Well look what came in the mail today... (pictures)

[Mr. Lin]

I'm usually not fond of longer tapes, often sticking to 60 minutes or less. But I couldn't resist this one, four three-packs of TDK SA-X 100 tapes for $34. Is that a good price for twelve of them? I think it is. Since I usually see these go for around $4-6 each on ebay, roughly $2.83 apiece is pretty decent. The original price stickers are still on them, $6.99 per three-pack, then they put sale stickers over them at $5.99 per three-pack. Haven't used them yet, but I'm sure the results will be good.

Then of course there's six more boxes of the Akai GX/SX. I probably have enough of those now to build a small house out of them.

[Web Police]

Looks good. :)

[Mr. Lin]

It's nice to have a place where I can post pictures of new tapes and know that other people will appreciate my excitement. When my girlfriend got home from work and saw all this she just stared at me and said "it's time to stop buying tapes," to which I replied "never!" But then I explained that I'll stop soon, I just need a little more :)

Then it will be time for a major deck upgrade. Stay tuned.

[NAD613]

Very good! I certainly knows what it feels like to get a box full of new cassettes. Later this month, I'll be stocking up on some Akai GX & SX, as well as some Fuji DR-I.

[Mr. Lin]

Very good! I certainly knows what it feels like to get a box full of new cassettes. Later this month, I'll be stocking up on some Akai GX & SX, as well as some Fuji DR-I.

Are you still planning on buying a case of the Akai tapes?

Anyone here used TDK SA-X before? I think I'm going to try one tonight.

[MacGyver]

It's nice to have a place where I can post pictures of new tapes and know that other people will appreciate my excitement. When my girlfriend got home from work and saw all this she just stared at me and said "it's time to stop buying tapes," to which I replied "never!" But then I explained that I'll stop soon, I just need a little more :)

Then it will be time for a major deck upgrade. Stay tuned.

i understand your pain... at any rate, way to go!!o-o:-)

[NAD613]

Are you still planning on buying a case of the Akai tapes?

Anyone here used TDK SA-X before? I think I'm going to try one tonight.

I might for the Akai SX; only $45/case (10 boxes)! Since I've developed a recipe for great sounding type I tapes (record & playback in Dolby C, bias set at approx. -1.5), I'm kind of leaning towards buying more of them. Too bad B&B doesn't sell Fuji DR-I and TDK Pro Media Studio Master cassettes as well as the Akai cassettes. I'd like to buy all 3 in one order.

The SA-X was TDK's version of the Maxell XLII-S, i.e. premium grade high bias cassette. It's a pretty good tape & I think you'll like it.

[Scorpion8]

I think you got a good deal. The TDK in my book would be far superior to the Akai tapes. SA-X was very good tape.

[Mr. Lin]

I think you got a good deal. The TDK in my book would be far superior to the Akai tapes. SA-X was very good tape.

You're not an Akai believer, but you will be...Yes!

[Mr. Lin]

I usually don't seriously judge a tape until I've had a chance to listen through speakers on my main system, but I'm listening to one of my new TDK SA-X tapes through headphones right now and I have to say something about this.

Source is a CD. The music is a obscure mid-90s indie band called Christie Front Drive, which I would summarize simply as rock with deliberately recessed vocals, so the singing is kind of in the background. It's basically a collection of early singles, not the greatest recording ever, little bass.

So listening to this tape it's clear to me it's by far the best one I've used so far, it frankly sounds better than a metal tape I used the other night, but that could just be the source. First of all, there's literally almost no hiss at all, and no, I did not use any type of NR. To see if I was imagining this I turned the volume up very loud in the silence between songs - almost nothing.

Second, as has happened several times to me recently, this tape actually sounds better than the CD! How, I don't know, but switching back and forth between the two, that's how it sounds. Dynamics are very strong, and the lack of bass is no longer an issue as the sound of the bass guitar strings being plucked now sounds very realistic. Percussive instruments have lots of impact, good imaging, really fantastic. This is an album I've been listening to for over 10 years, and I've never heard it like this.

Now I wish I had more than 12 of these things.

More on this once I try recording something different. Definitely need to go through the hassle of moving everything around to record from some vinyl.

[NAD613]

I usually don't seriously judge a tape until I've had a chance to listen through speakers on my main system, but I'm listening to one of my new TDK SA-X tapes through headphones right now and I have to say something about this.

Source is a CD. The music is a obscure mid-90s indie band called Christie Front Drive, which I would summarize simply as rock with deliberately recessed vocals, so the singing is kind of in the background. It's basically a collection of early singles, not the greatest recording ever, little bass.

So listening to this tape it's clear to me it's by far the best one I've used so far, it frankly sounds better than a metal tape I used the other night, but that could just be the source. First of all, there's literally almost no hiss at all, and no, I did not use any type of NR. To see if I was imagining this I turned the volume up very loud in the silence between songs - almost nothing.

Second, as has happened several times to me recently, this tape actually sounds better than the CD! How, I don't know, but switching back and forth between the two, that's how it sounds. Dynamics are very strong, and the lack of bass is no longer an issue as the sound of the bass guitar strings being plucked now sounds very realistic. Percussive instruments have lots of impact, good imaging, really fantastic. This is an album I've been listening to for over 10 years, and I've never heard it like this.

Now I wish I had more than 12 of these things.

More on this once I try recording something different. Definitely need to go through the hassle of moving everything around to record from some vinyl.

I also preferred premium grade high bias tapes to metal. Back in the day, I bought the Maxell XLII-S tapes because I felt they sounded better than the metal tapes, IMHO. Not to mention the price was a bit lower.

[stuwee]

As far as the taping of CD's to cassette, I've been preaching that for years, on the few I did before on the SAE I also detected a much nicer, truer tone. This was from a crappy, bright first gen CDP. That's what my ears say anyway, YMMV

Craig

[Scorpion8]

As far as the taping of CD's to cassette, I've been preaching that for years, on the few I did before on the SAE I also detected a much nicer, truer tone.

Highly 2nd'ed. It's a truth we've all known, and others are just figuring out.

[stuwee]

Highly 2nd'ed. It's a truth we've all known, and others are just figuring out.

Analog will always rock my world, I think folks are starting to dip a toe or two into the tape arena as well. Not as big time as vinyl but, I see change comin' this site is gonna explode by this time next year, mark your calendar*check* we're at 140+ 7/3/08. cue-evil laugh*Hi5*

[Mr. Lin]

As far as the taping of CD's to cassette, I've been preaching that for years, on the few I did before on the SAE I also detected a much nicer, truer tone. This was from a crappy, bright first gen CDP. That's what my ears say anyway, YMMV

Craig

I have to admit it's something that's surprised me as I've gotten deeper and deeper into the world of cassettes. At first I thought I was imagining it, but switching back and forth like that, you can hear the difference. And like I said, this album I put on the SA-X tape now sounds better than I've ever heard it.

So, to continue with the title of the thread, below is a picture of what came in the mail today!

[Web Police]

There is a guy from AK that is selling TDK SA-X tapes on ebay. He also is selling TDK MA-X tapes as well. These tapes are late model tapes probably from around the late 90's or early 2000's.

<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Twelve-sealed-TDK-SA-X-type-II-100-min-cassette-tapes_W0QQitemZ290243066888QQihZ019QQcategoryZ1496 2QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.com/Twelve-sealed-TDK-SA-X-type-II-100-min-cassette-tapes_W0QQitemZ290243066888QQihZ019QQcategoryZ1496 2QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem/"target="_blank">
TDK SA-X Tapes</a>

<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Ten-sealed-TDK-MA-X-100-Metal-type-IV-cassette-tapes_W0QQitemZ300238631866QQihZ020QQcategoryZ1496 2QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.com/Ten-sealed-TDK-MA-X-100-Metal-type-IV-cassette-tapes_W0QQitemZ300238631866QQihZ020QQcategoryZ1496 2QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem/"target="_blank">
TDK MA-X Tapes</a>

[Mr. Lin]

There is a guy from AK that is selling TDK SA-X tapes on ebay. He also is selling TDK MA-X tapes as well. These tapes are late model tapes probably from around the late 90's or early 2000's.

<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Twelve-sealed-TDK-SA-X-type-II-100-min-cassette-tapes_W0QQitemZ290243066888QQihZ019QQcategoryZ1496 2QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.com/Twelve-sealed-TDK-SA-X-type-II-100-min-cassette-tapes_W0QQitemZ290243066888QQihZ019QQcategoryZ1496 2QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem/"target="_blank">
TDK SA-X Tapes</a>

<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Ten-sealed-TDK-MA-X-100-Metal-type-IV-cassette-tapes_W0QQitemZ300238631866QQihZ020QQcategoryZ1496 2QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.com/Ten-sealed-TDK-MA-X-100-Metal-type-IV-cassette-tapes_W0QQitemZ300238631866QQihZ020QQcategoryZ1496 2QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem/"target="_blank">
TDK MA-X Tapes</a>

Ha, that's the guy I got them from, just talked the price down a bit. Didn't know he's from AK, but he seemed nice, and he double boxed my cassettes!

[Web Police]

He goes by the same name without the 1128 over at AK. I saw that he had best offer on the SA-X tapes too. If I didn't already have about 25 of them that I bought a year ago, I'd probably grab some more.

[Mr. Lin]

He goes by the same name without the 1128 over at AK. I saw that he had best offer on the SA-X tapes too. If I didn't already have about 25 of them that I bought a year ago, I'd probably grab some more.

I believe I've seen that user name on AK before, but maybe I'm just thinking that because you told me he's on AK. I'll contact him next week. I'm going to be on the lookout for the SA-X tapes now, I can't believe how good they are. I recorded another indie/rock type band's album on the B side of the tape I talked about above, and at first I thought there was something wrong with it because the distortion in the guitar parts was so detailed. It's like the music is stripped naked.

[Mr. Lin]

I just tried out one of the Denon HD7 tapes and it sounds good. I think I like the way these look more than any tape I've owned yet.

[braxus]

Then Denon HD8 was an excellent tape as well. I've used quite a few of them.

[Mr. Lin]

Then Denon HD8 was an excellent tape as well. I've used quite a few of them.

Truth be told they're not the absolute best of the Type IIs I've tried so far, all though certainly not bad at all. But I really do love the way they look, I keep picking them up and checking them out.

[NAD613]

I believe I've seen that user name on AK before, but maybe I'm just thinking that because you told me he's on AK. I'll contact him next week. I'm going to be on the lookout for the SA-X tapes now, I can't believe how good they are. I recorded another indie/rock type band's album on the B side of the tape I talked about above, and at first I thought there was something wrong with it because the distortion in the guitar parts was so detailed. It's like the music is stripped naked.

Don't forget about A to Z Audio if you want the studio grade SA-X tapes in 20 & 30 minute lengths, the TDK Pro Media SMX-20 for $6.50/box & the SMX-30 for $7.50/box. If I used shorter length cassettes, they'd be sold out!

http://www.atozaudio.com/html/closeouts-packagedcass.html

[Mr. Lin]

Don't forget about A to Z Audio if you want the studio grade SA-X tapes in 20 & 30 minute lengths, the TDK Pro Media SMX-20 for $6.50/box & the SMX-30 for $7.50/box. If I used shorter length cassettes, they'd be sold out!

http://www.atozaudio.com/html/closeouts-packagedcass.html

They have regular SA-X tapes still?

[NAD613]

They have regular SA-X tapes still?

Nope, but the SMX have been discontinued by TDK. The cassettes contain the SA-X tape, but have a shell like the SM tapes. The studio tapes are built better, to stand up to the use in portable recording equipment. Seriously, if you like the TDK Pro Media SM & the SA-X, these tapes are a marriage of the two. And at those prices, it's too good to pass up! Here's a guy on Ebay selling the SMX-30, but at triple the price of AtoZ Audio:

http://cgi.ebay.com/10-pack-case-TDK-SM-X30-Tapes-SA-X-tape-in-SM-X-shell_W0QQitemZ300238868664QQcmdZViewItem

If AtoZ had those SMX tapes in 90 min. lengths, I would have bought them out already.

[Mr. Lin]

Nope, but the SMX have been discontinued by TDK. The cassettes contain the SA-X tape, but have a shell like the SM tapes. The studio tapes are built better, to stand up to the use in portable recording equipment. Seriously, if you like the TDK Pro Media SM & the SA-X, these tapes are a marriage of the two. And at those prices, it's too good to pass up! Here's a guy on Ebay selling the SMX-30, but at triple the price of AtoZ Audio:

http://cgi.ebay.com/10-pack-case-TDK-SM-X30-Tapes-SA-X-tape-in-SM-X-shell_W0QQitemZ300238868664QQcmdZViewItem

If AtoZ had those SMX tapes in 90 min. lengths, I would have bought them out already.

Yes now I remember you told me this before. Thanks a lot for the tip, next pay day I'm definitely going to order a bunch of those. A combination like that has got to be really nice.

[Mr. Lin]

How come I can't find a link to A to Z Audio?

EDIT: Never mind, I got it.

[close652]

Looks like a pack of UX Pro.....

[close652]

.....but it is a mix of tapes from a fellow tapehead (not from here) *reelspin*

[NAD613]

Looks like a pack of UX Pro.....

Ah, the Sony UX-Pro. One of the best type II tapes, IMHO. I used those & the Maxell XLII-S tapes all the time back in the early-mid 90's. Man, I wish Sony still made them. A very good tape indeed.

[Scorpion8]

I had a surprise like that once. I ordered some NOS Denon HD6s off eBay and they showed up in a JVC tape box. My heart sunk at first since I didn't remember ordering them, but inside were the Denon tapes. Made me much, much happier.

[close652]

well, I got what I had expected :)
we swapped same tapes, and when we post usually there are some bonus mixtapes to listen :) *reelspin*

[close652]

3x3 SA 60 *reelspin**reelspin*