Vinyl / High qual analog tape / High-res digital -- One of these is not like the other

mikelavigne

a cassette tape is 1/4" tape, 4 track, and auto reversing, running at 1 and 7/8th ips. ’4-track’ means 4 tracks on a 1/4" tape. those tracks are tiny, and the sound, while nice on a good cassette, is nothing to write home about.

If you're talking about the Phillips Compact Cassette you're mistaken. It uses 1/8-inch tape. And as a rule, the best cassette decks weren't auto reverse - most of the auto-reversing decks couldn't maintain alignment in two directions.

... 1/4", 15 ips tape on a high quality RTR deck is superior to even the very best vinyl, when the source tape for the transfer is pristine, and the transfer is well done. tape is better. vinyl is not equal ...

That's been my experience.

Whoa, Nellie!! Do you mean to tell me they get that kind of sound quality out of a 1/8” tape?! That’s unbelievable! More dynamic than records, fuller bodied than CDs. Cassettes. They’re real and they’re spectacular! 🤗 Next up, how small can something be and still be considered audiophile grade?

Dear @mikelavigne  Thank's for the explanation, now it makes sense to me.

I don't own that tape sourced all analog LP but in my over 6K+ LPs I own several ones with top quality performance.

One of them is the MoFi title " The Power and the Majesty ". This one is a recording made it by the MoFi founder and engineering him self. It's extraordinary from the view of its quality level sound. Tape recorder was totally custom made, master laquers by Stan Ricker from the 30ips master tapes. This LP comes from 1978.

Now you and any one needs to listen ( is a must to. ) the digital recorded ( 24/96 ) LPs made it by WindMusic label.I own the titles Paramita and Mystical Scent. Last time I seen Paramita sealed LP on ebay was sold for over 500.00.

Well, in these as  in other digital recordings I own nothing of what you posted about that digital is missing " something " happens with in my analog rig and set up that's first rate including my Phonolinepreamp.

Exist other digital recording LPs that comes from " old " times and the ones mastered by Stan Ricker and others are just at the top along the tape sourced LPs.

Labels I can mention: Telarc ( I own over 50 LPs. ) ones but not all only some of them, Delos are excellent recordings ( Telarc and Delos used Soundstream digital recorder and mastering by Stan Ricker. ), some Denon whom designed and builded its own digital recorder and Chandos label too.

In those times was an " euphoria " for the digital LPs and several labels but almost all digital recordings in reality sound auwful/terrible like the ones from Teldec or Deca or DG or Philips or Varese Sarabande, Chalfont, etc, etc. 

The digital well recorded are truly good and makes any decent room/systems shines. Unfortunatelly even in the same label not all titles are good, example: in Telarc the third and fifth piano Beethoven concertos ( R. Serkin. ) are way different in sound quality level where one of them is just lifeless, the recordings were made with two years difference in between.
Before digital Telarc made a D2D recording that is to bad. As fact even the D2D recordings not all are really first rated but the ones that are are just the " glory ".

Anyway, Mike thank's again for your time and answers and yes: 

"  the music comes first. "


Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

I think Mike just had a mine burp but cleeds is correct cassettes are 1/8"
There were auto reversing cassette decks but alignment certainly would have been a problem in rather inexpensive transports. I believe it was even a problem in decks that were not auto reversing. Dad worked on reel to reel machines but would not touch a cassette deck.  

my bad on the cassette tape width. my memory is what it is.

i lived through that time period and had plenty of cassettes. they were remarkably good for what they were, especially for in car listening. 8-track was a better system technically on the tape side of things, but did not get the attention to detail and development of cassette.

you could have a nice sounding cassette based system. and tape is analog and has that going for it.

but nothing like vinyl, or real ’big boy’ RTR.