Metal is of course better quality sound however, the cost is the issue. If you correctly bias and use a modern high fidelity example Type I cassette, you can push +4db on your type I recordings easily and they will sound just fine. Especially with HX-Pro and, if needed, a little help in the EQ department to offset any shortcomings. 3-Head machines take the guess work out of things because you can clean things up quite a bit on the fly. It's worth noting that not all Type I cassettes are the same. Some brands perform way better than others. IMO, while metal is superior, it isn't enough difference to where it's worth the extra cost. A great quality deck can make a type I sound really good. Unless you are bouncing back and forth, you really wouldn't notice much of a difference as much as you would in the size of your wallet. We're talking about $25 dollars (Type IV) vs $6 (Type I) per tape. I don't hear a 19/20 dollar difference in quality per cassette. But to some, getting that little bit of edge might be worth the extra cash.
Yes,it's true.But when recording a normal cassette from DSD,or other digital formats,the sound is more detailed and higher frequencies.What is your opinion?Thank you.😊
I think it depends on the cassette. There are some normal type 1 cassettes that sound excellent. A low quality normal cassette won't sound good, regardless of the source.
Here is the other thing, to take advantage of Type IV, you need a device that can record ON TO Type IV to get its full potential. If you take a Type IV cassette and try to record ON TO it from say a basic $100 radio that is tunned to play and record on to Type I cassette, your NOT going to get Type IV quality audio.
No, you don't necessarily need a 3 head deck to get good results with that Maxell UR, but a good deck with calibration facilities (at least bias adjustability) is essential and would definitely improve the performance of that UR.
i have this walkman professional ive been slowly nursing back to health. ive always wondered what the metal switch did. now i REALLY want a metal cassette!
, I wasn't expecting such a quick reply! While I have your attention, do you know anything about fixing walkmans? I ask so many gurus and tech guys but no one can figure out why my recording is wobbly...
The most common reason I've seen is old belt gunk in the pulleys. Anything that changes a part of the pulley diameter in the tape transport will introduce some wobble into the sound.
That's the confusing part. Playback is dang near flawless on pre-recorded tapes. I only noticed the distortion on a mixtape I tried to make recently. It records fine for a few seconds, then there is a lot of white noise followed by a slowing down of the audio, and then it's back to normal. I'll dig into it some more; maybe there's something I missed.
@CrowningBrowning That's odd. White noise would suggest something wrong with the recording circuitry. It slowing down, too, would make me wonder if there isn't something in the recording circuitry that's shorting out and drawing tons of power.
For sure. I would save up my money and buy a metal tape when I could. Most of the time, I bought TDK chrome tapes and they sounded good. The metal ones were top of the line.
Digital, then normal, then metal, _at least_ in _this_ demo. But what bias and equalisation are you using? Are they calibrated for each tape type? And what noise reduction are you using - you appear to have a choice of Dolby B and C plus DBX? I ask because what I am hearing here is the exact opposite of my experience, namely that, yes, Type 1 cassettes always lose the top end as here, but metal tapes are basically indistinguishable from the original source, certainly over T'internet. Not here though; the metal sounds truly awful.
How worn are the heads on this deck? It sounds dull in the highs. Ive recorded type one tapes with my decks and they don't degrade the sound as bad as this demonstration.
i should do this using my high speed cassettes. both cassettes at x1 speed sound muffled. but a type 2 at x3 speed sound better than type4 at x1 speed as higher frequencies are more loud which you can use an eq to compress back down which also compresses the tape hiss even greater.
I’m just going to keep using the normal cassettes. I don’t have the money to spend on metal cassette tapes, and if I have the money, I’m just gonna buy more normal tapes so I can get more.
The main issue is not the technology of tapes but head condition. Only deck with new (at least recording) head or if a little used after bias adjustment can show true tape quality
You should do a bias test on the tape, Then use dbx ON. Metal is by far the lowest noise >90db signal to noise and really records the true fidelity of all tapes. A true low noise source, at least that of a audiophile cd player or high bit rate digital or a pair of hi-quality mics thru a low noise amp is where this tapes really shine. Chrome, type 2, tapes come close, But fail on the high end and there is a faint noise. Type 1 just sux, hiss and pathetic response and lows & highs are chopped off, imo mush. I ran metal tapes on my car deck that has dbx and the sound was the best, better at the time than car cd players cause those skipped. I have my Yamaha KX-800 cassette deck right here, still works great and records great dbx to boot. Dragons were overpriced 30 years ago. Too bad ebay are asking $20 to $30 for one metal tape now. I am salvaging some chrome and metal tapes to build up a stock pile of goodness.
i prefer the metal cassette but to much base. i dont know if its Bias level or you make the record to high volume on your deck . But clearly the sound are alot better on the metal cassette
Compared to that metal bias tape? There ARE NO highs on that normal bias tape. Normal tape was made for voice diction. I think ya gotta get up into type 2 tapes just to get the medium INTO the hi fi realm. The best NAK deck can do a lot with normal bias tape. But most folks ain't ever gonna own a NAK.
Stop using that deck!!! You are killing the thru potential of the tapes!!! Get a three head deck with monitor and manual calibration for bias and level!
Hey ho guys, I feel here like at home. For author , I would like to contact out of this youtube, because my idea considering normal tapes has just arrived. And it is breaktrough, I believe. Please how we can be in touch
When calibrated up properly in a good deck, the sonic difference between Type II and Type IV tape is not that huge. In my book it's not worth the extra money. In this day and age it's a collector's item.
You are right. With tape machines they need to be optimum for a particular tape to get the best out of any given tape. Now finding the resources to set up is not simple. First of all vintage alignment tapes are scarce. Then you need a test bench to set the bias and stuff. Your own machine might have been just right out of the box or maybe less than optimum to begin with. Factories did not have an hour to spend on each deck diddling it to perfection on a production line.
Agree. Strongly. But, metal tapes have that "stability" , dynamic, hardness, I have no expression. They are different kind. And you MUST push em to the limits, demand of them all that they can provide. I mean dynamic, frequency response, details, with a good deck.
You need a 3 head deck to show the real sound on any tape, a well calibrated metal tape sounds very close to a digital source.
Metal is of course better quality sound however, the cost is the issue. If you correctly bias and use a modern high fidelity example Type I cassette, you can push +4db on your type I recordings easily and they will sound just fine. Especially with HX-Pro and, if needed, a little help in the EQ department to offset any shortcomings. 3-Head machines take the guess work out of things because you can clean things up quite a bit on the fly. It's worth noting that not all Type I cassettes are the same. Some brands perform way better than others. IMO, while metal is superior, it isn't enough difference to where it's worth the extra cost. A great quality deck can make a type I sound really good. Unless you are bouncing back and forth, you really wouldn't notice much of a difference as much as you would in the size of your wallet. We're talking about $25 dollars (Type IV) vs $6 (Type I) per tape. I don't hear a 19/20 dollar difference in quality per cassette. But to some, getting that little bit of edge might be worth the extra cash.
Yes,it's true.But when recording a normal cassette from DSD,or other digital formats,the sound is more detailed and higher frequencies.What is your opinion?Thank you.😊
I think it depends on the cassette. There are some normal type 1 cassettes that sound excellent. A low quality normal cassette won't sound good, regardless of the source.
Here is the other thing, to take advantage of Type IV, you need a device that can record ON TO Type IV to get its full potential.
If you take a Type IV cassette and try to record ON TO it from say a basic $100 radio that is tunned to play and record on to Type I cassette, your NOT going to get Type IV quality audio.
No, you don't necessarily need a 3 head deck to get good results with that Maxell UR, but a good deck with calibration facilities (at least bias adjustability) is essential and would definitely improve the performance of that UR.
Metal better than Digital!
Recall that I read that metal tapes increase head wear. You can buy old metal tapes but new heads for your machine is tough!
I feel like CrO2 tapes sound excellent, so metal tapes aren't really necessary. Especially at today's prices.
@@VintageElectronicsChanneland in combination with dbx. CrO2 plus dbx is outstanding. My opinion, after some40 years of clarifying the topic.
I remember music on cassettes, the 1980s, back when these were popular.
IMHO, on a good three-head deck, properly biased and leveled, a good Type II is the best. Unfortunately we will never see them manufactured again.
I agree. A good type II has always been my go-to.
i have this walkman professional ive been slowly nursing back to health. ive always wondered what the metal switch did. now i REALLY want a metal cassette!
A properly recorded metal cassette sounds amazing.
, I wasn't expecting such a quick reply! While I have your attention, do you know anything about fixing walkmans? I ask so many gurus and tech guys but no one can figure out why my recording is wobbly...
The most common reason I've seen is old belt gunk in the pulleys. Anything that changes a part of the pulley diameter in the tape transport will introduce some wobble into the sound.
That's the confusing part. Playback is dang near flawless on pre-recorded tapes. I only noticed the distortion on a mixtape I tried to make recently. It records fine for a few seconds, then there is a lot of white noise followed by a slowing down of the audio, and then it's back to normal. I'll dig into it some more; maybe there's something I missed.
@CrowningBrowning That's odd. White noise would suggest something wrong with the recording circuitry. It slowing down, too, would make me wonder if there isn't something in the recording circuitry that's shorting out and drawing tons of power.
I used metal tapes on occasion back in the 90s. Miles ahead of type 2 and 3 tapes.
For sure. I would save up my money and buy a metal tape when I could. Most of the time, I bought TDK chrome tapes and they sounded good. The metal ones were top of the line.
@@VintageElectronicsChannel . I agree. TDK-SA and TDK-SAX were so incredibly good that they got the job done on ANY album or CD.
Digital, then normal, then metal, _at least_ in _this_ demo. But what bias and equalisation are you using? Are they calibrated for each tape type? And what noise reduction are you using - you appear to have a choice of Dolby B and C plus DBX? I ask because what I am hearing here is the exact opposite of my experience, namely that, yes, Type 1 cassettes always lose the top end as here, but metal tapes are basically indistinguishable from the original source, certainly over T'internet. Not here though; the metal sounds truly awful.
How worn are the heads on this deck? It sounds dull in the highs. Ive recorded type one tapes with my decks and they don't degrade the sound as bad as this demonstration.
i should do this using my high speed cassettes. both cassettes at x1 speed sound muffled. but a type 2 at x3 speed sound better than type4 at x1 speed as higher frequencies are more loud which you can use an eq to compress back down which also compresses the tape hiss even greater.
after hearing cassettes at higher run speeds ill never go back to standard speed
Metal has distortion, Type I has natural and hiss sound
i do think the metal sounds better but price is an issue.
I’m just going to keep using the normal cassettes. I don’t have the money to spend on metal cassette tapes, and if I have the money, I’m just gonna buy more normal tapes so I can get more.
The main issue is not the technology of tapes but head condition. Only deck with new (at least recording) head or if a little used after bias adjustment can show true tape quality
You should do a bias test on the tape, Then use dbx ON. Metal is by far the lowest noise >90db signal to noise and really records the true fidelity of all tapes.
A true low noise source, at least that of a audiophile cd player or high bit rate digital or a pair of hi-quality mics thru a low noise amp is where this tapes really shine. Chrome, type 2, tapes come close, But fail on the high end and there is a faint noise.
Type 1 just sux, hiss and pathetic response and lows & highs are chopped off, imo mush. I ran metal tapes on my car deck that has dbx and the sound was the best, better at the time than car cd players cause those skipped. I have my Yamaha KX-800 cassette deck right here, still works great and records great dbx to boot. Dragons were overpriced 30 years ago.
Too bad ebay are asking $20 to $30 for one metal tape now. I am salvaging some chrome and metal tapes to build up a stock pile of goodness.
i prefer the metal cassette but to much base. i dont know if its Bias level or you make the record to high volume on your deck . But clearly the sound are alot better on the metal cassette
Compared to that metal bias tape? There ARE NO highs on that normal bias tape. Normal tape was made for voice diction. I think ya gotta get up into type 2 tapes just to get the medium INTO the hi fi realm. The best NAK deck can do a lot with normal bias tape. But most folks ain't ever gonna own a NAK.
Stop using that deck!!! You are killing the thru potential of the tapes!!! Get a three head deck with monitor and manual calibration for bias and level!
Hey ho guys, I feel here like at home. For author , I would like to contact out of this youtube, because my idea considering normal tapes has just arrived. And it is breaktrough, I believe. Please how we can be in touch
My email address is available on the "about" section of my channel.
@@VintageElectronicsChannel ok, thanks. Later I will have time, to write.
When calibrated up properly in a good deck, the sonic difference between Type II and Type IV tape is not that huge. In my book it's not worth the extra money. In this day and age it's a collector's item.
You are right. With tape machines they need to be optimum for a particular tape to get the best out of any given tape. Now finding the resources to set up is not simple. First of all vintage alignment tapes are scarce. Then you need a test bench to set the bias and stuff. Your own machine might have been just right out of the box or maybe less than optimum to begin with. Factories did not have an hour to spend on each deck diddling it to perfection on a production line.
Agree. Strongly. But, metal tapes have that "stability" , dynamic, hardness, I have no expression. They are different kind. And you MUST push em to the limits, demand of them all that they can provide. I mean dynamic, frequency response, details, with a good deck.
Can't tell over youtube and that deck is not what you should use for any comparison