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 :)
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 ;D
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...
We'll be installing 8 track players next ...
Quote from: JohnGee on April 23, 2022, 22:36We'll be installing 8 track players next ...
Please tell me that you speak in jest!
Quote from: Joesson on April 24, 2022, 09:32Please 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.
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...
Quote from: JohnGee on April 24, 2022, 11:16You 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They were superseded by the (older) compact cassette, of which I have an abundance as I used to record my vinyl onto compact cassettes ( that you couldn't do with an 8 track) to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.
@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.
Quote from: JohnGee on April 24, 2022, 14:40@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.
Music streamed via BT is incapable of skipping, btw.
Quote from: Alex Knight on April 24, 2022, 21:00Music 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.
Quote from: Joesson on April 24, 2022, 19:47"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.
Quote from: JohnGee on April 24, 2022, 21:30Thanks, 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.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-DSDRgbZ/0/M/i-DSDRgbZ-M.jpg)
Quote from: Dev on April 24, 2022, 22:12This 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?
Quote from: JohnGee on April 24, 2022, 22:24Fascinating. Does the music come out back to front?
I found this on the YouTubes.
https://youtu.be/UMKZc_W-xto?t=152
Quote from: Alex Knight on April 24, 2022, 21:00Music streamed via BT is incapable of skipping, btw.
Quote from: JohnGee on April 24, 2022, 21:24Nothing'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?
Quote from: 1979scotte on April 25, 2022, 07:47Vinyl 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.
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!
Quote from: J88TEO on April 25, 2022, 15:09We 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!
Quote from: Joesson on April 25, 2022, 16:36Only 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.
Quote from: fawtytoo on April 25, 2022, 18:17I 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.
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.
Quote from: J88TEO on April 25, 2022, 20:12Nothing 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.
Quote from: J88TEO on April 25, 2022, 20:12Nothing 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.
Quote from: 1979scotte on April 25, 2022, 20:14Not very practicable in a roadster.
Could always set up the TT on the luggage rack ;)
Quote from: Dev on April 24, 2022, 22:50I found this on the YouTubes.
https://youtu.be/UMKZc_W-xto?t=152
I struggled a bit to believe this, but proof is in the pudding. All I can say is that the roads must have been a lot smoother and better maintained back in those days. Imagine trying that (in the UK at least) today.
Those were the days!
Quote from: J88TEO on April 26, 2022, 09:06Those were the days!
... my friend,
We thought they'd never end, 🎶
Quote from: JohnGee on April 26, 2022, 09:47... my friend,
We thought they'd never end, 🎶
...don't get me going.... ;)
I will state that my car audio system will outshine a CD player source material using a USB stick. If it was LDAC bluetooth capable then it would equal or exceed CDs depending on what source material is going though that medium for streaming audio. CDs are old technology if audio is your goal.
I will also state that I once owned a very old Alpine cassette player in the late 80s when Alpine was a serious company. Even though CDs were a better medium in many respects, that unit would take down modern factory units that are CD equipped because it has better internal circuitry in terms of amplification circuits which did not changed all that much except to cost more as the price of high grade audio components has gone up and these conglomerates that live on name alone don't give you except in their very best flagship headunits.
What is better than LPs is master tape. What is as good as master tape is DSD and then PCM that is available to the public since 2010. I have that and it will blow you mind unless you cant tell the difference between an MP3 and CD. I can relate because I cant tell the difference between good wine and bad. This technology is available to everyone for cheap if you know what to buy.
A CD is only as good as how it was mixed and translated from the master tape. Many of the early translations were bad and the reissues improved things. CDs are also a compromised medium because of its size where a lot of information from the analog recording was left out. There are better mediums as I stated that far exceed records as they are not very good for bass and suffer from many other issues.
As far as amplification. Tubes are still superior to my ear but I have heard that the best combo is to have tubes on the front end with preamplification and a transistor power amp on the back end for dynamic response.
Some of the newer high end amps use this architecture.
As far as car audio goes you can make a car like ours sound very good but it requires equalization and bi-amplification. Its not really that hard or very expensive these days using an iPhone and a spectrum analyzer free app.
Quote from: fawtytoo on April 25, 2022, 10:12Quality 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.
I agree it is a combination of many things. As far as quality is lost when the roof is down depends on the way that the system is tuned and amplification to overcome it. With the right tuning it can sound better than when the top is up or in a vehicle with a hard roof dealing with reflections that cause interference. You can also eliminate some road noise by attenuating it out by boosting adjacent frequencies that can cancel it out. You obviously cant get it all out like a sound room or should you want to because it is important to hear the environment but you can make it sound pleasant enough to be highly enjoyable.
Quote from: J88TEO on April 26, 2022, 10:55...don't get me going.... ;)
I think you got that a bit wrong, didn't you mean 🎶 "Don't stop me now!" 🎶
Quote from: Dev on April 26, 2022, 13:39I will state that my car audio system will outshine a CD player source material using a USB stick. If it was LDAC bluetooth capable then it would equal or exceed CDs depending on what source material is going though that medium for streaming audio. CDs are old technology if audio is your goal.
I will also state that I once owned a very old Alpine cassette player in the late 80s when Alpine was a serious company. Even though CDs were a better medium in many respects, that unit would take down modern factory units that are CD equipped because it has better internal circuitry in terms of amplification circuits which did not changed all that much except to cost more as the price of high grade audio components has gone up and these conglomerates that live on name alone don't give you except in their very best flagship headunits.
What is better than LPs is master tape. What is as good as master tape is DSD and then PCM that is available to the public since 2010. I have that and it will blow you mind unless you cant tell the difference between an MP3 and CD. I can relate because I cant tell the difference between good wine and bad. This technology is available to everyone for cheap if you know what to buy.
A CD is only as good as how it was mixed and translated from the master tape. Many of the early translations were bad and the reissues improved things. CDs are also a compromised medium because of its size where a lot of information from the analog recording was left out. There are better mediums as I stated that far exceed records as they are not very good for bass and suffer from many other issues.
As far as amplification. Tubes are still superior to my ear but I have heard that the best combo is to have tubes on the front end with preamplification and a transistor power amp on the back end for dynamic response.
Some of the newer high end amps use this architecture.
As far as car audio goes you can make a car like ours sound very good but it requires equalization and bi-amplification. Its not really that hard or very expensive these days using an iPhone and a spectrum analyzer free app.
There is no good or bad wine.
Only wine which you like and wine that you do not.
Same as music. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Quote from: JohnGee on April 26, 2022, 08:25I struggled a bit to believe this, but proof is in the pudding. All I can say is that the roads must have been a lot smoother and better maintained back in those days. Imagine trying that (in the UK at least) today.
I would imagine the same. Smooth roads and smooth driving.
What about one of these?
Laser Turntable (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_turntable)
Quote from: fawtytoo on April 26, 2022, 21:05I would imagine the same. Smooth roads and smooth driving.
What about one of these?
Laser Turntable (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_turntable)
Perhaps I should become a coach driver and drive touring symphony orchestras on their road trips (and encourage mobile rehearsals) 💡
Quote from: JohnGee on April 26, 2022, 22:25Perhaps I should become a coach driver and drive touring symphony orchestras on their road trips (and encourage mobile rehearsals) 💡
I picked up a passenger one evening on my bus with a guitar slung across his back. Before he even sat down, the other passengers pestered him to play something.
He played and sang Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here". And brilliantly!
Quote from: fawtytoo on April 27, 2022, 08:06I picked up a passenger one evening on my bus with a guitar slung across his back. Before he even sat down, the other passengers pestered him to play something.
He played and sang Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here". And brilliantly!
As an aside, I know a chap who 20 years ago when he was working in Hampshire was approached by a chap who was working for him on an agency basis and this chap wanted to know if he could finish at the end of the day tomorrow, rather than serve his 1 week's notice. My friend said it was a bit unusual and what was behind the short notice. The chap said he'd been playing his guitar in the local pub the previous evening and in the audience was Crowded House (a popular music ensemble) who had asked him to join them on their European tour, they were setting off the following evening. Either an incredible case of being in the right place at the right time, or, the most imaginative excuse for leaving a job early (cynical me!). My friend agreed to the request.
I visited our local car boot (A47) today and found someone selling cassettes at 10 for a £1, result as I now have 10 :)
One of our friends in the late 60's or very early 70's had one of these portable (if you could say that) record players, it went through batteries like they went out of fashion, it was never any good if used in a car while driving, the needle would be skipping
Quote from: Mollydog on May 9, 2022, 07:28One of our friends in the late 60's or very early 70's had one of these portable (if you could say that) record players, it went through batteries like they went out of fashion, it was never any good if used in a car while driving, the needle would be skipping
In 1965 my wife to be, her sister and husband hired a boat on the Norfolk Broads and we took a portable record player with us, one of the favorite records was Tina Turners "River Deep Mountain High" we blasted that out a few times a day, hooligans :)
Quote from: TheTigerUK on May 10, 2022, 11:02In 1965 my wife to be, her sister and husband hired a boat on the Norfolk Broads and we took a portable record player with us, one of the favorite records was Tina Turners "River Deep Mountain High" we blasted that out a few times a day, hooligans :)
I still love that song, and have it (MP3) on my SD card in my car's head unit
Good tune.
Like that myself.
My wife corrected my memory she said it was 1966 (WC year) when we went.