Rewind, the cassette tape is back

[ANILKUMAR]

Friends,
The cassette is back. So just do not throw away all your old ones.

Read the Times of India article:

Rewind, the cassette is back - Times Of India

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

This is just fashion, and fashion is no reason at all for a resurgence of a format that was never satisfactory.

By all means, preserve the cassette deck to play the treasures that are already on the shelves, but as format for the future, forget it. Leave this one for the kids, who will also forget it as soon as the fad is over.

The only thing cassette tape has going for it is nostalgia.

 

[Saket]

I think its just a news...not even a fad. Because of the problems associated with the format, like moisture, alignment issues on different cassettes, sequential playback (which is not the case with vinyl or CD), frequent dirty tape heads etc., prone to magnetic field damages are too much to be taken kindly by the current people. Digital music is convenient & no non-sense kind of thing, where has vinyl undoubtedly has a nostalgia associated with it. Also, choosing to play selected tracks in a cassette is a 'job' in itself....like rewinding, fforwarding, etc.

Just a thought, may be to revive like vinyl (if it has really revived!) cassesstes must spend some more time on the shelf...may be its too early to be called a revival.

PS: I know, I'll be flared by the 'tape heads' now.
Finally an OT but, IMO, its a wrong section to discuss the format, esp. when we have a dedicated section on the forum.

Thanks,
Saket

 

[apk]

Even I doubt whether tapes will be able to make the same type of comeback that Vinyl managed to pull off.

I was about to get rid of my tape deck, which is not in a great shape anyways; maybe I should hold on!

 

[Record Player]

This is just fashion, and fashion is no reason at all for a resurgence of a format that was never satisfactory.

By all means, preserve the cassette deck to play the treasures that are already on the shelves, but as format for the future, forget it. Leave this one for the kids, who will also forget it as soon as the fad is over.

The only thing cassette tape has going for it is nostalgia.

Very well said Thad E Ginathom. Nostalgia it is...

 

[reubensm]

Honestly, its going to be hard for cassettes to make a comeback. Simply because its hard to get quality play-back equipment. Honestly, I hope they make a comeback.

 

[Record Player]

One more point Reuben, a comeback means exuberant pricing for cassettes and decks? A lot will cash in on this!

We see this with Vinyl now...

 

[reubensm]

It already has, recently I had a seller trying to sell old Magnasound cassettes to me at Rs.50 a piece. I remember in my school days buying Magnasound cassettes for Rs.35, each.

 

[greenhorn]

Some reporter has been reading hfv a bit too much

 

[ANILKUMAR]

True, it never can be the format of the future!!!

May every format make a occasional comeback and live long.....!!! , at least in academic perspective.

I have around 1000+ cassettes of Pop/Jazz/Rap/Metals/new age/blues etc genres which I got long back from a foreigner who worked for Private Radio stations across globe. He sold it me for cheap price as he was shifting base to NY.
I still treasure them, as the collection includes almost complete collections of Beatles and several of Yanni, Billboard top 10s , Grammy collections, Greatest of country, college hits etc and his own compilations done for several radios stations.

Like Vinyl , there are few albums in tape format which are not available in Digital form. Better if they come out.

Now, slightly moving away from the topic, the format(cassette) , is making a comeback as a storage for "BIG DATA" .
Researchers from Fuji Film in Japan and IBM in Zurich are working on bringing the old world data storage back as according to them a modified version will be able to hold 35 TB of data.

 

[ANILKUMAR]

One more point Reuben, a comeback means exuberant pricing for cassettes and decks? A lot will cash in on this!

We see this with Vinyl now...

Yes , very true

 

[ANILKUMAR]

Honestly, its going to be hard for cassettes to make a comeback. Simply because its hard to get quality play-back equipment. Honestly, I hope they make a comeback.

True. At least people will undust those old Nakamichi 1000's , TEACs REVOXES and give it a heat.
-Anil.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

It would be a sad day when cassette decks are no longer available at affordable prices, because many of us have a collection, even if boxed up and stored away, and I don't like the idea of dumping them at all.

No comeback ... but no chucking them out either.

Reminder: must try to get my deck fixed!

 

[echo77]

They'll be collectors items. I have a big box full of tapes somewhere in the loft. The old sony walkman still works. My dad found and old tape of kishore kumar and I dug it out for him.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

My rather beautiful Walkman Professional, an audio "antique," still works, and I use it occasionally for digitising. I wish I had a mains adapter for it, but the Sony one was expensive, and a third-part one that I tried never worked properly. Anyway, rechargeables, these days, solve the problem of battery life.

 

[ANILKUMAR]

My Sansui Cassette Deck D-290 still works fine.




So is the case with a 1990 Japanese AIWA CSD-EX30 HR, an early cd-tape combo with auto reverse.

 

[Sandesh]

Any reviews from you'll guys on the NAK CR-1a?

 

[ANILKUMAR]

Any reviews from you'll guys on the NAK CR-1a?

Sandesh,
Heard it was one of the best. But never got a chance to experiment with it.
-Anil

 

[Sandesh]

Sandesh,
Heard it was one of the best. But never got a chance to experiment with it.
-Anil

Thanks for the heads up Anil!