Anyone using cassettes?

[Edbostan]

I am surprised cassettes are offered along with vinyl and cds on new releases. There must be demand for them but I have nothing to play them on now so who does?

I can answer my own question. Yesterday I had a ride in my mates 20 year old Volkswagen Passat and this came with built-in cassette player and CD player. He says he plays tapes of the Clitheroe Kid and Round the Horne he recorded many years ago.

 

[Gray]

He says he plays tapes of the Clitheroe Kid and Round the Horne he recorded many years ago.

I imagine him with the window wound down, blasting out Jimmy Clitheroe.
Driving round town posing.
"How are you doing ladies?"

 

[twinkletoes]

hated and loved tape, im holding out for the mini disc revival LOL

 

[Gray]

im holding out for the mini disc revival LOL

You'll be lucky 🙂
It's a shame more people didn't try it.

 

[abacus]

Minidisk came out at the wrong time and Sony did not promote it like they did the previous Walkman’s.
In addition, Minidisk came out at a similar time to portable CD players, which didn’t require anything new as the format was already well established.
If it had taken off, it would have become limited in the future as it was not a Lossless Format.
As to missing its time, does anyone remember the digital compact cassettes that were released at a similar time to Minidisk?

Bill

 

[Gray]

does anyone remember the digital compact cassettes that were released at a similar time to Minidisk?

Philips Digital Compact Cassette.
(I've just serviced a Marantz amp with a 'DCC' input).

As for MD, not lossless, but I'd challenge people to pick between CD and the flagship Sony 'tuned for UK' full sized MD deck (that my brother still uses).
And MD editing was always way more comprehensive and precise than CD audio recorders.

 

[Din5]

When I got my new Rega amp, I connected up my old Technics RS-BX501 cassette deck to check it still worked. I tried some old cassettes that I had recorded years ago and they sounded just ok. But when I made a fresh recording using my new equipment I was amazed at the sound quality, most agreeable. I don't use the deck, though I still have chrome and metal tapes to use. However if my car had a cassette player built-in from new, then I probably would use it.
As far as I can see, nobody is manufacturing quality tapes at the moment, only ferric oxide, so I can only assume that those pre-recorded cassette releases will be lacking a bit of sound quality.

 

[plastic penguin]

Would be good if I still had my cassette deck. Long gone.

 

[twinkletoes]

Philips Digital Compact Cassette.
(I've just serviced a Marantz amp with a 'DCC' input).

As for MD, not lossless, but I'd challenge people to pick between CD and the flagship Sony 'tuned for UK' full sized MD deck (that my brother still uses).
And MD editing was always way more comprehensive and precise than CD audio recorders.

And people argue the difference with Spotify and tidal today I certainly couldn’t tell the difference between my stable platter CD player and the pioneer MD deck I had . These days I’d rather listen off grid. MD was a lovely format that never found itself, still if cassettes can come back maybe just maybe the humble MD can🤞

 

[manicm]

Mini

Minidisk came out at the wrong time and Sony did not promote it like they did the previous Walkman’s.
In addition, Minidisk came out at a similar time to portable CD players, which didn’t require anything new as the format was already well established.
If it had taken off, it would have become limited in the future as it was not a Lossless Format.
As to missing its time, does anyone remember the digital compact cassettes that were released at a similar time to Minidisk?

Bill

Minidisc came out long after portable CD players my friend. Portable CD players proliferated way back in 1987!