Crosley Releases New Cassette Deck

[watchnerd]

@Thomas savage @amirm the winds are changing, get ready to switch from reviewing DACs to cassette players...

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbre...ey-retro-cassette-decks-shortwave-am-fm-radio

 

[badboygolf16v]

The resurgence of vinyl I can kinda get my head around. Not saying I agree with it.

But the return of the Philips Compact Cassette baffles me. Retrograde fetishism for hipster pseuds.

 

[watchnerd]

The resurgence of vinyl I can kinda get my head around. Not saying I agree with it.

But the return of the Philips Compact Cassette baffles me. Retrograde fetishism for hipster pseuds.

Audio is an entertainment activity.....we have vintage car hobbyists, and audio is old enough now to have vintage audio hobbyists.

Blame Guardians of the Galaxy for brought cassettes back.

 

[Soniclife]

I've met several people who buy vinyl, but don't have a turntable, and only might get one in the future. It almost makes some sense to me if you are a pure streaming person but want to buy a physical copy of something you love, might as well buy the one with the big cover.

 

[restorer-john]

...But the return of the Philips Compact Cassette baffles me...

The return of the mixtape!

Arguably the most thoughtful gift one young person can give another. The thought, time and care we put into the perfectly recorded and arranged mixtape is an art that teenagers/young adults have no idea about.

 

[Soniclife]

The return of the mixtape!

Arguably the most thoughtful gift one young person can give another. The though, time and care we put into the perfectly recorded and arranged mixtape is an art that teenagers/young adults have no idea about.

We still have the tape I gave my wife on the 2nd date, many years ago.

 

[Hugo9000]

Wonderful timing! Mariah Carey's new album is available on cassette as well as CD, download, and LP!

 

[restorer-john]

We still have the tape I gave my wife on the 2nd date, many years ago.

Awww, that's lovely.

Give me the year, I'll do the song list for you...

 

[Soniclife]

Awww, that's lovely.

Give me the year, I'll do the song list for you...

Summer of 94. I don't rate your chances of getting many right.

 

[restorer-john]

OK, here's a quick stab at it.

Beautiful in my eyes- Joshua Kadison
I'll make love to you- Boyz II Men
Baby I love your Way- Big Mountain version
Endless Love- Luther and Mariah
I can't help falling in love with you- UB40
Maybe a bit of Seal and for sure some Sade, how about No ordinary Love off her Love Deluxe album. Heck, half that album even.
A bit of Level 42 off the On A level album and a bit of retro (at the time) classics from George Michael.
Some Bryan Adams classics and M-People's Bizare Fruit/Elegant Slumming albums, go-to tracks.
Just for fun, throw on some Anita Baker, Regina Belle and a few standout Sinead O'Connor tracks.

Get out your wide paisley tie, pleated trousers and a nice jacket and go drink some aged scotch in a quiet bar with a fireplace and comfy leather sofas after a nice dinner.

 

[Soniclife]

OK, here's a quick stab at it.

Beautiful in my eyes- Joshua Kadison
I'll make love to you- Boyz II Men
Baby I love your Way- Big Mountain version
Endless Love- Luther and Mariah
I can't help falling in love with you- UB40
Maybe a bit of Seal and for sure some Sade, how about No ordinary Love off her Love Deluxe album. Heck, half that album even.
A bit of Level 42 off the On A level album and a bit of retro (at the time) classics from George Michael.
Some Bryan Adams classics and M-People's Bizare Fruit/Elegant Slumming albums, go-to tracks.
Just for fun, throw on some Anita Baker, Regina Belle and a few standout Sinead O'Connor tracks.

Get out your wide paisley tie, pleated trousers and a nice jacket and go drink some aged scotch in a quiet bar with a fireplace and comfy leather sofas after a nice dinner.

Oh no, any of that would have got me dumped immediately.

The true madness of what I created is below.

 

[JJB70]

I always thought that the compact cassette had a raw deal. Sure it had technical limitations but it was easy to use and provided an affordable and effective way to record at home and take music on the move. Nowadays those are things we take for granted to the extent that few now can contemplate a world where music needs physical media and where recording and making play lists etc needed another format. Do I think that it should make a return? No, but I really can't see the point of returning to vinyl either. What I do think is that the contribution of the cassette tape to audio had always been sorely under rated and that it made a much greater contribution than most have ever credited it for.

 

[watchnerd]

ATR and RTM, the two remaining/reborn reel-to-reel tape media makers, are now offering cassettes:

https://www.atrtape.com/products/prochrome-mds-cassette-tape

https://www.recordingthemasters.com/store/audio-cassettes/fox-c60-type-1/

Buy your vintage Nakamichi decks now before they shoot up in price, like RTR decks have.

 

[watchnerd]

Oh, wait, too late....

Nakamichi Dragons already breaching $2000....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nakamichi-...=item41f36aa6f9:g:RyAAAOSwHI5bv~Fg:rk:14:pf:0

 

[watchnerd]

What I do think is that the contribution of the cassette tape to audio had always been sorely under rated and that it made a much greater contribution than most have ever credited it for.

Anachronistically, the contributions cassette made are now showing up in the reel to reel media world.

The better oxides of cassettes are showing up on higher end tapes like SM900, which allows for running them hotter, thus improving SNR and lowering hiss.

Maxell tried to do this at the end of the mass RTR era, but it never caught on.

It has caught on now with the Tape Project crowd using modern RTR tapes.

 

[watchnerd]

I've met several people who buy vinyl, but don't have a turntable, and only might get one in the future. It almost makes some sense to me if you are a pure streaming person but want to buy a physical copy of something you love, might as well buy the one with the big cover.

https://recordprops.com/

 

[Soniclife]

That looks like a great idea for people that never want to play that record again without lots of extra noise.

I have a few of mine on the wall in frames showing the cover only, records with great covers, that sound better on digital.

 

[Snarfie]

The resurgence of vinyl I can kinda get my head around. Not saying I agree with it.

But the return of the Philips Compact Cassette baffles me. Retrograde fetishism for hipster pseuds.

So that means Doldy B-C azimuth correction armourd hard discrete three head system possible new amp with tape monitor it was al in my good old Nakamichi BX300 a gorgeouse piece of technology but obsolete against my laptop/Xone 4D when ripping (oeps copying) vinyl/ cd's bit perfect.

 

[watchnerd]

So that means Doldy B-C azimuth correction armourd hard discrete three head system possible new amp with tape monitor it was al in my good old Nakamichi BX300 a gorgeouse piece of technology but obsolete against my laptop/Xone 4D when ripping (oeps copying) vinyl/ cd's bit perfect.

Obsolescence:

a) that's the point
b) tubes are obsolete
c) never been a real issue in the audiophile world (as opposed to the pro audio world)
d) Harley Davidson + McIntosh prove the power of nostalgia marketing

 

[Kyle / MrHeeHo]

The resurgence of vinyl I can kinda get my head around. Not saying I agree with it.

But the return of the Philips Compact Cassette baffles me. Retrograde fetishism for hipster pseuds.

It's the novelty, plus compact cassettes are much smaller and easier to store than vinyl records. Personally I have a bunch of cassettes I got as hand-me-downs from my parents and getting a cassette player is probably cheaper than tracking down each album in a more modern format. I'd wait for something better than a Crosley though.