Which is better? 2020 TDK AE vs 2020 Maxell UR

Here we go with a look at two recently released Japan exclusive tapes (at the time of this video being produced).
Which will be the better of the two? TDK'S AE or Maxell's UR?
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[@pokepress]

I give out cassettes as promotional items when I go to events. Haven't had to make many this year, so it's fun to see someone play around with a deck.

[@CassetteComeback]

Nice Vid fellah. Got to be honest, when I saw these, I thought they were NOS from last decade, I didn't realise that TDK were still selling cassettes brand new, as they got taken over by Imation and then goodness knows what happened. Maybe some Chinese company bought the right to use the name, but the hubs and shell of the AE are of a style that TDK has been using since about 1990. The whole cassette reminds me of the later budget TDK cassettes, like the T1, J, B, FE, especially with that tape colour. I think your decks internal biasing is a bit out. Those shouldn't need that much negative bias from my experience. My Aiwa AD-S950 is not as good as your deck, but is similar era "Sony Group" and is calibrated to the TDK SA. It needs only a smidge of negative bias and level to calibrate those UR correctly. The UR is a really good cassette, maybe Maxell will answer a question from you as to whether the tape is a brand new production, or if Panggung are just using up the remnants of NOS stuff they have. I'm sure the AE would compare favourably with the TDK FE which is one of the most common NOS cassettes in Europe.

[@retrocoreav7025]

Yeah, I was very disappointed with the TDK AE. I was expecting so much more. I wonder where that tape stock came from? I wonder if there is something wrong with my deck? It shouldn't have a problem since it was fully serviced before being bought. It is still under warranty so I'll have a talk with the store it came from. Before I do that I should try a TDK SA on it. Luckily I have one of those in NOS condition.

[@retrocoreav7025]

I'll shoot Maxell a mail in Japanese asking if they can give some information about the tape stock they are using.

[@CassetteComeback]

@@retrocoreav7025 Great. Ask TDK about the AE too 😀 You should join our cassette Facebook group facebook.com/groups/blankcassettetapes/ Your deck might have been calibrated to UX / HF. If you put one of those in and have to bugger about, you know something is wrong there.

[@retrocoreav7025]

Oops, didn't see this comment due to it having a link in it. Yeah, I might join the group but I have next to no time to participate in social media but it would be nice to pop in every now and then. I'm going to grab a few used UX today from the office to try out. Being used shouldn't make too much difference when calibrating.

[@Konstantin_Terletskiy]

Hello! Nice to see these brand new production tapes! Regardless of these are just entry level ferrics, both sounded pretty good! Thats awesome that old cassette manufacturers such as Maxell and TDK are returning to cassette production, and hope soon we are going to see these tapes outside Japan, maybe some HiFi and media stores in Russia will be interested in that tapes. We here in Russia are kind of between West and Oriental East, (Between Tony of Cassette Comeback and you) so now I can buy here new old-stock sealed tapes for both European and Japanese markets. But these are new-new stock, hopefully some our HiFi and media stores will be interested in reselling these particular tapes in Russia, if price would be reasonable, I wouldl definitely give it a try! UR really sounded better then the AE here for the high end, I also have noticed this.

[@stevenuttley]

I think that Russia seems ahead of the game here in appreciating the warm analogue roll off that tape provides. I heard that tapes are even being made there? Hopefully we will catch up here in the West with the hobby because the more demand globally the more manufacturers will re-enter the game at fair prices and the better for us all.

[@radiojulez7225]

Arrived here via Cassette Comeback channel...peace

[@retrocoreav7025]

Cool, thanks for joining. I hope to fill the area of Japanese tapes that are tough to get in the west. Also, will be covering other stuff related to audio and video at times.

[@radiojulez7225]

@@retrocoreav7025 You're welcome. .I'll look forward to your future video's 📼

[@janchristianursuaaguilar7434]

exclusive only there no fair!!! i really wish tdk made the international version of their AE .

[@retrocoreav7025]

They may do. Maxell Europe have said they have no intention of releasing the new UR though.

[@janchristianursuaaguilar7434]

@@retrocoreav7025 i did buy some old late 90's maxell ur at surplus stores in the philippines sometimes AXIA or sony . and speaking of AXIA, are all of AXIA Type 2 tape are pure chrome

[@retrocoreav7025]

That's why my AXIA type two have the crayon smell. I do like AXIA

[@janchristianursuaaguilar7434]

@@retrocoreav7025 same as mine, i really wish fujifilm remade those tapes one day just like tdk or maxell although the slim case is nice in all but i hate accidentally poke my finger on the tapes. next video the axia hello kitty because that was seen online, the first one based on the 1991 au series and second one is based on the K series thanks

[@AVadim]

@@janchristianursuaaguilar7434 I have AXIA Hello Kitty 54 one tape.

[@santi0797]

You should check the owners manual of the deck. There is a specific sequence to do the bias/eq/level calibrations, it is not supposed to be just a deal of turning the knobs until it reaches 0db. Also, if you can't get them calibrated, even when following the sequence, you should get the deck checked by a technician, because it may be out of aligment.

[@retrocoreav7025]

The instruction manual says to adjust BIAS to get equal levels on both meters, followed by adjusting REC LEVEL CALIBRATION to get the small arrows on both sides of the center square to disappear, then lastly to adjust REC EQ CALIBRATION to line up both meter bars with the center mark. This is exactly what I did. Upon checking the net this over the top negative bias seems to be common on this model. I know the deck was calibrated to TDK SA tape but also heard they work best with Sony tape. I need to grab some Sony cassettes to check this theory.

[@wildbilltexas]

Thanks for the review! I also thought the UR sounded better than the AE, but it might have been that busier song you used. Try recording the first song on it and compare. Still I wish TDK would sell the AE in the USA. And it sadly looks like Maxell is finally getting out of the recordable media business in the USA and new UR's have been getting harder to find at drugstores.

[@retrocoreav7025]

I did a few more tests on the AE but yeah, sadly they aren't as good as the UR. It's a shame Maxell are leaving the US. They're also not releasing the new UR in the UK or Europe either.

[@wildbilltexas]

​@@retrocoreav7025 BTW You might want to send a couple of those AE's to Tony of Cassette Comeback to test on his decks.

[@retrocoreav7025]

If he wants some he can have them. I won't be using them myself.

[@TheJaHa5]

A bit disappointed in the TDK myself, because, as far as I know, these are entry-level cassettes, and should be on par with the D, but then again, the modulation may be completely different, and it may not be the original TDK, just a name carrier. The Maxell tho, looks like it's still made by Panggung, (the shell, hubs, leader, etc.), but that tape color... DAAAAAAMN!!! Great video, and thanks for uploading!

[@retrocoreav7025]

The TDK is a strange one. Last night I put together a follow up video to this TDK AE which takes a look at the original AE VS the new AE. I'll publish that next week.

[@yanks1fan09]

Interesting your calibration levels were off but the levels look good on the recording. Nice review.

[@RetroCore]

Yeah, maybe a trait of the Sony deck? Or maybe the deck needs calibrating. Need to look in to that.

[@wildbilltexas]

@@RetroCore Most Sony decks are calibrated for Sony tape while other Japanese brand are calibrated for TDK tape. That might have had something to do with why you wern't able to calibrate the UD and AE correctly.

[@retrocoreav7025]

Good point. That would make sense. I'll grab some Sony tapes to check that out.

[@JacobFrey]

You should send the TDK to Tony for a test or re-do this considering how you've figured out how to bias tapes on this deck. Thanks for uploading and sharing.

[@retrocoreav7025]

Ah, there's a new video next week featuring the AE old and new. It's quite surprising.

[@antonelrotaru20]

Any chance to see those tapes as an european/international version? Good vid though!

[@retrocoreav7025]

Maxell, apparently not but I'm not sure about the TDK.

[@dusterdriven]

I listened with my eyes closed... I could tell when the tdk vs source happened, it was harder to determine between the source and Maxwell... To me I think the Maxell preformed better.

[@retrocoreav7025]

For sure. The Maxell did a very good job. There are differences between that and the source but they are minimal compared to the AE.

[@TechieZeddie]

Nice comparison! I didn't realize TDK is selling cassettes again. The hubs are proper TDK hubs, and the Maxell hubs are proper Maxell hubs. The TDK she'll looks like the last generation TDK D shells, probably also used in other lines such as AE and FE (we don't get AE or FE here in the US). If your Sony deck can't calibrate to these tapes, you might need calibrate it internally to give you some more headroom for other tapes. That's what I had to do with my JVC TD-V661 (I made a video on how I did it). You will need a service manual so you know which potentiometer to adjust. Your Sony has a nice record EQ function that gives you more bias range, so maybe look into adjusting that internally to move that range up or down to suit your variety of tapes.

[@retrocoreav7025]

I think the issue I had may have been due to mangnetized heads. I used a demagnetizer before using the Axia tapes in another video which resulted in them needing next to no bias adjustment. I'm going to go back to these AE tapes now to see if there is a change. If not I many need to do what you suggested.

[@TechieZeddie]

@@retrocoreav7025 Cool! Hopefully that's all there's to it!

[@PanaSonyc]

I'm interested in a simple type 1 60/90 min cassette, and I want to support companies who still produce them. Sadly small companies like RTM, ATR, EQ Professional etc. are just too expensive for me, this Maxell and TDK are just cheaper now at the moment, and also are comanies I trust. Do TDK and Maxell still produce cassette tapes, or do they just assemble the remaining tapes and cases and sell it for Japan? If anybody has any information, please answer it would be very nice!

[@peacearchwa5103]

Did you later attempt recording on the TDK AE with about -3dB lower recording level? Although the tape's MOL at midrange (1khz) might be good, the HF MOL might be lower than the Maxell.

[@KISSbestfan]

Maybe its AV channel, and maybe those tapes are meant to be recorded with music. My first though: "I wonder if I could use this to record some Speccy games"

[@retrocoreav7025]

That's all those TDK AE tapes are fit for 😅

[@cubdukat]

Interesting. I've never seen a Type I that acted that way. The only tape I've dealt with that needed full negative bias was a couple of used BASF Chrome Extra IIs from the 90's. I'm saving those for a deck that has an adjustable rec sensitivity control; they're still at least 5dB below source even with full negative bias. I couldn't even get the low test tone to come up to -20dB; I could barely reach that with the high test tone and full negative bias. I still have to get my deck gone over to make sure it's calibrated right, but even after that, I don't suspect things are going to improve with it. BASF and other pure chromes just aren't for this deck.

[@retrocoreav7025]

Yeah, that was a very odd tape but I wonder if it was because my tape head needed demagnatizing?

[@jvzn]

The UR was pretty good. On my speakers I thought it might actually sound better than the source somehow, as the source was sounding a bit overcompressed and clipped. However, on headphones the source sounded slightly better than the UR with more highs, but the UR still did well. The TDK AE was OK but lost slightly more of the highs. Both nice songs, by the way.

[@retrocoreav7025]

Yeah, the UR preformed pretty well. I ws actually surprised at how well. They preformed so well that I've actually started using them to make 80s mix tapes. Not sure what I'll do with the AE cassettes though. I don't rate them much at all.

[@Musicradio77Network]

@@retrocoreav7025 I have a ton of UR’s from previous generations including the 1985 UR which was a great start. UR was originally the UD and LN from the 1970’s and 1980’s.

[@sportodevy833]

2005 AE model, not new. New old stock. These AEs have been available in Japan for several years. I regulary saw them on Amazon co jp. Stop dreaming guys, these TDKs are not in production anymore.

[@retrocoreav7025]

The 2005 AE were packed differently. Maybe the same tape stock but the packing is new.

[@Musicradio77Network]

TDK AE is the one that I’ve never seen before. The D is way better than the AE, but sounds the same as the D, AD, OD and B.

[@CBitsTech]

Minidisc!!! 😁

[@Lucrativecris]

Is the AE new?

[@retrocoreav7025]

Yes, these are late 2019 released tapes.

[@josephfrye7342]

hmmm I was surprised Maxell kept the screws while TDK go for sonic welded screws. that's interesting.

[@retrocoreav7025]

The screwed cases tend to be the better ones.

[@RadOo]

Wasn't TDK doing this on all tapes?

[@retrocoreav7025]

Dont know. I haven't bought new TDK since 2000 and they were using screws then.

[@wildbilltexas]

TDK stopped using screw shells for the D in the mid 90's. I dont like sonic welded shells because if the tape broke or jammed up inside its a pain to open the shell without breaking it.

[@josephfrye7342]

@@retrocoreav7025 yep

[@tarstarkusz]

The TDK is muffling the sound. There is a very distinct difference between the source and the tape with the TDK. I thought the Maxell sounded great.

[@retrocoreav7025]

You're not wrong there. It was pretty bad for what is meant to be better than a TDK D cassette. The Maxell as you said sounded pretty good

[@soundretarded]

I love lo fi sounding!

[@retrocoreav7025]

You'd love these tape then :)

[@tarstarkusz]

I live in America and I only knew 1 person who used MD. Mini Disc was a total flop in the US. My friend showed me his minidisc player one day and that was literally the one and only time I have even seen a minidisc. My friend circle would pass around compact discs and we would all make cassette copies of them and later mp3 copies. I had an extensive collection too. Some asshole broke in my car and stole them.

[@SFtheGreat]

Too bad those are slim cases without the space for the back flap of the j-card...

[@retrocoreav7025]

Yeah, that is a shame but kind of common for the time.

[@SFtheGreat]

@@retrocoreav7025 At least Maxell has thicher shells with full J-cards, I print custom ones either way, but the slimcase is dreaded..

[@retrocoreav7025]

That's what I'm doing right now 👍 I'm going for a 80s decade set.

[@AVadim]

What is better? TDK AR-X. :)))) It is strange that this deck of such a high class could not be properly calibrated for these simple cassettes. I have several used TDK AE 120 cassettes and tried to record on a 1988 MAXELL UR made in Mexico. AE has not tried yet, but they will clearly be worse than AD, and about UR cassettes I can not say that they pleased me. Regular cassettes.

[@retrocoreav7025]

I think there may have been a problem with the deck that day. I recently de-magnatized the heads. They review I did last week allowed the cassettes to be biased very easily. I will retry to bais the Maxell and TDK AE. By the way, the AR-X is a fantastic tape.

[@AVadim]

@@retrocoreav7025 Yes.