Best cassette currently

[NAD613]

Hands down, I would say Akai GX type II cassettes. They are well made & have very good stability & sound. I just got a few boxes of them the other day & they sound great, better than any tape I've used in years. Best tapes I've used since the glory days of Sony UX & Maxell XLII-S.

Remember when Sony & Maxell used to make tapes like that were, you know, well built & great sounding?

[Des-Lab]

It's pretty slim pickens out there these days, and has been for some time now. No question about that. I can't, offhand, think of a single production tape today that resembles the quality of their predecessors. Once high quality mid-level tapes such as the XLII and SA, while still technically being made, are nothing but hollowed out and cheapened husks of what they once were. Even with the same model number, there just is no comparing a current XLII against the one from...for example...1988. By any standard, the former is a junk tape. And the latter will absolutely blow it out of the water. The tapes didn't disappear suddenly. It was a gradual dieoff. Although many lines started getting pared back in the late 80's, the quality was still there. No doubt the torpid economy of the time hastened their demise. By the turn of the decade (1990), the promise of digital recording was on the horizon with DAT, DCC, and MD. Granted, all three formats ultimately fizzled out, but by the time they did, CD-R (and the Internet) were lurking just below the horizon. So it was safe to say by that time, cassettes days as a quality format were numbered. And by the mid 90's, most of the quality stuff was gone.

[Web Police]

I agree cassettes tapes hit their zenith in the late 1980's and there has been a steady decline in quality and materials used in the tapes and shells ever since. I don't recall getting a bad tapes straight out of the wrapper back then, but it does happen with todays tapes. It was easy to be confused at all the tape offerings back then, and now you just have to be happy that you can find any type II tapes at all. Quite a few retailers are not even stocking type I tapes anymore.

I have quite a few new tapes at home and I also have been buying and bulk erasing used tapes.

[NAD613]

What you've said is true & that's why I was so glad the Akai tapes were no duds. They are the best tapes I've bought in over 10 years, as good as anything I've used since the early-mid '90's. However, not many places sell them & they're kind of hard to find.

[braxus]

Never seen the Akai tapes sold anywhere here. Our London Drugs here seems to be the last place to buy blanks in any variety. They sell the Maxell UR and XL-II, Fuji DR-I and II, and Sony HF. At one dollar store here they sell the Maxell UR 90 and TDK SA 60 for $1 buck each. London Drugs pricing isn't bad until you factor in their tax for blank media which brings the cost up. They are the only place to charge that tax.

[NAD613]

Never seen the Akai tapes sold anywhere here. Our London Drugs here seems to be the last place to buy blanks in any variety. They sell the Maxell UR and XL-II, Fuji DR-I and II, and Sony HF. At one dollar store here they sell the Maxell UR 90 and TDK SA 60 for $1 buck each. London Drugs pricing isn't bad until you factor in their tax for blank media which brings the cost up. They are the only place to charge that tax.

About the only websites I've found the Akai tapes are at www.cheapbatteries.com & www.batteriesandbutter.com. The 90 minute high-bias are 80 cents/each, the 90 minute normal bias are 45 cents/each. Minimum order it 10, so 10 ct. boxes are $8 & $4.50.

[braxus]

I was going to place an order for some Akai tapes when I saw the site didn't have encryption for taking your Visa card number. Too risky. I don't trust that info will be kept safe without it. After ordering 30 tapes, it still came to $27 with shipping. So its not as cheap as one would think.

[NAD613]

I was going to place an order for some Akai tapes when I saw the site didn't have encryption for taking your Visa card number. Too risky. I don't trust that info will be kept safe without it. After ordering 30 tapes, it still came to $27 with shipping. So its not as cheap as one would think.

I guess it depends on how much you're ordering. Batteries & Butter has a flat $10 S&H fee for orders under $25, then after that, you just pay whatever the shipping cost is. On my orders, the costs have averaged about $9-$10/box with shipping, which is better than a lot of places that charge $15+ just for one box. No one around here sells type II cassettes anymore, so it's about my only option.

Another good site is www.wmsales.com. They have free shipping on orders over $100 & carry Maxell Studio Master cassettes, as well as TDK Pro Media cassettes.

[braxus]

Yes the butter's site is still a good deal- if you are familiar with the Akai tapes. I'd rather phone in the order though to be safe.

[NAD613]

Yes the butter's site is still a good deal- if you are familiar with the Akai tapes. I'd rather phone in the order though to be safe.

Yep, and they got a toll-free ph#, too.

[braxus]

Yep, and they got a toll-free ph#, too.

I called them today to place an order. The first time they said they were going to call back, so I decided to try again later. Called later and placed an order for 50 tapes. 3 boxes of type 1 Akai, and 2 boxes of type 2. Came to almost $30. I mentioned about the site encryption and they said it was, but whenever my browser goes to that order page for the Visa, it says its not. So I don't know. I don't trust it is if that little symbol saying it is doesn't show. Anyway that will be all I'll order since I'll give others a chance to get more. I have enough really anyway. I'll have over 260 blanks to date, and I don't have that many new records to use them with.

[NAD613]

Isn't that crazy, 5 boxes of cassettes for around $30? Gotta love it!

[Scorpion8]

Hands down, I would say Akai GX type II cassettes.

Are ya sure these are current production, or just a huge lot of NOS? Akai got out of most things musical and electronic except for cheap knockoff tvs and such. Anyone have any info on actual current production?

[NAD613]

Are ya sure these are current production, or just a huge lot of NOS? Akai got out of most things musical and electronic except for cheap knockoff tvs and such. Anyone have any info on actual current production?

You may very well be correct. After I posted this thread, I went to the Akai website & there was no mention of cassettes. Also, Batteries & Butter sold out of their 60 minute Akai SX stock a few weeks ago. And if you Google them, all you get are Ebay auctions & the Batteries & Butter site. So far I've bought 3 boxes of the Akai SX-90, 4 boxes of the Akai GX-90, & one box of the Akai GX-60. I hope that got a warehouse or two full of these tapes, or at least keep them in stock until the end of the year so I can buy 4 or 5 boxes a month!

[Web Police]

I would guess that the cassettes are NOS and when they are gone they are gone. With all the publicity regarding them lately they probably wont last long unless they have a box car full of them. :p

[NAD613]

I would guess that the cassettes are NOS and when they are gone they are gone. With all the publicity regarding them lately they probably wont last long unless they have a box car full of them. :p

Geez, me and my big mouth!

[Web Police]

Lol, no that's ok, I am sure there are plenty to go around. :)

Besides there are a bunch on ebay too. :D

[Mr. Lin]

Admitting that I don't have a whole lot of experience with this just yet, I'll throw in a vote for the TDK Pro SM. The Aikai GX is definitely top-notch, but the TDK SM came out better than anything else I've made so far.

Are the current XLIIs really that bad? I hate to hear that since I have about 100 of them now.

[braxus]

The current XL-II tapes are hit and miss. Some tapes can be bad right from the wrapper. Some ok. The quality of the tape and shell aside, you may get a bad tape in the box mixed with good ones. I found this out when I used a few from the new stash.

Des has said before the best way to get decent tapes is to buy NOS, or as its put "New Old Stock". Best place to find them is Ebay. Maybe not cheap, but lots of them.

[NAD613]

Admitting that I don't have a whole lot of experience with this just yet, I'll throw in a vote for the TDK Pro SM. The Aikai GX is definitely top-notch, but the TDK SM came out better than anything else I've made so far.

Are the current XLIIs really that bad? I hate to hear that since I have about 100 of them now.

I don't know myself, but apparently that's what a lot of people feel. Like yourself, I also bought a couple of boxes of them. Haven't used any of them yet.

If you have that many, you should sell them on Ebay, then use the money to buy more TDK Pro Media SM & Akai GX cassettes.

[braxus]

If you have that many, you should sell them on Ebay, then use the money to buy more TDK Pro Media SM & Akai GX cassettes.


Not likely to sell for too much because most lurkers on Ebay are aware of the tape quality of most tapes posted. This includes the current batch of XL-II tapes. Watch and see how much the old versions go for over the new ones. You'll know then what I mean.

[NAD613]

Yeah, I kind of figured that.

I've also noticed that folks are selling the Akai GX tapes on Ebay for 2 to 3 times what they sell for on the B&B website.

[braxus]

Yeah, I kind of figured that.

I've also noticed that folks are selling the Akai GX tapes on Ebay for 2 to 3 times what they sell for on the B&B website.


They are probably flipping the tapes like many do. Buy them cheap and resell them at a profit. I wouldn't be surprised if they get them off the B&B site just so they can flip them. The only thing though is Akai wasn't well known back when for making tapes, so most people would not be familiar with them. Therefore they'd sell for less then say TDK or Maxell.

[Mr. Lin]

I don't know myself, but apparently that's what a lot of people feel. Like yourself, I also bought a couple of boxes of them. Haven't used any of them yet.

If you have that many, you should sell them on Ebay, then use the money to buy more TDK Pro Media SM & Akai GX cassettes.

Good advice, but first I should actually try a few of these and see how they come out.

BTW I just ordered a whole bunch of TDK Pro SM tapes, 10, 30, 60 and 90 minute lengths. Got them from WM Sales, if you're looking for those, seems cheaper there than most places.

I have started buying NOS tapes here and there, even a few metal ones. I'm just going to stock up on the TDK Pro SM, Fuji DR-II, and Akai GX tapes from now on, and supplement with NOS.

How about the Maxell Professional Studio tape? I have a box of those sitting here that hasn't been used, but I have to say the tapes themselves appear pretty well-built.

[NAD613]

Good advice, but first I should actually try a few of these and see how they come out.

BTW I just ordered a whole bunch of TDK Pro SM tapes, 10, 30, 60 and 90 minute lengths. Got them from WM Sales, if you're looking for those, seems cheaper there than most places.

I have started buying NOS tapes here and there, even a few metal ones. I'm just going to stock up on the TDK Pro SM, Fuji DR-II, and Akai GX tapes from now on, and supplement with NOS.

How about the Maxell Professional Studio tape? I have a box of those sitting here that hasn't been used, but I have to say the tapes themselves appear pretty well-built.

Yep, WM Sales is bookmarked as one of my top cassette retailers. I'll probably make a purchase there by the end of the month. Those makes of cassettes (TDK Pro SM, Fuji DR-II, & the Akai GX) are probably the 3 best high bias tapes out there right now.

[Mr. Lin]

At the risk of sounding over-enthusiastic about every tape I've tried, I just made one with the Maxell Professional Studio, gave a quick listen on the headphones, and it sounded very good. Have any of you tried these before?

Who knows, a lot of this might have to do with the equipment I'm using, which, while certainly not the best, is all quite decent.

[NAD613]

Years ago, around 1994-95, I bought a box of the MS-90. Pretty good tapes, on par with the regular XL-II, but not quite as good as the XLII-S. I'm not sure if there's much difference between them & the TDK Pro Media tapes.

[Mr. Lin]

I'm continuing to listen to the tape I made with the Maxell MS, it's really not that bad at all, but I still like the Akai and TDK Pro Media better.

[Web Police]

At the risk of sounding over-enthusiastic about every tape I've tried, I just made one with the Maxell Professional Studio, gave a quick listen on the headphones, and it sounded very good. Have any of you tried these before?

Who knows, a lot of this might have to do with the equipment I'm using, which, while certainly not the best, is all quite decent.

Good recording equipment will make most tapes sound pretty decent, on the other hand mediocre recording equipment will yield sub par results on every tape. :)

[NAD613]

Good recording equipment will make most tapes sound pretty decent, on the other hand mediocre recording equipment will yield sub par results on every tape. :)

I agree with that statement.

[niklasthedolphin]

I am recording Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers: "Buhaina".......................... a 200 gram vinyl played on my modified Dunlop IV / Rega RB 700 / Micro Benz L2 / Whest PS.20+MS.20 RIAA............ right now on Fuji DR II C90 with my Tandberg TCD 910 fully adjusted azimuth, bias / rec level for each chanel by handcraft to the described tape.

Wonderful experience.

No NR, obviously, for the best result.

I enjoy it very much....................

And I find the Fuji Tape very stable and responsive.
I have a lot of Sony tapes on the shelves that i rarely touch.
Sony tapes suffer from heavy drop outs...............IMHO.

"dolph"

[NAD613]

Yeah, those Fuji DR-II are pretty good tapes & they haven't cut corners on quality in recent years, either.

[Mr. Lin]

I am recording Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers: "Buhaina".......................... a 200 gram vinyl played on my modified Dunlop IV / Rega RB 700 / Micro Benz L2 / Whest PS.20+MS.20 RIAA............ right now on Fuji DR II C90 with my Tandberg TCD 910 fully adjusted azimuth, bias / rec level for each chanel by handcraft to the described tape.

Wonderful experience.

No NR, obviously, for the best result.

I enjoy it very much....................

And I find the Fuji Tape very stable and responsive.
I have a lot of Sony tapes on the shelves that i rarely touch.
Sony tapes suffer from heavy drop outs...............IMHO.

"dolph"

Sounds like you have a pretty serious vinyl setup, that should come out great. I always like to know what components people are using when they record to cassette, aside from just the tape deck. Let us know how it sounds when you're done.

[RWN]

And I find the Fuji Tape very stable and responsive.

"dolph"

Can you recommend a place in the EU where I can find those tapes? I would like to avoid ordering from the US to avoid import taxes.

thanks
Erwin

[niklasthedolphin]

Can you recommend a place in the EU where I can find those tapes? I would like to avoid ordering from the US to avoid import taxes.

thanks
Erwin

I am sorry.
I have quite a stock of tapes from through times when ever I tumbled over any for sale anywhere.
When having always had cassette and R2R since the 60's you tend to be aware about that.
So right now I have enough tapes for the next several years.

But my advise is to find out where schools and other institutions have their ressources and buy them there.

"dolph"

[Nak_novice]

Still fairly easy to acquire: TDK SA-X90 are my run of the mill tape for general playing with at the moment and I will stick with it until forced to change.

My Master Recordings are split between 4 tape types of which I have about 30 to 50 of each at the moment. (The ZXL can store the calibration settings for 4 tape types) These are still being collected when the price is right:

TDK MA-R 90
TDK MA-XG (I) 90
TDK MA-XG (II) 90
Maxell Vertex 90

Also gathering when price is not extortionate for future use:

Sony Super Metal Master 90
Nakamichi ZX-C 90

[niklasthedolphin]

It's a hard time to be picky on buying tapes.

My rationalization is to match the tapes to whatever material I record and save the best of the tapes on the shelves for special occasions.

Should I take a pick on the best I would go for Scotch XSM IV 90.

Very stable, no drop outs, extremely low noise, great freq response and the great sound recorded on the tape stays in the right place over years so your imagination of being present at the event is preserved.

TDK and Fuji made some great CR tapes.
I happily use Maxell (Cr) and BASF (Fe) tapes too.

But if you don't have a machine with manual adjustment of bias etc. you may be more prone to pick on behalf of your deck's taste.

"dolph"