Are cassette tapes making a comeback?: Motoring Non-motoring forum

Non-motoring > Are cassette tapes making a comeback?	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: fluffy	Replies: 59

View Threaded

New Wed 24 Feb 16 18:53

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - fluffy

The cassette tape was invented by PHILIPS ELECTRONIC.

If that is not success what is.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 19:19

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - WillDeBeest

Light bulbs. Also now obsolete and (generally) unmourned.

Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Wed 24 Feb 16 at 19:20

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 19:21

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Zero

>> Light bulbs.

Telephone

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 19:21

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Old Navy

Incandescent or LED?

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 19:27

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - WillDeBeest

LED of course. Who'd want an incandescent telephone?

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 19:33

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Old Navy

My phone sounds incandescent when I am late meeting Mrs ON.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 20:00

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - fluffy

Stick to an ordinary light bulb.

They are just as good as any other

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 20:18

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Roger.

We've had economy bulbs since at least the early 1990s. The only none economy ones we had in our bungalow in Wales, before we had our 10 year holiday in Spain (!), were in the ceiling lights in the lounge, which we rarely used, as my wife prefers lamps standing around the room.
We absolutely refuse to buy a light fitting which would not take an economy bulb.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 20:26

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Zero

And back to the original question, Are cassette tapes making a comeback. The answer is a resounding NO

They were execrable technology, crippled and limited in too many ways to mention, it was a portability stop gap, waiting for the digital age.

Last edited by: Zero on Wed 24 Feb 16 at 20:26

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 20:31

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - No FM2R

I'm sure they're not making a comeback, but I found them brilliant at the time. Easy to stack in the glove box or centre console, easy to change on the move. Easy to FF or RW. And a darn sight more robust the CDs.

Now CDs I have always found a total PITA in the car. Actually, a PITA generally but especially in the car.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 20:32

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - No FM2R

And mix tapes! How cool were they? Hours of fun making them, and hours of fun listening to them.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 20:36

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Zero

>> And mix tapes! How cool were they? Hours of fun making them, and hours of
>> fun listening to them.

Hours of fun trying to find the start of the track you wanted. I kneel and prey to god when he gave us CD's. Cassettes were the sperm of the devil

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 21:42

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Crankcase

The great thing about CDs was the way you could drop them, kick them, chuck them across the room, pretty well do anything you liked to them, and you still couldn't get them out of the case.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 22:30

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Zero

>> The great thing about CDs was the way you could drop them, kick them, chuck
>> them across the room, pretty well do anything you liked to them, and you still
>> couldn't get them out of the case.
>
Don't get me wrong, they served me well in the past. It was clearly the pinnacle of mobile audio technology at the time, and with a nice new memorex chrome or metal tape, a good deck to record it on, some good dolby circuitry, and careful control of levels during recording, it was possible to get some good music of choice in the car that didn't hiss like a steam train.

But you just knew, even at the time, it was just a stop gap kludge.

Last edited by: Zero on Wed 24 Feb 16 at 22:30

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 10:42

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Mapmaker

Zero wrote>> I kneel and prey to god when he gave us CD's. Cassettes were the sperm of the devil.

I got what he meant on the second reading, buy preying on god was an extraordinary vision; the sperm of the devil even more so. They must have hurt!

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 21:24

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - PeterS

>> I'm sure they're not making a comeback, but I found them brilliant at the time.
>> Easy to stack in the glove box or centre console, easy to change on the
>> move. Easy to FF or RW. And a darn sight more robust the CDs.
>>

I'll just leave this here ;)

metro.co.uk/2016/02/22/calling-all-hipsters-cassette-tapes-are-making-an-unexpected-comeback-5710233/

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 20:31

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Roger.

They were good at mangling up in a car radio/cassette unit!

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 20:37

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Robin O'Reliant

>> They were good at mangling up in a car radio/cassette unit!
>>

Ah, those happy hours trying to extract a jammed tape from a cassette deck. And nearly breaking your neck when your feet got caught in a tangle of the stuff that seemed to litter the pavement on every other street you walked down.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 20:38

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - CGNorwich

Don't have any vinyl, CDs, cassettes etc. Took them all down the tip. A subscription to Spotify is so much simpler.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 20:39

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Robin O'Reliant

>> Don't have any vinyl, CDs, cassettes etc. Took them all down the tip. A subscription
>> to Spotify is so much simpler.
>>
>>
>>
You'll never make a Hipster.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 12:40

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Ian (Cape Town)

>>

>> You'll never make a Hipster.
>>
In 20 years time we'll laugh at hipster like we laugh at mullets now.

The other day, I was asked by some 'vox-pop' interviewing bloke on the street what 'beard food' I used.
I kid you not. Obviously his 'brief' was to speak to any beardy he saw.

My reply: "I only have a beard because I couldn't be a***d shaving' won't make the airwaves, I fear...

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 12:45

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Alanovich

>> In 20 years time we'll laugh at hipster like we laugh at mullets now.

You mean you don't already?

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 12:47

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Ian (Cape Town)

But of course!

I blame Sparta.

We'll also be having a damn good grin at banting...

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 12:50

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Alanovich

>> I blame Sparta.

???

>> banting...

More ???

I think I need to get out more. ;-)

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 13:04

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Ian (Cape Town)

Sorry.
Sparta was a movie a few years back.
The Spartans had that short-back-and-sides and shaped-beard look.

Banting - a really trendy diet - a Low Carb High Fat High Protein eating plan, and to assist in improving health and quality of life. Very big hee. Expect it in the Daily Mail soon.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 13:09

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Alanovich

>> Banting - a really trendy diet - a Low Carb High Fat High Protein eating
>> plan, and to assist in improving health and quality of life.

Sounds like Atkins and will only assist in breaking your tailpipe and the porcelain.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 13:14

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Ian (Cape Town)

>> Sounds like Atkins and will only assist in breaking your tailpipe and the porcelain.
>>
Local restaurants (and clients) are going ape about it - they have special banting menus...
An absolute money-spinner as the gullible lap it up!

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 13:19

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Alanovich

Tools.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 13:24

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Ian (Cape Town)

>> Tools.
>>
Absolutely! We have a whole mob of them in the office.
They spend ages in the kitchen making all this trendy grub, while I pop over the local shop which does a 'breakfast buffet' by the gram, load up with streaky bacon and chipolatas, grab some breadrolls and lay on the butter and red sauce for a quarter of the price!
Nomnomnom!

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 20:48

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Zero

>> Don't have any vinyl, CDs, cassettes etc. Took them all down the tip. A subscription
>> to Spotify is so much simpler.

So having paid for your audio once, you are now paying for it repeatedly?

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 21:05

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - fluffy

I agree with you Zero. Stick to the new medium of vinyl records or cassette tapes.

Spotify drives me crackers,

Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 24 Feb 16 21:09

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - CGNorwich

No not really. Most of the records in the loft space - old stuff form the sixties and seventies. Got rid of the reord player player years ago. Most of the CDs I found I hardly ever played. Tended to just put on the radio when I wanted some music. With Spotify it's just like a giant radio station without any waffling,ads or phone ins and plays any sort of music I fancy and it costs peanuts. Suits me

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 06:39

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - R.P.

Sound quality is/was abysmal by any standards. I have a nice Yamaha deck with Dolby B and C noise reduction on it, if sound reproduction was any good you wouldn't have needed Dr Dolby's intervention. Vinyl is far superior to tape when used on a proper deck. I still have hundreds of tapes pre-recorded and also my own recorded stuff.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 07:13

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - WillDeBeest

Exactly. Its merits were recordability and portability, but it's been comprehensively superseded on both fronts. The dynamic range was always going to be limited by its size and low tape speed, and all those plastic pins and pulleys were not the best thing for longevity or steady tape speed.

I think I still have my early-90s NAD deck in the loft if anyone wants to prove me wrong - although I chucked the tapes years ago. In his last couple of years my dad bought a Nakamichi and a huge stock of cassettes, which he filled with R3 concerts and recordings of himself playing his own instruments. My brother and I have been getting the best of his recordings off and into a digital archive; the only purpose I can think of for a cassette machine these days is for rescuing material that exists in no other form.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 07:46

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Crankcase

The ever watchable Techmoan does lots of little videos about old audio kit - here is the one he did only a couple of weeks ago about cassettes, their ins and outs, and indeed their quality on various systems.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVoSQP2yUYA

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 08:53

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Fenlander

>>> Most of the records in the loft space - old stuff form the sixties and seventies

If your taste was good and/or unusual you might be sitting on a few quid there CGN.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 10:29

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - CGNorwich

Already despatched to the tip I'm afraid together with about 500 paper back books and a pile of video casettes. It' s amazing howuch clutter we aquire. Better to get rid yourself than leave it to others

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 11:16

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Dog

>>Already despatched to the tip I'm afraid together with about 500 paper back books and a pile of video casettes. It' s amazing howuch clutter we aquire. Better to get rid yourself than leave it to others

Charity shops would have put them to good use. Your spieling and gramma leave a lot to be dezired too.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 17:46

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - CGNorwich

Sorry about the spelling Dog. Typed on my phone in the surgery whilst killing time waiting for some more root canal work.

Did take a lot of the better books to the Oxfam shop. The 500 I took to the tip were ageing and yellowing paperbacks, mostly novels. Funny why we keep stuff. I can't ever remember re-reading a novel. The guy at Oxfam said poor quality stuff would be pulped anyway. They didn't want the video cassettes - no market for them apparently.

The records were all pretty mundane and ordinary old pop stuff. Kinks, Animals, Who etc - that sort of era. I doubt that anyone would have wanted them either.

Last edited by: CGNorwich on Thu 25 Feb 16 at 17:47

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 19:24

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Dog

No need to apologise to me CG. I was half joking anyway.

My sister often sends us emails from her Samsung tablet while she is having her tri-weekly dialysis carried out in Taunton, so I know all about having to use those small devious devices.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 08:21

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Cliff Pope

>> The answer is
>> a resounding NO
>>

The answer is a tentative yes.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35634008

I can't think why though.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 09:21

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Runfer D'Hills

If I'm driving in heavy traffic, whether it be in a city crawl or a busy motorway, I turn the radio/ICE off and concentrate on the job in hand.

I'll put it on again when traffic conditions are light though.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 09:34

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - WillDeBeest

I'm guessing it's some silly hipster trend, embracing the old school merely because it's old and not because of any intrinsic value. Film cameras - which do have some merit but also fell out of use for a good reason - are another example.

In another 20 years expect to see beardy young things carrying home cans of illicit petrol to fuel their hip old-school transport machines.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 10:43

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Mapmaker

>> Film cameras - which do have some merit but also fell out of use for a good reason

When it's bloggers using film cameras and then scanning the photos and waxing lyrical about how much better the photos are...

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 14:24

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - fluffy

What ever happened to the Kodak digital camera.

Also what happened to Polariod.

My partner bought a Fuji instant camera.

You can also buy Fujifilm instead of Kodak photo film.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 14:40

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - Manatee

>> They were execrable technology, crippled and limited in too many ways to mention, it was
>> a portability stop gap, waiting for the digital age.

They were compromised by limited amount of tape passing the heads - slow, and narrow. But by the end, so much had been done technically to compensate for that, that they were capable of really quite good sound if the recording and playback were on the same or compatible equipment of a decent standard. I never use it, but I am still loath to chuck out the last deck I bought, a decent Technics one.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 19:28

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - fluffy

Sony invented the MiniDisc that become an obsolite technology. I am rather sad the MiniDisc failed.

Philips invented the Digital Compact Cassette. I thought the DCC was not a revolution but an evolution from the cassette tape.
Even the Digital Compact Cassette failed as a technology.

Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 25 Feb 16 20:07

Are cassette tapes making a comeback? - R.P.

I have a MiniDisc recorder/player. Fine bit of kit and a worthy successor to the cassette.The Cassette was the last media that you easily record from the radio etc....I have loads of Top Twenty tapes from the 70s -recorded from the radio.

Reply to this message | Report message