Copyright © 1998
Cadman Enterprises Ltd
Welcome to the Graham Slee Audio Products Owners Forum Open to all owners plus those contemplating the purchase of a Graham Slee HiFi System Components audio product and wishing to use this forum's loaner program: join here (Rules on posting can be found here) This website along with trade marks Graham Slee and HiFi System Components are owned by Cadman Enterprises Ltd |
CD Audio |
Post Reply | Page <1 7891011 55> |
Author | |
patientot
Senior Member Joined: 28 Nov 2018 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 1531 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
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.
|
|
lfc jon
Senior Member Joined: 23 Jan 2018 Location: Devon Status: Offline Points: 3989 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
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.
|
|
patientot
Senior Member Joined: 28 Nov 2018 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 1531 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
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.
|
|
lfc jon
Senior Member Joined: 23 Jan 2018 Location: Devon Status: Offline Points: 3989 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
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.
|
|
patientot
Senior Member Joined: 28 Nov 2018 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 1531 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
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.
|
|
CageyH
Senior Member Joined: 30 Apr 2012 Location: Toulouse, Franc Status: Offline Points: 1678 |
Post Options
Thanks(1)
|
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. |
|
lfc jon
Senior Member Joined: 23 Jan 2018 Location: Devon Status: Offline Points: 3989 |
Post Options
Thanks(1)
|
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.
|
|
Post Reply | Page <1 7891011 55> |
Tweet
|
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |