Cheap cassettes at *Warmalt

BlazeES

BlazeES

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#61
I can appreciate the 'hoarding' factor shown. LOL

I recently saw these at our local Walmart and have been giving these consideration. Not to hoard but rather to actually use.
I guess what's keeping me at arms length is the utter lack of any feedback on their performance. Discussing the merits of cassettes is beyond boring.
Wasn't that settled like decades ago? ;)

Come on someone! How are these things?
 
laatsch55

laatsch55

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Well, your evaluations are generally very thorough and objective... the SC-1 report comes to mind. Hell, you answer questions I haven't even thought to ask..
 
BlazeES

BlazeES

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Yeah. The proverbial SC-1. Haven't fired that puppy up in a while. Need to do that.
I'm going through my 'stash' and need to run a few decks through it before I list 'em for sale...
 
Lazarus Short

Lazarus Short

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#66
I don't think I've recorded a cassette since the 1980's. I keep a good deck (Denon) around just in case I want to play a tape, of which I have too many. I may as well offer all my blanks here for sale.

My main sources these days are NRK Radio, Ewetoob, FM and CD...an LP once in a while and a cassette once in a blue moon.
 
mr_rye89

mr_rye89

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Listening to one I recorded back in October. My second impression isn't so good. Sounds rolled off and kinda sibilant, cheapie tape sounding but without the dropouts
 
Skywavebe

Skywavebe

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Tape can be evaluated on a bench where calibration is done on decks. You can compare a good tape with these new offerings and find out what you really have there. Some stores used to sell cassette tapes for as little as $.30 but this was cut up computer tape I suspect. So far the worse tape I ever tested was a tape from DAK which was cut up computer tape not made for audio at all. It needs to be compared with a known good tape and then you will know if they really have something or they are selling more junk.
 
Lazarus Short

Lazarus Short

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#70
X2 on the DAK tape - I tried one years ago, and it was awful.

Also, years ago, I think it was back in the "Sound Thinking" days, I was sent up-to-date TDK D and SA cassettes for review. I was surprised at how good the "D" sounded, and I think it was much newer than those I had heard before. The "SA" was sublime, wonderful, hardly to sound any different from the source material. I was beyond impressed.
 
Skywavebe

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Yes, The D of TDK was a normal standard but the Maxell XL I S beat it as the best Normal tape. Still a china made TDK C-90 was tested not too many months ago and it was 1 dB lower print than the TDK D that I have here in stock. So changes happen but they don't tell you about them. The TDK SA and Maxell XL II was a tape we often used at Teac for calibration as well as the D. I use XR (Sony) Metal tape now as it has a 2 dB better print level than other metals- I wonder how they did that?
 
Skywavebe

Skywavebe

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The standards such as Maxell XS and the TDK MA. The Teac metal tapes are filled with Maxell XS tape as compared and examined color wise.
Print level is indicated by a o VU specified input level recording as with a Maxell XL II or TDK, then switching to tape and seeing the print level.
In decks like the 122 Mk II this can be adjusted out but the Mk III has only one set of record levels and it is seen that the Sony C-60 Metal tapes are 2 dB higher than all the other tapes even Normal TDK D. This presents a problem in that deck without auto cal (V900X) or external setting can not be used without seeing this difference and yes I do see it on tape with music.
 
BlazeES

BlazeES

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Skywavebe said:
The standards such as Maxell XS and the TDK MA. The Teac metal tapes are filled with Maxell XS tape as compared and examined color wise.
Print level is indicated by a o VU specified input level recording as with a Maxell XL II or TDK, then switching to tape and seeing the print level.
In decks like the 122 Mk II this can be adjusted out but the Mk III has only one set of record levels and it is seen that the Sony C-60 Metal tapes are 2 dB higher than all the other tapes even Normal TDK D. This presents a problem in that deck without auto cal (V900X) or external setting can not be used without seeing this difference and yes I do see it on tape with music.
Click to expand...

Oh, so by 'other metals' you meant, other formulas ... like standard Ferrics and Type II's. Here I thought you were comparing to other, specific 'Metal' tapes -without naming any specifically.

XR's are nice tapes, no doubt. And pretty much perform at the Metal Master level for a fraction of the cost. (back in the day and even now...)
 
Skywavebe

Skywavebe

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My comparison of tape is by type- Metal to Metal and so on. There is no need to compare Metal tapes to other as they are on entirely different settings. The decks are designed to give compatible levels from each tape but the Sony XR tapes are a new development different than the MA and those types. I don't know what they did but consistently in all the deck I test they are always 2 dB hotter return than what you put into the other tapes which would mean a 2DB enhanced S/N ratio.
 
BlazeES

BlazeES

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Skywavebe said:
My comparison of tape is by type- Metal to Metal and so on. There is no need to compare Metal tapes to other as they are on entirely different settings. The decks are designed to give compatible levels from each tape but the Sony XR tapes are a new development different than the MA and those types. I don't know what they did but consistently in all the deck I test they are always 2 dB hotter return than what you put into the other tapes which would mean a 2DB enhanced S/N ratio.
Click to expand...
Higher MOL doesn't guarantee a higher S/N ratio. And if you were explicitly referring to XR Metal vs. other Metal tapes.. then there isn't any "so on".
 
BlazeES

BlazeES

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Picked em today...

Need to decide what music is going to be the test. So stay tuned!

20220130_213521 - Copy.jpg 20220130_213548 - Copy.jpg

What I do plan on doing is recording the same mastered content on a legacy NOS tape, content I am very familiar with - then I'll do the same thing with one of these - all whilst listening through headphones, off the third head. In this way I can make notes of the type of characteristics I hear and count the drops outs and chart out the periodic foot print of those drops outs, until they get to be 'off the charts' too numerous .... which is what I am expecting for a tape I believe to be just another dictation grade cassette peddled as something intended for music.

But who knows... maybe I'll be proven wrong and pleasantly surprised. :p
 
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