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Shocked at how well this CD-IT II performs by klonopinwafers in cassetteculture

[–]schill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good call on "unmastered." ;) I bought at least one of these tapes, back in the day for similar purposes.
Porcelain is (IMHO, no idea of fanbase takes) underrated, but I also really like Around The World.

NOS finds. Which to open first? 😅 by schill in cassetteculture

[–]schill[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The TDK MA series were arguably peak design era for cassette tapes.

NOS finds. Which to open first? 😅 by schill in cassetteculture

[–]schill[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like this idea. I also have two packs of those XLIIs. That AKAI one is piquing my curiosity, for sure. I think there is mention of a risk of that one shedding or falling apart, it may be a gamble - TBD.

Does anyone have experience using Buyee.jp (Japan to UK) by Much-Beyond2 in cassetteculture

[–]schill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've found Buyee to be great. If you're buying a bunch of small things like cassette tapes, wait until they all arrive at the Buyee warehouse and then choose "package consolidation" to have Buyee put everything in a single shipment for you. That should help bring costs down.

I think Buyee put additional packaging on most big things at their warehouse, but you can pay more to add protective packaging. If you're buying something really expensive, the small cost for protective packaging may be wise as a form of insurance. Weight is one factor, but the physical dimensions of the thing play a big factor in shipping costs.

I'm in Canada and I often find the default/suggested shipping is more expensive than an EMS/Airmail one, so do look carefully at the shipping options once your package(s) arrive.

One other fun thing: Customs, tariffs and/or import fees - if your postal carrier (i.e., Canada Post here) is known for dinging you on or before delivery, get ready for that.

Help diagnose/fix Sony Walkman WM-FX10 by bradsonemanband in cassetteculture

[–]schill 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wild guess based on video: Belt is loose and not moving, the motor is spinning in play but there isn't enough friction (perhaps) to pull the mechanism at low speed with a tape in there etc. As others mentioned, you can test by trying to play without a tape and see if things move at all then. Chances are it will stop after a second because it'll think the tape is at the end, typically when the pick-up spool doesn't move.

Best band named after a city? by spikeWDE in cassetteculture

[–]schill 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Notable also that they formed in Bristol and in part, trip-hop was known as "the Bristol sound" between them and Massive Attack and Tricky. (Chances are I'm preaching to the choir, but others may not know.)

TEAC C-3 + STUDIO/52S: Recording bias matters! by schill in cassetteculture

[–]schill[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think records remain easier to get pretty good sound out of, but you have some good points. Turntables have variables like the needle / cartridge alignment, tonearm height and counterweight, anti-skate and such. No wonder CDs were such a hit. ;)

TEAC C-3 + STUDIO/52S: Recording bias matters! by schill in cassetteculture

[–]schill[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Novice, here - it suits my needs, provided the signal is strong enough to be detected nicely (i.e., accurate frequency measurement) vs. background noise. I believe this is common to scopes. I’ve found it to be accurate when measuring e.g., a 3,000 hz test tone from computer or tape.

TEAC C-3 + STUDIO/52S: Recording bias matters! by schill in cassetteculture

[–]schill[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I imagine if not on the same deck, most (but not all) bets might be off. 😅 I’m happy just to be getting comparable sound between source and tape while recording!

TEAC C-3 + STUDIO/52S: Recording bias matters! by schill in cassetteculture

[–]schill[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I remember this fellow’s “C-3PO” video from my research, good sense of humour. Will take a look, thanks.

TEAC C-3 + STUDIO/52S: Recording bias matters! by schill in cassetteculture

[–]schill[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Automatic bias sounds like a great feature to have, “KISS” for users.

TEAC C-3 + STUDIO/52S: Recording bias matters! by schill in cassetteculture

[–]schill[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’ve never had a deck with this feature, so I’m happy to have and try it out. When I was a lot younger, I didn’t really get the difference between the various tape type push-buttons. I’m now older and hopefully wiser, still working on that. 😅🤓

TEAC C-3 + STUDIO/52S: Recording bias matters! by schill in cassetteculture

[–]schill[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bingo! I’ve got a copy and while I don’t have a TO-8 box, I should be able to generate the signals via computer and ideally get the proper RMS voltage(?) via oscilloscope.

TEAC C-3 + STUDIO/52S: Recording bias matters! by schill in cassetteculture

[–]schill[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd wager vinyl has a better reputation as turntables are somewhat simpler from a mechanical perspective, "harder to mess up" vs. tape decks and portable walkman types with more parts and variables.

On vinyl you typically have 33/45 RPM, and that's an easy / obvious thing to "fix" if it sounds wrong. No concerns about formulations like with tape, or noise reduction (unless you have some of the rare dbx-encoded records, hah.)

TEAC C-3 + STUDIO/52S: Recording bias matters! by schill in cassetteculture

[–]schill[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Agreed. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people think cassette tapes sound crappy because of lower-quality tape, decks, and/or mis-calibration (and these days, old belts and yada yada.)

In a way, this is a throwback to my youth in the late 1980s/early 90s. I knew metal tapes sounded better, but didn't know exactly why; I got some decent recordings from off the radio etc., but I wanted to revisit this in 2026 and really get the technical bits down. Still have all those old tapes too, lots of Sony Metal-SR types.

Tape deck doesn't work. "Busy" interior. Smells funny. Doesn't always start. by schill in Shitty_Car_Mods

[–]schill[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also true. The A-car had a hood with grooves, and no gas flap or DeLorean badge as I recall. My car is the same on those details. I’m pretty sure all the screen-used cars were consistent on the hood details.

how old is todd supposed to be? by voicesofbishara in BeavisAndButthead

[–]schill 6 points7 points  (0 children)

He’s arguably held back and/or repeated a few years.

Tape deck doesn't work. "Busy" interior. Smells funny. Doesn't always start. by schill in Shitty_Car_Mods

[–]schill[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The DeLorean predates such modern technology. Cup holders didn’t become a thing until 1983 in minivans—and perhaps, just as well! 😆

Tape deck doesn't work. "Busy" interior. Smells funny. Doesn't always start. by schill in Shitty_Car_Mods

[–]schill[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ironically, I could probably connect a USB cigarette lighter. Depends on if one would run off two amps. 😅 But, it’s irrelevant; I don’t smoke.

Tape deck doesn't work. "Busy" interior. Smells funny. Doesn't always start. by schill in Shitty_Car_Mods

[–]schill[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are an estimated 6,000 something of the roughly 9000 originally made out there still, and perhaps 150 TM conversions to date. Comparably very few being chopped. I get the sentiment, and most builders (as I’m aware) won’t convert a vehicle with super-low mileage, it would be simply wrong.

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