Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site polaris.UUCP 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.... New net address -- VNET,BITNET,NETNORTH,EARN: HERBIE AT YKTVMH UUCP: {allegra|cbosgd|cmcl2|decvax|ihnp4|seismo}!philabs!polaris!herbie CSNET: herbie.yktvmh@ibm-sj.csnet ARPA: herbie.yktvmh.ibm-sj.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa