Triad/ That's Cassette Tapes

[braxus]

Anyone have any real experience with Triad tapes ('That's' outside of North America)? I bought some MG-X metal tapes a couple times and had severe shed problems with the tape, so I stayed away from Triad tapes since then. But I heard good things about the EM-X tapes. Also the F-X tapes were their normal bias tape and the MR-X the better metal tape. Anyone comment on this brand of tape? It seems to be a lesser known tape and some say they are undervalued, but I don't know if that is true based on the experience I had with their tapes.

http://groups.google.ca/group/rec.au...471d228ba9f4ba

The above link is a good page for tape review comparisons.

[Web Police]

I have used Triad Type II Tapes. I don't like them all that well as the chrome tape seems real thin and tends to curl from the center to the outside of the tape. On the few occasions I had to do some open tape surgery on them forget it the tape jumped off the reels and coiled up like a spring from a can. :rolleyes:

The sound quality was ok but not up to the TDK and or Maxell Type II tapes I was using. I guess I can't complain though, as I bought em three for a buck about 20 years ago. I still have several unopened ones and they are likely to remain that way. :)

[close652]

Thread bumped for more comments :)
I have just bought a That's VX90.
It looks like a very good tape.
Anyone any info on the brand?
AFAIK this brand has never been sold here in Hungary.

The link in #1 is expired or incorrect.

[stuartypoorty]

I have used the That's range of tapes for a long time and have found them to be very durable, no drop outs so far or mechanical issues.

The type IV Suono is my favourite, with many long standing recordings made over the years. Personally, I'd rate it alongside the Vertex, MA-XG and SSMM - it's good enough to be mentioned in the same company.

That's MR-X, VX, MG-X and CD I've used for a lot of mix tapes, again very good.

Triad; well I only have one of these, don't think they were distributed here in the UK., this remains unopened and I can't think of any reason as to why it shouldn't perform admirably. Although, there is opinion here, and on other forums, that they are unreliable.

As you can see from the attached image I'm a fan of That's.

[Mignun67]

I've used the earlier That's series tapes for many years. My favourite Type IV is MR-X Pro, and favourite Type Is are FX & TX. Strangely I found MG-X one of the poorest Metals and very prone to drop outs too.

I have quite a few VX (Green wrapper), a fairly good, reliable Type II but nothing special. EM-X is better but you MUST tune it otherwise it'll sound brain-numbingly bright.

FX is something very special in the Type I field but super-rare. This has to be one of the finest Type I's out there and TX is very close too, so if you ever see any of these snap them up without a moment's hesitation.

RX is also something special. It was originally meant to compete with basic cooking ferrics such as Maxell UR and TDK D, but in my view it is much better than either of these, being closer to UD or AD.

[Dazen1]

I really like That's cassettes and would recommend them. IMO they are very reliable.

I have no experience of the Triad tapes. *reelstop*reelstop

[braxus]

I really like That's cassettes and would recommend them. IMO they are very reliable.

I have no experience of the Triad tapes. *reelstop*reelstop

That's and Triad are the same tape company. They just called That's tapes Triad in North America. It was That's everywhere else. Same tape.

[Maxell-LN]

If Triad are the same company as Taiyo Yuden, then they are worth trying out. I haven't had any experience with them, but I do know that Taiyo Yuden is one of the leading media manufacturers in Japan. Today they make many of the CD-Rs and DVD-Rs for other companies like TDK and Maxell, so I should imagine they would have had alot to do with the higher quality tape scene back in the 80's and 90's.

This seller on ebay notes the Taiyo Yuden / Triad connection, I would have to dig a little deeper to verify that. Most probably Dr. Bo can confirm?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Triad-By-Taiyo-Yuden-Metal-Bias-Cassette-Tapes_W0QQitemZ280330272017QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI_B lank_Media?hash=item4144fc7d11&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C 301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

I wouldn't mind trying out some of their RX and other ferro tapes, but there also getting pretty rare.

[390FE]

If Triad are the same company as Taiyo Yuden, then they are worth trying out. I haven't had any experience with them, but I do know that Taiyo Yuden is one of the leading media manufacturers in Japan. Today they make many of the CD-Rs and DVD-Rs for other companies like TDK and Maxell, so I should imagine they would have had alot to do with the higher quality tape scene back in the 80's and 90's.

This seller on ebay notes the Taiyo Yuden / Triad connection, I would have to dig a little deeper to verify that. Most probably Dr. Bo can confirm?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Triad-By-Taiyo-Yuden-Metal-Bias-Cassette-Tapes_W0QQitemZ280330272017QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI_B lank_Media?hash=item4144fc7d11&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C 301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

I wouldn't mind trying out some of their RX and other ferro tapes, but there also getting pretty rare.

YES That's are/were made by Taiyo Yuden CO. LTD of Japan. (see pic below) it is of the label/directions card for That's tape (look at bottom of card)

6760


I got some used That's as:IV metal tapes (see pic below). I am not impressed with them. They are ok but seem to be lacking a little.

6761

[dr.bo]

The first THAT'S tape I bought was in Erie Pa., and it was a THAT'S, so I don't know if only Triad was sold here or not. Personally, I have a great fondness for this series of tapes, especially any THAT'S tapes with the SOUNO format. SOUNO tapes are well constructed with very sturdy shells, and in the metal format ( SOUNO, CD-IVF) I think are as good as any. The CD-MH type II is also a very high end tape. Some of the others from this company I haven't used myself, such as the MG-X, and the AS-II and AS-IV among others.

Obviously I sell these tapes, and I have a shipment coming in of about 650 tapes of which I think 300 are THAT'S/TRIAD, including a few I have never had or sold before.

Also, I believe the Taiyo Yuden connection is correct.

As a company, these guys were about as dumb as you could be! Who is going to go for a tape called "THAT'S", or buy a tape in the "SOUNO" format?? Every time I do a search for SOUNO, it corrects me with "SOUND".

But that just makes these tapes more rare, and I think overlooked. dr.bo

[Burning Star IV]

I do have a lot of Triad EM-X tapes with only one used. I didn't care for it much.

I bought a bunch of That's CD/MH from our precious poster, dr.bo. I happen to like them a lot. I compare it close to Maxell XLII-S. A tape that can record from any source and sound awesome.

[Maxell-LN]

Does anyone know if THAT'S are still making tapes? or have they gone down the same path as Maxell and TDK?

[Marc Hugo]

I have some of the Taiyo Yuden family cassettes and have found them anything between "fine" to "excellent" depending on the model. The CD series were very fine. CD-MH is a metal for the type II position and is a fantastic performer although the rising sensitivity is hard to tame - but I don't try very hard as I like the resulting sonic signature. It has the SUONO shell which is superb. CD IV I have heard on a friends system and it is a serious metal without a doubt. I think the important thing with That's (I agree with Dr Bo - a peculiar name) is that, as with any brand, you're bound to get a couple of duds along the way. However, by and large, they were to be taken seriously. They seemed to lash up the marketing from a pricing/pegging point of view. Often they were a bit steeply priced for some reason; then a bit later you'd see them being flogged off for bargain prices.

I wholeheartedly agree with Stuart - That's Metal Suono is a supermetal in every sense of the word.

[Maxell-LN]

Obviously I sell these tapes, and I have a shipment coming in of about 650 tapes of which I think 300 are THAT'S/TRIAD, including a few I have never had or sold before.


Wow, that's a big shipment, from Japan? Whose the seller? Do they ship to Oz? Please don't take this the wrong way Dr bo, :) but there has been about twelve people, including I who have endlessly tried sourcing tapes from japan, and though we have got a lead from somebody on here, we are ALL still totally stumped on where you get them from.

Obviously as a seller, you'd have to protect you're interest in the open market. I feel it only would be fare if at least you would share with us THer's, even if it is in the Member's only portion of the forum, so it's hidden away from the rest of the internet.

[dr.bo]

I posted some photos of some of the new tapes from that deal in another thread on new tapes. The source is still active, and I hope to double down soon, so I will keep it secret for now. I will say a lot of these type of deals involve quantities of at least 100 tapes; they don't seem to want to bother with smaller quantities.

Japan is not really the greatest source, at least for me. Prices are high, and shipping is huge. I have much better luck from China, Canada, Germany, France, and Italy. England is also difficult because of their shipping charges. I have been trying to cultivate a source in South America, but have yet to find anyone who will ship to me.

As far as being fair, so far, I have given away over 1000 tapes; I still have a few hundred to go. What has worked well is just including freebies in any order where they fit in the envelope. dr.bo

[Maxell-LN]

Japan is not really the greatest source, at least for me. Prices are high, and shipping is huge. I have much better luck from China, Canada, Germany, France, and Italy. England is also difficult because of their shipping charges. I have been trying to cultivate a source in South America, but have yet to find anyone who will ship to me. dr.bo

I know, Germany's a good source for tapes, but I'm surprised with your comments about shipping from the UK. Buying stuff on ebay over the years, UK sellers seem to have the cheapest shipping rates in the world, it must be quite different when they're sent westwards. Shipping from some countries is expensive I know, but that's not as much as an issue with me, as it is with some other australian tapers. I guess if you know exactly what you're after, then shipping is a second concern.

China? that's a bit dicey isn't it?. I know there's a big pirate CD and DVD industry there, it was the same with tapes back in the 80s and 90's.. They would manufacture imitation tapes with exactly the same wrappers, letters, fonts, colours, and tape-shell design, but the physical tape inside was absolute rubbish. I had such an experience with some Maxells back in 1992, realising I bought them cheap from a bargain store in the middle of Sydney somewhere. At least with that I went back to the store. I suppose if you've had no problem with Chinese purchases then I guess why stop. :)

I'm just rather curious to try out some of That's ferro tapes.

[dr.bo]

There have been a few threads about counterfeit tapes and China. I have mainly bought Sony BHF AHF, and some National Reel cassettes from a source there. They have been reliable so far.

The shipping from the UK gets real high when you are dealing in dozens or more tapes.

The shipping on the lot of 650 I just bought from overseas was about 400!

I also forgot to mention Spain. Alfredo has quite a collection and there are sources there too. dr.bo

[SLA]

Triad was a name for That's in US for very short time. Triad F-X, EM-X, MG-X has been reviewed in Audio Magazine 1986, In 1990 they reviewed THAT's Cassettes. So I think Triad was the name in US for just couple years.

Anyway in Japan THAT's cassettes were produced roughly 1982-1990. THAT'S SUONO cassette in 1987-88

1991 price for THAT's SUONO 90 was $13.10
TDK MA-XG 90 was $15.00
Sony Metal-Master 90 $11.99
Sony Metal-ES 90 $9.99
Maxell Metal Vertex 90 $14.99

So yes THAT's SUONO was certainly a SUPER METAL. In general THAT's cassettes were expensive.

I am trying to complete line-ups for THAT's cassettes but this is very difficult task.

SLA.

[Mignun67]

SLA,

I would imagine that between all of us here we could put together a complete That's line-up over the years. I have lots of pretty much all varieties from the 80s, although I have only numbers of That's FX and MRX-Pro sealed these days. The mid-late eighties line-up from memory was;

Type I: RX > TX > FX
Type II: VX > EX > EM-X (VX a pseudochrome, EX and EM-X Metal Type IIs)
Type IV: MG-X, MR-X Pro

I would guess that Joel (Dr.Bo) has quite a few and Stuart has some nice examples too, not to mention what other members here may also have.

[SLA]

That would be great,

I have EX, MG-X, MR-X Pro,

If you can please scan and send me email at tdk@vintagecassettes.com

(I think I also have pictures of FX and EM-X but scans are usually much better and I don't have these cassettes any more).

Also there was a series in 90's of CD/IF, CD/IIF, CD/MH in suono format.
also later As-I, AS-II, AS-IV

Of course That's was big in Japan and they have great line-ups there:
EVE I, EVE II, EVE IV,
PH I, PH II,PH IV,
Cd-IS, CD-IIS. CD-IVS,
FX-XP, EM-XP, MR-XP, and SUONO

all in 1 line-up...

SLA.

[dr.bo]

I have quite a few different THAT'S/TRIAD tapes; Any with the SOUNO format I think are quite reliable. I will try to post some photos of them here soon. dr.bo

[dr.bo]

here are some photos

[dr.bo]

oops, three photos were wrong. here are the right ones.

[Naknut]

Now that's That's!!! and Triad too. I never get tired of this sort of thing. Makes me want to get some of all of them.

[Crucie]

all hail the thats / triad king ! impressive collection !!! *Hi5*

[Dazen1]

here are some photos

Very nice. *drool*

[nigeld92]

I thought the That's tapes were highly underated. A shame really because they gave other tapes a run for their money. I have a lot of That's tapes in my collection and would love to get my hands on some more, particularly the Delta and Suono types.

[braxus]

I picked up a 5 pak of the F-X tape, which was a cobalt doped type 1 tape. I know Joel bought the other 2 5 paks, so I wasn't able to buy more. But I have enough of them as is anyway.

I never had luck with their MG-X tape. It shed pretty bad. I hope their other metals don't do this.

[DecentMan4you]

somebody here [ in a pm in here ] - not saying who - [ reposted rather than re-typing ] you made me a bit crazy to ensure all of the Triad and [ that's ] that I have [ so i went looking around in here ] and only found the one cassette
which is the 46 sueno and the sueno 90 metal and a; one that's type 2 100 minute cassette and ten Triad metal MG-X 90's and that is ALL that I have... James

http://i53.tinypic.com/2ecn30p.jpg
I just took this pic just now... just to be sure
& from what I have read in this thread am not so sure about these Triad but then the opinion was from only one person, so I dont know ...
James

[braxus]

Im not sure what the last post was about. Did I miss something?

[EM-X90]

I have never found the shrinkwrap on cassette tapes useful for recording

http://www.c-90.org/catalogue/tapes/Thats%20-%20Triad

[DecentMan4you]

Im not sure what the last post was about. Did I miss something?

Weell - it's like this - if it's on the computer ... then I can find it ... and if it's in a picture [ I took ] then i know where it was and much quicker ...
where it went to ....

See, cause the computer dont move; but everything around it does*reelspin*

you didnt miss anything - and now I can find ths ! Whenever...

p.s. the phone # tracking .... i dont go anywhere - everything is real close to me . am chained to all of this stuff till I get rid of it [all] down to nothing cept for maybe 4 cassette things, jobless, I want my life back.
nuttin to hide...

[EM-X90]

Im not sure what the last post was about. Did I miss something?

Unopened collector tapes are about as useful as vintage collector cars that have never been taken for a test drive.Out of 1800+ recorded cassettes I think I have 3 that are unopened.I am waiting for vintage shoe polish to smear on my face to record any recent so called music.

[Marc Hugo]

Unopened collector tapes are about as useful as vintage collector cars that have never been taken for a test drive.Out of 1800+ recorded cassettes I think I have 3 that are unopened.I am waiting for vintage shoe polish to smear on my face to record any recent so called music.

LOLs!!! Yes, EM-X, that's very, um, what? Provident? Aside from the simple pleasure of owning something good, spare cassettes, like spare money (admittedly, also a tedious, dreary and seemingly incomprehensible contingency) is something you need in case you don't die tomorrow. Timing is everthing. If you're feeling unwell, get cracking on that recording project you been meaning to do!!

And I'm right with you on the "recent music"!!

Anyway, what I meant to ask you was, (you said you used the EM-X in your car deck where the HF was a real bonus).... what sort of cassette deck do you use in your car?

Cheers - Marc

[EM-X90]

LOLs..Anyway, what I meant to ask you was, (you said you used the EM-X in your car deck where the HF was a real bonus).... what sort of cassette deck do you use in your car?Cheers - Marc

I have a huge pile that have leaky caps,my Eclipse 4441 is a sole survivor,the FM is terrible so I am forced to use the best car tape section ever made with my vintage 30 watt amps.Good topic Marc,show use some car decks and the pitfalls of CD usage in a sahara environment.I have seen decks with CD's melted inside or entire collections of CD's sandblasted in seconds.India, Africa and the UAE are to be commended for keeping the cassette format alive.Southern Madagascar is an honourable mention since locals have trained the ring tailed lemurs to toss CD's and ipods out to sea.

[Marc Hugo]

The lemurs!! Gosh, you know, the only place I have ever been able to buy either Sony Super Metal Master or Fuji Metal-Z was Mad - in Tana at a raucous store (Nazaar I think) in Rue l'Independence. For quite fair prices too from what I remember. That was 2004......... They should let those cute little lemurs run the place though. Smart, pretty and really into personal liberty. And no iPods I hear. That's my vote used up.

OK- some car decks!!

Cheers - Marc

[DecentMan4you]

The first THAT'S tape I bought was in Erie Pa., and it was a THAT'S, so I don't know if only Triad was sold here or not. Personally, I have a great fondness for this series of tapes, especially any THAT'S tapes with the SOUNO format. SOUNO tapes are well constructed with very sturdy shells, and in the metal format ( SOUNO, CD-IVF) I think are as good as any. The CD-MH type II is also a very high end tape. Some of the others from this company I haven't used myself, such as the MG-X, and the AS-II and AS-IV among others.

Obviously I sell these tapes, and I have a shipment coming in of about 650 tapes of which I think 300 are THAT'S/TRIAD, including a few I have never had or sold before.

Also, I believe the Taiyo Yuden connection is correct.

As a company, these guys were about as dumb as you could be! Who is going to go for a tape called "THAT'S", or buy a tape in the "SOUNO" format?? Every time I do a search for SOUNO, it corrects me with "SOUND".

But that just makes these tapes more rare, and I think overlooked. dr.bo

well i am once again searching for information about these ' that's ' and well here I am again - pondering - what to do with these - that's = that I have here and wondering if there is a market for these and bumping this thread...*reelspin* and i seen my picture I posted here so I dont have to go an be looking for these again - kewl ! *bigthumbup*

[vince666]

that's = that I have here and wondering if there is a market for these

don't know today... but during the late 80's and early 90's here in Italy That's tapes had a great success... especially when they put out the "cheaper" RX or the Roxana (RX-A), Vanexa (VX-A), Magica (MG-A) line-up during early 90's...

RX-A is an excellent typeI for its price and MG-A was perhaps the most affordable metal tape at that time but with nice "metal" performance... of course this "cheaper" line-up used those "simple" clear shells and not the "delta" or "Suono" format ones. *wink*

in those years i used to buy the RX to have a good typeI at an interesting price... while, generally, the higher models (especially the hybrid metal typeII and the typeIV) were a bit more pricey than average.

i think That's is one of my favourite brands with Sony and TDK... i'm noticing i used Maxell very little... *hypnot*

CHEERS *bigthumbup*

Vince.

[DecentMan4you]

am fixing to make a video of the opening of 2 packages I won off of epay over 4 years ago containing cassette's of I am sure that i was bidding against the Mighty Dr. Bo and i won of course... but was never that excited enough to open them then... and now I am very very poor so now...

[Gee12345]

Hi, I absolutely love That's tapes, they are definitely undervalued, and I score them on the same level as Maxell and TDK. They were made by the famous Taiyo Yuden and sold as both "Triad" or "That's" in Europe. They also looked gorgeous and classy.

I mostly used That's EM-X and their replacement CD/MH, and they are excellent - I cannot recommend them more! EM-X and CD/MH had the unusual combination of being Metal Type II tapes, where Suono format was used. More info here:

http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=6630


I probably used over 100 That's tapes in my time and never encountered any problems (this including MG-X). Was absolutely gutted when Richer Sounds stopped selling them in late 90s and that was it for UK market - as far as I'm aware.

One of the best That's tapes are Suono (level of Maxell Vertex), and That's MR-X PRO - (level of TDK MA-XG / MA-R or Maxell MX-S).

More info and photos of That's / Triad tapes here:

http://vintagecassettes.com/triad_thats/triad_thats.htm