regebro said:
"Quantegy type 408 tape has also been suggested for use with Nagra. At the recent AES Covention, representatives from Quantegy (Ampex) clarified that the difference between 408 and 406 is that the 408 has one more polishing pass and is supposed to be spooled more precisely on the reels. There is no difference in the tape formulation nor recording characteristics."
So, it's highly polished to help with the Nagras weaker battery-powered motors, I guess? Or?
It's official. You can now quote me as saying the Internet has more misinformation than information. Mostly what this board amounts to is undiscerning individuals scouring the web for unsubstantiated "quotes" from every Tom, Dick and Harry on the web. If you search long enough you will always see what you want to see -- damn the facts.
The quote from regebro is from The Equipment Emporium. They sell tape and they don't carry 408 so they push 406 by saying it's the same thing. The context of the quote is to put 406 on par with 408 for use with Nagra. It is a somewhat more sophisticated version of the recent ebay seller who said Dictaphone tape was the best he ever heard. That's an extreme example, but it works.
Bottom line -- Except for the higher polishing, which I already mentioned they are wrong. 408 was first introduced in 1997 after Quantegy acquired 3Ms tape division. It is based on 3M 808 with an improved binder. 406/407 on the other hand has been produced by Ampex and then Quantegy virtually unchanged except for the binder since the 70's.
But by all means try it! It might work for you. Hey, lets have that be the pat answer for every question posed on this forum -- "Try it yourself and see." The problem with that is for some strange reason people keep coming here to get advise from "experts." Those "experts", who have no more idea off the top of their heads, embark on an Internet quest for an answer -- any answer. It would be nice if more members could share knowledge from real life experience and if they don't know the answer not make something up.
Lets see, I've been posting here since May 2003 and have not yet reached 450 posts. Ya wanna know why? Because I only answer questions that I already know the answer to. If I don't know I don't even bother to say I don't know -- I just don't post.
This forum (and not just the anolog section) is mostly the blind leading the blind. False information is repeated until it takes on a life of its own. The whole thing is perpetuated by socio-psychological processes more than anything else. The facts, if considered at all are at the bottom of the list.
In the final analysis I guess not much has changed. Even back in the day only a handful of people knew what they were doing. I don't see that changing.
I was going to sit here and list the specs for 408 and 406, which are different by the way. Then it dawned on me halfway through this tirade that it doesn't matter. This is really the wrong format to share knowledge. I may setup a website in the future, which is really the way to go. But for the most part I'm done with this circus.
