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From: peters@cubsvax.UUCP (Peter S. Shenkin)
Newsgroups: net.audio
Subject: Re: Cassette Tape Durability
Message-ID: <324@cubsvax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 10-Apr-85 15:53:11 EST
Article-I.D.: cubsvax.324
Posted: Wed Apr 10 15:53:11 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 12-Apr-85 07:39:16 EST
References: <4540@umcp-cs.UUCP> <>
Reply-To: peters@cubsvax.UUCP (Peter S. Shenkin)
Distribution: net
Organization: Columbia Univ Biology, New York City
Lines: 20
Summary: 


I've been using TDK SA-90's exclusively for about 3 yrs, as long as I've
had my Nak LX-5, which was my first deck.  I've never had a problem, but
I don't use car decks, etc.

Re SA-X upgrade:  SA-X is a better tape, and I've tried it.  It seems to
allow more dynamic range.  Some time after they introduced the SA-X,
they had a general upgrade in the packaging:  they started putting SA tape
into  the cassettes they had used for SA-X, and SA-X into cassettes they
had used for metal tape, and introduced a new all-metal (I believe)
cassette for the metal tapes at the high end, and  called it M-X.  Or 
something like that.  It may be that the new packaging for SA tapes 
makes them more durable than the cassettes they used to be packed in 
more than about 2 years ago.  As for dropouts, I don't know, I've never
observed this.  Then again, I only record maybe 30 cassettes per year,
and get an approximately equal number from friends.  These are also
TDK SA-90's.  (I do a lot of trading.)  Still, if it were common, I
think I'd have seen it at least a few times.

Peter S. Shenkin, Biology, Columbia;    cubsvax!peters