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Elite-ist

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#27
Nice older model of Sony, Tony. I don't recall anyone, I know, who has owned that particular model.

It has been a long time since I recorded to a Type III cassette. I remember the last time I did that, I used a nice NOS Sony Ferrichrome and used my Pioneer CT-F1000 for the recording, in a mix tape exchange.

Nando.
 

BlazeES

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#31
Nice older model of Sony, Tony. I don't recall anyone, I know, who has owned that particular model.

It has been a long time since I recorded to a Type III cassette. I remember the last time I did that, I used a nice NOS Sony Ferrichrome and used my Pioneer CT-F1000 for the recording, in a mix tape exchange.

Nando.
I vaguely remember Scorpion over @ TH being a big proponent on this line of Sony's.

FeCr tapes - no matter if they are Scotch, BASF or Sony - have a really nice warmth to the lower-mids and bottom end. Not as punchy as so many of the tape formulations that came afterwards, but with the right material - they transform the recording in pleasing ways, to my ears. Been exploring a lot of Blues records lately and on the really old stuff, like mono recordings from the 20's and 30's - it's a good fit.

I plan on opening up a UK based Beatles BC-13 box set that has been stored away for quite some time, setting the Cube to EMI equalization and recording the entire set to Sony FeCr. Sort of a project I wanted to do years ago and never completed. The Cube kind of changed everything with regard to putting vinyl down on tape for me.

Bucket list type stuff I guess you could call it and the main reason for the nostalgia of getting an deck from that period ~ 1978 to 1982.
 
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BlazeES

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#33
Tony: I may have a few more NOS Sony Ferrichromes left.

Nando.
I scooped up a bunch of them some time back. Probably right around the time I joined TH. The Blaze Fort Knox-vault of NOS is in pretty good shape when it comes to Metal Master, UCX-S and Ferrichromes. I made sure to get 'em when the get'n was good ... ;)
 
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Elite-ist

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#35
That's a great idea, Tony. Look forward to your video.

I had no qualms in drawing down my stockpile of premium NOS tapes to be used in mix tape exchanges over the years. But, FeCr tapes are not that common in compact cassette, so I have only a few of them. The exception would be Elcaset, as I have lots of them, I stockpiled:

DSC03822_zps9tjkbla8.jpg

Nando.
 

J!m

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#37
Some don’t even have as many type I’s as you have of elcassettes.

The format makes a lot of sense but it never cought on with other makers, which would have increased its popularity.

I suspect Sony locked up the IP on it and that turned everyone else away.

Were any tape companies supporting their format? I don’t recall any ads for it but I could have missed it easily enough.
 

BlazeES

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#39
Ok, still haven't thrown the Mystery Deck on the AP yet. It sounds pretty awesome so I'm being lazy ... :cool:
What's the rush, right ?
Trust thy ears !

But what I am doing now is cross-checking tapes made on it with my two other main-stays.

Recorded this baby on a FeCr, no Dolby and kept the peaking around 0db ... but on play back it hits a few higher db's than that, on a few tracks.
These FeCr's are less forgiving if you push em. So I lean towards 0dB and gain a little extension in that 10k to 20k region.

1645494431541.png

One thing I'm noticing right away is that azimuth compatibility seems to be solidly in-line and the lower hiss noise attributed to the top, chrome layer is very apparent. Since the BX-300 and the 870ES don't have a FeCr position for EQ, Type I is the only game in town. No overly sibilant junk happening or weird bumps in the mid-range. The bass lines are punchy and quick. It's a live recording and it still sounds 'lively'.

The Nak was serviced by ESLabs just a few years ago and it's kicking ass with tapes recorded on the silvery, whiskered Sony... extracting all the subtle simbal hits and high-hat wisps. Oddly enough, the Sony 870 is working its magic in the bottom end, enhancing the bass and lower mids... like it usually does.

I guess I'm not such a Dolby 'required' type guy after all ... :p
 

Elite-ist

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#40
Thanks for the update on your Sony TC-K75. Which FeCr blank did you use for your test recording? Most likely a Sony.

Nando.
 
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