best deals on S-VHS tape?

[jmandoman]

Just got an LX20 and need tape!

Where can I get the best deals?
What brands should I stay away from?
Are the dry head cleaners any good?

[MISTERQCUE]

Go with BASF pre-formatted tapes @ $8 and some change!
I use the 60 min length! Never,ever had a prob!

[fenix]

dry head cleaners are good. I use em, but they get expensive.

Only use adat tapes, not svhs tapes.

I've always used BASF. Someone recommended Quantegy to me and one of the tapes I bought was filled with tape errors.

[jmandoman]

Misterque, where do you find them for 8$ and change?

[MISTERQCUE]

Rock&Soul Audio. 37th street and 7th avenue,NYC.

I'll find out thier web address.

[mastahnke]

You get can get two Maxell SVHS tapes from Target for 13$. Any Target.

Also, guitar Center blows them out quite often, unformatted for 5$.

[LongWaveStudio]

someone else already said this, but definitely get tapes which are intended for ADAT, not video machines.

[LongWaveStudio]

if you're recording for a band, best spend some money and get some good tapes, instead of bargains (unles it's a good tape for a bargain!).

fenix, ive never had a problem with Quantegy!

Romesh

[Brian01]

MISTERQCUE,

Do you have the web site for that place?

Also, besides the pre-formatting, whats the difference between an adat tape, and like a sony brand Super VHS tape?

[eh91311]

I live in greater Los Angeles... Target doesn't carry S-VHS. Local music stores want $16-22 each for formatted BASF ADAT tape.
I buy Maxell S-VHS @ 2 for $14 at Best Buy. Just about any reputable S-VHS tape should work; I haven't seen any difference in performance between S-VHS and Quantegy/BASF ADAT tape.

[fenix]

Originally posted by Brian01
MISTERQCUE,

Do you have the web site for that place?

Also, besides the pre-formatting, whats the difference between an adat tape, and like a sony brand Super VHS tape?

an adat tape has a slicker, more smoother finish to the record side of the tape. this will extend the life of your heads and If I recall correctly, heads run about $450 without labor.

[sacredhill]

Definitly get the pre-formats. The few extra bucks is worth cutting down on head wear. I've never had a glitch with the BASF tapes.


Micslut

[B3Nut]

The Target over in Kalamazoo MI had Maxell SVHS tapes, used 6 of them for a remote recording project. Despite not being marketed for ADAT, the Maxell XRS Black is great tape. Some ADAT users won't use anything else. I've never had error problems with it. Only other tape I use is the BASF. A friend buys HHB quite a bit, haven't seen any problems with it. Quantegy is supposed to be dodgy.

But the Maxell SVHS was $12.99 for a 2-pack. Best Buy has it too. I have no reservations about using it.

TP

[MISTERQCUE]

Originally posted by B3Nut
The Target over in Kalamazoo MI had Maxell SVHS tapes, used 6 of them for a remote recording project. Despite not being marketed for ADAT, the Maxell XRS Black is great tape. Some ADAT users won't use anything else. I've never had error problems with it. Only other tape I use is the BASF. A friend buys HHB quite a bit, haven't seen any problems with it. Quantegy is supposed to be dodgy.

But the Maxell SVHS was $12.99 for a 2-pack. Best Buy has it too. I have no reservations about using it.

TP

If you truly value your ADAT's,NEVER,EVER,use tapes intended for
VCR's!! U may not experience any probs now, but in the long run
you are contributing to eventual head damage down the road! This WILL lead you to expensive repairs/replacement!
Trust me!

[Velvet Elvis]

I agree with Q...

Don't wreck your deck with cheap tapes. I JUST looked at two decks yesterday with 3000 hours LESS on them than my deck (they were in here for repair) and they were just trashed because of bad tapes. Residue and junk all over the inside of these things. Bearings on the headstack were starting to cease up... idler wheel was slipping from excess tape residue etc.

B3nut,

You might be confusing the Maxell SVHS Black tapes with the Maxell Broadcast series (ST-126BQ I believe). They are NOT the same tape. Many many people, (including Sonusman in his ADAT days) swear by the broadcast quality tapes, but I've never heard people say the standard SVHS Black is the way to go.

Be nice to your ADATs... they *might* just return the favor!

Velvet Elvis (4000 + hours on original headstacks... on three decks... and still kicking)