About everything - Consumer evaluation of audio cassettes.

╔════════════════════════ ═══════════════════ ═══════════════════╗
║  About everything in the world.        ║
╙─────────────────────────────── ───────────────────────────────╜
(R) *W*L*D*

 Consumer assessment of audio cassettes

 Hello, dear ladies and gentlemen! Today I will introduce you to
I love a very useful text that will talk about audio
cassettes of the Russian market. General consumer characteristics of the test
cassettes for readers who are poorly versed in magnetic technology
thread recording or not wanting to “clog” the memory with a lot of digital
ditch data. Let's get straight to the point.

AGFA Ferrocolor HD90. Has ideal compatibility with this
strip tape IEC1 both in sensitivity and current supply
magnetization, therefore it is recommended for recording using a system
DOLBY noise reduction themes. The disadvantage is the high
level of modulation noise and high friction torque.
AGFA F-DX1 60. Very low distortion and modulation noise. By
set of parameters, one of the best tested cassettes.
ALME M400 C90. Sensitivity is much lowerstandard, according to
This is not recommended for recording with DOLBY noise reduction systems.
The overall quality of the cassette is below average, but it is quite possible to use
use for non-responsible entries.
ANVIC AD 90. Cassette of extremely low quality. Along with high
the level of modulation noise and nonlinear distortion has
tendency to jam. Relative bias current -
the smallest of the tested cassettes, manifests itself in strong blockage
Frequency response at higher audio frequencies.
Fe 1 IEC (Russian).Cassette with standards for production tapes
CIS parameters.  The friction moment is slightly increased, but still doubled
below the maximum permissible.  Modulation noise level is higher
average. To obtain high-quality recordings on imported magnetic tapes
backgrounds, it is necessary to reduce the bias current by 15% and increase
Set the recording level to 1.5 dB. Application with DOLBY systems
low sensitivity is not recommended. General dynamics
ical range is approximately 10 dB lower than that of Western tapes
production.
AUDIOSTAR HS-I 90. Medium quality cassette. Sensitivity
slightly reduced, so recording with systems is not recommended
DOLBY C,S (permissible use only with DOLBY B, less
sensitive to deviationsensitivity from nominal).
Audio Ykpaiha 60 (1991). The main disadvantage is very high
modulation noise level. Bias current reduced by 1.5 dB
production is generally typical for the production of chemical plants in the CIS, although
sensitivity is close to the IEC standard, so it is possible to use
interaction with noise reduction systems. Mechanical characteristics and
The appearance of the cassette is close to Western models.
 Audio Ykpaiha AUbO. The characteristics are almost identical to the original
previous, with the exception of modulation shims, which are reduced by
10 dB and reached the average level.
Audio Ykpaiha GX 90. Cassette and magnetic tape produced
from Sunkiong (Korea), also known under the SKC brand.
In general, the cassette is of high quality, but the friction moment is doubled
above average.
BASF Chromdioxide Super II 60. "Real" chromoxide tape. B
design, as in all BASF cassettes,
tape-laying devices were used to reduce the formation of bleed-out vit-
cov.  With excellent frequency response even in
fixed bias, the tape, however, has a low
sensitivity and large nonlinear distortions. Due to thishigh-quality recording on Mayak is impossible.
 "BASF Firm's Tape 90". Cassette from an unknown manufacturer. Ha-
The characteristics of the belt are close to the characteristics of the BASF Ferro belt
extra, but the modulation noise level is almost 10 dB higher. External
The lower appearance of the cassette is noticeably inferior to Western models.
BASF Ferro Extra I 90. The cheapest BASF tape, having received
is widespread in the CIS. Has excellent compatibility
with IEC reference tape and can be used for high-quality
honest recording using noise reduction systems. Assembly
carried out both in Germany and in Brazil and Russia. Cassette
German assembly is distinguished by very low nonlinear distortions -
mi.
BASF LH SM C120. Cassette with increased up to 120 min. duration
sound.  Quite suitable for high-quality recording, although
nonlinear distortions are 2...5 times higher than those of normal tapes
duration. Noticeably lower than the standard bias current.
of reduced thickness is NOT ACCEPTABLE for use on tape recorders
"Mayak" series 231,232,233, "Electronics 204", "Nota 220" and others
with similar tape drive mechanisms that “pull” this
tape in one rewind cycle.
BASF LH I 90. The cassette is of consistently high quality, has good
Highly compatible with IEC 1 reference tape.
BASF Soundtrack 90. Has a very low level of modulation
noise, but the sensitivity is noticeably higher than standard, so it’s not
recommended with DOLBY C, DOLBY S systems.
 DENON DX1 90. The cassette is of good quality, has good consistency
Compatible with reference IEC 1, but linear distortion is higher
average level for Western cassettes, resulting in dynamic
This range is 6 dB inferior to BASF LH Extra.
FUDJI DR 60, DR-Ix 60. Cassettes from a well-known Japanese company have
They have a modern design, but nonlinear distortions are noticeably high
higher than similar-priced BASF DR 60 cassettes, in addition
has a very high level of modulation noise. Compatibility
with IEC 1 it is good in terms of bias current, and in terms of sensitivity
mediocre. Use with DOLBY C,S is not recommended.
 GOLDSTAR HD90. Has a tendency to jam, although the rest
parameters, including compatibility with IEC 1, at the level of the best image
tsov.
HITACHI DL90.  Excellent compatibility with IEC 1, but the level
modulation noise andnonlinear distortion above average for the
well-known Western companies of the level.
JVC F1-S90. The level of quality is above average, but inferior in some respects
linear distortion and compatibility with IEC 1 BASF LH cassette
Extra.
 LEVIS D90. Cassette of extremely low quality.
MAXELL LN90.  The cheapest cassette of the famous Japanese company
we.The level of nonlinear distortion is increased and is more typical for
tapes produced by chemical plants in the CIS. Sensitivity and bias current
level is significantly lower than that of the reference IEC 1, use with
DOLBY systems are not recommended.
MAXELL UR90. The main disadvantage is the high level of power
dulation noise, other parameters correspond to high
quality class. Compatibility with IEC 1 is perfect.
MAXELL XL-II-S 90. One of the best replacement cassettes
chromoxide.  The cassette has the best current compatibility
bias and sensitivity with reference IEC 2. Level of non-
linear distortion is much higher than that of high-quality IEC 1 tapes, which
is explained by the limited magnetic qualities of the material used in
test "MAYAK" universal magnetic head. Due to
this is notrecommended for use in domestic tape recorders
production.
 MAXWELL C90.  One of the fakes of the Japanese MAXELL. Width and
sensitivity is significantly less than standard, and nonlinear
distortion is very high. For recording practically
unsuitable.
 MAXWELLE Extra High Energy C90.  The quality of the cassette ranks
middle position between Western and CIS production. Compatible
Compatibility with IEC 1 is satisfactory, level of nonlinear distortion
noticeably lower than that of cassettes from well-known Western companies.
 MAXWLELLE HOP 90. The quality of the cassette is more typical for chemical
waters of the CIS.  Poor sensitivity compatibility with IEC 1
allows to recommend for use with DOLBY systems.
Due to the increased level of nonlinear distortions, the dynamic
The range is approximately 10 dB narrower than that of the BASF LH Extra.
PHILIPS FS Ferro 90. The cheapest cassette from the company - the inventor
compact cassettes. High quality cassette, but the friction moment is tripled
exceeds the same parameter of the best Western samples. Dina-
The mic range is one of the widest. Bias current
slightly larger than the IEC 1 reference.
PHILIPS MCX Master 90.For IEC class 2, the cassette has an amazing
extremely high sensitivity. Pause and modulation noise levels
Onion noise is the least of the tangled cassettes. Nonlinear distortion
niya several times less than that of other entangled chromium oxide
cassettes, but higher than that of IEC 1 cassettes from leading Western companies. This
perhaps the only IEC 2 cassette on which you can get
high-quality recording on domestic tape recorders.
 RAKS ED-XbO. This Turkish-made cassette could be
classified as the best, if not for the “fly in the ointment” - tendency
to jamming due to poor material or design of the internal
old gaskets.  The tape itself has excellent compatibility
with IEC 1, very low nonlinear distortion and modulus
cyonic noises. The dynamic range is one of the widest.
 RONEeS URbO.  High quality cassette, complete with tape
German plant Dessau. Modulation noise level is somewhat
increased, compatibility with IEC 1 is good.
 SAMSUNG XM-1 C90.  High quality cassette made in Korea
production, in no way inferior to the best Japanese and German.
gives excellent compatibility with IEC 1, suitable for recording with any
former noise reduction systems.
 SKC LX90.One of the best tested cassettes. Has ideal
compatibility with IEC 1, extremely low non-linear distortion
yami and wide dynamic range. This Korean cassette
characteristics superior to most tested Western cassettes
Noeuropean and Japanese production.
 SONY EF 90. The cheapest tape from a well-known Japanese company, made
supplied only to the CIS market. Has a somewhat outdated design
Zain, but quite decent electro-acoustic characteristics.
The main disadvantage is the high level of modulation noise. Sov-
capacity with IEC 1 is satisfactory.  This type of cassette
is especially popular among “fake cassette makers”, so
Precautions should be taken when purchasing.
 SONY HF90a.  One of the cheapest cassettes of the famous Japanese
companies.  Features a very low level of modulation noise. Current
bias is slightly higher than the reference for IEC 1, and the sensitivity
efficiency is significantly lower, which makes the use undesirable
with DOLBY noise reduction systems. Quite often in the CIS market
There are fakes of this type, with a quick external examination
difficult to distinguish from the real thing. The characteristics of a fake are very
similar to the worst pirated tapesproduced in Southeast countries
exact Asia: it is impossible even to record mediocre quality on them
quality. When purchasing this cassette, precautions should be taken
horniness.
 TDK A/90. The cassette has high parameters and excellent compatibility
compatibility with IEC 1, but the level of nonlinear distortion and modulation
noise is slightly worse than that of BASF of similar cost
LH Extra, SKC LX and SONY HF.

 That's all for now. And at the next lesson I will teach you how to distinguish
fake tapes from real ones.

Chhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

                                     *W*L*D*
                                           "Center plus, east."