cassettes worth revisiting?

danger boy

So i'm cleaning out the garage and i run across a box of old cassette tapes from the 80's i'm thinking.. since the music is mostly 80's type stuff... about 40 or 50 of these buggers.

Most all of them in great condition. So I'm thinking if I should track down a cassette deck online and give these babies some playing time again.

Last year I found an heavy old Sony cassette deck and i played a few tapes before I sold it for $5. dang. I should never have sold it.

When I listen to them last year.. i gotta say.. i was surprised how good it sounded. I mean, I wasn't hearing any or very little hiss at all. Soundstage was delivery was better than I thought on a lot of the tapes. Yeah sure some of them were real dog sounding tapes.. but it's been 20+ years since i've heard cassette tape.

anyone still have a cassette deck in their music only rig? Still use it on occasion or a lot?

There's something to be said about magnetic tape recordings that might be the link between vinyl and digital.

Face

For the love of god, no!

danger boy

you're just jealous because I have Rod Stewart's greatest hits on cassette! :rolleyes:

Face

Was he still making music when CD's came out?

Speaking of cassettes, I just came across a box of my old Metal tapes not too long ago. Luckily I was able to resist hooking up one of my old Kenwood or Pioneer decks.

petrym

Cassettes are today’s 8-tracks, analog and irrelevant .

Norm Apter

Funny you should mention that. There was a phase (1989 - 1992) when I actually bought both cassettes and CDs (though a lot more of the latter). It seems pretty silly in retrospect, but then on the other hand I also collected a bunch of bootleg cassettes of Dave Matthews concerts (he was still a local [Virginia, where I'm from] phenomenon at the time). Aside from bootlegs, my policy was to get cassettes if it was kind of an obscure album but buy the CD version of something I knew I liked. So, I'm a little embarrassed to say that I sprung for a fairly nice double-cassette Sony component as late as 1994 (to match the other components in my Sony system).

Right now, all of my cassettes are back at my parent's place (3000 miles away). But before I started upgrading my system the cassette deck sat there on the rack. I didn't even bother to plug RCAs into the receiver back in 2006 when I returned to the U.S. and took my stuff out of storage. About a month ago, I came across a stray tape, put it in and the damn thing got stuck in the cassette deck -- it wouldn't eject, let alone play. Not quite sure what the issue is, but I have a hard time throwing things away so the cassette deck is now sitting in box that my new amp came in, surrounded by styrofoam and biding its time before its burial into obscurity.....

danger boy

Norm, it probably needed a new belt at least..

I have trouble throwing out old electronics. Just last weekend I threw out my very first JC Penney mono VCR. We're talking early to mid 80's. It hasn't worked or been used in about 23 years. it was heavy, well built.. and I think I paid like $500 for it back then. :eek:

dcmeigs

Face wrote: »

For the love of god, no!

+1

Lie down. It'll pass.

If you need tape, get a reel to reel.

danger boy

dcmeigs wrote: »

+1

Lie down. It'll pass.

If you need tape, get a reel to reel.

or maybe one of these sweet looking rigs cassette AND reel 2 reel :eek:

Norm Apter

Its funny thinking about tapes now. They are such an 80s thing. I mean they fit so perfectly in the 1980s -- wedged between 8-track in the 1970s and the the CDs from the early 1990s onward. Well, technically I guess I first heard a CD player around 1987 but I didn't have my own until 1990 (I was 16).

But here's the funny thing -- I've never even seen an 8-track. What the hell does it look like? And just out of curiousity is the technology different than regular tapes? (When I was growing up my parents just had all records and FM and then regular tapes were the standard formats for music in the car).

Whenever I think of the 8-track as a technological phenomemon, I think of one band: KISS. Don't ask me why. I've never listened to them. They just pop to mind. I was born in 1973, and so maybe there was some early childhood memory that linked the two.

As for my cassette deck, I doubt I'm going to bother replacing the belt. Then, on the other hand I doubt I will physically throw it in the trash until we have to move...

Face

My parents didn't have 8 track either, just vinyl and cassette. I'm not even sure if I've even held a 8 track.

danger boy

http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk/hfw/oldeworldehtml/nakamichicr7e.html

good article, and now I want one.. ha ha ha

danger boy

yeah. it's weird looking. but cassettes actually sounded better than 8 tracks. although 8 track tape was wider than cassettes.

danger boy

this was a typical 8 track after market deck install in the 70's :eek: :eek: :eek:

Norm Apter

So cool. Its funny to think to that the 8-track was big enough to affix a CD cover like label/image (not just words) to the outside. Any idea on why it was called an 8-track (not a 6- or 7-track)?

Face

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereo_8

Norm Apter

Thanks for the article, Face. A fascinating read. I found it especially interesting that it was Ford's decision to introduce the 8-track tapes into its vehicles in 1965 that was primarily responsible for the demise of the 4-track, its previous competitor. It reminds one of the war between Beta and VHS in the early 1980s and then just last fall, I believe, when some retailer (was it Walmart?) decided to go with Blueray over HD, effectively ending that skirmish.

Anyway, all this is got me thinking about the future of music format. So, we went from pretty much from the commercial introduction of 8-track in 1965/66 to the commercial introduction of compact discs in 1986 (or so), with cassettes coming in between. Thats only 20 years. But, here we are 22 years later and the CD still seems to be the primary format. I guess you could make a case that mp3s have arisen but I think just about everyone would agree that CDs sound better than mp3s, so are we on the road to something new? 22 years is an eternity for an item in today's world of changing technology.

I ask all of this because recently I was trying to decide whether the music quality on a recent digitally remastered version of Coltrane's A Love Supreme was good enough to warrant me replacing my old CD issue of that album. I put out the question and one guy replied, "don't bother. technology is changing so fast that CDs will be obsolete before you know it." but i'm still thinking 22 years...

mantis

The problem with Cassettes is they wear out. The head get dirty and sound like crap after awhile. Even after a good cleaning, you never seem to regain the Hi fi sound.

New cassettes and a clean player sound good but I don't think it's worth getting into again. Maybe finding a player for your current ones but I'm betting they will sound like ****.

I found a box of them in my basment and I have a Onkyo player which I cleaned the **** out of and it doesn't sound good at all. Most of the tapes sound like a towel is over them. Aweful.

Dan

amulford

I don't think I've listened to a cassette in a couple of years. I kinda had the sme experience Dan did...

George Grand

There is a cassette deck in every rig I have. Too much great music to be found for a dime that will probably never make it onto cd.

Most of you wouldn't dirty your hands with cassette. But the truth is, most of you probably couldn't tell the difference between a cd, piece of vinyl, or well recorded cassette.

Rivrrat

I have a Carver cassette deck upstairs collecting dust that my wife wants us to keep. She says since her 98 Carolla has a tape deck, she "MAY" want to record some more tapes some day.

It has all the bells and whistles and does an excellent job of recording, but it's a dinosaur now. Mostly I used it to make compilation tapes before I had a cd burner, now it's faster and easier to just burn them.

I do like George Grands philosophy though. Maybe I should hook it back up.

sucks2beme

Yes, I had 8-tracks. A bunch of them.
I also used to have a high quality cassette deck, and used
the high bias tapes to make recordings. They did sound pretty good,
better than any commercially made tapes. I sold the deck 20+
years ago, and never looked back. I used the tapes in cars for years
afterward.
Considering what reel to reels are going for, don't bother. They
come up on Craigslist for as much as they sold for new lately.
Vinyl or CD are the last real music formats(including SACD) that
will ever exist. I was just out to pick up my son, and just off campus is
one of those used music/bookstores with lots of old vinyl, cd's, and cassettes.
I found a Joe Satriani cd I'd never seen before, dreaming #11.
These are the kind of places that give RIAA nightmares.

Jstas

I have a cassette deck in my truck. Got a CD changer for CD's but it's still got a cassette deck hidden behind the motorized face plate.

Awesome sauce for sure!

shack

Pre-recorded cassettes were AWFUL! They make overly compressed MP3 sound like audiophile quality music. They were THAT bad!

heiney9

Al, I wouldn't go out and spend money on a good cassette deck just to listen to pre-recorded cassette's. The quality when new wasn't all that great on pre-recorded cassettes and I bet by now the tapes are starting to deteriorate. I have a NAK deck and I still have over 60 cassettes that I made myself and I have very little desire to listen to them.

At one time cassettes were the bomb as far as recording your own mixes for parties and the car, but now they really have no purpose.

zombie boy 2000

The one thing I do miss is the ritual of making a mix-tape. It just doesn't seem the same with CD's, in that you can just skip certain tracks. Not to go all "John Cusack from High Fidelity" on ya, but I really do believe there is an art to it.

kingtut

Ah, the good old days, which brings back memories of being in the car with the past girlfriends w/the cassette deck playing the love songs to get them in the mood. Ahhhhhhh, my wife just whacked me in the head, when she caught me typing this.

danger boy

Rivrrat wrote: »

I have a Carver cassette deck upstairs collecting dust that my wife wants us to keep. She says since her 98 Carolla has a tape deck, she "MAY" want to record some more tapes some day.

It has all the bells and whistles and does an excellent job of recording, but it's a dinosaur now. Mostly I used it to make compilation tapes before I had a cd burner, now it's faster and easier to just burn them.

I do like George Grands philosophy though. Maybe I should hook it back up.

hook that sucker up for mrs Rat i am only talking here about the sound quality of pre recorded cassettes.. the ones we all recorded on our own most of the times didn't sound nearly as good as store bought tapes.

All i'm saying.. on occasion when I listen to a good cassette, I'm surprised by it's sound. and cassette decks are dirt cheap right now. so I may toy with the idea of spending $30 for a deck.

I think people in here are just going with the gang and not really knowing for sure if the sound of cassettes is good or not.

Jstas

danger boy wrote: »

I think people in here are just going with the gang and not really knowing for sure if the sound of cassettes is good or not.

Nah, I got stacks of singles at home and quite a few albums plus bootleg stuff and most of it sounds pretty decent. Back in the day before CD players were common in cars, bass tapes were what we used to piss off the neighbors and whatever rap or hip hop with a good beat that would get the woofers jumpin'. I have some albums on cassette that sound pretty damn good. I actually like the sound of Red Hot Chilli Pepper's album BloodSugarSexMagik better on the cassette than I do the CD.

shack

danger boy wrote:

All i'm saying.. on occasion when I listen to a good cassette, I'm surprised by it's sound. and cassette decks are dirt cheap right now. so I may toy with the idea of spending $30 for a deck.

I think people in here are just going with the gang and not really knowing for sure if the sound of cassettes is good or not.

I have 2 very nice vintage Pioneer Cassette decks (CT-650 and CT-700) as well as a JVC dual deck model. I have played some of my recorded tapes that were made on good quality blank stock and they still sound quite good. I don't recall ever hearing a pre-recorded tape that was very good...except for one. It was a "demo" tape that came with my 93 Mustang. It had several nice tracks (including "Lily Was Here" by Candy Dufler). As I recall it was pretty well done. Probably to make sure the player in the car sounded it's best to potential buyers. I have constructed a pretty nice vintage Pioneer/Advent rig that I play cassettes on. I like the results...but they are quality tapes.

heiney9

danger boy wrote: »

I think people in here are just going with the gang and not really knowing for sure if the sound of cassettes is good or not.

Al, most of my tapes were made when I had my Nakamichi Dragon and I can say from experience that deck was incredible at making recordings. Analog heaven!!! But with all the controls it was sort of time consuming to set up and make a recording. Because of the extremely precise and expensive head configuration none of the tapes made on the Dragon sounded great on other "lesser" machines.

Not going with the "gang" on the sound of home made cassettes, but the technology is bulky, time consuming (has to be done in real time), and destructible. A nicely recorded cassette certainly is enjoyable, in the same way a paddle boat is enjoyable compared to a motorized boat.

Not practical n today's society but certainly worth it for nostalgia. Again pre-recorded cassettes are really not that good even if played on a stellar deck.

I still wish I had the Dragon, but it would serve no purpose other than a cool piece to look at.

H9