Pyral Superferrite Cassette - Type 0? Type 1? Type 3? What The Hell Is This?

[@karensingh2020]

going through my cassettes found some old prerecorded chrome tapes recorded at 120ms. BASF, AGFA or whatever they are. so did a recording test. they sound very good on chrome 70 and normal 120 setting they are just amazing very loud rich sound!

[@carlpollington5059]

I have two of these. The track listing of the recordings from the previous owner are both dated as late 1978. There seems to be very low hiss, and the sound is very good to my ears.

[@adrianredodo]

Pyral Superferrite on a Nakamichi Dragon and no explosions. Good tape deck!

[@CassetteComeback]

Wait til you see the next tape I subject the Dragon to...

[@12voltvids]

Try a Sony FeCr true type 3 tape. Incidentally the Sony FeCr is bicolored tape. If you look at the surface it is shiney black chromiium dioxide and if you look at the back side of the tape it is brown. You record it as you would a normal bias (if your deck does not have a type 3 setting) and on playback 70uS or Chrome mode. I have used hundreds of these tapes. One of the best sounding tapes I have ever used.

[@CassetteComeback]

I've only got a mediocre deck that can use type 3, so it wouldn't be much of a video.

[@12voltvids]

@@CassetteComeback Any deck can use type 3. Record as a type 1 tape and play as a type 2. They use normal bias on record and 70uS eq on playback. I may do a demo on my teacher 850 using a Sony fecr, on my channel to show how good these tapes were. I fell in love with them back when I was using cassettes and bought a master case of 100 of them and I still have a few sealed 10 packs. They sounded fantastic.

[@12voltvids]

@Sannesthesia Nope, record as normal, play as type 2. Normal bias 70uS EQ is the correct setting. 120 works but they will sound a little brighter.

[@Konstantin_Terletskiy]

@@12voltvids Well, not a lot of decks would have manual tape type settings. Some, like KENWOOD KX-7060S, for example, have automatic tape type recognition. Sometimes this is bad idea, this is one of the cases. Another case is some Type 2 cassettes, which don't have appropriate holes in the shell, so will be automatically recognized as Type 1 with appropriate consequences. The example of these are Soviet-made Polymerfoto MK-60-7, which are Type 2 with Type 1 hole configuration. Now I have Soviet deck with manual tape type switch (Fe, Cr, Me), so this should work as you recommend. Maybe I will give these tapes a try on it! Some TEAC decks, I know, have also separate Equalization switch, in this case it is even possible to set Normal bias and 70 mSec EQ. Actually, many European-made decks (German Dual decks, for example) had FeCr position on tape type switch, many Soviet-made decks either. My doesn't, my RAPRI-102 has Metal position, but doesn't have FeCr.

[@12voltvids]

@@RUfromthe40s You are wrong. I have boxes of type 3 fe-cr tapes. I show one on my channel including both sides of the tape so you can see the 2 distinct layers. The principle is simple. Chrome dioxide works great on higher frequencies but were weak on bass. Good old iron oxide works great on low frequencies. Marry the 2 and you have a super tape and it was. Recorded at standard bias, played back with 70us eq because there is plenty of high end. The only reason type 1 uses 120 eq is for emphasize the highs that arnt there. The type 2 tape that most people know is not chrome dioxide it is colbalt. True pure chrome tapes had a relatively short life cycle due to weak bass. The type 3 tape solved that. I have done tests and type 3 rivals type 4 metal tape.

[@kerrymcmanus9188]

Hi Tony, thanks for all the material you have shared over the years. I just purchased a pyral type 1 out of curiosity. Didn't think it would much chop but surprisingly it sounded very good.I haven't pushed it yet but at present it's fine. Cheers Kerry

[@johnmarchington3146]

Thanks, Tony. What a surprise. I guess it would have been nice to try it out with FeCr bias. A pity the Dragon isn't equipped for that.

[@am74343]

Wow, that really is amazing to see machine-screws holding the shells together! I've never seen that before!

[@robertnixon8625]

Pyral Superferrite was their range topping cassette dating from around 1978. Cheaper formulations they manufactured were called Optima and Maxima (I can recall radio ads for them) It was a medium bias type 1. The late great audio reviewer Angus McKenzie included it in his buying guide HiFi Choice cassette decks and tapes where he tested all the major brands of the day with sophisticated test gear and high end (Nakamichi, etc) decks of the time. He was very impressed with it and summed up his review with "Pyral at their British factory have created a tape which is frankly excellent by any ferric standard" I purchased one and sadly was not as impressed as Angus, finding the mechanism not a patch on TDK or Maxell for example, with relatively poor head to tape contact causing azimuth wander and 'swishing' treble registers, not to mention oxide shedding. A lovely trip down memory lane all the same

[@CassetteComeback]

Yeah, I've opened one up to see if it had the SM mechanism. It doesn't, it's a cheap shell. Shame, the tape is good.

[@stevealexR1]

I agree - I remember buying one in 1979 or 1980 and the sound was very “glitchy” suggesting poor tape formulation.

[@motofingo]

I wish you had the opportunity to review the "Raks" brand tapes made in Turkei . it is of very good quality

[@rockrollhi-figuy6824]

Nice Dragon! the more videos i see on them just makes me want one more. interesting tape too. can't say i ever heard of that brand name either.

[@ychesnokov]

Hi Tony, I have a collection of FeCr typeIII cassettes. Most of them can be distinguished as double-layer Fe+Cr by just looking at the window from an angle where on one side the tape is brown while on another it is black. Some of them (and maybe the best in terms of quality e.g. Denon DX5) however seem to may not have any real chrome component used at all (and they have brown tape color). Also, Sony FeCr and BASF Ferrochrom have the option of recording in Type I position mentioned on their labels/j-cards. And that's what I normally do using more modern hi quality decks with auto calibration like Pioneer CT-95. Sounds like a decent superferric. One more thing to mention us that there were also FeCr formulations used in Type II cassettes. E.g. First generations of AGFA Superchrom. Cheers

[@CassetteComeback]

Good info. Thanks!

[@ychesnokov]

@@CassetteComeback thanks for your videos. Looking forward for more))

[@Konstantin_Terletskiy]

@@ychesnokov Yaroslav, thanks for the info! "Sounds as decent superferric" means that this is the reason why Type 3 tapes were discontinued. Why buy Type 3 quite expensive tape, if you could buy Maxell UD I or TDK AR or AD, and the quality would be pretty much the same? Today basically it is just interesting for collectors and people, who want to try them out. And on the Russian market now FeCr tapes are about triple the price of decent superferrics, such as Maxell UD I or Sony HF-S or TDK AD/AR

[@ychesnokov]

​@@Konstantin_Terletskiy Цены на кассеты в наши дни, в особенности на экзотику типа FeCr не имеют никакого отношения к ценности их как носителя. Для меня приобретение кассет третьего типа это исключительно вопрос эстетики. Ну и, в отличие от настоящих коллекционеров, которые трясутся над своими нераспечатанными реликвиями, я сразу распечатываю и иногда записываю, чай не яйца Фаберже. А так то да, Type III еще в конце восьмедисятых потерял экономическую актуальность. тем интереснее теперь.

[@Konstantin_Terletskiy]

@@ychesnokov Абсолютно с Вами согласен. Я бы тоже запечатанными не держал, попробовал бы записать. Сейчас у меня РАПРИ-102С после полной замены всех электролитов и настройки по приборам. Даже советские кассеты удаётся прилично прописать. Сам удивляюсь, но факт. При том, что никаких калибровок (кроме тока подмагничивания) на нём нет. Никакой СДП тоже нет. Вообще, лучше нам всё же по-английски разговаривать на этой странице, а то наши англоязычные друзья не поймут наш междусобойчик, а это обидно очень, знаю по себе.

[@stevealexR1]

Re. the instruction to use FeCr bias, I think Pyral were thinking that it’s bias requirement was quite high for a ferric / Type 1 tape. Bias for FeCr tapes was generally only set (in fixed bias machines) at around 110% of that used for ferric tapes (in any given machine) but they used 70 microsecond equalisation. FeCr tapes were notoriously difficult to set bias correctly and get decent sound. They tended to sound very “veiled” and produce uneven frequency response graphs. I think Pyral are merely saying that if you use Type 1 bias for their Superferrite cassette you’ll get a bright sound. So, they suggest (in the absence of variable bias control which was, of course, the case on most decks) to use FeCr bias as a compromise. I bought a Pyral Superferrite in, I think, 1979 having read a good review in one of Angus McKenzie’s HiFi Choice review books of cassette decks and tapes. From memory the Superferrite was disappointing when used in my then Aiwa deck. In 1979 I tended to use Sony HF (for non demanding use) or TDK AD if I wanted a bright sound, TDK SA or SA-X in the Type 2 setting and then, when metal tapes came out, Sony Metallic or TDK MA. However, the first metal tape I bought out of curiosity was a limited availability (just launched) C46 Scotch Metafine which, as an early example, suffered poor stability and dropout performance.

[@SFtheGreat]

Most peculiar, i read a thread i started on tapeheads about FeCr tapes and apparently it gave the best results for "Normal bias and CrO2 EQ", which s exactl the settings cassette decks with Bias and eq switches specified for FeCr.

[@donk1822]

These date from around 1975, possibly a bit earlier if I was buying old stock. They were the first cassettes I ever bought as they were dirt cheap and on sale in what would now be called the local pound shop. Sadly I do not have them any more, mainly because they were used in a cheap mono cassette machine that abused the tape so badly I couldn't use them when I bought my first semi decent deck. A Marantz SD220 if I recall?

[@seravenerdi]

Can you perform cassette tape analysis with a scope on simple single frequencies ? When I callibrate decks, I'll record 3Khz / 7Khz / 12Khz freq's from a precision tone generator. Then I'll select monitor on the deck and read the recorded freq on my scope. This is a perfect way to adjust speed and pinch roller tension, proper belt size, etc. I find 40 yr old type III Ferro tapes lack high freq's but are excellent for lower freq's. Thus I use these tapes for specific transfers. I prefer to avoid adjusting bias because us purist audiophiles prefer uncolored audio thru and thru. I'd much rather use the right tape for the appropriate application. Ensuring the stereo preamps/ stylus is cfg'd correctly versus compensating at the recording level.

[@paulb4uk]

Another great cassette discovery .

[@JamesE707]

The 'time constant' referred is a characteristic of the replay curve, and relates to the time-constant of an equivalent RC low pass filter, if I'm not mistaken.

[@benkrake3678]

I was always picky about what tapes I used when I was as young as 11-12yrs old. I wouldn’t use anything less than the TDK SA90 or the Sony UX90 tapes. Occasionally I’d splurge and get a TDK MA90 tape. Can’t half tell I’m a early audiophile haha! Though sometimes products come out that surprise you. I have never heard of a type 3 that can be used as a type 1 before, that’s rather interesting!

[@CassetteComeback]

That's it. SD cards all look, work and sound the same...

[@benkrake3678]

Cassette Comeback Nice Nackamichi deck btw. I’m from Adelaide, South Australia, and I have only ever seen one up close and they were asking $1750.00 for it!

[@terrychilibeck5401]

One of my decks list the FeCr bias as 100us an interesting number that I never saw on the face of a cassette deck before.

[@benkrake3678]

@@terrychilibeck5401 I have never had a deck that has FeCr bias, until now. About 4 months ago, I picked up an AIWA AD-3800. It’s a top of the line 3 head deck from the early 80’s, with auto bias/cal/EQ and is capable of the full use of all 4 tape types. It’s bin in repairs since the day I got it, because I bought it knowing it needed a belt kit change. Upon further inspection, the repairer found that it needed a bit more than that, and the parts needed are getting harder to find and order in. I got a miss call from the repairer yesterday while I was at work, and so I’m hoping the part was ordered in and they have fixed it! Makes me wanna get a type lll tape just to see what it can do, though I hear they don’t hold up very well over time.

[@terrychilibeck5401]

@@benkrake3678 Hi, I posted the comment and felt I better verify it. I dug out my JVC KD-10 and it turns out my memory was wrong. It is 70 us and 110% bias. The SF/Norm type is 120us and 100% and the CR/SA setting is 70us and 150% (I cannot figure out the way to post the picture here). The numbers are hard to find on bias as most decks do not list a number is adjustable or it is combined on one switch. My Technics M85 Mk II has all 4 bias/EQ settings but no numbers (bias is adjustable). I did a test with the Technics and a HK TD 392 using the Adjustable Bias on the M85, and the tone adjusted bias with either Norm or Cr EQ switch. I thought the preset M85 with the FeCr switch and adjusted bias sounded the best by a slim Margin. The Tapes I have are Sony and they competed with any newer Cr tape, they are holding up fine. Hope it works out well for you.

[@damianhaber4890]

I still have TDK SA 90 and D 90, and Maxell XLII 90 and Fuji ZII 90 cassettes from the eightes! My friend fom the sound system we had has my Maxell MX tapes. BTW I have a Sony double deck that still works. I had a Teac using on the disco to record the live playouts back in the 80s and 90s.

[@JamesE707]

Beautiful Nakamichi! ;o)

[@Schlipperschlopper]

Just nice to watch your CASSETTE TV at the evening :-)))

[@TPerry2828]

Interesting. I remember the Pyral brand as my Dad used Pyral cassettes back in the second half of the 1970s (I remember the logo!). The J-cards were black and gold, but the design was different to the tape you used. My Dad avoided buying cheap crap in general, so I wasn't too surprised that it did okay when you tested it.

[@johnnybeverage]

What an excellent find!

[@kiirunavaara]

Tony, have you ever looked inside the J-card? You will find a frequency test plot of the very batch of tape used for this cassette. First I thought this was a marketing gimmick, because these graphs are everywhere on cassettes that wanted to look "professional". But when I compared two or three of my Pyral Superferrite j-cards, I saw the graphs actually were slightly different, and on one there was also a date of the test filled in (1978 or 79 IIRC).

[@CassetteComeback]

Good spot. It seems they were individual to the batch. I get more and more impressed by these cassettes...shame I only have a few.

[@markm0000]

That is the craziest like/dislike ratio I’ve seen in a very long time. You have an amazing community.

[@CassetteComeback]

Cheers, we tapeheads are a passionate bunch 😀

[@markm0000]

Cassette Comeback I grew up on cheap tape in the car but didn’t have access to a recorder. Now that I’ve been binge watching your videos I’m interested in getting into cassettes. I plan on getting a slim walkman and a recording setup for my vintage PC. I’m thinking 5 cassettes is a good number to cycle through my music library and make mix tapes for each month. I have a very nice custom iPod with all my music and movies on it but it always seemed so sterile and cumbersome to sift through tens of thousands of songs every time I want to listen. The cassette speaks to my childhood and has a very unique sound character, especially with cheap tapes. Thank you for creating this awesome community and I hope to be a part of it soon. I’ve definitely subscribed and will look into your website when I get some equipment to work with.

[@JamesE707]

I bought some Pyral tapes around 1978/79 - "Type I" I think? Still got them somewhere - must go and dig them out.

[@givolettorulez]

From their site: dev.pyral.fr/company/ Additionaly since 2012 PYRAL has integrated the production of Analog Audio tapes for the sound recording in the music industry and specific instrumentation tapes for military and aerospace application. I worked in the 2000s in an audio video production firm. We had a machine to make a copy of small batch of cassettes. Imagine a 6 feet rack filled with triple cassette recorder, connected to a master tape input. I remember carts of blank cassettes, waiting to have the title printed on them and they were like that one. I don't remember if the external box they came had a Pyral mark. so it's possible that they made on first instance tapes for the small business cassette reproduction, and then they decide to sell some cassettes to the general public. Not havig a fancy graphic studio inside, they made a really sad cover and used the same box that they used for the B2B cassettes. Sounds plausible?

[@CassetteComeback]

If you were there, then it must have happened. I imagine they could have made tape for the duplication market.

[@tim7099]

Remember these being advertised and reviewed back in the 70's and they got a mixed reception but there were probably improvements made, who knows....

[@chrislane4637]

Can you do a video based on good pre recorded tapes and bad pre recorded tapes

[@CassetteComeback]

No, because I've never had any interest in pre-recorded and KZbin copyright would mean that I couldn't play any of the music on them anyway.

[@squirrelarch]

Think i have a Pyral headcleaner which has a bright red material in the place of oxide tape presumably to ‘polish’ the heads.

[@nick_vee]

Looks like a BASF shell from the late 70’s early 80’s. I remember those slotted chrome screws with the large heads on BASF Type I’s from that era. I wonder if they have the “SM Security Mechanism” lever guide arms inside. I believe they were a BASF exclusive back then.

[@CassetteComeback]

I opened it up, it doesn't have the SM guides.

[@kiirunavaara]

The shell was most likely made in France by Rhône-Poulenc/Pyral themselves. I have several French Pyral cassettes with the same inside construction, a few even with this distinct window design. Those Pyral cassettes which are marked Made in England were using various shells: So far I have seen ICM, Hellerman, Saehan and French Pyral shells on these, and there might be more. But one thing is for sure: No BASF involved here. The slot screws were just a common detail used by many European cassette shell manufacturers.

[@ychesnokov]

@@kiirunavaara SM was used by AGFA as well, that was always mentioned on labels/j-cards stating "under licence...". At the same time AGFA OEMed a lot of cassettes for private labels using the same shells and tape, but never with SM elements (based on my experience. yes, I also opened several Travelersound/Universum etc just to satisfy my curiosity).

[@kiirunavaara]

​@@ychesnokov Correct, Agfa built the SM guides into their cassettes under license for some years. But the Travellers Sound and Universum cassettes you have examined are no Agfa OEM's. While some of them do contain Agfa tape, the cassette shells and assembly for these in-house brands were mostly made by the German companies Permaton and Magna, and by the Swiss company ICM. Some of the shells may look very similar to Agfa, but their inside construction is different.

[@ychesnokov]

@@kiirunavaara good point. I might have been misled by Agfa tape mentioned on the packaging. Do you know whether Permaton used Agfa tape in their Ferrochrom cassettes? I have once bought a lot of ca 30 of those and they have so familiar issues with their spring loaded pads and oxidized tape just as almost all agfa's of that time have

[@harrystevens3885]

I saw them (Pyral) in Boots around Autumn 78 I bought the straight Pyral ferric and it was utter garbage but not as garbage as the EMI tape I bought with it....Thank god for the Japanese and German tapes I say.

[@CassetteComeback]

Yeah, I have some EMI *shudder"

[@CedricKarlFonk]

EMI tapes were Shit!

[@harrystevens3885]

@@CedricKarlFonk Odd thing was the EMI reel to reel tapes where some of best in the world.

[@CedricKarlFonk]

@@harrystevens3885 although I cannot vouch for that, I had heard the same about reel to reel, but when I experienced the bad state of the cassette, I was very sceptical about them. By then I had already learned about the records they made and their 7" singles were of a very bad quality with implemented surface noise (hiss), by the 90s their manufacturing was a total disaster. Probably they bought the tapes from a cheap factory and put their labels on. I still have the J card but it's blank and housing another high quality tape.

[@harrystevens3885]

@@CedricKarlFonk Total agreement with you.

[@oskarantola2616]

I found an old cassette which says: AGFA Fe l-S Superferro- dynamic hdx, Bias-Fe, and it is 60-minute. It's tape looks black. Does anyone know any information about this cassette?

[@CassetteComeback]

Yes. Agfa made very good Ferric. Use it and enjoy it!

[@kiirunavaara]

That's a tape using black Fe3O4 particles instead of the more common, brown Fe2O3. Even called Magnetite. Although there are some reported problems with this Agfa formula reacting over-sensitive for mechanical stress, it is a very good performer, in my opinion one of the best 80's superferrics. Just don't beat it to dead in a car stereo, then you will like it. Bias and level is way off the IEC I standard, so for really good results you need a deck with bias and level calibration facilities.

[@CedricKarlFonk]

Hi Tony. Thank you for the video. I think the cassette was made in the 80s. One feature in particular is the large window. Those came into fashion around 81. Remember the pale grey TDK from 81? And I think the cassette shell is German. The screws give it away, only AGFA, BASF, MELODIE 2000, used slotted screws Every other manufacturer used Philips head screws. Don't you think? BTW, what do you mean by well calendered (or however written)?

[@CassetteComeback]

Well calendered means that the tape is buffed to be nice and shiny, so performs better.

[@kiirunavaara]

Slotted screws were used for many European cassette shells: Besides Agfa and BASF, you can even find them in Philips, Magna, Permaton, Schneider, Polimer, Iplas, Stilon... So they can be seen as an indicator for European production, not only German

[@carsos00]

Hi Tony, back in the late 70s and early 80s I used a lot of type 3 (mostly Sony) and generally gave great results, I saw them as good all rounders, back then not all players (portable, car etc) had the option to play type 2, so using the type 3 got round these type 1 only players..... I've been posting my old chart tapes on Mixcloud and here's one of the type 3's used to record the top40 chart from the 12th Dec 1982.. (tho this chart is a rebuild but 80 minutes is my recording from then) www.mixcloud.com/stewart-carson/1982-bbc-radio1-top40-12th-dec-1982-tommy-vance-type3-c-90/ Note that Mixcloud sound quality is not as good as the actual tape recording... highly compressed!!.

[@mariogambrelli]

Hi Tony, has anyone found out who actually made these Pyral tapes? I think I may have a decisive clue...

[@mariogambrelli]

Found those articles : www.ouest-france.fr/normandie/avranches-50300/pyral-repris-par-mulann-les-31-emplois-sauves-3118061 and also: www.ouest-france.fr/normandie/avranches-50300/pyral-repris-par-mulann-les-31-emplois-sauves-3118061 In a nutshell, Pyral is now called RTM Fox!!! www.recordingthemasters.com ...and I am looking forward to watching your review of the new RTM Fox C90! :)

[@Schlipperschlopper]

Pyral was one of the leading suppliers of the french movie and broadcast industry (reel to reel, video/MAZ and cassette tapes!) Later part of BASF Emtec. Very HQ OEM Studio stuff but no consumer oriented design regarding the tape housings. They say "Studio quality" and they are right it is: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyral

[@slobodanjozejoksimovic973]

Treba mi 10 komada 90 min. Za dobar zvuk. Skoljko mani. Rok isporuke. Hvala. Joška Srbija.

[@CaptainDangeax]

In my country, Pyral is a brand for pest disinfection. EDIT : Oh wait, Rhone Poulenc also makes pesticides...

[@ahah1785]

type 3 tapes has black colored tape on the front and brown on the other side, if you flip the tape... this one was just brown...

[@wisteela]

Very interesting find. Have you got any for sale?

[@CassetteComeback]

No. That's the thing, I'm a lover first and a flipper second. That's why I've done videos on cassettes I don't even sell 😁 Some would say that makes me a bad businessman...

[@wisteela]

@@CassetteComeback I can relate to this. :)

[@olaniyi570]

Someone on tapeheads.net said it was from 1979.

[@CassetteComeback]

I can well believe that

[@vizion68]

@@CassetteComeback Just a few years before Madonna pop

[@carmelo007]

Hi Tony. What source do you use when you record on the cassette? Vinyl or cd?

[@CassetteComeback]

Android tablet with external USB DAC

[@miguelque9102]

I once spotted a Sony FeCr cassette back in Barcelona. Fearing that it would damage my players as they lacked the conrresponding bias setting, I passed. Come to think of it, it was a mistake to let it go.

[@johnwhelan1071]

Does anyone know what the song called

[@spotsill]

My life is indeed that empty even before corona and now even more so 😂😂.

[@johnwhelan1071]

does any one know what the music called in this video Tony plays

[@CassetteComeback]

It's a track I'm working on, that won't be finished until I can find someone to sing the lyrics 😀

[@jn3750]

Better than TDK MA?

[@TheJohnsoline]

I need to get ahold of some type 0 crappy tapes, I have some things to test

[@johnwhelan1071]

Do any one know what the music was ive been looking for it everywhere

[@Shrebina-kq4cs]

fantastic tape

[@oskarantola2616]

Do you know, is it ferro-chrome or just ferro?

[@CassetteComeback]

I don't know. I think it's just ferro, looking at it, but then it's recommended to run it as a type 3. The tape would have been darker if there was chrome pigments in there...

[@kiirunavaara]

It's probably just Fe2O3, no chrome or cobalt involved. The lack of any type I designation is due to its age: The IEC 94 standard describing the types I-IV was published in 1981. Some manufacturers (mostly BASF, Maxell and 3M) marketed tapes with I/II/III/IV designation in their names from the mid-late 70's, but it wasn't before 1981 it became commonplace for most brands. Now the recommendation to use FeCr position for recording is because this tape needs a tad higher bias than a standard ferric, as well as FeCr tapes do. But still, they recommend to use 120 µs playback equalisation, which is the same value ferric tapes use. FeCr tapes, as well as chrome and metal, are to be played at 70 µs, at least if you follow the standards. Then of course, as long as you know what you're doing, you might get better results out of a tape using non-standard equalizations, even depending on what kind of music you are recording. The colour of the Pyral tape and its overall performance remind me of a praticular family of 1970's superferric cassettes: Agfa Super Ferro Dynamic, Ampex 20/20+, BASF LH super, Memorex MRX2. They were all using the same pigments, sourced from the Pfizer company. The resulting formulations were all a bit different, but they shared the same kind of iron oxide particles, which were smaller and more uniform than the usual particles used for the common LN/LH tapes. Try the Agfa, you might be impressed about that one, too. Avoid the BASF, because these red LH super can develop scrape flutter due to binder breakdown. And forget about the Ampex, these suffer from binder breakdown or sticky shed. The Memorex tapes are mostly still okay, but you'll need to replace the pressure pad.

[@johnstark5324]

Found one on eBay, it's in Wicklow , Ireland and I am not going to pay $37 US for it! This tape did surprise me though!

[@Djd_Records_Zone]

song used?

[@CassetteComeback]

One I'm working on myself, it's not finished yet. Search for Villarosso on good streaming platforms for my other finished tunes.

[@johnd1616]

Tony,what’s the name of that tune??Its brilliant🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶

[@CassetteComeback]

It's one that I'm currently working on. If I ever get a singer, I'll get it completed and release it :-D

[@julesc013]

@@CassetteComeback Excellent track!! Any chance of releasing it as is?

[@ambientoccluser]

Well, if it has somewhat high enhanced in bias neutral, then it might be fecr.

[@JamesE707]

I recall when these came out (late 1970s?), the mags suggested that these were French in origin.

[@CassetteComeback]

Pyral who were behind them were French, so this makes sense.

[@se7vennld]

Tape from 1978,

[@josephfrye7342]

type 3 was never added again due to failure of this well type 0 are a different story which I want to carefully use I would not abuse the deck with it unless for a reason but I know how to make it crappy by doing on shitty repro boomboxes or somthing but not quite really.

[@bryanotero123]

Tony i sent a message to your website when you can, and thanks

[@CassetteComeback]

Got it and we're all good

[@davidperez-mt1iy]

PYRAL es un cassette comun y corriente tal vez mas corriente que comun, pero no es para burlas de tu parte, es un cassette economico para aquellas personas que no pueden comprar un cassette de marca caro y que sirve para lo mismo... grabar un sonido sea cual sea el sonido, asi que no te burles del material de este producto pues de antemano se nota que es de pobre calidad pero sirve para lo mismo. saludos desde Acapulco, Gro. México

[@moviebod]

I tried Pyral in the day (mid 70's I think) and I wasn't particularly impressed.

[@bertiidol76]

3M scotch is perfect!!!!! Make one review.

[@sellmeyoursoul6601]

idk why most modern music has inbuilt wow and flutter in it it is so stupid this effect

[@CassetteComeback]

Agreed. Over exaggerated.

[@zarkoujdur9424]

no big deal with this cassette... its cheap plastic says it is plain normal cassette, neither chrome nor metal type...

[@bertiidol76]

Normal type!!!

[@BarnacleButtock]

Why don't you have any playlists?

[@CassetteComeback]

I say what the tracks are called, it's not hard for you to then find them...

[@BarnacleButtock]

@@CassetteComeback I meant for your videos, silly

[@stevealexR1]

Re. the instruction to use FeCr bias, I think Pyral were thinking that it’s bias requirement was quite high for a ferric / Type 1 tape. Bias for FeCr tapes was generally only set (in fixed bias machines) at around 110% of that used for ferric tapes (in any given machine) but they used 70 microsecond equalisation. FeCr tapes were notoriously difficult to set bias correctly and get decent sound. They tended to sound very “veiled” and produce uneven frequency response graphs. I think Pyral are merely saying that if you use Type 1 bias for their Superferrite cassette you’ll get a bright sound. So, they suggest (in the absence of variable bias control which was, of course, the case on most decks) to use FeCr bias as a compromise. I bought a Pyral Superferrite in, I think, 1979 having read a good review in one of Angus McKenzie’s HiFi Choice review books of cassette decks and tapes. From memory the Superferrite was disappointing when used in my then Aiwa deck. In 1979 I tended to use Sony HF (for non demanding use) or TDK AD if I wanted a bright sound, TDK SA or SA-X in the Type 2 setting and then, when metal tapes came out, Sony Metallic or TDK MA. However, the first metal tape I bought out of curiosity was a limited availability (just launched) C46 Scotch Metafine which, as an early example, suffered poor stability and dropout performance.