2. analog
  3. 1407769835

Anyone into cassettes?

I recently picked up a Nakamichi BX300 for a couple of bills on Ebay and after replacing the idler tire and the two belts, this baby sounds better that any cassette deck I've owned previsouly, and I have been playing pre-recorded tapes for the past week in analog heaven. Finally a deck that sounds amazing on Dolby B with commercial tapes.

I also won a Dragon for a good price on auction and will send this out for restoration as needed.

Anyone else into cassettes as an alternative form of analog heaven? Some of those mid to late 80s recordings really have wonderful punch and extension.
stevecham
ebm
9,311 posts
 
25 yrs ago maybe.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
I lucked out and found a few RCA Living Stereo and Mercury Living Presence on cassette. They're sublime.

normansizemore
601 posts
 
Anyone have any of the Advent brand chrome cassettes? I'm not talking about the blank ones, Advent has a series of classical and jazz records out on cassette and they were excellent.

I also loved their 'pain the neck' to operate but bullet proof cassette decks, the ones with the commercial 3m transports (201 & 201A).

I have several and they still sound excellent, though my likewise ancient Nak dual tracer is a bit sweeter.

I did find a source for new chrome cassettes a few years back. It's the BASF formula and very good.  I can look it up if anyone is interested.

N
pryso
1,933 posts
 
geoffkait, I was surprised to see your comments on the RCA and Mercury cassettes.  In my experience, and I played with tapes for several years, commercial recordings were always a disappointment.  I attributed that to the high-speed reproduction utilized to mass produce commercial cassettes.

On the other hand, I was able to make many decent sounding tapes myself, recording in real time.

Norman, were the Advent tapes made in real time?

geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
pryso
828 posts
07-26-2016 12:37pm
geoffkait, I was surprised to see your comments on the RCA and Mercury cassettes. In my experience, and I played with tapes for several years, commercial recordings were always a disappointment. I attributed that to the high-speed reproduction utilized to mass produce commercial cassettes.

I have to to admit I find cassettes to sound wonderful. Especially the RCA and Mercury cassettes that are as smooth and uncolored and dynamic as the LPs which I used to have. By comparison I find CD to sound thin, anemic, airless, lifeless, but there are some exceptions, like everything else. Cassettes are a natural medium. They breathe.
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