I recently moved. When I was going through all my belongings and packing I came across a huge store of old cassettes. What a trip! Had to chuckle at a few of my purchases. I no longer have anything that plays cassettes but was thinking of purchasing a cheap, second-hand player. Does the audio quality degrade over time?
Wayne Parham Messages: 18782 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
Quality will degrade if the cassette is exposed to magnetic fields. You also don't want them exposed to extreme heat or to dust. Heat can warp the case and dust can act as an abrasive.
Don't buy a cheap dual-transport deck. Get a three-head deck that has a bias adjustment for recording. You'll be very happy with the quality from a good deck, provided your tapes are well recorded.
Yes. This is the main selling point of all the advanced audio players and equipment that have made their way to us through the years. Streamed music will never degrade in quality.
I look at it this way though: Playing old music on old technology takes me back to that time. Elton John records on a turntable will transport me back to 1975, and that's a good feeling to have.
Besides the things that Wayne said about keeping the cassette tape in good order, I would like to add that you keep it away from humid areas because molds can ruin even the best cassette tape.
I had the Sony Walkman before, and I brought it everywhere I go. Now I use my mobile phone.
These replies make me realize that the care you have to take to keep different types of media in good working order helps you appreciate the music even more. It makes the ownership more personal.
If we're going to be honest about things, I was never a huge fan of cassettes and 8 Tracks. The 8 Tracks especially, when compared to vinyl, were too much of a hassle for me to deal with.
I don't think the flimsy tape material itself will degrade the sound, as Wayne pointed out. But rather the plastic casing and those two wheels could degrade over time compromising the movement of the tape.
Mulcahy Messages: 38 Registered: May 2021 Location: Queens, NY
Baron
Anyone still creating or collecting cassettes? My partner has a few lecture tapes from his grad school days, and I have one tape I want to digitize: a good recording of my late dad's voice.
Oh! Good old cassettes LOL. I think I still have a cassette player somewhere in my basement from when I was a teenager. I treasure those oldies like gold
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I no longer have anything that plays cassettes but was thinking of purchasing a cheap, second-hand player. Does the audio quality degrade over time?
