Date:         Thu, 29 Jan 2004 09:54:45 -0500
Reply-To:     Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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Sender:       Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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From:         "Steven C. Barr" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: audio cassettes
Comments: To: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard L. Hess" <[log in to unmask]>
> Don,
>
> Your feelings years ago were correct, but what else did we have that
filled the
> same niche?
>
> Cassettes are actually, for the most part, proving to be reasonably
robust. I
> just transferred some early-'70s cassettes and the biggest headache with
the
> non-major-brand ones were that the splices failed.
In fact, I found...and still play occasionally, half-a-dozen or so Philips
cassettes, recorded by me back in 1968 when only Philips made
cassettes...and
they still play as well as they ever did. I also have about 200 cassettes I
made between 1979 and 1983...mostly name-brand but with quite a few "no
name"
as well...and they also play as well as they ever did. My player is
currently
a Sony portable "boom box," itself probably c. 1990.

The main problem I've had with cassettes has been the players...usually ones
in
vehicles...which occasionally "eat" the tape, which then has to be carefully
rewound back into the cassette. I suspect this is caused by contamination in
the players, not on the tape.
Steven C. Barr