I'll say my cassettes from the early 90s survived better than my dats...

https://nypost.com/2024/08/14/lifestyle/gen-z-buying-vintage-cassette-tapes-en-masse-but-doesnt-know-how-to-play-them-i-struggled/

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/gen-z-loves-cassettes-tapes-ca631750?mod=lifestyle_lead_pos3 

📼 🤦🤦‍♀️🤦‍♂️

https://foldiez.com/products/foldiez™-retrosound

On sale. 

Can't people just record with their smartphones?

Nakamichi DRAGON drives JBL PARAGON

4 hours ago, mikeymad said:

Nakamichi DRAGON drives JBL PARAGON

Man, I want a Dragon, even if it doesn't come with all the other *GONs.

I still have my Nak and every cassette I have bought since the early ‘70’s , but then I still have my Revox pr99.

A little late to the party... "Simply the 10 BEST Cassette Decks ever made"... bold claim:

 

Edited March 14, 20251 yr by HiWire

Ha... my first thought was. 'Psh, right.., they are not even going to have Tandberg.'

oh first one... okay I am listening.

 

 

 

 

More new cassette players - the azimuth adjustment and measurements are surprising:
 

 

The Hifi Company So Good it Killed Them (Nakamichi)

 

I thought this was worth mentioning - Revox announced they are selling new audio compact cassettes, Type I C60 and C90 - what a crazy time we live in:

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/new-blank-cassettes-now-available-from-revox/

20 minutes ago, HiWire said:

I thought this was worth mentioning - Revox announced they are selling new audio compact cassettes, Type I C60 and C90 - what a crazy time we live in:

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/new-blank-cassettes-now-available-from-revox/

But only Type 1 / Ferro ?

"The cassette tape used is the latest production and is manufactured exclusively for Revox. The excellent analog sound of the new Revox cassette tape is made possible by the legendary Grandmaster formula. This Revox cassette gives the best results with the Ferro/Normal Position Type I setting on your cassette player."

https://www.horchhouse.com/en-us/products/grandmaster-c90-empty-cassette

Disappoint. No Metal?

 

Compact Cassette tape types and formulations - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Cassette_tape_types_and_formulations

 

tapeheads.net/threads/cassette-type-1-2-3-4-strengths-evaluations.2999/

 

 

It's probably a sort of pilot project - if they don't lose their shirts on Type I, maybe they'll fire up Chromium and Metal cassette production later.

And what is this stuff for, anyway? Hobbyists, or real music production work? Will most of these tapes go into cheap Tanashin-knockoff Chinese cassette players?

Are we playing with analog for analog's sake - should a new cassette transport include noise reduction like Dolby S or is it a solved problem already (Digital Compact Cassette)?

Wouldn't it make sense for a new cassette transport to use direct drive instead of belts and fewer parts for reliability?

I'm putting this Nakamichi Dragon vs. LX-5 comparo and a boombox review below just for reference - there is a small niche market emerging...

 

Edited December 17, 2025Dec 17 by HiWire

1 hour ago, HiWire said:

...Are we playing with analog for analog's sake...

Why I Quit Streaming And Got Back Into Cassettes 

https://www.404media.co/why-i-quit-streaming-and-got-back-into-cassettes/ 

29 minutes ago, blessingx said:

Why I Quit Streaming And Got Back Into Cassettes 

https://www.404media.co/why-i-quit-streaming-and-got-back-into-cassettes/ 

In one paragraph he bemoans how little streaming services pay artists, and in the next relishes his experience listening to bootleg Sonic Youth recordings.

 

Just noticed https://shop.decca.com/products/john-coltrane-a-love-supreme-cassette 

"You Can Have My Walkman, Just Don't Take My MixTape"

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/28/style/mix-tape-analog-music.html?unlocked_article_code=1.9FA.Aap5.CDGpwOT5lktS&smid=url-share