Cassette as a Source?

I use a Nakamichi Dragon, very few pre-recorded cassettes, but went through a phase where I prefered cd's transferred on to cassette.

Have used the Nak extensively for live recording with a single (mono) Audio Technica 4041. Mostly rock and pop bootlegs (with permission), and enjoy these very much. In a reversal of the above, I have transferred and edited most of these cassettes to cd-r, primarily for trading purposes, as that is the most accepted format.

The Dragon is an amazing machine.

Jeff A

I still get a lot of pleasure from my Nakamichi BX300E cassette. Recordings from a good source still sound great and the few prerecorded tapes I have can give some CDs a run for their money.

Yours in Music

Syd

I have an Onkyo Intergra 2058 that I use to listen to books on tape while I am working on the computer. It sounds great!

Anthony

I regularly use cassettes on

Nakamichi ZX7
Teac V1050
NAD 6020

I made a Kraftwerk / Bartos / Zombie Nation / Kraftfloyd tape only today.

The worrying thing is the non-availablity of metal cassettes - see my recent thread about trying to buy blank tapes!

DS

OTD - Kraftfloyd - Dark side of the Autobahn

David,

I knew I'd be able to overcome the Alzheimer's if I tried hard enough; the outfit in Adgate I was trying to remember was KVJ Fairdeal, their website is at:

http://www.kvjfairdeal.com/

and there they are, TDK MA XG 90's at £3.99 a shot

helpful throb

I have a good stock of cassettes recorded in the 70's and 80's, which still get played on my Nakamichi BX-125E.

The music is predominantly taken from vinyl albums that I couldn't afford to buy as an impoverished youth.

Much more satisfying than downloading mp3's; which I guess is the equivalent of the digital age.

It's amazing that some of my tapes are 25 years old, and still sound good.

I just spent the whole of yesterday playing cassettes. I think somehow analogue source, though imperfect, has a certain character that make music groove along, especially dynamics which I think is a problem with CDs (less those remastered ones). I did a A/B with my naim'd LP12 with Rolling Stones Black and Blue. The LP12 of course won in terms of revealing a lot more details and the cymbals is more palpable, but I went back to the cassette and listened to the whole thing through.

I will go hunting for cheap cassettes today.

david

I have one of the newer Nakamichis, the DR8 which I think sounds great. My local record shop has a stock of TDK MA90s for £1.99 each, was wondering are they a good buy ?
Have been using SA90s for years. What in your opinion is the ultimate blank
Spence

Mr Richer was doing TDK SA90's for 49pence, according to a recent catalogue.

" What blanks ? "

I have always used Maxell XL-II or XL-IIS. Both are high bias and I believe the only difference is the IIS has a "better" shell(sturdier, heavier).

I have always been satisfied with the results of using this particular tape and have used hundreds and hundreds - never used a tape more than once; lots of empty spaces at ends of sides (often 5-10 minutes, trying to avoid "tape flips" in the middle of a music segment). Lots of mistakes by the recording person (me) but never a tape failure of any kind.

Jeff A

I've always loved cassette decks as a hifi "gadget." I use a Nak DR-10 and make tapes for the car--even though the car has a built in 6 disc CD changer. Comparing tapes to the CD is instructive--tape almost always sounds better, and really destroys the built in changer when it is taped from my LP12. Shouldn't be a big surprise...

Tapes--I've used a bunch. TDK and Maxell are both great, though I think the best blank I've used is Denon's ridiculously priced metal--it was something like $8 for one. TDK MA is probably the best I've used in the Nak...but never anything over 90 minutes.

Best,

Bob

Alex95,

Could you let me know the name of the record shop?

I have hunted up and down and far and wide for MA90s, with no result.

PT me if you want.

Thanks,

DS

OTD - To Rococco Rot - Unhip

Blimey - those MAXGs look like a good price- until you get VAT and shipping - from £7.98 for two up to a whopping £14-odd! Tempted to order 2 anyway - one to try out and one to save for posterity along with my TDK-AR limited from 1990 (still sealed - he he).

I use a Technics RS-B85, Pioneer CT447 and a Philips DCC730, along with Pioneer 609 CDRW and Sony JB940/MD530 minidisc decks, but the cassette decks are the most fun - particularly the Technics with that backlit cassette well - though the Technics is now unreliable.

My copy of the Blues Brothers soundtrack is far superior to the CD and almost as clear as the vinyl in all the areas that matter - very impressed.

As for blanks, well, I've never got on with Maxell - I had 3 URs snap/jam and chew up, and my XL-IIs tape (a freebie) exhibits criminal dropout rate for the first minute of side two - not impressed. I have TDKs dating back to 1979 that still sound OK (well, OK, the 1979 one was from when I was 4 so the tape deck it was recorded on - a Trophy mono radio-cassette - wasn't very good) but I over-recorded it recently for a laugh and it sounded pretty decent.

I'd love to own a Nakamichi, and I'd also like a TDK D-C180 3 hour tape - just for the hell of it....

__________________________
Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.