Daiso

DAISO

Japanese brand.

60 (Type II)

Japanese market cool!

I like the design and the Japanese text, very very cool.

74 (Type I)

Japanese market Twinpack!

Two 74's please!

TDK MA-R

MA-R

THE OVER-ENGINEERED BEAST BY TDK

In the late 70s, somebody at TDK must have got it into their heads

that the cassette needed a facelift. Enter the MA-R Type IV, a complete

re-think and design of a format that was heading for it's

twentieth birthday.

More than the sum of it's parts!

When you hold one of these cassettes in your hand, you can't help

notice it's weight. It's heavier than nearly all other cassettes. The metal frame is the center point that the shells are screwed to with no less than six screws. The record tabs can be moved in and out of record position so there is no need for cellatape like other tapes with cracked tabs. The MA-R was made to impress and you can bet, it did more than that.

Side A covers the guide rollers.

Side B reveals them.

Unlike later MA-XG cassettes the frame was completely joined up.

The reversible record tabs.

The two different colours of the tape clips.

The pressure pad on the oval steel suspender.

SONIC TEST

Deck - Pioneer CT-S 810S, No Dolby, Super Auto BLE

'Tired of Sleeping' by Suzanne Vega was delivered with a warmth and depth that

can only be described as superb. The detail and placement of the instruments excellent.

The acoustic guitars on 'Men In A War' were tight and vibrant. The kick drum punchy and

energetic. It was impossible to tell source from tape. 'Flying In A Blue Dream' by Joe Satriani

sounded incredible. The tightness and clarity was stunning. The bass monstrous but

never intrusive. The lead guitar cut through like a bolt of lightning! The MA-R delivered 

every single bit of the sonic spectrum without noise and dropouts. It's hard to believe

a cassette could sound this good from 1979, but what do you expect from TDK,

one of the greatest tape manufacturers of them all. Incredible performance

from a tape that is nearly 35 years old!

DAT

DIGITAL AUDIO TAPE

In 1986 Sony launched this digital tape as a replacement for the compact cassette. Between licensing and copyright laws over digital copy and the falling U.S. dollar the format stayed out of the reach of the domestic audio fan and it had a very successful life in professional recording studios.

My personal collection of DAT tapes, just four!

Looks like a Mini DV tape!

I was in a band in the mid 90s and we did two full studio sessions in 1995.

Here you can see the inlay cards from the masters!

VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR...

AND NOW VIDEO CASSETTES ARE UNDER THREAT!

As we all know, video cassettes contain tape, and tape is cool, so a little bit of video cassette  will not harm anyone. Technology has come along way and now it seems that hard drives and cards will one day make video cassettes redundant. 

Betamax

Sony's consumer-level video format from 1975. The format is virtually obsolete, though

an updated variant of the format, Betacam, is still used by the television industry. This format lost the battle to the very successful VHS cassette even though the quality

was slightly higher.

VHS

JVC were behind this format and it was very successful from the late 70s up to pretty

recently. There was an S-VHS version in 1987. DVD came along to kill the picture quality and DVD recorders the final nail in the VHS coffin. One upon a time nearly every household had a VCR, now they have a SKY box!

VHS-C

The compact son of VHS launched in 1982. It was cool because a) it allowed camcorders to be smaller and lighter, b) it could be played back in a VHS sized adapter saving the heads on the camera. How clever is that? S-VHS version in 1987 also.

Video 8

A Sony job from the 80s that ran parallel to VHS-C with higher quality but could not be adapted due to different specs and 8mm tape. It used the camera for playback or dubbing to a VHS machine or a stand alone Sony 8 machine. But who would have two different video machine in their home? There was a Hi8 version and a Digital 8 in 1999.

Mini DV

Another Sony invention launched in 1995 but this was digital and the quality superb in later years. Still available and used by professionals in high end cameras, but domestic camcorders are being phased in favour of SD card units. There are DVPRO, DVCAM, DVPRO50, DVPRO Progressive and DVPRO HD variants of this format.

A TDK Mini DV

SONY UX TEST

SONY UX TEST

Since 1986 the UX has been the base line Type II until it disappeared in the early 00s.

Here is a short test that auditions the tape in question from 1986 to 1995 approx!

Deck - Pioneer CT-S810S 3 Head. No NR used.

Audition Disc - Days of Open Hand by Suzanne Vega (1990 DDD)

Track - "Tired of Sleeping"

1986 version - This is my favourite looking of the bunch and it offers punchy bass and good clarity, vocals were well imaged and centered but the precision of the hi hats and rim shots on this recording are not as tightly focused as I have heard on some of the others in the test. 

1988 version - Here you will notice an immediate difference from it's predecessor. The percussive nuances are more sharply focused and the sound all the more engaging. Bass is strong but tight and focused. This is a different tape all together.    

1990 version - Again this is hard to tell apart from it's 1988 brother. It sounds fantastic, clear and highly focused and all the instruments in the mix can be heard without a problem. The vocals are very engaging and the sound very powerful.

1992 version - Hmm there is a slip in quality here. While the tape sounds fine in the quieter part of the song, once the song gets louder and the drums play harder this tape seems to distort the soundstage. The treble of the rim shots and hi hats is a little blurred and fuzzy. This was noticeable unfortunately and there seems to be more hiss than the others on the this tape. This one is made in Italy. 

1995 version - The same could be said for this tape as for the previous, the precision of the treble is simple under par and unfocused. There is the same kind of hiss here too. The quality is simply not as good as the 1988 or 1990 version and another thing I don't like is the lack of screws on the cassette shell, there are none, it's glued together like a prerecorded cassette and we all know how bad those are! This my friends is the curtain call for the Sony UX, once up a time, great entry level Type II. But not now!

VERDICT

So, I think the 1988 and 1990 versions are the best and still very easy to find. The construction is second to none and the sound super duper. The 1986 version is a lovely tape too and well worth chasing down in it's purple and chrome wrapper. From 1992 I think they are under par so I would chase the versions before that. 

That's That!

Tape Test - That's Cassettes

Manufactured in Japan by Taiyo Yuden in the 80s, these cassettes certainly

looked different and sounded superb.

The Magnificent Seven

I like the way the recommended recording specs were

written on the shell.

Deck - Pioneer CT-S810S 3 Head. No NR used.

Audition Disc - Days of Open Hand by Suzanne Vega (1990 DDD)

Track - "Tired of Sleeping"

#1 RX Type I 

This is the bottom of the range and it boasts 'very high performance' on the shell.

The vocals were very clear and focused but the subtle details were a little lost and the percussion not as clean and clear as I like. Bass was good but again lacked tightness in the mix. This tape may be good enough for the casual listener but under par for the Hi-Fi buff!

#2 AS:I Type I 

Now this is more than a step up the ladder. The clarity was stunning, the focus excellent and I thought I was listening to a Type II. The bass is punchy and tight and the performance hairline close to the original. A superb tape indeed and a joy to listen to.

#3 FX Type I 

This tape delivered the vocals in an excellent manner, with closed eyes the singer is in the room. The drums and bass were tight and focused with the percussion and rim-shots crystal clear. It was hard to tell the tape from the source with the monitor. This is a serious ferric for those into Type I tapes. 

#4 VX Type II 

Now we're in the Type II camp and the first thing you notice about this superb tape is there is hardly any hiss at all. You have to hone your ears to find it. Bass is plumb and tight and you can here the singers lips between syllables. This is a stunning tape and the music just floats out in high precision. No wonder people rave on about these cassettes.

#5 EX Type II 

This is an oddity amoung Type IIs as it offered Metal sound in the Chrome Position!

The source was almost impossible to tell from the tape and even sounded more musical and jaunty. The precision of the drum kit was outstanding, the vocals thrilling and the bass plumb and bouncy but never slack. This is a serious tape and it must have both delighted listeners and frightened the competition it's heyday!

#6 MG-X Type IV 

Now its metal time! The first thing you notice with this tape is the depth and richness of the overall sound. There is no colouration of the sound whatsoever. The drums are big, the bass is deep, the percussive detail is exactly where it should be and how it should sound. The vocals are in your face and its a long way up the ladder we have come with this super sonic wonder of audio engineering! I used this tape as a 4 Track master in 1991 so it's time-locked and I can't record over it, and there was only a little space left at the end of the tape left to make the test on. I wish I had another one for the sheer brilliance it offers up.

#7 CD/IVF Type IV 

This is the Suono Format that is so sought after now. This is from the 90s and its a monster. The quality is unsurpassed by other metal tapes from the time. The sheer muscle and boom this offers is breathtaking. It makes the source sound even better as it takes the flatness out of the recording. It would be very hard to try and top this, maybe the TDK MA-XG or the Sony Metal Master may pose a threat. Who knows. Possibly one of the greatest cassettes ever made and every tapehead should own one!

Tape Test - The Legendary Sony UX-ES

SONY UX-ES AUDITION

This test, auditions one of the greatest Type II cassettes from 1987,

the top of the range UX-ES, there is also a UX-Pro but it uses the same tape

as far as I know. I have several 1988 versions of this cassette, (narrow window), but

this is my very first of this version that I bought online especially to audition.

THE DECK

Pioneer CT-S810S with Super Auto BLE'd UX-ES ready to roll!

No Dolby NR used. Amp Kenwood KA 3020 SE. Speakers Mission M73.

THE MUSIC

A fair variety of music for the test!

First up is Suzanne Vega's 'Tired of Sleeping' from 'Days Of Open Hand' 1990 DDD.

While recording I couldn't tell the difference from the source and as I concentrated on

the recording flipping the monitor on and off I actually preferred the tape. The CD was flat

and rigid while the tape was tight, deep open and the vocals were pristine and dead center.

This was a joy to listen to with closed eyes, every tiny nuance of the mix could be heard

amid the drums, bass, organ and guitars. Tape hiss was very low and the tape was bursting with energy, working with little effort to please my senses. In other words stunning.

Joe Satriani 'Flying in a Blue Dream' from 1999 Remastered CD of the same name.

This track fades in with guitar feedback and the noise of some distant talking, but when the heavily compressed clean guitars panned left and right came out of the speakers, I knew I wasn't dreaming. The drums burst in with the subsonic bass and steamed along like a juggernaut. This is what I call power and then when the solo guitar came in I could hear every squeak and squeal that came from the heavily overdriven guitar. I actually thought if I reached out my hand I could actually touch Joe's Ibanez axe! Dazzling performance

and again better than the CD!

Supertramp 'The Logical Song' from 'Breakfast in America 2002 remaster.

The opening Rhodes piano was solid but warm and the percussion clicked like seashells.

The vocal was edgy and the bass super-tight. The cymbals were jangling and seemed to float around the mix and around my head. This performance was a little hissy in comparison to the others but the tape did not overstate this giving a super performance. There is a warmth to this tape that lacks in other high end Type IIs by other manufacturers.

Christina Aguilera 'The Voice Within' from Stripped 2002.

This was to show how the tape would perform with the more recent production values of the 00s. The opening piano was solid and airy with miss Aguilera's fine voice crystal clear and bang on in the centre. The song seemed to float along in comparison to the CD and Christina's amazing voice was even more lively. The bass and drums kick in for verse two with a solidness and punch only analog can deliver and I am riveted to the vocal delivery and it makes me wish I could have see her perform this in the studio, but the UX-ES

gives me the best 'second hand' audition possible I believe!

Keith Jarrett Trio 'The Wrong Blues' from Standards Live, 1986 ADD.

Finally some jazz, and I always loved my jazz on Sony UX and UX-S tapes.

This was just perfection, the bass was really solid and muscular with an elastic delivery in perfect time to the heavy brass percussion on the drum kit. The bell of the ride cymbal rang so clearly I nearly got goosebumps, the brushes were almost in the room. The piano was both heavy and musical with a super sparkle on the high register. This is the sound of a jazz trio at their peak in concert during the mid 80s and I was almost there! I did see this trio live a few times in the last ten years.

THE VERDICT

So what do I think of this cassette? It's amazing. It handled different types of music and played it back musically and very beautifully without a problem, noise was very low and drop-outs unheard. It's incredible to think with all the technology we have today, that more than a quarter of a century ago, the Sony UX-ES was a stunning musical performer. There is very little even today that can match class this high, so don't you even bother trying! 

Thank you Sony UX-ES for making the music I love that much more lovable!

  

Super Normal

'Super Ferric' Type I Cassettes

I was always skeptical of high end Type I tapes, that boasted Type II performance

but still remained in the Normal stable. I thought it was just a marketing ploy. I always felt

Type I tapes lacked that high-end sizzle that Type II tapes gave as standard. Well, they

generally do, but the higher up the ladder you go they do get brighter, and there's that

big fat bottom end! Here is a test using the following tapes to see what the fuss

is all about.

All recordings were made on a Pioneer CT-S810S

with Super Auto BLE and no NR was used.

The music: Grace Jones - Nightclubbing (2014 Remaster)

Queen - Greatest Hits (Remaster) and Suzanne Vega - Days of Open Hand

(Original 1990 DDD)

Test #1 Sony

HF-S (1986-87) and HF-ES (1985)

The HF-S sounded fat and warm in the bottom end and the treble was precise, inviting

but never over-fizzy. Suzanne Vega's 'Tired of Sleeping' sounded very detailed, punchy

and crystal clear, especially the rim shots, but remained warm and very analog sounding. Grace Jones's 'Walking in the Rain's' reggae pulse sounded excellent on this tape,the hi-hats sizzling like they should and 'Queen's bass-heavy 'Another One Bites The Dust' chugged powerfully along like a juggernaut. A TDK SA would sound a little sterile in comparison I reckon. I just can't find fault with this tape.

The HF-ES is a notch up the ladder and all I can say is there is a noticeable difference, and

that difference is it sounds that much more warm, punchy and beautiful. I was kind of expecting this as I have heard a lot about these tapes. The Vega track was played back as faithfully as a Type I can perform and the detail in the treble was gorgeous and never overstated, like some Type II's can do. Grace Jones's 'Walking in the Rain' was even richer and 'Another One Bites The Dust' was tight and John Deacon's bass was in the room! This is one of the most beautiful sounding tapes I have ever heard.

Test #2 TDK

AR and AR-X (both 1988)

The AR sounded very precise and the bottom end was tight and warm but not as full

as the Sony tapes. The soundstage on the Vega track was very precise, if not a touch mechanical. I'm going by my ears here, and the performance offered by each tape paints a different picture in my mind. Again Grace Jones's 'Walking in the Rain' was tight and powerful with the bass pulsing like an engine humming. 'Another One Bites The Dust' was crystal clear but tight and punchy.

The AR-X was the top of the TDK Type I range and this is again a noticeable notch above the AR. The Vega track was very precise and the bass punched through in stabs of syncopation with the drums to aural delight. I like this kind of thing in music. The hi-hat on Grace Jones's 'Walking in the Rain' was executed with a metallic sheen I didn't notice on the other tapes. This is very exciting stuff indeed and 'Another One Bites The Dust' was again super-punchy and exact. I mean, I could hear the whole picture with nothing left out.

This is a different sounding tape to the Sony HF-ES but it's quite amazing in it's

own way. Now I'm getting to hear what all the fuss is about! 

Test #3 Maxell

Test will resume when I track some of these down.

HEAD ABOVE THE REST

TAPE MACHINE HEADS

Playback and record heads have always fascinated me.

They sit there all shiny and solid but when you insert a cassette and press play

they make you sing and dance! Standard tape machines have one head that records and then it also plays back the tape. You cannot hear what you have on tape until you play it back. Three head machines on the other hand allow you to monitor what you record as the record/playback heads are in one block. These were always more expensive machines and usually sounded far better but there are some two head machines that come really close.

Let your ears decide. 

Technics RS-BX404 Head

Pioneer CTS-430S Head

Yamaha KX-530 Amorphous Head

Pioneer CTS-810S Play/Rec Head

Sony TC-R503ES Auto Reverse Head

DEMO-CRACY!

MAKING DEMOS

When I started writing songs and making demos in the late 80s,

I used a Fostex 4 Track cassette recorder. I used this for over a decade, then

I started recording to Hard Drive. As you know digital recording can make life a

hell of a lot easier but then again you can get lazy. What I mean by this is you can loop,

cut and paste sections and do all that trickery that is at your fingertips. I got a mad notion

last March when I saw the two Microphone inputs on a Technics RS-BX404 cassette

deck I bought second hand and I thought "What if I made a demo on this in a 2 track style?"

Well, I did and not only was it fun again to play a guitar and sing a rough song from

start to finish it sounded really, really nice. There is something about going direct

to tape. After the first few songs which were done with just an acoustic and vocals

I got more adventurous and ran a drum machine and a Telecaster through

an amp with some effects pedals and put that in to one channel.

Then I ran the vocal mic into a Roland Jazz Chorus amp and used that to

effect the vocals. The results were surprising to say the least. It sounds

warm and deep and much more musical than recording to PC.
I might just get the old Fostex 4 Track out soon for a laugh!

These demos were recorded over 3 weeks.

The L and R inputs on the deck

The set-up for maximum direct to cassette fun!

Sony Discman

SONY DISCMAN

Another discontinued line from Sony is the CD Discman.

I've a had a few over the years but sadly some are now deceased.

These are the survivours!

Sony D-NE320 (2006)

This is a great example of value for money. It will play standard CD,

CD-R/CD-RW, mp3 CD. The sound is great with some nice EQ to play with, it is

pretty sleek and you can shake it about and it never skips. The remote is basic but

at least it has one. All this runs on one AA which seems to last forever! 

Sony D-EJ119 (2004)

A more sober and chunky player that sounds great but only plays standard

CD. It takes 2 AA, will play CD, CD-R/CD-RW. There is no remote, but 

G-Shock and Digital Mega Bass. A stylish but minimal looking bottom

of the ladder player of discs!

Sony D-NE1 (2003)

High end player with lots of features such as ATRAC 3 plus, CD-R/CD-RW and mp3 playback Optical Out, Gumstick Battery X 2, charging cradle, AC adapter, AA battery adapter, remote and excellent sound. The unit is pretty slim too, but these were

expensive at the time.