Cassettes: What do they do better?

[Mr. Lin]

I've been recording some CDs to tape lately, and I notice that, despite varying levels of hiss, I really like the way the tape sounds in the end. It's different, but I can't quite put my finger on it. It seems like the more challenging high frequency parts are far less prone to distortion, and that a little bit of the edge is taken off. But am I imagining this?

In your experience, what are the strengths of cassettes? This of course is assuming you're using good components and good tape.

[NAD613]

I to have been recording cassettes from CD's & my computer. I haven't had any hiss issues; I'm using Dolby C & setting the bias back a bit. It increases the highs & if it's too bright now, I can always turn the treble down. I do it because as the tape gets older, the highs are the first to go, so I figure I'd brighten the tapes up a bit, so as they get older, I can just turn up the treble. The bias is set @ -2 on type I tapes. Man,do they have high end on them. My deck is only rated to 18,000 Hz, but I got all the highs I can hear.

[Scorpion8]

I do the same, and find that the sound is "changed". How? Who knows, the only answer I have is it becomes an analog waveform (which your ears have been using since the day you were born) once on tape instead of a digital-converted-harshly-into an analog wave form straight from CD. I think people find the analog sound much more appealing, and your brain filters out the hiss, because it's what you're used to on a daily basis naturally.

[braxus]

I just made another tape tonight. Dolby OFF on a Fuji FR Metal tape. If the volume is low enough, the hiss disappears. I still find vinyl to be a better source then CDs for recording. One stereo guy I talked to way back in the 90s told me tape is like a good filter when recording CDs. It softens the music a bit and makes it more musical. But it still has the CD quality in terms of presence, which I find vinyl does a better job at. Now if only I could play back some of those reel to reel tapes I've been gathering to hear what tape can REALLY do.

[Web Police]

As was mentioned earlier, analog tapes smooth out the music where in the digital domain sometimes you can clearly hear the sharp saw tooth wave form. Much the same as tube amplifiers vs. solid state amplifiers. I think two channel sacd's would take away much of the saw tooth heard on cd's.

[Mr. Lin]

As was mentioned earlier, analog tapes smooth out the music where in the digital domain sometimes you can clearly hear the sharp saw tooth wave form. Much the same as tube amplifiers vs. solid state amplifiers. I think two channel sacd's would take away much of the saw tooth heard on cd's.

Interesting, I hadn't thought of it that way but it makes sense.