Learning About Cassette Types

I read an article by Mark Tyson for Tom’s Hardware titled Maxell brings back classic 1970s cassette tapes — 1970s ferric formula is custom-made for vintage PC data drives. I have many VCR memories, but I do not have many audio cassette tape memories despite being old enough to remember when they were readily available in stores. But while I came to this article for a cassette revival story, I stayed for some fun cassette facts. I summarize below:

• The revived 1970s cassette tapes being referenced in the article are UD-60Us.
• According to Mr. Tyson, the UD-60Us are “normal-position tapes” (Type I ferric).
• In Mr. Tyson’s distinguished opinion, Type I ferric tapes “are not the best for high-fidelity audio recordings.”
• Mr. Tyson prefers Chrome (Type II) tapes for making hi-fi mixes and recordings.
• He also finds Metal (Type IV) tapes to be acceptable for audio recordings.
• Mr. Tyson opines that the Type I ferric tapes “are ideal for 8-bit home computer tape storage.”

I knew nothing about different types of cassette tapes, so I found that to be enlightening. The revival must be in full swing because not long after reading Mr. Tyson’s report, I read Fiio releases first look at one of its upcoming portable cassette players by Habeeb Onawole for Notebook Check.

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