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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote patientot Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Apr 2021 at 7:19pm
Originally posted by lfc jon lfc jon wrote:

Not sure about the new interest in cassettes with vinyl the interest never really went away fully there were people that didn't give up on it and also like me did not throw their records away well most of them and there is the sound quality issue with cassettes it never really was as good as vinyl. With cassettes the big thing was portability you could take it any where and play them, in the car or outdoors and you also had the Walkman you didn't have to lug around a big ghetto blaster. The big thing going for cassette was being able to record we all remember the MIX TAPE. I think cassettes is a fad that will not last long. I may be proved wrong BUT!!
I know you can record onto CDs but you do need a computer were as cassettes it was more plug and record. Does anybody remember the slogan   Tape is killing Music (I think that's how it was said) funny you didn't get that with CD-Rs.


There has been a very small scale cassette revival going for about ten years. One of the selling points for small labels and artists is that cassettes are much cheaper to manufacture compared to vinyl or glass mastered CDs. It's possible to get a run of 100 cassettes made with cases and full color artwork for around $300.

Young people into indie music don't really buy CDs for the most part but they will buy cassettes sometimes, even if they don't actually listen to them. These are often sold on sites like Bandcamp and come with a digital download.

The biggest problem with cassettes right now are the low quality of new playback equipment and the fact that only Type 1 tape is available new anymore. I do have some newer cassettes that sound surprisingly good but I'm playing them back on an old JVC tape deck from the 90s.
SL-1200 MK7 (modified) + Reflex M + PSU-1 used with AT150-40ML, AT VM95ML, Stanton 680mkII + Ogura, and Shure M35X cartridges.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lfc jon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Apr 2021 at 7:49pm
David
I was reading about small labels finding it cheaper to manufacture cassettes, on the internet a few weeks ago. Reading your post reminded me about it. I do know even big bands are  releasing their new albums on cassette but as you said it's finding new playback equipment of quality to play them on. Even if you buy a good quality old one the chances are it will need a good service and probably new belts and that's going to be expensive, That's why I think the revival of cassettes will not last. I can only speak about the UK as most think it will not last here, there is just not as big a market here as there is in the USA. But you are right about the young and CDs, It's the same here in the UK they don't seem to have much interest in them.
Reflex M, Solo (both with PSU-1) CuSat50, Lautus, Spatia & Spatia links cables. Ortofon Bronze.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote patientot Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Apr 2021 at 7:59pm
Originally posted by lfc jon lfc jon wrote:

David
I was reading about small labels finding it cheaper to manufacture cassettes, on the internet a few weeks ago. Reading your post reminded me about it. I do know even big bands are  releasing their new albums on cassette but as you said it's finding new playback equipment of quality to play them on. Even if you buy a good quality old one the chances are it will need a good service and probably new belts and that's going to be expensive, That's why I think the revival of cassettes will not last. I can only speak about the UK as most think it will not last here, there is just not as big a market here as there is in the USA. But you are right about the young and CDs, It's the same here in the UK they don't seem to have much interest in them.


None of the repair shops in my area will work on cassette decks, or if they do, they charge obscene amounts of money for even basic servicing. When my last deck bit the dust, I had to get a friend to ship me a serviced deck from another state where he knows a guy that works on them. If I need any real repair work done, I would have to ship it out.

It will be interesting to see where things are at with tapes in another five years. I think the availability of decent decks has really started to dry up with the only real option being a used unit. 

I didn't know about this until recently, but a younger friend told me that Walkmans have really gotten out of control pricing wise and these are even tougher to find in working order and get repaired vs. a full size deck.

He tried 3 different eBay units that were supposed to be serviced and ready to go and pretty much all of them had problems.


SL-1200 MK7 (modified) + Reflex M + PSU-1 used with AT150-40ML, AT VM95ML, Stanton 680mkII + Ogura, and Shure M35X cartridges.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lfc jon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Apr 2021 at 10:37pm
There was a program on TV I watched just before Xmas last year and that said the same thing price wise about the walkman, they were going for silly money. They also said about finding quality tapes and that even used tapes were expensive but to find new chrome or metal tapes was vary hard but there was still old new stock out there you just had to look vary hard. I did have a box of 6 not used type 1 tapes that I just throw away thinking that they were worth nothing I now wished I keep hold of them.
I have no interest in getting back into or collecting cassettes because 1 sound quality 2 do not have the funds and 3 finding good play back cassette decks. money and time to me is better spent on my vinyl and CDs play back, collecting and most important listening.
Reflex M, Solo (both with PSU-1) CuSat50, Lautus, Spatia & Spatia links cables. Ortofon Bronze.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote patientot Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Apr 2021 at 10:41pm
Originally posted by lfc jon lfc jon wrote:

money and time to me is better spent on my vinyl and CDs play back, collecting and most important listening.


I think this would be true for most people. The only reason I got back into tapes is because of certain artists that release music on the cassette format and nostalgia. That and I have a friend that has done some cassette releases. Not a practical format for most people though. Tapes only make up a tiny fraction of my collection overall. I have many more CDs and LPs.
SL-1200 MK7 (modified) + Reflex M + PSU-1 used with AT150-40ML, AT VM95ML, Stanton 680mkII + Ogura, and Shure M35X cartridges.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote CageyH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Apr 2021 at 8:24am
I still have my 20 year old Aida ADF 450 sat in it’s box.
I will have to dig it out, and see if it still works. I have no intention of going back down the compact cassette Route though.

CD, Vinyl and streaming are enough for me.
Kevin
European loan coordinator, based near Toulouse, France.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote lfc jon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Apr 2021 at 7:19pm
Looking on youtube there are a lot of videos on the subject of compact cassette and most seem recent, not had time to look at them yet, but one did interest me it was about a tape player that holds 20 yes 20 cassettes and plays them one after another, This man go's by the name Techmoan. I have seen a lot of his videos and he is very good, not too much tech jargon he's really down to earth and knows what he is talking about, and most of the stuff reviews is on the more affordable side. So on youtube (at lest) there seems to be a lot of interest in cassette. 
Reflex M, Solo (both with PSU-1) CuSat50, Lautus, Spatia & Spatia links cables. Ortofon Bronze.
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