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From: wjm@whuxj.UUCP (MITCHELL)
Newsgroups: net.audio
Subject: Some Thoughts on Cassettes
Message-ID: <78@whuxj.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Jan-84 16:02:55 EST
Article-I.D.: whuxj.78
Posted: Mon Jan 16 16:02:55 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 17-Jan-84 03:04:42 EST
Organization: Bell Labs, Whippany, N.J.
Lines: 45

I am quite concerned about the news that more prerecorded cassettes were
sold in 1983 than LP's.
If this trend continues, will our "friends" in the record companies decide
sometime in the future that LP's and CD's are "unpopular" and
decide only to release recordings in the cassette format?
While the cassette is certainly the most convenient form of program material,
especially for automotive and Walkman use, it does have several drawbacks for
the serious audiophile:
1.  As bad as LP quality is, prerecorded cassettes from major record
companies are the PITS.  They are recorded on low-quality duplicator tape,
either use no noise reduction or only Dolby B, and tend to (on classical
works) split the music in the middle of a movement to put exactly the
same amount of music on both sides (Tape, even el cheapo duplicator stock,
costs money, you know).
Also, since most tapes are recorded at high speed, (8 to 16 times real
time in most cases), noise is increased and treble response suffers.
There are some companies that do produce high quality cassettes (the same
ones that produce high quality LP's) that are recorded in real time, on
high quality tape, with dbx noise reduction, but even these cassetes are
subject to the following problem.
2.  Based on some problems I've been having with good name brand (Maxell UDXL)
cassettes going bad on me (the tape fails mechanically, by getting creased)
after 4 years or so, I have serious doubts that cassettes can be used as an
archival storage medium.  Cassettes are fine for use in your car deck or
your Walkman (especially if you own the LP or CD version of a recording and
can re-dub it when the cassette fails), but I wouldn't want a cassette to
be my only copy of a favorite recording.
3.  I don't think that even the best cassettes are capable of the audio
performance of a high quality LP or CD.
4.  It is rather difficult to edit a cassette tape, either to produce a new
recording or to repair a damaged tape, due to the narrow tape and the low
recording speed, which compresses the sounds together.
However, there is a tape medium which is capable of reliable archival storage
and can exceed LP sound quality (and may - if some of the technical
improvements that have been applied to cassettes are applied to it - give the
CD a run for its money), namely open reel.  Unfortunately, the advantages
of open reel tape have been neglected by the mass audio media (although
they are well known to those that do serious recording).
Admittedly, open reel decks are not inexpensive, nor is it as convenient as
cassettes, but is there any other choice for a serious archival tape medium?
I'd appreciate knowing if my cassette problems are fairly common (I suspect
they are) and which brands are mechanically most reliable.
Bill Mitchell
CSO
Whippany, NJ (whuxj!wjm)