Cassette review: Maxell MS-60 Studio Grade tape

[NAD613]

This is a type II cassette, said to use the XL-II tape formulation, but with a sturdier case to withstand the rigors of musicians using them in Tascam Portastudio machines. TDK's verion of this tape would be the Pro Media Studio Master (SM) cassette, which I've already tried. In fact, I got 2 of these Maxells from Scorpion8 by trading 2 of my TDK Pro Media SM-60 tapes.

I decided to record a CD on this cassette, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass' "South Of The Border" from 1964. It's one of my favorite albums & clocks in at just under 29 minutes, so it was a perfect candidate. I recorded the album on both sides so I don't have to rewind it when the album's done.

As I'm sure I don't have to tell most of you, when you record music from a digital source onto a cassette, one of the most noticeable differences on the cassette is the fullness of the sound; there's something added to the low/mid low frequencies that, for whatever reason, digital cannot pick up. I recorded this tape using Dolby C. All the sound was there, no loss of highs, no dropouts or anything. I believe Maxell, and TDK for that matter, have higher quality controls on their studio cassette tape production than on the mass-market level, IMHO.

Verdict: I think the Maxell MS Studio Tapes are very good tapes & have no trouble recommending them.

[Scorpion8]

Nice to hear. Is this your standard "test" album? Mine is Dave Grusin/Lee Ritenour's ~ Harlequin as I know almost every note by heart, have heard it on many good and many bad systems, and I know what it should sound like.

[NAD613]

No, but it's an album I like & know pretty well. I like instrumental music, so it seemed like a good album to record.

[stripedcat99]

The Maxell "Studio Tape" was discontinued late in 2007. There may still be some stock out there, I managed to buy a couple cases which should hold me over...
I found it to be a pretty decent tape also. My V-8030S Teac has variable bias/level controls, so each tape type can be set according to a test tone (you make a test recording and set the levels). I think this is critical to matching tape to deck, and it was something I had never had in a cassette deck before (until I bought this).

[NAD613]

The Maxell "Studio Tape" was discontinued late in 2007. There may still be some stock out there, I managed to buy a couple cases which should hold me over...
I found it to be a pretty decent tape also. My V-8030S Teac has variable bias/level controls, so each tape type can be set according to a test tone (you make a test recording and set the levels). I think this is critical to matching tape to deck, and it was something I had never had in a cassette deck before (until I bought this).

Maxell really needs to update their website. I was on it a month or two ago & it said they still made it.

[Mr. Lin]

Not surprised to hear you liked these. I've used a couple and they're not bad at all, and luckily I was able to get a couple cases - they're becoming somewhat difficult to procure.

[braxus]

Nad I notice a common theme in your reviews how the tapes you record from digital seem to make the sound better on tape. I wonder how much is the deck you are using coloring the sound and not the tapes? Is this consistent on other decks?

Some tapes do color the sound, but the main reason for fine bias controls on decks is to get a flat response and make the tape as accurate as it can be compared to the source. A true recording is supposed to be as close to the source as possible, meaning you should not be able to hear a difference between the source and tape. If the tape sounds better, I'd be more inclined to think the tape and/ or deck is coloring the sound more to your liking. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but it may be explaining some of what you are hearing.

[NAD613]

Nad I notice a common theme in your reviews how the tapes you record from digital seem to make the sound better on tape. I wonder how much is the deck you are using coloring the sound and not the tapes? Is this consistent on other decks?

Some tapes do color the sound, but the main reason for fine bias controls on decks is to get a flat response and make the tape as accurate as it can be compared to the source. A true recording is supposed to be as close to the source as possible, meaning you should not be able to hear a difference between the source and tape. If the tape sounds better, I'd be more inclined to think the tape and/ or deck is coloring the sound more to your liking. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but it may be explaining some of what you are hearing.

I've noticed it on all my decks, and only my NAD has a bias adjustment. When I do use it, I use it to increase the highs, usually on type I tapes. A friend of mine who has done a lot of recording & has a home studio, in addition to being pretty smart at electronics, said there's a kind of compression that analog naturally has that causes the low/mid lows to sound fuller. That's why when I record from a digital source to analog, the music sounds fuller. It's really noticeable on music recorded off the internet.