Cassette Gnus from Missouri

Lazarus Short

Lazarus Short

Veteran and General Yakker
#1
Joined
Mar 10, 2012
Messages
14,293
Location
Independence, MO
Tagline
I'm the Red Knight, by grant of the Black
#1
Springfield, Missouri, of all places - the so-called "Queen City of the Ozarks."

https://www.wsj.com/articles/cassettes-are-making-a-comeback-but-there-s-a-kink-nobody-makes-tape-1509723435
 
Bradrock

Bradrock

Veteran and General Yakker
#2
Joined
Jun 7, 2017
Messages
1,563
Location
Alton Mo.
Tagline
---I run with Scissors
#2
They did a story about them on the Springfield news last night. I thought it was pretty cool. I hate the traffic up there though & will have to skip the shop tour.
 
orange

orange

Veteran and General Yakker
#4
Joined
Jul 6, 2010
Messages
17,704
Tagline
Broken beyond repair but highly affable
#4
I've driven into Portland, Oregon and skirted overheating before heading up to Aberdeen, Washington in the 2000s...been a passenger on a school bus crossing in and out of San Francisco in the early 80s...rode in a college van to Seattle/Tacoma in 1992...also made that Portland trip with my mom in over 20 years ago and she accidentally took a left fork into one way traffic and we got out of that mess okay but she was kinda shaken.

St. Louis can't be much worse.
 
orange

orange

Veteran and General Yakker
#7
Joined
Jul 6, 2010
Messages
17,704
Tagline
Broken beyond repair but highly affable
#7
Someday I'll get some from them, right now Mike Shotwell has plenty of TDK, Fuji and Maxell etc. to feed me good and I've got more UR and DR-I than you can shake a demagnetizer at :)
 
Skywavebe

Skywavebe

Chief Journeyman
#8
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
725
Location
Bensenville, IL
Tagline
Work too much
#8
That was the place that was suppose to make the best cassette tape ever and when tests were done on a Nakamichi deck it did not even equal the UR tape and that has to be a pretty low grade tape. Some people make lots of claims but what you find out afterward is not the same. Kind of like Akai GX lifetime heads- I have seen lots of worn out ones here.
 
Lazarus Short

Lazarus Short

Veteran and General Yakker
#9
Joined
Mar 10, 2012
Messages
14,293
Location
Independence, MO
Tagline
I'm the Red Knight, by grant of the Black
#9
Skywavebe said:
That was the place that was suppose to make the best cassette tape ever and when tests were done on a Nakamichi deck it did not even equal the UR tape and that has to be a pretty low grade tape. Some people make lots of claims but what you find out afterward is not the same. Kind of like Akai GX lifetime heads- I have seen lots of worn out ones here.
Click to expand...
Yes. Remember DAK cassette tapes? Drew of DAK touted them as "hard on the heels of TDK and Maxell," if I remember his wording. I ordered a couple, and they were just...nasty. I think Drew got a bunch of dictation cassettes cheap, put DAK labels on them, and proceeded to lie.
 
Skywavebe

Skywavebe

Chief Journeyman
#10
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
725
Location
Bensenville, IL
Tagline
Work too much
#10
DAK was cut up computer tape and I have some of that here in reel and cassette. It is the one tape that even Memorex beats and to be lower than Memorex is a pretty hard thing to do.
 
Elite-ist

Elite-ist

Administrator, (and straight-up pimp stick!)
Staff member
#11
Joined
Jun 12, 2010
Messages
9,930
#11
Disagree about Memorex brand tape being mediocre. That's a long-standing myth - which I'm surprised has lasted to this day. And there are particular DAK cassettes that are good.

Nando.
 
Skywavebe

Skywavebe

Chief Journeyman
#12
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
725
Location
Bensenville, IL
Tagline
Work too much
#12
I have worked in tape deck calibration and repair for a long time and the Memorex tape are very low quality and like another company that sells lies about GX heads, it is nothing like they say it is. I test the stuff with instruments and they do not lie or make myths. I have never seen a good Memorex tape or even an acceptable DAK tape- if it is slit computer tape no amount of lies will make it good.
 
Elite-ist

Elite-ist

Administrator, (and straight-up pimp stick!)
Staff member
#13
Joined
Jun 12, 2010
Messages
9,930
#13
Still disagree with you, Sam. I've been recording on various Memorex Type I and Type II cassettes and a few members, here, have those mix tapes. And I've received, from members, a few mix tapes also recorded to Memorex cassettes. Even, Radio Shack cassette tapes get a bad rap.

Nando.
 
Skywavebe

Skywavebe

Chief Journeyman
#16
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
725
Location
Bensenville, IL
Tagline
Work too much
#16
Somebody sent me a bunch of Memorex tape for some reason and I used them to make play test tape out of them or speed tapes where all they need do is record 3KHz reliably well. I can't think that the only tapes I have gotten were their low end product so I am still waiting to see a good Memorex or NAC tape. The World is advancing in the realm of deception and the Governent has been doing it since the 40's. Akai probably from day one, then there are many tape companies- remember the dime store tapes that were 3 for $1.00 and I suppose those were good tapes too.
I compare tapes on good machines that just get calibrated to TDK or Maxell tapes and then even try and calibrate the deck for the tape on it's own ground- Even then many of them do not make the grade. Yes they record sound of some type but certainly now very well. If all it takes for a tape to record a sound then you might as well go for the 3 for $1.00 types and be happy. Tandy and Memorex at one time were connected and so some Radio Shack tape might have been from there. I don't see Tandy machining up to the level of 3M or TDK to make tape just for their own sales as it would be cost prohibitive. I get the idea that NAC has spent a lot of money but they just do not have the old TDK or Maxell guys to do their tricks. If they want to make a good tape they should try and make HXS again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top