 2: it can be good as new but can also be degraded with time. 3: I would look up the service or user manual om hifi engine. I am betting it's specifically biased for type ii much like all portastudios

[@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

[@darrenideson3499]

hi could anyone tell me the name of the song in this video ie the band etc. i looked up fire in paradise but just got stories of real fires in California on google. thanks.

[@DarkMetalSpider]

darren ideson villarosso.bandcamp.com

[@ivantashakov1178]

You can’t even use them on most of the available equipment today

[@albertwesker2050]

I have a teac tape machine coming my way and a wallensak. I'm wanting to use them to get that compression that makes instruments sound a little fuller. What grade of tape do you recommend for the wallensak? I assume since they are old with old headers it won't handle some of these more high end tapes? Also for the TAEC I plan on using for tape delay. What do you recommend? TAEC (a-4010s reel to reel)

[@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.

[@Pidalin]

Ofcourse you need metal tape for metal music! 😀

[@sentihcn]

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

[@CassetteComeback]

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

[@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

[@GrizzlyDipper614]

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

[@dzevaludinjasaric3080]

@@GrizzlyDipper614, 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.

[@bsanchez3563]

Do different tapes in compatible with more than "standard or normal" type 1 tapes eg "ferric" by tpe use a different head for both read and wright or play and erase heads? So dufferent metal tab that sticks down into the mediam?

[@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.

[@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)

[@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,

[@nuescu]

guys out there will never know the struggles and amount of money that we , from the communist block, would spend to have a bit of quality stuff.

[@iliavr]

And I had to go with SKC and TDK A-90, not to mention MK-60-2

[@salmorreale7900]

Do any of the cassette products suffer from sticky shed? Thank you for posting..

[@patrickcoughlin-qj9uk]

I think that was open reel And Ampex tape , and some Radio shack super open reel tape that had the oxide shed Problem . And scotch tape .

[@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..." 😭

[@Rinfanchoi]

Dear Sir Hello, my question is: What is the difference between tape drive heads that can play metal tapes and heads that cannot play metal tapes? Some machines need to manually select the tape type. When a metal tape is selected to play, what will happen to the magnetic head? Very much looking forward to and thank you for your reply.

[@CassetteComeback]

The heads make no difference in playback, it is the EQ in the circuitry that changes from 120 micro seconds to 70 micro seconds...which is the same eq for type 2 and type 4 cassettes. If a deck can play type 2 cassettes correctly, it can play metal correctly.

[@ElectoneGuy]

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

[@TaylorBlack0]

Have you ever tried the Fuji DR metal tapes? Pretty awesome sounding stuff.

[@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 .

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@precisionxt]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@gavincurtis]

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

[@satoldschool]

Is the sound in the video from the microphone of the camera or from the line input?

[@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.

[@NikoNoxious]

I got a bunch of Maxell Metal Vertex at a yard sale. I wonder if they are any good

[@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

[@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...

[@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.

[@aussie_philosopher8079]

What is the dynamic range and signal to noise ratio of type 3 and 4. Iam actually a 24 bit 96 k HD CD guy but getting into tape as a live the tone and want the best cassettes and noise reduction systems.

[@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?

[@jut20five]

TDK limited edition AR 90 Type 1 black enclosed casing and black tape with yellow tabs also a white one whith white enclosed case and pink tabs ? Can you Tony please tell me anything about these tapes . I am guessing that it was end of an era type of b s maybe ? It says on the rear of the case AR-LB90 . Are these tapes any good or even rare ??? . I would love to know . Thank you Sir tape of Comebackshire !!

[@CassetteComeback]

Watch this and cry at my AR Le... kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6DXk4uAl8qnpM0

[@AVadim]

Great cassettes, sound and Dragon! :)

[@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.

[@joshuagood4237]

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

[@shrikedecil]

So... tub of used Maxell 90 MX and Maxell XLII tapes somewhere. (All contain CD-to-tape via bad boombox rock) Worth excavating, boxing, and mailing anywhere?

[@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...

[@kona702]

Can someone explain to me how the write protect tabs work on the MA-R and the MA-XG? Do they pop out and you can reinsert them? Or do they like flip back somehow?

[@CassetteComeback]

They clip out and can be reinserted to rotated, so leaving holes. Or you can take them out altogether and then reinsert them if you want to record over them.

[@kona702]

@@CassetteComeback Thanks! That's pretty neat

[@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.

[@miked91101]

Do you think going with blank tapes that are over 90 min. are not good to use because how thin the tape is? I would like to get some TDK metal tapes, but all Amazon has are 110 min. length tapes.... Btw, I am an owner of the Nak RX505, it makes such good recordings, the music playback quality is as good as the CD source...

[@CassetteComeback]

If your deck is in good order and you don't FF/rew them, then don't be scared of longer length tapes.

[@miked91101]

I just received an order of 5 sealed TDK SAX 90 min. tapes, my question is should I have went with the MA's instead?? I had currently used Maxell MX-S, they sound great, BUT they are have gone bad in the 20 years I have had them, long story really but what I just noticed last week was most all of the 8 Maxell tapes I have (some worse than others) have a bulge right in the center of the tape, you can see it and slightly feel it... I had them stored in my coffee table drawer in my rec-room where my stereo system is, I just started using them 2 weeks ago after not using them for about 14 years... what happens is the beginning of tape that would feed into the take up hub was riding right off the tape reel and would end up stuck between the plastic white hub and the case... only think I can think of is since my basement gets moister from heavy rains about every 4 years, so possibly that effected the case and caused the shell to warp outward right in the center... I got these tapes brand new back in 2000 ( 2 Maxell MX-2 90 Min. tapes for 10.00 lol...) and sounded great when I got them... I have some TDK SA tapes that are actually older, and have been playing fine since this past weekend, so I am hoping it was the Maxell MX-2 tapes, and not my Nak RX505....

[@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.

[@birdscds47]

I have a lot of old dat tapes, the tape inside them looks the same as in an analogue cassette. What do you think of the idea of winding the tape out of the dat tapes and into a normal cassette shell ? Have you tried that ?

[@CassetteComeback]

No, but I know people who have. The amount of bias signal this tape needs is beyond what a compact cassette deck can provide, so they don't sound good.

[@TheBebe666]

Just bought this tune Fires in Paradise. Love it.

[@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;-)

[@TechGorilla1987]

My mum once told me that she wouldn't buy me a metal tape because I listened and recorded pop music off the radio.

[@CassetteComeback]

Wise woman 😊

[@apocalypseplease19]

would a metal tape work with a foestex x15?

[@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!

[@davidcooke779]

Thanks for this. Unfortunately my player chewed up the only metal tape I have when I tried to record with it 😢

[@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.

[@manjeetjangraharyanavi6483]

Is this available now in market..plz reply

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@Biowar67]

I'm still recording on & playing my MA-R90's from 1982. They work as well today as they did in the 80's, they just sound even better through the Dragon now. Seriously though, I recorded Tool's new "Fear Inoculum" album from CD, with a Pioneer PDR-609, to an MA-R90 on the Dragon, & the recording is even more dynamic, with more clout, than the CD. It's all running through a recently recapped Pioneer SA-9500 MkI, very close to perfect sound reproduction all round. It's very hard to convince anyone until they hear the recordings, to compare to the CD source, for themselves.

[@Fluteboy]

Eee that were right grand! Clarity just shining through.

[@JakeEP70]

Would at some point like to pick up some metal tapes and try them out. I am new to cassettes and I mostly inherited my mums old cassettes. Most of them are type 1 with a few chromes in there as well.

[@emanueltomasini9947]

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

[@j.w2000]

i have in the basket so far on your website are some ferrics diffrent brands to see whch sound diffrent and what quality diffrences etc.