Des-Lab
07-27-2008, 04:28 PM
Who here besides myself is a fan of Denon cassettes?
They always seemed to play a distant third or fourth place beyond Maxell, TDK, Sony, etc. and never seemed to rank very high on anyones favorites list. Perhaps a factor behind that was their extremely limited availability even during cassettes heyday years. Indeed back in the late 80's and very early 90's, the only two chain stores I ever saw them available for sale at here in SoCal was Tower Records and Leos Stereo. Both are now of course defunct. I also would sporadically encounter a small selection of them at some specialty hi-fi stores and once in a blue moon at a couple of used CD/record stores in Pasadena, CA.
Although I am not anywhere near as familar with the history or pedigree of these tapes as I am with Maxell, I will say that these tapes will rival-and in some cases-exceed the performance of the Maxells.
So what say you?
1. An HD6, probably from the early to mid 80's. Entry level Type II. Comparable to the Maxell UDS-II or TDK SD.
2. An HD7, presumably from the same lineup. Compares to the XLII and SA.
3. The DX3. Probably mid 80's. Excellent Type I. Compares to Maxell XLI or TDK AD-X/AR-X.
4. DX4. Same period as above. I say that the 1986 and 1988 Maxell XLI-S tapes are the best of all Type I's. This tape, I would have to call a very close second place. Outstanding performance at all levels. Don't let it's "red oxide" appearance fool you. This tape will run circles around pretty much every other Type I out there and give a playback that would earn respect from just about any Type II and even some Type IV's.
5. HD8: Same lineup. Is advertised as a metal particle/high bias tape. Only other known example of such a tape is the TDK HX-S. And it shows. This tape does record and sound like a good Metal. I believe these tapes sound better than even the Maxell XLII-S.
6. HD-M. Same period as above #5. How this powerhouse metal isn't on EVERYONE'S wish list is beyond me. It's a dead-heat wash in my opinion for performance between this tape and the 1985 Maxell MX.
7. HD-6 (revised version, 1988). Entry level Type II. But it is kind of a weak performer in most areas. Unless you can get them real cheap, don't go out of your way for this one.
8. HD-7 (revised version, 1988). Solid Type II. I would rank this one better than its contemporary Maxell XLII or TDK SA, but not as good as XLII-S or SA-X.
9. HD-8 (revised version, 1988). Same description as HD-8 above. Just newer. Solid at all levels. Second to basically none. Tape is also believed to have been marketed as the 3M/BlackWatch "2020".
10. HD-M (revised version, 1988). Same description as HD-M above. Although this tape, like its siblings from the same lineup, comes with a basic and forgettable J-card, shell housing, etc, it's performance is not to be taken lightly and would give ANY so-called "Super Metal" (Vertex, MA-XG, Metal Master, etc.) a run for the money in terms of performance. Also believed to have been marketed as 3M/BlackWatch "4040".
They always seemed to play a distant third or fourth place beyond Maxell, TDK, Sony, etc. and never seemed to rank very high on anyones favorites list. Perhaps a factor behind that was their extremely limited availability even during cassettes heyday years. Indeed back in the late 80's and very early 90's, the only two chain stores I ever saw them available for sale at here in SoCal was Tower Records and Leos Stereo. Both are now of course defunct. I also would sporadically encounter a small selection of them at some specialty hi-fi stores and once in a blue moon at a couple of used CD/record stores in Pasadena, CA.
Although I am not anywhere near as familar with the history or pedigree of these tapes as I am with Maxell, I will say that these tapes will rival-and in some cases-exceed the performance of the Maxells.
So what say you?
1. An HD6, probably from the early to mid 80's. Entry level Type II. Comparable to the Maxell UDS-II or TDK SD.
2. An HD7, presumably from the same lineup. Compares to the XLII and SA.
3. The DX3. Probably mid 80's. Excellent Type I. Compares to Maxell XLI or TDK AD-X/AR-X.
4. DX4. Same period as above. I say that the 1986 and 1988 Maxell XLI-S tapes are the best of all Type I's. This tape, I would have to call a very close second place. Outstanding performance at all levels. Don't let it's "red oxide" appearance fool you. This tape will run circles around pretty much every other Type I out there and give a playback that would earn respect from just about any Type II and even some Type IV's.
5. HD8: Same lineup. Is advertised as a metal particle/high bias tape. Only other known example of such a tape is the TDK HX-S. And it shows. This tape does record and sound like a good Metal. I believe these tapes sound better than even the Maxell XLII-S.
6. HD-M. Same period as above #5. How this powerhouse metal isn't on EVERYONE'S wish list is beyond me. It's a dead-heat wash in my opinion for performance between this tape and the 1985 Maxell MX.
7. HD-6 (revised version, 1988). Entry level Type II. But it is kind of a weak performer in most areas. Unless you can get them real cheap, don't go out of your way for this one.
8. HD-7 (revised version, 1988). Solid Type II. I would rank this one better than its contemporary Maxell XLII or TDK SA, but not as good as XLII-S or SA-X.
9. HD-8 (revised version, 1988). Same description as HD-8 above. Just newer. Solid at all levels. Second to basically none. Tape is also believed to have been marketed as the 3M/BlackWatch "2020".
10. HD-M (revised version, 1988). Same description as HD-M above. Although this tape, like its siblings from the same lineup, comes with a basic and forgettable J-card, shell housing, etc, it's performance is not to be taken lightly and would give ANY so-called "Super Metal" (Vertex, MA-XG, Metal Master, etc.) a run for the money in terms of performance. Also believed to have been marketed as 3M/BlackWatch "4040".