Maxell sounds good TDK sounds bad on my Sony why?

C Hugo

New member
I have a new Sony 3 head ES series cassette deck,why do tdk blanks sound so much worse on this deck than maxell tapes.I'm comparing TDK SA-X to Maxell XLII-S.I also noticed that the maxell's rewind and fast forward much quicker than the TDK'S.The deck sounds like it's straining a little when it rewinds the tdk's,i've noticed this on my car deck also with tdk's.I always thought that tdk was supposed to make better tapes than maxell.This sony deck has a tape calibration system so that you can optimize the deck to any tape so i dont understand why the tdk's dont sound good.Has tdk's quality gotten worse over the years?And why does my deck sound like it's straining a bit with the tdk's?Are the tdk tapes shells put together to tight?I've tried the rewind thing on other decks and have noticed that the maxell's rewind quicker than the tdk's on other deks i've tried also.Thanks and Much PEACE!!
 
chugo,
I don't know why this is. It happens to me also. Using my 424mkIII, I use the Maxell all the time. I tried using the TKD and they sounded horrible. I used type II of both brands. I hope one off the experts here replies about this.
dtb
 
Give the tape that is stiff and slow a good smack on your table....
(controlled of course... don't smash it into pieces)

Sometimes when they are new they are a little tight...

Other than that, I offer no solutions.. Sorry

Joe
 
YO CHUGO:]

As I just mentioned on a post above this one, Sony UX or HX Pro cassettes have a ceramic spindle and they run very quiet. Fast rewind and FF too. Some other cassettes have ugly mechanisms and sound like they are straining the recorder. I use the Sony ES dual deck for many things and prefer the Sony cassettes.

Green Hornet:D :D :p :p :cool:
 
TDK tape mechs always c""p!

Dear Sir.

TDK TAPE itself is great, wonderful sound quality, I think. Thing is, the mechanism on their actual cassettes is always dodgy. It tries to tighten up as soon as it can. I've discovered that if you fast-forward the tape to the end, then rewind it, BEFORE you record on it, it is usually OK for awhile. But sooner or later, as you've discovered, it will tighten up and you'll have to do the fast forwards/rewind thing again.

I don't know why TDK as a company use top quality tape, but such bad quality cassettes ('shells'). And other companies make far better quality shells, yet use far worse quality actual tape. I use CD's mostly now, but when I used tapes I used to use TDK for the sound and put up with having to fast-forward/rewind every so often before playback.

Sorry I can't be of more help. Can't think of any firm who's tapes sound as good and have decent quality mechs, out of touch with tapes!

Yours uselessly

Chris.
 
Fast Forward & rewind AND hold the body of the tape between your palms - so that the area between the spindles/wheels is where most pressure is & squeeze your plams together slowly & firmly. OFTEN the tapes wind on unevenly due to the guides & the space inside the casette being a little roomy. care winding/rewinding & squeezing can/will tidy thngs up. DON'T slam it.
You should run tapes right through at least once a year too - so that they don't bind.
Sometimes some tapes don't sit as well in the tape player so ensure that they are completely in & the spindle/drive shaft things are fully meshed with the wheels.
I've used both brands & haven't had any probs but I do the things I described (as well as demag & clean) before using the tape players.
 
It's kind of funny how different opinions arise. I prefer the TDK, I've had trouble with Maxell tapes dropping out, but it's been awhile since I've used cassettes.

-MD
 
I never have problems with tdk's. I think the diffences between shells are a bit overrated too, but I could be wrong. Cassette decks seem to get used to a brand of tape, maybe yours is used to Maxell. My Tascams prefer TDK. Why? I don;t have a clue. Maybe it's something with the shells after all.

On a side note: you can order new cassette tapes at the Thomann website. They use old stock tape in new shells. Haven't tried them yet, but they look allright: http://www.thomann.de/index.html?pa...tes.html?sid=51eee119af21dbe9039406d4ffb238ed

:cool:
 
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