I have had the chance to replay this TDK Test Tape more than a few times this past week. Firstly, the quality of the tape, from a recording standpoint, is excellent. Dare I say, slightly better than the present BASF-loaded Phoenix Blue. I would be able to tell better by recording the same source material onto the TDK Test Tape and the Phoenix Blue and compare the results. But, that wasn't the scope of this test: only to get a feel for the recording capabilities of the TDK.
For both cassette decks, I engaged the record limiter button to prevent any possible distortion during my recording session. I used my Pioneer CT-F1000 to record two tracks onto Side A, overtop Larry's last five minutes, or so, of music. The songs I chose to record were guitar-inspired to follow along with the beautiful guitar music Larry had recorded. The first was Lindsay Buckingham's "Stars Are Crazy", track 5 off his newest CD "Seeds We Sow." This song is heavy on reverb and echo dubbing so it sounds, at first, a little distorted on a few passages. The next tune was also by Lindsay, and was off Fleetwood Mac's "The Dance." CD. This tape shines with fast-paced and intricate guitar work, and I like that. There's no muddling of sound, at all.
For Side B, I used my Pioneer CT-F9191 and recorded two tracks overtop the last six minutes, or so, of Joe's jazz recording of Ray Brown. This time, I chose to record from LP using my Pioneer PL-630 turntable. The tracks I chose were from an Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe album I recently bought. The more I listen to this album the better I like it. And the last song recorded was a rock tune from a Canadian band, Headpins, who began their career in the early 80's. This was recorded to get a feel for how this tape would handle a good bass beat and electric guitar riffs. And it didn't disappoint me.
Overall, I would recommend this tape to join to join the ranks of the Phoenix Audio Tape Company's line-up of blank cassettes. It's a sure winner.
As I said earlier, this was the first time I had recorded with my Pioneer CT-F9191. Before this I had always used it as a playback deck in my downstairs bedroom. The only prep steps I took before recording were to thoroughly clean the tape path and demagnetize the heads. I gave the deck an exterior buff, but that's about it. I was able to record both songs on the first pass. What I did find out was that, although I recorded the source material with sound peaks of over 0dB and the peak indicator would momentarily flash upon recording, the playback of the recording showed much less than that in sound output. Also, and I've read of this from other CT-F9191 owners' experiences, the deck needs the output knob turned almost fully clock-wise for registering above the 0dB scale on the meters.
I concur with Joe's findings, and I preferred his recording on Side A, without Dolby, as the nicer recording. And, yes, Larry's recording is hot, but not abnormally so, and his tubed CD player makes such a good source component it's hard to beat that unit. You did use the Shanling, right?
So, perhaps the reason Joe's recording seemed to have less presence than Larry's had to do more with the recording input level. Which CD player do you use, Joe?
Playback of Joe's recording on Side A:
Playback of Larry's recording on Side A:
Playback of Joe's Dolby B recording on Side B:
All my recordings were done without Dolby NR, and both decks seem to have fully recorded over top the previous recordings without bleed-through:
So, stuwee is next in line for the TDK Test Tape?
Nando.
