New Stereophile Vote Question: Do you still use a cassette deck?

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Submitted by  Stereophile Staff

In his blog, Stephen Mejias reports on the resurgence in cassette-only releases and is now looking for a good deck. Do you still use a cassette deck?

CD - The Big Lie and the Big Excuse

The Big Lie

Compact Discs are "Perfect Sound Forever" 

The Big Excuse 

Disclaimer on many analog mastered CDs: "The music on this Compact Disc was originally recorded on analog equipment. We have attempted to preserve, as closely as possible, the sound of the original recording. Because of its high resolution, however, the Compact Disc can reveal limitations of the source tape."

The invention of high resolution digital and SACD have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the fault lies with the CD format, not the analog master tapes!  This is just a poor excuse as to why CD sounds so bad compared to LPs and SACDs.  It sounds bad because it is bad, and contrary to this absurd statement on the back of CDs, it is not because CDs are high resolution but because their resolution is too low for serious music listening.

If not for the invention of real high resolution digital, these propagandists would still be blaming the problems of CDs on master tapes.  We now know better, CD had no reason whatsoever to ever be foisted upon the public.  A real crime against music!

The introduction of Digital should have waited until it was musical and at least sounded as good as the best analog.  CDs were very premature, however SACD, BluRay and high resolution downloads are showing that digital can actually sound musical and be enjoyable.  Still nothing sounds as good as a great LP!

Cassettes, the convenient analog format

Playback cassette deck: Nakamichi CR-1A

Here are two prerecorded cassettes that I prefer over the LP versions:

THE MISSING LINK

Lincoln Mayorga and Distinguished Colleagues

Sheffield Lab / Nakamichi Reference Recording RA-4S10

Real Time duplication from the Sheffield Analog Master tape onto 70us TDK Metal tape.

This is made from the Analog backup master made at the same time as the Direct to Disc. After hearing this I sold my Direct to Disc version as this audiophile cassette has more bass, more impact and the high frequencies are fully the equal of the great sounding Direct to Disc and the mid frequencies are virtually the same, the image is even bigger on the cassette. This is one of the most realistic sounding recordings in either format!

DÄFOS

Mickey Hart, Airto and Flora Purim

Rykodisc Analogue / World RACS 0108

70us Chrome - SPARS code: AAA

This wonderful cassette replaced my Reference Recordings 45 RPM LP, why? The cassette sounds even better with a fuller midrange and even more impact in the percussion instruments, the delicate high frequencies are every bit as good as the LP.  Another reason is I don't like taking my platter off on my music hall mmf-5 to change the speed from 33 to 45. This is one of the best sounding LPs I've ever heard and the cassette on a Nakamichi is even better.

There were many wonderful pure analog audiophile cassettes such as those from Advent Process CR/70, Aesthetic Audio, Audible Images, In Sync Labs, Mobile Fidleity Sound Lab, Nakamichi Reference Recordings, Sound Ideas, etc.  They are extremely hard to find now and many are very high priced when found.

However commercial cassettes over the years have improved greatly and ironically many digital recordings sound quite good on prerecorded cassette, it seems to give them the warmth and beauty missing from the CD versions.

The Nakamichi Reference Recordings of Telarc's digital tapes recorded in real time on Nakamichi Decks using TDK Metal tape are very impressive.

Also Telarc's own cassettes on TDK-SA tape using 70us EQ sound much better than the CD versions even though inside the cassette it says "The Telarc Compact Disc of this release represents the ultimate listening experience of this music. The sound quality of this cassette version is the highest possible within the limitations of the medium." Hogwash, I compared "Chiller: Kunzel/Cincinnati Pops" and "Spies: By Way of the World" and the cassettes were better than the CD versions in every performance area, plus the cassettes sounded warmer and almost analog-like. Make sure to get 70us EQ ones as the 120us EQ Telarcs are not as good.

Some non-audiophile cassettes to look for are Capitol XDR (eXtended Dynamic Range), Warner Bros., Rounder, London/Decca and even some Philips. All the Deutsche Grammophon's I tried so far have had rolled off high frequencies and I have not been to lucky with RCA or Columbia. I buy from thrift stores mostly thus if I get a cassette that actually sounds like a traditional cassette I can donate it back and I am only out 25 to 50 cents.

There is much more about all the analog tape formats in my eBook "An Analog Lovers Survival Guide" (see bottom of page).

They said CDs would sound better, they lied!

"They lied to us, man," he said.

Flipping through old vinyl albums at a used-record shop, I did what anyone does when a fellow human bares his soul: I ignored him. "They said CDs would sound better," he persisted. "They lied!" He rapped a vintage Ramsey Lewis album on the edge of the bin, like a gavel, releasing that distinct scent of dust and decomposing cardboard.

How Records Got Their Groove Back

New Vote Question: Do you record your LPs to your computer?