Sony have manufactured their fair share of classic blank cassettes. My favourite Sony cassettes are from 1985 to 1988, with superb style and sound to match. In the early 90s the quality began to slip, with screwless shells and cheaper plastics. Let's check some out!
Metal XR 90 (Type IV)
Digital Excellence!
Funny when you see Digital Excellence written on an analog cassette
but that was the jargon of the early 90s. Excellence maybe, but this is the start
of the sony economics conscious screwless tapes!
UX-ES 90 (Type II)
High Quality tape for Hi-Fi
I always liked these as they looked very mean and I liked the Br. 2000Gauss
printed on the shell. This is from circa 1988.
UX-Pro 90 (Type II)
The Professional
This is a step up with a Ceramic Guide built into the shell.
Sony laid it on thick with this design in 1988.
UX-Pro 90 (Type II)
The Professional
The Ceramic Guide is continued with this early 90s version.
A great, clear sounding tape with good dynamics.
UX 90 (Type II)
The tape with the two-tone hubs!
This is from 1990 and the two tone hubs are pretty catchy but
I prefer the previous hubs with the holes to be honest!
UX-S 90 (Type II)
The mid 80s chrome dream machine!
A great mid range chrome that offered crystal clear sound.
UX-S 90 (Type II)
The tape with the two-tone hubs #2
This is the 1990 version of the famous UX-S. Those hubs,
they remind me of the computer rooms in those 70s TV detective
shows where you see the banks of tapes running!
UX-S 90 (Type II)
A very technical design
This is the 1992 version and I think a lot of thought was put into the design
as the tape has a very unique look to it. This has just one screw!
UX 90 (Type II)
Sony starts the For CD campaign!
This is an 1992 UX and it is screwless and kind of boring.
The quality seems to be lacking here.
HF-S 60 (Type I)
Good quality Sony Normal tape
This was a good Type I that offered nice treble and clear bass.
This is from 1986/87.
FX 90 (Type I)
The bog standard from the mid 90s.
If you want a cheap tape for dictation and taping from the radio
then look no further.
ES-II 90 (Type I)
A very pretty design from the early 90s.
This tape offered good clear recordings even though it was screwless!
UX-S 60 (Type II)
The tape with the two-tone hubs #3
This is the 1988 version of the high quality chrome machine!
CD ix II 64 (Type II) Side A
Cool artwork for the hip music fans!
Sony made some unusual tapes in the mid 90s with some tasty artwork.
The two sides are different and the length is just over the hour!
I pretty sure I bought this in Narita Airport, Japan.
CD ix II 64 (Type II) Side B
Cool artwork for the hip music fans!
This is Side B of the CD ix II. Nice?
UX 90 (Type II)
Microfine Uniaxial it says on the tin!
This is from 1986/87 and is a great tape suitable for all kinds of music.
UX-Pro 60 (Type II)
The Professional #2
This early 90s version in the 60 minute version.
HF 90 (Type I)
All rounder budget tape from 1987
A classic for everyday use such as dictation, telephone,
walkman and boomblaster.
EF 90 (Type I)
All rounder budget tape from mid 90s.
A cheap tape for everyday use. These usually came in multipacks.
UX 90 (Type II)
Uniaxial it says on the tin!
This is from 1988 and offered high quality chrome clarity.
Metal-XR (Type IV)
Sound Excellence!
This early 90s metal tape tries hard to disguise it's cheap look!
C 60 (Type I)
A vintage classic!
This one winds all the way back to 1976! See the dark slip sheet inside
the shell. Proof of age!
FX 90 (Type I)
Sony bottom-liner from mid 90s!
These were plentiful and nearly every tape player has ran one through
it's rollers! A normal that's as normal as it gets!
HD-F 90 (Type I)
Sony High Dynamic Ferric.
I don't know much about this but judging by the J-card
it seems to be from mid to late 80s.
FN 90 (Type I)
Sony bottom-liner from late 80s.
As far as I can gather, these were made in Thailand
and sold in packs of five.
FX II 90 (Type II)
The bog standard Type II from the mid 90s.
This was a screwless cheap and make-do Type II!
CHF 60 (Type I)
Standard Type I from late 70s.
An old timer with attractive design!
UX 60 (Type II)
A classy looking tape.
This is the mid 80s version of a Type II classic!
CDit II 90 (Type II)
A cheap, screwless Type II for general purpose use.
This early 90s cassette is where things got boring. Sony used this
shell moulding for lots of tapes for instance the Metal XR had it and if you
look at it you will see the original design came from the superb
late 80s UX-ES range.
UX-S 90 (Type II)
Chrome Super Class
This is from the late 1990s and again no screws as Sony
keep track of their tape production budget!
Esprite-II 50 (Type II)
A very stylish cassette indeed!
This is a companion piece to the ES-II, even though there are
no screws the construction is solid. It boasts of Anti-Vibration but
this is more likely a marketing ploy!
HF-S 60 (Type I)
A fancy Normal from 1988
In the late 80s Type I tapes got more advanced and this baby
offers Crystal Gamma in it's make up for clear sound.
HF 90 (Type I)
The Type I standard.
This one is from around 1988.
UCX 90 (Type II)
A great mid 80s tape.
These are not too common now and they were discontinued after this
version and possibly replaced by the UX line.
UCX-S 90 (Type II)
The great mid 80s tape.
These are not too common now either as they were discontinued after this
version. If you had this tape in '85 you were very hip indeed!
FX II 90 (Type II)
The bog standard Type II from the mid 90s.
FX means cheap Fidelity and Excellence!
HF 60 (Type I)
The 1986-87 budget workhorse.
The orange rollers look pretty cool. The paper label is
in the same place as the TDK D of that time!
UX-S 46 (Type II)
Japanese Market Ultra Cool!
This 1988 UX-S has the oversized hubs which I absolutely love!
HF-S 90 (Type I)
Another fancy Normal from mid 80s
This baby offers clear sound with nice highs and the classy
Sony shell used in it's chrome class tapes.
HF-ES 90 (Type I)
A top of the range Type I from 1985
This tape was offered to those that didn't want to stray from the Type I
camp, the high end is superb and the bottom is big. The pinnacle
of Ultrafine Crystal Gamma and Type I tape!
HF-S 90 (Type I)
A high class Normal from 1988
I like these simple because they are high quality Type 1s
in the great shells that were used for Type IIs.
UX-S 60 (Type II)
The UX-s in early 90s style
This is the 1992 version in of the superb UX-S 60 minute length.
This was the beginning of the quality slide at Sony, lack of screws meant
cheaper production!
UX-S 90 (Type II)
The late 90s version
This is the 1998 version in of the Super 'Chrome' king!
UX-S 100 (Type II)
The Extra Mileage Master!
This is the 1990 version with a little bit extra.
UX 90 (Type II)
Chrome Class! Really?
This UX is from the mid 90s and sounds pretty good.
UX-ES 90 (Type II)
High end and hard to beat!
To be honest if it said 'this tape is only ok' on it's shell it would not matter
because when you hear it, it knocks you out. A superb tape from 1987
and surely one of the finest tapes ever.
HF 90 (Type I)
All rounder budget tape
The HF was one of the better, if not the best Type I tapes of it's day, with great
sound quality and construction. This was hip in 1985.
EF 90 (Type I)
Excellent fidelity all purpose tape from mid 90s
This is a tape for dictation or radio recording. Cheap and cheerful.
Walkman 90 (Type I)
A cool and very snazzy cassette!
This is another novelty from Sony, a tape designed with Walkman users in mind!
Quite rare now and hard to find.
HF-S 46 (Type I)
Another fancy 46 with Big Hubs
Super stylish, super sound, super sized hubs! An absolute beauty!
UX 46 (Type II)
A member of the big hub club!
This is a Japanese market UX with gorgeous big hubs!
HF-X 46 (Type I)
A super ferric member of the big hub club!
Another Japanese market super tape with oversized hubs!
UX 54 (Type II)
Brilliant Music Energy!
This is a Japanese market UX with tasty description!
HF-ES 46 (Type I)
A super ferric member of the big hub club!
Another Japanese market tape with lovely big hubs!
Metal-S 46 (Type IV)
A top notch member of the big hub club!
Japan market 'Dynametal' with superior sound and sexy stylish good looks!
HF-X 490 (Type I)
A super ferric from 1988!
Another Japanese market tape which boasts Excellent Fidelity.
UX-S 46 (Type II)
Another member of the big hub club!
This is a Japanese market high quality tape from 1988!
HF-S 90 (Type I)
Superferric from 1985!
Sony dramatically revised their tape line up in 1985 and they
did a great job too.
HF90 (Type I)
Good standard all-rounder from Japan.
This HF has very tasty ubs!
HF-S 60 (Type I)
The Super Ferric lives on into the 90s
One of the best Type I cassettes ever the HF-S 1992 style!
HF-PRO 46 (Type I)
The grandmaster Superferric from Sony with jumbo hubs!
If you had this in 1985 you would be Mr. F@&king Cool! Full Stop!
HF 46 (Type I)
The standard in neat 46 minute!
This is from the Japanese market 1985.
CDixII 70 (Type II)
A stylish Type II!
Japan market but it's hard to see the remaining length in a deck
when recording!
EF-X 46 (Type I)
Mid 90s Superferric in nice length!
This is from the 'screwless' days of Sony tape production.
CDit II 74 (Type II)
When it's for CD then beware!
It's too late now but 'for CD' was the writing on the wall!
What's Up?...46 (Type I)
A rare Japan market cassette with cool style.
This is a sought after beast from 1985, that came in multiple colours.
HF-ES 90 (Type I)
A super ferric and one of my personal favourites
This is the 1986-87 version of a great cassette.
Sony Stereo Music Cassette (Type I)
A Japanese album...I think!
This is a oddity from the early 70s that may be an album but
the strange irony is Sony bought CBS in 1986!
FX II 90 (Type II)
The bog standard under wraps from the mid 90s!
Budget 'Chrome' from Sony.
FX I 90 (Type I)
The bog standard under wraps!
Trusty old Type I. These look more dated now than
the mid 80s Sony line up.
UX-S 60 (Type II)
Great Chrome with clothes on!
1990 version under wraps.
UX 90 (Type II)
Mid 90s Chrome Class!
At this stage there was a cheap feel starting to creep in to the Sony
range and screws disappeared completely. This is made in E.C.
FX 90 (Type I)
The bog standard in a 5 pack!
This is from the late 90s and is made in Mexico.
GIG 2 46 (Type II)
A stylish ultra modern package!
This is for the Japanese market. The tape comes in a soft plastic slipcase.
You can see a sticker with 20 Anniversary Walkman on it and
this means this tape is from 1999.
CDit II 90 (Type II)
Another mid 90s CD sellout!
CD, CD, CD! That's all you ever see on junk cassettes in the mid to late 90s!
It killed the format in the end!
CDixI 54 (Type II)
A stylish affair!
This is for the Japanese market.
CDixII 70 (Type II)
A stylish Type II!
This is for the Japanese market.
CDixI 64 (Type II)
A stylish affair in oddball length!
This is for the Japanese market.
HF 10 (Type I)
Short and Sweet!
This is for the Japanese market.
HF 10 (Type I)
Short and Sweet II!
This is for the Japanese market.
CDit II 90 (Type II)
Position Chrome, good! For CD, bad!!
The end of the end for the poor old cassette!
HF-ES 46 (Type I)
Superferric 86/87 with jumbo hubs!
This is the pinnacle of Type I cool. Single Crystal Gamma
sounds futuristic but yet it's an analog beauty!
HD-F 90 (Type I)
The High Dynamic Ferric!
This is an early 90s Type I that's pretty sought after today
as it delivers it's promise!
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ReplyDeletegreat to see all these nice tapes
ReplyDeleteLove the list, so many memories of buying boxes of tapes from the local Sony dealer. Two tapes I used to buy that aren't in your list are Metal-ES and Metal Master (£80 and £175 a box) I'm kicking myself for not keeping them as all you can buy these days are Maxell UR and they're not even made by Maxell! The HF-Pro was the most difficult to get at the time, just an HF-ES with a fancy ceramic guide. HF-ES was great for heavy metal, UX-Pro for electronic music and Metal ES/Master for choral/classical music. I've had a quick look on eBay and :o single tapes going for £50!
ReplyDelete