Cassette review: Fuji DR-I, normal bias

[NAD613]

This is a tape I've been wanting to try for a long time. Stores around here, such as Montgomery Wards, used to sell these for a pretty good price years ago; usually $3.99 a 6-pack I think, back in the early-mid 90's. Being as I had good success with the type II Fuji DR-II, I thought I'd give the DR-I's a try. I found a good price on 12 of them thru Ebay @ the BIN price of $7.99, shipping included. Yeah, I probably could have bought them for only $2 + $2.99 shipping, but I didn't want to wait a week for the auction to end & I was going out of town.

I recorded some 60's music on my NAD, using Dolby C w/bias set at about -1.5. The sound was just fine, no problems. These cassettes are well built, no cheap workmanship like the new Sony HF tapes. The shell is the 5-screw type & the hubs are well secured, no excessive rattling. All & all, I like them a lot. I would give a slight nod to the Akai SX cassettes, because they are less expensive, just as well made, & have regular sized cassette boxes as opposed to the slim cases Fuji uses. However, I'd buy them again if a good deal were to be found.

http://www.fujifilmusa.com/products/consumer_av/audio/audiocassettes/dr_i/index.html

[Mr. Lin]

Great, thanks for the review. I really like to read these kinds of things. Funny, because last night I was looking at these on ebay and noticed that they're dirt-cheap. I only chose not to buy them because I have the Akai SX with two more boxes on the way, and I actually don't think I'll be using normal bias tapes all that frequently, but who knows. If some reputable NOS type I cassettes show up on ebay for the right price, that would be a different story.

So would you say the sound quality you got with these is about equal to that of the Akai SX, or does one have an edge (cost and case size aside, although I totally agree with you about the Akai cases, I wish all tapes had cases like that)?

[NAD613]

Great, thanks for the review. I really like to read these kinds of things. Funny, because last night I was looking at these on ebay and noticed that they're dirt-cheap. I only chose not to buy them because I have the Akai SX with two more boxes on the way, and I actually don't think I'll be using normal bias tapes all that frequently, but who knows. If some reputable NOS type I cassettes show up on ebay for the right price, that would be a different story.

So would you say the sound quality you got with these is about equal to that of the Akai SX, or does one have an edge (cost and case size aside, although I totally agree with you about the Akai cases, I wish all tapes had cases like that)?

I think the Akai may have an ever-so-slight edge on overall sound quality. However, the Fuji DR-I are still very good tapes & I recommend them. As long as those Akai SX are only $4.50/box thru B&B, that's the way to go for type I tapes IMHO.

[Mr. Lin]

I think the Akai tape looks cooler, so that's another plus.

[qubeular]

my family had quite a few of these tapes back in the day.

i was quite fond of them.

i had one with steely dan - aja on one side and u2 - war on the other.

the highs were so crispy they almost sizzled.

[NAD613]

I'm listening to that tape I made on a Fuji DR-I earlier today & I've got to say, it sounds great. Using Dolby C w/bias set at -1.5, no loss of highs whatsoever. I'd say they're on par with the Akai SX.

[close652]

Last week I recorded a radio show on a late 1990's DR-I and sounded OK. Looks like a good reliable tape.

A version of this DR tape is still in production and available in Europe (see pic.).

[NAD613]

Last week I recorded a radio show on a late 1990's DR-I and sounded OK. Looks like a good reliable tape.

A version of this DR tape is still in production and available in Europe (see pic.).

Yeah, that's another good thing about the DR-I; it's still in production & cheaply available, often at less than $6/box.

[MacGyver]

OH BOY,i DO INDEED remember those! they conjure up bad memories, to be sure. i must have went through well over 50 of them seven years ago, making mix tapes for my biological ex-father, who is a truck driver of 40 years experience. they did indeed perform solidly, and survived all the vibration in his ten years of cross country trucking with C.R. ENGLAND...
...now what i am about to state here could easily be considered sacrelige, so steel yourselves... my highly abusive "father" was destroying our life three short years ago. he threw away his promising budding career at C.R. ENGLAND and dumped most of what he had in the truck at home. he went to portland to get on with "OIL RE-REFINING COMPANY" and play gigs in the area. (he happens to be a PATHETIC, WANNABE Bass Guitar player that sees the artform ONLY as a means to feed his pathetic, insecure ego) anyway, he decided he did not want his family any longer. i was so heartbroken that i took a hammer to all those mixtapes!! those tapes were my way of sharing and connecting with a father i only saw once every two months at most, and i could no longer bear their existence. i do apologize...

[close652]

Yeah, that's another good thing about the DR-I; it's still in production & cheaply available, often at less than $6/box.

here 400HUF (=2,6 USD) for a 3pack.
(today USD hit a 12-year-low on our humble forint)