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Path: utzoo!decvax!linus!philabs!polaris!herbie
From: herbie@polaris.UUCP (Herb Chong)
Newsgroups: net.audio
Subject: Re: advice requested on brands of cassette tapes
Message-ID: <247@polaris.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 3-Nov-85 16:57:27 EST
Article-I.D.: polaris.247
Posted: Sun Nov  3 16:57:27 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 7-Nov-85 04:12:55 EST
References: <10838@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <3063@sdcc3.UUCP>
Reply-To: herbie@polaris.UUCP (Herb Chong)
Distribution: na
Organization: IBM TJ Watson RC
Lines: 37
Summary: 

In article <3063@sdcc3.UUCP> bi50xrs@sdcc3.UUCP (rich) writes:
>In article <10838@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> luria@ucbvax.UUCP (Marc Luria) writes:
>>I just bought a cassette deck and am unsure which tape to buy.  Next
>>to the TDK SA there is a note that this is a reference tape.  Does this
>>mean this is the best tape?  
 
>"TDK is the reference tape" denotes that other companies base their
>tape quality on TDK obviously.
>it's like IBM PC's, they are the standard which most companies
>base their software.  they must be doing something right if others
>compare to IBM PC's.  same for TDK.
>personally i use nothing but SA because i've had bad luck with
>Maxell.  but, BASF "standards" seem to be higher than TDK.

i think you're wrong.  the note next to a TDK SA label says "Laboratory
Standard Mechanism".  it is a type of mechanism that TDK has deemed to
be of a certain quality relative to the rest of their tapes.  TDK
doesn't make the IEC Type II standard reference tape, BASF does.
TDK makes the IEC Type IV standard reference tape and i'm not sure
whether it is identical in formulation to TDK MAR or very close.
TDK would like very much for you to beleive that their tapes are the
standard with which everybody else compares theirs to, but i think
that is not the case.  on the other hand, i think TDK SA was the first
ferricobalt tape to hit the market and proved to be better marketed
and had better quality control than DuPont's CrO2 formulation, but
i can't remember that very well.  can someone clarify?

Herb Chong...

I'm still user-friendly -- I don't byte, I nybble....

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