Cassettes

[TheTigerUK]

I'm not big into listening to music but I do like a bit of Meatloaf or Abba now and again but I find that CDs bounce about a bit in the 2 so I picked up a cassette last week at the car boot to try and it played well and the sound was good or at least good to my untrained ear, so i'm now looking for cassettes

[Chilli Girl]

I'm lucky as Sapphire has both cassette and CD radio (not sure if this is because she's an MR-S) and yes I do occasionally use the cassette with some old songs that I like listening to

[105e]

I still have many cassettes so i removed the more modern cd player that had been fitted that i just did not get on with, then bought / fitted an original tape player. Sounds good enough for me and being old appreciate the large buttons. Have also bought an original cd player so plan to swap them over every now and then to play my old cd,s...

[JohnGee]

We'll be installing 8 track players next ...

[Joesson]

We'll be installing 8 track players next ...

Please tell me that you speak in jest!

[JohnGee]

Please tell me that you speak in jest!

You may find this hard to believe, BUT, I'm only just old enough to remember the 8 track system, have seen it in cars in the 1970s, but never listened to or experienced it. It strikes me that you will have a view of the 8 track system and perhaps some direct experience. If so, tell us more.

[105e]

My brother had an 8 track in his car, but so long ago i dont remember much about it but i dont think it made me want to get one...

[Joesson]

You may find this hard to believe, BUT, I'm only just old enough to remember the 8 track system, have seen it in cars in the 1970s, but never listened to or experienced it. It strikes me that you will have a view of the 8 track system and perhaps some direct experience. If so, tell us more.

In the late'60's I worked at weekends (it wasn't all wine and honey then) and one guy I worked with wanted to sell his 8 track. Knowing them only by their lack of ( word of mouth then) reputation I declined. He insisted I at least try it, which I did and promptly returned it. They used a cassette around the size of a vhs cassette and were used in much the same way as the compact cassette you are likely familiar  with. Except the playback was a bit hit and miss and only having one tape, that wasn't to my taste, I soon got fed up with it.
They were superseded by the (older) compact cassette, of which I have an abundance as I used to record my vinyl onto compact cassettes ( that you couldn't do with an 8 track) to use in the car or at party times to protect the vinyl discs.
The comparatively bulk of the 8 track likely did not help their popularity, strangely, as the larger VHS video tape system became more popular than the more compact and higher quality record and playback Sony Beta system. Just after I bought a Beta Sony video recorder the hire shops switched quite quickly from hiring out both VHS and Beta tapes to just VHS. Commercial interest directed the masses, as is usual.

[JohnGee]

@Joesson Yes, I seem to remember seeing a large 'cassette' sitting on a passenger seat and being intrigued by it, particularly the sheer size of it.

Now I'm intrigued by your reference to "the (older) compact cassette", I can only remember one style of cassette, was there an original and a later model? I haven't bought a blank cassette for 25 or so years, so it's a bit in the dim and distant.

[Joesson]

@Joesson Yes, I seem to remember seeing a large 'cassette' sitting on a passenger seat and being intrigued by it, particularly the sheer size of it.

Now I'm intrigued by your reference to "the (older) compact cassette", I can only remember one style of cassette, was there an original and a later model? I haven't bought a blank cassette for 25 or so years, so it's a bit in the dim and distant.

"Older" but only just as this potted history shows:

https://blog.landr.com/music-formats-history/

We seldom bought a pre recorded cassette, sometimes called compact cassettes,  typically buying vinyl records and recording them onto blank cassettes which could be used in the car  and were less prone to damage than records.

[Alex Knight]

Music streamed via BT is incapable of skipping, btw.

[JohnGee]

Music streamed via BT is incapable of skipping, btw.

Nothing's impossible (or incapable) so they say.

Not 100% comfortable with digital / streaming, very easy and convenient but listening to a record still hard to beat IMO.

[JohnGee]

"Older" but only just as this potted history shows:

https://blog.landr.com/music-formats-history/

We seldom bought a pre recorded cassette, sometimes called compact cassettes,  typically buying vinyl records and recording them onto blank cassettes which could be used in the car  and were less prone to damage than records.

Thanks, interesting  background info.

Yes, playing records in the car sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

[Dev]

Thanks, interesting  background info.

Yes, playing records in the car sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

 This car is equipped with a factory record player with its own suspension system to deal with bumps. The owner said that the system plays the record upside down.

[JohnGee]

This car is equipped with a factory record player with its own suspension system to deal with bumps. The owner said that the system plays the record upside down.

Fascinating. Does the music come out back to front?

[Dev]

Fascinating. Does the music come out back to front?

I found this on the YouTubes.

  https://youtu.be/UMKZc_W-xto?t=152

[1979scotte]

Music streamed via BT is incapable of skipping, btw.

Nothing's impossible (or incapable) so they say.

Not 100% comfortable with digital / streaming, very easy and convenient but listening to a record still hard to beat IMO.

Vinyl has an organic analogue sound however it isn't possible to listen to a record in an mr2. The quality of modern streaming isn't going to be beaten by CD let alone a cassette. I would suggest it's time for a new head unit rather than going backwards to cassette. Anyone remember have to rewind the things by hand to get the magnetic tape back inside the case?

[fawtytoo]

Vinyl has an organic analogue sound however it isn't possible to listen to a record in an mr2. The quality of modern streaming isn't going to be beaten by CD let alone a cassette. I would suggest it's time for a new head unit rather than going backwards to cassette. Anyone remember have to rewind the things by hand to get the magnetic tape back inside the case?

Quality does not come from the media alone. It also comes from the quality of the amplifier and the speakers, and the stereos Toyota chose and the speakers are not the best. And even if you did have a higher quality system, that quality is lost once the roof is down anyway.

[J88TEO]

We seldom bought a pre recorded cassette, sometimes called compact cassettes,  typically buying vinyl records and recording them onto blank cassettes which could be used in the car  and were less prone to damage than records.
[/quote]
So you are a vinyl guy!

[Joesson]

We seldom bought a pre recorded cassette, sometimes called compact cassettes,  typically buying vinyl records and recording them onto blank cassettes which could be used in the car  and were less prone to damage than records.

So you are a vinyl guy!

Only if a CD is made of vinyl!
Our 45's from the 60's together with our later LP's and our son's reggae LP's ( he moved to the USA 25 years ago) are all in our loft waiting to turn into valuable collector's items! That and we have not had a turntable for getting on for 20 years. Now we have our music on our PC, an iPod/ Bose speaker and CD's that we play in the cars, on an old portable  stereo or in the PC.
The last "stereo" unit's I bought we're Technics and at first I didn't get the CD player, why do I need that?? After not so long I realised why and got that, but everything has a limited life and when those units passed away we had a PC and the iPod and so used those.
However, in more recent years I have acquired electronically enhanced hearing!

[fawtytoo]

Only if a CD is made of vinyl!

I believe CD's are made in much the same way as vinyl records, just different materials and recording type.

I had a friend who had a record player that used a laser instead of needles. It had a motorised tray to put the vinyl on much like a CD drive on a computer.

[Joesson]

I believe CD's are made in much the same way as vinyl records, just different materials and recording type.

I had a friend who had a record player that used a laser instead of needles. It had a motorised tray to put the vinyl on much like a CD drive on a computer.

Not heard about that, having had a quick look on the www I probably have not missed very much as the cons seem to be more than the pros.

[J88TEO]

Nothing beats the analogue sound of vinyls and valve amps, IMO but thats just me. Having gone from vinyls to cassettes to CDs to digital streaming and back to vinyls.

[1979scotte]

Nothing beats the analogue sound of vinyls and valve amps, IMO but thats just me. Having gone from vinyls to cassettes to CDs to digital streaming and back to vinyls.

If you're into music and have a decent setup vinyl sounds great.
Not very practicable in a roadster.

[Ardent]

Nothing beats the analogue sound of vinyls and valve amps, IMO but thats just me. Having gone from vinyls to cassettes to CDs to digital streaming and back to vinyls.

You are not alone.

I am accepting with things audio, that like cameras there is no one signal best option.
For me in sabine the best audio is her.
I play no music at all. Wind, valves, zorst, turbo twitter that's my sound scape.
Happy to stream from phone to Dali katch via Bluetooth and play vinyls in the traditional sense.
All depends on the time and mood.
There is a place for each. I enjoy each in their own way.