Quantegy Coming Back......Again?

[Des-Lab]

Interesting.

See: http://www.quantegy.com/

Looks like they are floating the idea of restarting production of GP9 and/or #499.

Makes me wonder if maybe this reinforces the idea that tape is indeed making a comeback. Should this come to fruition and neither ATR nor RMGI shut down, then we will have THREE brands of 1.5 mil tape available. Of course there is no mention on what sizes or lengths they are considering. Nor is there even any confirmed commitment to restart. Also there is no timeline. So if it does happen, it can be anywhere from Q4 '08 to 2010 or later.

But odds are, if they do start remaking the tape, it will likely be in all sizes ¼" all the way to 2". One cannot also wonder or hope that perhaps #406/407 and #456/457 might soon follow. But given Quantegy's checkered history (they have already twice shut down and restarted tape production), I wouldn't hold my hopes up very high for ANYTHING at this point.

But it might be something worth following just the same.

[MacGyver]

i'll tell you, des, consumer electronics these days have no character, no soul. like today's cars, they are all built exactly the same, with the same shitty parts. people are finally starting to realize this, enough to get the manufacturer's attention. people are also starting to realize the incomparable quality they can get with gems of the past. the manufacturer's have taken consumer ignorance and ran WAY too damn far with it. as a result, they are suffering the toll...

[Des-Lab]

Well I agree with you 100% for sure. But Quantegy still isn't off the hook. If they are responding in knee-jerk reactive mode because of one quarters financials (I guess like most other companies do), then you know what? Shame on them too. Although I do swear by the quality of their tape (it's great stuff), their business practices have been highly questionable and appear to have been made on a whim based on whatever the mood was on a given day.

Not to intentionally go too far off on a tangent, but this is a huge underlying reason why so many American based businesses have been chronically mismanaged for so long: Few American businessmen care about long term trends or goals. They only respond to whatever is "hot" at the moment. The only thing that matters is next quarters result. The overwhelming vast majority of them operate in reactive mode. So rare is the business that you see operating in an anticipatory proactive one.

-Which is why the Asians and many Europeans are light-years ahead of us in countless areas:

The American cares about how much money he can make today.
The Asian businessman cares about what he will make in his lifetime.

So that little blurb on the Quantegy site aside, I am far from endeared to them. They need to determine and establish a business model. And then stick with it. This making it up as they go along and then shutting down/restarting over and over paradigm isn't indicative of competent management.

[ferriteman]

Further to your discussion...what if Quantegy starting producing cassette tape again? I have some Quantegy type II stuff and its pretty good. I believe it was their own tape (correct me if I'm wrong here!) The shells seem a bit noiser than say the better Maxell stuff, but hey, these days, we can't always be too picky!

I would certainly load up on the stuff...

[braxus]

I have read that Quantegy is starting up production again, currently with limited tape stocks. Interesting how in the past they took blow torches to all their equipment, and now they are back at it again.

[Des-Lab]

The only scenario I can currently envision that makes any sense for Quantegy to come back (for a third time) here in 2010 (when also looking at stagnant and limited overall interest along with the economy still in ICU), would be a partnership of some type with one of the two incumbent companies-ATR or RMGI and some sort of joint/silent partner venture and reciprocity agreement to share costs and facilities along with perhaps a marketing agreement. If it's a scenario like that, it would almost certainly be with ATR, being that both are/were American based companies. Though that doesn't address the issue of "competing" tapes. Though I wouldn't rule against there being some sort of "brand recognition" factors involved.

Obviously this idea is just a hunch and has plenty of holes. But still, it's the only plausible scenario I can think of right now that fits into the construct of logic. I have an excrutiatingly difficult time wrapping my mind around the possibility of investments in an all-new tape making facility. Unless of course it's offshore in some Asian or Eastern European nation where labor and environmental laws are weak or nonexistant-something that also cannot be ruled out.

[Warped Bezel]

Imation could have done it a lot better.

[shadowlord]

sorry WB, but i don't think so.

just look what crap they are producing under the TDK brand.

[Warped Bezel]

sorry WB, but i don't think so.

just look what crap they are producing under the TDK brand.

I didn't have any trouble with D. Maybe that's all I could find but then again it's not like there's any place to buy cassettes outside of an old Radio Shack and a secondhand store.

[speakerman1]

I tried to get some ferric Type I music grade pancakes and couldn't because it isn't out there due to under producing. I can't get it till Nov. So something is happening. Either the tape companys are selling big time or the manu. lowered production. Every tapeloader I have talked to is maxed out and expanding. So I don't know what to think. We will see in the coming months.

Larry

[Des-Lab]

My money is on decreased production.

There may be something of an upswing on the Indie side, but I'd likewise also stake my bet on them probably using those unbranded generics, which can be bought by the ton for pennies apiece. They are still out there and would make the most sense for those Indie type ventures. I would be very surprised to learn that there's a shortage of high end stuff as a result of increased consumption.

[speakerman1]

My money is on decreased production.

There may be something of an upswing on the Indie side, but I'd likewise also stake my bet on them probably using those unbranded generics, which can be bought by the ton for pennies apiece. They are still out there and would make the most sense for those Indie type ventures. I would be very surprised to learn that there's a shortage of high end stuff as a result of increased consumption.

Some prices have went up. Shells have went up. The norelcos I get haven't went up. That is US made shells. The tape I was looking at last year has went down. Either they just want to get rid of it or my discount for buying has kicked in.

The minimum buy on what the indies use is 220,000 shells from China. There is no pallet buying. A pallet is 20-25,000 shells. Even at pennys it is a lot of money at one time. I don't care where you look there is no metal tape being made. So yes more cassettes are being made ; but they are custom cassettes. They aren't 60 or 90 minute tapes made by Maxell. So don't get your hopes up.

Larry

[Des-Lab]

It's been just under two years since I first brought you this heads up. In that time, there appears to have been absolutely no change whatsoever in the status of this "comeback". They still appear to have a few off size/length tapes available as NOS, but those are tapes with limited or no appeal.

Heck even ATR at least put out periodic updates when they were gestating. I've also pointed out that RMGI tape doesn't appear to be moving all that briskly these days. And someone out there thinks there's room for a third player?

I seriously doubt it. I am still sticking to my belief that says new "Quantegy" tape-if and when it appears-will be rebranded ATR and/or RMGI tape through some sort of shady silent partnership.

Of course all bets are off if there is a sudden measured spike in terms of interest to R2R. Especially in the equally unlikely scenario that an all new semi affordable decent deck hits the marketplace.

[collector804]

Interesting thread, could we see Imation bring back the high end type II or maybe IV lines? or maybe Maxell gets their shit together and start producing quality tapes and bring back their II's and IV's?

[Lance Lawson]

Unfortunately the Quantegy saga seems to be a non starter.*fit*

[Des-Lab]

Interesting thread, could we see Imation bring back the high end type II or maybe IV lines? or maybe Maxell gets their shit together and start producing quality tapes and bring back their II's and IV's?

Not going to happen. Not now, not ever. We tried gauging interest (http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=2852)as well as petitioning Maxell. (http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=2850) Both ideas belly flopped into oblivion. This of course should surprise no one in light of how we still place emphasis (http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=10612) on cheap over style.

The only way I can possibly envision any sort of Maxell (or other vintage name like TDK or Scotch) re-entering the market (http://www.tapeheads.net/showpost.php?p=122929&postcount=4)-and this itself is a one in a billion shot at that-would be to somehow work up a marketing alliance to franchise out/license the use of the Maxell logo and designs to an existing company like ATR or RMGI. In a nutshell, make new tape and package/rebrand/sell it as Maxell-complete with the vintage reels and boxes. This, I think is absolutely, 100% possible and would be successful. If all parties involved agreed to cooperate with each other. Sadly, I just don't see where the incentive and wherewithal exists to actually pull it off or even give the idea a sliver of consideration.

A new round of cassettes? Such as the Vertex or MA-XG or better yet-one TOTL of each type (I, II, IV)?

A total pipe dream. Not a chance. I don't doubt that some limited interest is there. But interest and actual buying support are two different things. This isn't 1985. The volume just isn't there to where enough tapes can be sold to allow a piece price of $5. In order for such a venture to have a shot at working, it would require a substantial retail selling price. And considering how much upfront investment costs would be needed before the first carton even ships, no way. I wouldn't get into that market knowing that the key essential demographic is still more interested in twenty-five cent thrift shop finds. Who in their right mind would invest that kind of money?

[Pentium100]

I wouldn't get into that market knowing that the key essential demographic is still more interested in twenty-five cent thrift shop finds. Who in their right mind would invest that kind of money?

Nobody. Extreme super high quality tape is dead for general use. You need to remember that new tape does not only compete with old tape but also with new technologies. A $50 reel of tape stores about 3 hours of music (at 19cm/s). A $50 hard drive stores 18 to 20 days of music at CD quality or 77-120 hours of much higher quality music (192kHz, 24bits). Now, the tape might outdo the CD quality or even the DVD-A quality, but seriously, how many people would have the equipment and ears to notice the higher quality? Out of them, how many would care enough to buy the much more expensive tape and be able to afford it?

Low quality tape will live for a long time. There are old people who are not technology geeks and choose to use what they have used for many years instead of learning to operate a new and very different technology. Tapes are cheap enough for them. There are also people like me who think that old technology is fun. Tapes are cheap enough for me too.

As a side note - the minimal salary in my country is ~230EUR/month, it makes the prices even more expensive than to somebody, say, in Ireland where minimal salary is ~1400EUR/month. Of course, food and necessities are priced accordingly (more or less), but tape costs the same to everyone, since it's not made locally.

If I had to choose between my current music collection (more than 200 cassettes) on low* quality tapes and having 10 Vertex tapes (since I have a fixed amount of money) with music, it's obvious which I would choose.

*I said multiple times - I have hard time distinguishing Maxell UR (current) from the source and I cannot distinguish TDK SA (current) from the source for 99% of the music I want to record to it. 0.9% I can distinguish, but the difference does not annoy me enough to get a more expensive tape. Which leaves 0.1% or maybe less - to date I have only one record that I could not record to any cassette without either a lot of noise or annoying NR artifacts - "Steam Railroading Under Thundering Skies" - the extreme dynamic range requires NR, but short thunder spikes cause it to pump.

[Lance Lawson]

Nobody. Extreme super high quality tape is dead for general use. You need to remember that new tape does not only compete with old tape but also with new technologies.

Well perhaps those new technologies will end up competing with tape but in ways unpredicted when those digital wonder toys were being developed. It was once assumed that jet engines were going to replace piston engines and propellers. In many cases it did. But the piston engine and propeller live on in light aircraft and the propeller lives on with both turbine and piston engines.

That said it would do the tape manufacturers well to appreciate that there are far more home based tape systems now then there are professional tape studios. Whatever resurgence of tape/analog that is happening is at the grass roots level. I mean how may pro studio types are posting on this forum? No many I'd say but there's a lot home systems reporting in.