Audio Cassette users here?

[m-jeri]

Hi.

Do we have any Audio Cassette lovers here? I mean, in working and listening condition.

We used to have a sansui tape deck in our A/V rack around 20 years back. Still got it somewhere in home. Haven't even seen it for around 10 years now. Removed that deck since no one ever used it.

Since people are here in Analog, perhaps this is one of the medium they use. What gear do you own? How do you maintain it? and more importantly, where do you get your audio source? You buy used ones?

Thanks.

 

[Chaos]

Yep I have a grundig cf5500-2 tape deck and a bunch of tapes that were given away to me by many nice souls.

I do listen to them now and then. Very relaxing sound - even more so than vinyl. Somehow you never ever end up going into hyper critical mode when listening to tapes.

As for rest of my gear, it is as follows

Usher Be718 bookshelf speakers
McCormack DNA-125 power amp
McCormack RLD-1 power amp
McCormack Phono drive deluxe phono preamp
Clearaudio concept turntable with concept cartridge
AMR DP777 DAC
Acoustic Portrait Thiyaga CD transport
Various cables - Einstein, WSS, iFi etc

 

[m-jeri]

Somehow you never ever end up going into hyper critical mode when listening to tapes.

I am sorry, is that a setting for the deck or mindset? I don't get it.

 

[Chaos]

I am sorry, is that a setting for the deck or mindset? I don't get it.

Its more of a mindset - many a times when listening to digital or vinyl, I end up dissecting the sound and start finding issues. Never ever happens with tapes.

Then again tapes don't sound as real or palpable as either digital or vinyl - at least on my deck. Maybe different if one had a nakamichi dragon or 1000zxl.

 

[m-jeri]

Pics please..

 

[srkmish]

i still have all my cassettes. the bpl cassette player is non functional though. what fun it was to be in anticipation of a new album Nd rush to cassette store to buy it. keep forwarding or rewinding to ur fav song and cherishing ur cassette collection. today's kids have it too easy and will never know the joy of owning a physical collection

 

[m-jeri]

All i remember is the batteries running out and the audio stretching. Of course on my walkman.

 

[srkmish]

it was great to have a music obsessed friend share the passion. we used to exchange cassettes and he used to take away my cassette player sometimes when his was broken. we used to wait for weeks to get cassette of tum bin, dil chahta hai and frequented the store every week to just get a glimpse of new albums. ah those were the days. nowadays people listen to new music like this.
person 1: abe wo arijit naya gana suna
person 2: nhi be kaisa hai
person 1: sahi hai be, bluetooth on kar tujhe bhejta hu
person 2: abe bluetooth kaun on karega, watsapp pe bhej de

 

[Chaos]

Pics are there in the forum somewhere if you search. Anyway shall upload again today evening.

 

[6pack]

I have a Philips single deck mono player, a Philips double deck (non working) and an Aiwa portable player.
Have around 200+ cassettes lying in a shelf. Haven't heard them from years.

 

[mh09ad5578]

Same here, have a huge collection of cassettes from school/college days brought with penny pinched pocket money lying idle because of non working cassette deck. I tried searching for belts for my ancient Aiwa k880 but they are unavailable any where. And buying a new player seems crazy. But the thing is like @srkmish said music is so easily available now that is value is lost, there's no anticipation, pride left. ... or I'm getting old
I remember music was my life, I could remember all the lyrics, notes and was mesmerized with it, now even though it's playing all the time it's just going over my head without anything registering! And that's sad. Think need to go find that player after all. ..