I started with one or two samples of Denon, TDK and TEAC. I bought a couple of BASF tapes back in 1981. I noticed right away when I was recording I was getting better performance. I was using the Revox 215 and a Nakamichi ZXL 700. I never looked back. I brought about 50 BASF tapes from tape world that used to be open in Pennsylvania. I still have all my tapes and my decks today and they are not for sale and I enjoy and love my music.
My brother gave me a chrome BASF tape with recordings of Dire Straits Brothers in arms on side A and INXS The Swing on side B out of pity that as a 10yo I had very few tapes with any decent music. As I grew up I was amazed at how it would outlive and sounded better than even my store bought albums and it wasn't till many yrs later that I realised that it was because those albums were CD recordings by his (rich) mate on a very expensive blank cassette by a high end component stereo. I've since evolved all my music to CD and streaming platforms but I'll never forget it! 👍
For many years as a teenager I owned a taped copy of Never Mind the Bollocks on a BASF Chrome Dioxid . I still remember the hubs going round whem the song Problems was played. My lp was hidden under the bed 😃
Great Quality those BASF cassettes. I particulary liked the BASF Maxima Chrome with the inscriptions and the large Window. Very nice design and faboulous quality record.👍
BASF are just as good as TDK Sony & Maxwell & I have found their Type 2 Chrome Tapes to be both Economical & Reliable & has a lasting Endurance Level with Smooth Sharp Clear Sounds from The 80s Golden Era of Music :) Great Channel with Great Cassette Reviews:)
The Ferro Maxima shell feels like it wanted to be 80s Retro Wave before Retro Wave even existed. Love the ridges and the teal text in the center. It really does feel a bit 80s at heart, just one decade too late. There was no BS with BASF back then before the EMTEC period ruined it all.
Thanks for this review! The FM I is indeed one of the greatest superferrics out there. Just the other day, a friend on the German forum made some comparative measurements and found another one of my favourites to be even better: It's the LH-MX I, 10 years older, double coated and even more rare than the FM I. Concerning the OEM products you are asking for, I have so far only found some Virgin Superferric and some Hema SF to contain Ferro Maxima tape, but both of them exist with completely different makes and models inside the same package, it is for example much more likely that you find a Saehan rather than a BASF in the Virgin package. Sound II (as well as Sound I) was a budget offer, which was technically the same as Chrome Extra II, albeit sometimes using up tape stock from a previous generation. They only existed because retailers wanted a tape they could offer in multiple packs at a very low price, while still being able to ask regular prices for the Chrome Extra sold one by one, without customers wondering too much. Did you notice that there is no bar code on the back side of the Sound II package? I reckon they weren't even available as single units. The Sound II you are showing here is the first iteration with this name (before, there was a Chrome Standard II) and should be from 1993-95-ish. If you want to know exactly, look at the 4th digit of the code on the cassette spine: It indicates the last digit of the production year. That clear shell with the diagonal stripe pattern of your FM I was BASF's own construction, ICM wasn't involved there. It first appeared in 1991, by then still with screws which later unfortunately were omitted. The inside construction is the same as in the "High Capacity" shell which was used exclusively for BASF's C-120 cassettes between 1988-91. Curiosa: Your sealed 1991 Ferro Maxima I has an Agfa shell :-) During the 1990's, you could get BASF cassettes with a large variety of shells within the same package design: BASF's own old construction (like your Sound II), BASF's own new construction (like your FM I), the Agfa shell, and some of the type I models also with ICM shells, or completely made by General Magnetics or Saehan, or by ECP using Agfa's old tooling. In the Emtec era, tey did unfortunately move more and more towards Chinese Kolormagnetics shells, as soon as BASF's own production was used up. Ah, and please don't remove the SM tusks if you want the BASF cassettes to keep their soul. As long as the tape itself doesn't suffer from binder breakdown like some FeCr, and your tape deck transport is okay, they don't make any trouble at all. The friction and pressure they apply is not harder compared to what the tape inevitably is subject to during playback in the tape path between heads, guide posts, capstan and pinch roller.
@@CassetteComeback Yup, you could compare it to a rusty car which is only held together by the colour painted over the rust. What the SM does here, is like removing the loose colour from a rusty tape. The coating would disintegrate anyway, sooner or later. A batch of these FeCr tapes is faulty from production, I've had this happen to one (in the very same design) already back in 1986, when the cassette in question was max 7 years old and I had bought it new from the shop. Guess that I also instinctively removed the SM, but it didn't really help, the flaking continued, even though not as quickly. So yes, ok, if you have a precious recording on a FeCr SM cassette, it is a good idea to remove the tusks before transferring the audio.
Christ is Risen! As for BASF, back in 1984 my favorite cassette that was available for 9 roubles a piece for us in the Soviet Union was BASF LH Extra I. Yellow ones, if you remember. I liked these cassettes more then other cassettes from other vendors available for us at that time. Since it was a lot of money, I could buy one - two a month maximum, and, since BASF LH extra I was my favorite, I got about 10 of them, and nine of them still perform awesome. One of them has deteriorated sleeps unfortunately? I guess because for some long time was stored in very dry place, so it squeezes, I would need to replace them, probably I will take it from BASF Ferrochrom III, which appeared to be totally unusable because of poor tape condition. Also, these BASF LH Extra I have the SM inside, and I never had any problem with it in these partucular cassettes.
I BOUGHT A BASF CASSETTE TAPE FOR THE FIRST TIME OH MAN IT RECORD BEAUTIFUL ON MY REVOX 215 SOUND BETTER THAN THE CD I RECORDED FROM I WAS SHOCK FROM THE 80S ON E BAY IT IS A BEAUTIFUL TAPE TONY I BOUGHT IT CUS OF YOU SAID IT IS A GOOD TAPE N IT IS THANK YOU
i worked at basf in the 70,s they were constantly changing the formulas for all the tape products they made there. we could be blems for 10 cents each at the time!!! nice video
I have always found BASF a pleasure to record on, even their basic Ferro Extra I's and that is on basic stereo systems. I have only ever used 90 minute versions.
Lol, I bought the BASF FerroMaxima (0:43 in the vid) - 90 min version!...for $1 at an antique store...sealed. I then proceeded to record music on it and when the recording was done, I accidentaly spilled an entire bottle of beer and it got into the cassette, so I washed it under water, dried it and it still plays perfectly. Only later did I find that it's much more expensive than I previously thought - the sound is absolutely great though.
Hi Tony! And The Winner is.......BASF FM 1 jeje!I like very much Type 1 cassettes because their botton end and full body sound, but I never heard a Type 1 cassette with that top end as clear as this BASF FM 1.For me too is one of the Best cassettes ever made!!Thanks for the video!!!Regards!Rafael
Hello Gerry. What part of the business did you work in? I'm trying to find info on the manufacture of the tapes themselves, from design to production but I can't find much on the net at all.
Jason Howard Hey Jason, you are making me go down memory lane !! I worked for a Professional Tape Recorder Manufacturer which worked closely with ALL the Manufacturers of Audio Tape !! Basically Open Reel format, however those tapes would be sliced and loaded into cassette shells for other markets. I lost touch with All of them as Analog Tape Recording got phased out. I MISS THAT ERA IN MY LIFE, VERY MUCH !!! I Was on Top and Loved what I Did !!! Since I was the Manager of Service and Applications Engineer, I Supported Every Phase of that Business !! I worked closely with the tape manufacturers, especially when a New Formulation of tape was being developed !! My Feedback was crucial !!! The Head of 3M Audio Tape Engineering was a man named Del Eilers !!! Brilliant Engineer !!! He knew every phase of Analog Tape Development and Production !!! SORRY I CANNOT HELP YOU MORE !! I LOVED HELPING PEOPLE !!! THAT IS WHAT I DID !!!! AMPEX, AGFA, BASF, SCOTCH (3M) NOT STICKY TAPE !!!, MAXELL, TDK THE LAST TWO WERE NEVER CONSIDERED PROFESSIONAL.
@@gerryk3114 Thanks Gerry. Interesting story. There must still be thousands of people around who worked in these plants. Probably some not even retired yet. Considering how big an industry tape manufacture must have been, I'm surprised there is not, at least, even a few photos knocking around. Of just like to see the whole manufacturing process.
I wish I had a few of those type Is from the video. I always seem to have the best luck with Type I tapes. I have 3 Ipods and an iPhone (which functions as a pod. I don't carry a phone) and all 4 of them have broken screens and 3 of these have failing batteries. Replacing them is a major hassle and expensive and most of the i-software can no longer run on them. I don't have any of these problems with my walkman and tapes. I am no luddite and was an early adopter of MP3 and there are good uses for them. But I am also a cycle hobbyist and I like listening to the radio besides. Between cracked screens, no radio and failing expensive proprietary batteries, the walkman just serves my needs better.
In 1994-5 I was buying BASF type 1's. I was happy just to be able to transfer some reel to reel tapes to cassette, and I trusted the brand, because of being familiar with their r-t-r format.
The Ferro Maxima is a topper. Certainly up there with the AR. BASF were my go-to as a kid. One: they were cheap; and two: they were bright orange and therefore happy! Best birthday present? A 3-pack of LH-Extra 60s! Also the 3-pack was arranged like a bar as opposed to a brick.
I reckon you're right about about the chrome maxima having some pure chrome in it. It performs the way I'd expect for such a formula. I did here some minor distortion on that last recording using my Beyer DT1990 Pro headphones but I'm nitpicking here. These are extremely revealing headphones. That ferro maxima is amazing though! +7 with practically no distortion is in the same league as TDK AR-X! I'm also a big BASF fan. It's just a shame about the pure chrome deterioration though. The ones I have here that I recorded in the early 80s still sound fantastic so it seems the deterioration is only affecting new recordings.
I’ve been buying mid-90s Chrome Supers and Chrome Maximas from eBay Germany. Their supply isn’t always steady, as some tapes are bought quite quickly. Could you tell me any other places where I can buy more new old stock BASFs online?
BASF was in close cooperation with Hitachi/Maxell at least in EUR, my understanding is that BASF supplied tape base for Hitachi/Maxell European production whereas H/M supplied BASF tape coating for some of TP Maximas and maybe more especially in the initial period on introduction of IEC tapes regulation.
I have some of those old silver Chromdioxid tapes in my collection. I need to check and make sure they're not fading or shedding. I didn't buy too many of BASF tapes in the 80's because my budget decks bias weren't set for them. And BASF had spotty distribution in the USA except for the LH Extra I and later Ferro Extra I.
BASF VHS tapes were excellent too. I have 30+ year old recordings on BASF tapes that still look great, while I have stuff recorded in the early 2000s on the typical Maxell and TDK consumer grade tapes of the time that's barely watchable now.
I think this will be helpful in the world of BASF cassettes. BASF's cassette with cobalt doped ferrics for type II: 1987-88 Reference Super II; Reference Maxima TP II, during the first years with a single layer coating sourced from Hitachi/Maxell, the same "Black Magnetite" they used for the XL II-S; TP II from 1995 until the end: BASF's own cobalt doped ferric tape; 353 series Cr II Focus and Cr II Studio from ca 1993-94: Single layer cobalt doped ferrics. Other type II Basf cassettes are made of a single CrO2 layer, or two layers: one CrO2 and the other ferrocobalt f. e. CE II 1995 until the end: "single-layer chrome/ferric cobalt mix (85%/15%)" or Cr Super II 1980-ca 1995, as well as Cr Maxima II 1982-ca 1994/95 are double layer true chromes with off-standard magnetic properties, still close to S4592A, but higher sensitivity and a non-linear frequency range on IEC-aligned recorders. I found this information on vintagecassettesdotcom and shared pasting quotes :)
They were used by Mobile fidelity because Researcher Mark Colen used an electron microscope at 10,000x to 50,000x magnification to analyze samples of all the major cassette tape brands. The analysis revealed that only BASF tape had uniformly sized crystals aligned in an almost woven pattern, and BASF PRO II Chromium Dioxide tape was chosen for use in MFSL Original Master Recording High Fidelity Cassettes
The 1980s BASF Chrome was the tape that turned me on to what tapes were capable of. I was used to type zero crap, and had moved to Sony HF/TDK D etc, but I was given a couple of these Chrome tapes and used them in a Philips music centre if all things. The tape deck on that came alive with the BASFs, and I found out years later that despite being cheap, it was chrome capable and seemed to be tuned to pure chromes. The quality of recordings from that humble system with pure chrome rival the standard my Aiwa 850 was putting out years later. Very low noise, very nice warm sound with plenty of top end. I think this must have been almost an accident as the deck didn't respond well to TDK SAs at all.
Top video as usual,Tony-much respect. The F Maxima, or at least the latest ones in my opinion are way too noisy.A beautiful tape nonetheless,yet when driving it on such high peaks,the noise is substantial. In my opinion and according to my mid range deck-Onkyo Integra 2570,I haven't experienced a better super ferric than the TDK AR-X.Yeah,an expensive and a rare one,when compared to the Sony HF-S or the That's premiums,it just slays.Would love to see a video of the AR-X on the ZX-9,,,that would be boss. Be well and keep the fire and flames alive☠⚡☠
I have "Mr Music" cassettes from 1988. There are text.. "This is BASF Chrome tape, use Normal position when playing not chrome position." something like that. original text was Swedish language. What kind of tape they use? Chrome with 120us ? Or Record like Chrome, but need to be listening like Type 1 so there are more treble? Can I use those tapes like chrome? or like that tape are ment to be?
I have a few BASF cassettes, including the LH E-I which was a “Type 1” cassette with a nicer shell. I used to have the earlier ones like the “Ferro Super LH”, “Studio-I” and the later Ferro Extra I. These were recordings of Old Time Radio shows that I used to listened to. This was BASF’s last stab of making cassettes until it becomes EMTEC. I wish EMTEC should make cassettes again.
In the 80's we bought them a lot, because the Chromdioxid II was a testwinner and BASF was cheaper than TDK, Maxell and Sony. I still have them (losing labels...).
My last two unopened cassettes are Chrome Extra II. I can't remember why I bought them... must have been on special because almost all of my tapes back then were TDK SA and various Sony Type II.
I am deeply saddened by exclusion of Type III and BASF Metal IV, a comparison between each type's best would be a battle of the titans. And mostly becuase i have and cherish the Metal IV. But still, BASF is the greatest brand of cassette tapes.
The XLI-S is as good as the Ferro Maxima in my book. The HF-ES could also sit in that company. The HF-S is still a brilliant cassette, but not quite as good. I think of it as an XLI or TDK AD equivalent.
BASF doesn't seem to come up very common here in the US (at least from what I've seen) and I only really have experience with the CR-E II, but I absolutely adore them. You can't record them hot, but they sound fantastic when fed a good signal. I'll have to see about getting some of the rest of their cassettes.
Hi Great video again very informative 😄 I have just goon back to cassette and i have bought a teac ad-850, did not know that its so dark times for the cassette 😭😭. i bought some Chinese tape called BKB Don't know if you know them? but i think they are type 0 after your definitions 😂😂😂😂 I also waiting for some Basf chrome extra II that I bought 2 hands. the seller told that he have only recorded on them one time, and they should be in excellent condition, but i did not have any way to check it (bought them from a guy on a local internet shopping portal) but the price was fair bought 10 for 7.28 sterling pound and 10 for 8.5 sterling pound. i don't hope that they are to deteriorated over time, and i will probably order some from you, just need to wait to the whole brexit is over so we know what we have to deal with. but thanks again for your videos 😄 bought 10
Now if only the Ferro Maxima I were easier to find. And I though finding the German-made Ferro Extra I was hard... From the sound of that it's an AD-killer (and I'm only saying that because that's really the only Type I I had any great experience with). Right now I'm holding off on getting any more BASF true chromes until I have a deck better suited to them, one with a rec sensitivity knob. The final cobalt-doped chromes, though, those might be worth a look.
@@CassetteComeback I see, so probably they used their material overseas for rebranded cassettes and their own ones here in Germany. Because here, they are as common as BASF. I´m really looking forward to that video once you have enough of them together!
I don't have any BASF tapes but I do have a few flash drives that are EMTEC branded. Two of them are failing. I feel like almost all of these cassettes would be more reliable if used as data storage somehow.
Tape is still the main storage medium for long term data retention. I've got my original commodore 64 copy of Ghostbusters that I got on Xmas day 1984. Still works. I've had micro SD cards that didn't last 2 years, let alone 35...
@@stanian2 Not that many made type II C120's though. I think it was only the Chrome Extra and the very late XL-II. I've got a few CE C120's here. Don't sound bad at all, though the level does drop a lot when recording onto them. Would love to try a C120 XL-II
Thank you Tony for this. Those tapes are just beautiful... I never had a BASF, basically because I never found any of them here in Malta :/ I was looking forward for a great video such as this, after the Maxim one which was funny but I really do enjoy these insightful ones! Thanks again.
I personally find the 1989 Chrome Maxima II and the 1988 Chrome Super II are both prone to print through... I keep recordings no higher than zero, but it still seems to be an issue. 🤔
Hmmm... Interesting... I Purchased BASF Blank Audio Compact Cassette Tapes from BASF in 2004, Actually it merged from BASF into EMTEC (Not to be confused with MEMTEC, which took over Memorex DBX Tapes.)
Just saw a comment from a channel named "Bass Drip NCS" on this video, beware of them, they might be spam. Something is telling me they are related to Trap town NCS. Search for Trap town NCS on Google if you don't know about them.
This is an obvious sentiment, but... I'm struck every single time when I see design from the 80's and earlier, then I see design from the 90's and later... the 90's looks like such utter sh!te. I mean, what happened to people? Did everyone totally lose the plot completely?
The greatest example was the liberal application of "For CD" on the products. Yes it is possibly an indicator of the evolution of tape particles, but it was bloody everywhere! Headphones too - "Digital ready".
@@Fluteboy Reminds me of the computer monitors that came with stickers on 'Windows Vista Ready'..... its a VGA monitor! it's DOS ready as well if you want to be like that lol
@@Davey656 true thing ... like one of my keyboards with a big old sticker on it that says "designed for windows XP" ... guess what? it's now plugged into my BSD based freenas box and it works just fine - i have used it on a mac as well, an old powermac even. now, if you'll excuse me, i gotta record an old led zep vinyl on one of these "for CD" cassettes. i hope my deck doesn't explode XD
@@CassetteComeback I really don't think so! I started a successful design firm in Los Angeles in 2000, ran it for 4 years, then wound it up because I thought I had to be a serious individual and get a professional doctorate (dumb move). But we did branding, print, web, , information, motion and even sound design. Design in the late, late 90's and early 2000's picked up, and visual design was sort of restored. But objectively, if you look at every decade of the 20th century, there were amazing movements in design. Each movement, while really distinct from the movements before and after, were all valid, competent, invested with thought, inspiration, and ability. Until you get to the 90's! It's a total wasteland! All fundamentals went out the window! All inventiveness went out the window! All balance and proportion, all reason went out the window! That decade is like a missing tooth right in the middle of the smile of 20th century design. And, looking at this, and many other videos, some of the worst design was in cassette packaging! It's really so horrible. If you look at design from every decade of the 20th century, and you hit the 90's... 90's design looks dumb. Like the design choices made are dumb, and the design choices are for dumb people. Putting "for CD" or whatever every brand did, and putting it on everything, the box, the shrink wrap, even on the cassette shell... like people couldn't figure out you could record a cd onto a tape? You'd have to have an IQ of 4 not to understand that. And then the fonts used to express the elusive and profoundly technical concept that tapes can record things, are always THE WORST. Maybe the designers knew what they were doing was stupid, so made it look as stupid as possible for the stupid decision makers. (One of the things that burned me out in our design business was having clients or individuals within their organizations with no visual design knowledge, no information design knowledge, no even aesthetic sensibility, being the decision makers in our work. And then having those people pass the buck onto us when their national magazine ad campaign failed because their spread sucked! We were young and hungry and couldn't even conceive of firing a client, but I might have continued if we had figured that out!) But, you can look back at Art Deco, like it, love it, hate it, whatever, there was a legitimate design sensibility there, it can't be denied. But the 90's... it just looks SO dumb. And all aspects of it are infected by this dumbness. The typography is atrocious. Just everything! Shoot, I get heated when I see bad design! And I do have nostalgia for purple and teal, lol, but I'm sorry, that decade is an eyesore, and stands out so starkly against such an amazing century of really quality design.
With the return of vinyl I have started to record again and I forgot how good the quality was on cassette. The analogue signal with some DBX signal processing allows me to get what I want from my music where a digital copy your stuck with what they mastered.
I always found the BASF to be mediocre. I had the old orange coloured type 1 and the binder layer used to come off all of mine. It was the 70s so they probably improved. I think I still have one so I'll see if it plays
BASF was always my favourite cassette brand
To me it is now first time I bought them cus of Tony review he was right they are great cassette tapes
I started with one or two samples of Denon, TDK and TEAC. I bought a couple of BASF tapes back in 1981. I noticed right away when I was recording I was getting better performance. I was using the Revox 215 and a Nakamichi ZXL 700. I never looked back. I brought about 50 BASF tapes from tape world that used to be open in Pennsylvania. I still have all my tapes and my decks today and they are not for sale and I enjoy and love my music.
My brother gave me a chrome BASF tape with recordings of Dire Straits Brothers in arms on side A and INXS The Swing on side B out of pity that as a 10yo I had very few tapes with any decent music. As I grew up I was amazed at how it would outlive and sounded better than even my store bought albums and it wasn't till many yrs later that I realised that it was because those albums were CD recordings by his (rich) mate on a very expensive blank cassette by a high end component stereo. I've since evolved all my music to CD and streaming platforms but I'll never forget it! 👍
For many years as a teenager I owned a taped copy of Never Mind the Bollocks on a BASF Chrome Dioxid . I still remember the hubs going round whem the song Problems was played. My lp was hidden under the bed 😃
Great Quality those BASF cassettes. I particulary liked the BASF Maxima Chrome with the inscriptions and the large Window. Very nice design and faboulous quality record.👍
BASF never disappointes. None of them.
BASF are just as good as TDK Sony & Maxwell & I have found their Type 2 Chrome Tapes to be both Economical & Reliable & has a lasting Endurance Level with Smooth Sharp Clear Sounds from The 80s Golden Era of Music :) Great Channel with Great Cassette Reviews:)
It’s Maxell, not Maxwell. But I’m sure you already know that. Autocorrect gets me all the time!
It saddened me when BASF got out of the recording tape business.
I bought Some used BASF Lh extra type 1 tapes 1985 tapes. These tapes are great! Its insane how good these cheaps tapes are.
"Brilliant tape smells like sick"
I agree, just like my new baby daughter.😄
Love the passion 👍👍👍
The Ferro Maxima shell feels like it wanted to be 80s Retro Wave before Retro Wave even existed. Love the ridges and the teal text in the center. It really does feel a bit 80s at heart, just one decade too late. There was no BS with BASF back then before the EMTEC period ruined it all.
Excellent full
Thanks for this review! The FM I is indeed one of the greatest superferrics out there. Just the other day, a friend on the German forum made some comparative measurements and found another one of my favourites to be even better: It's the LH-MX I, 10 years older, double coated and even more rare than the FM I. Concerning the OEM products you are asking for, I have so far only found some Virgin Superferric and some Hema SF to contain Ferro Maxima tape, but both of them exist with completely different makes and models inside the same package, it is for example much more likely that you find a Saehan rather than a BASF in the Virgin package.
Sound II (as well as Sound I) was a budget offer, which was technically the same as Chrome Extra II, albeit sometimes using up tape stock from a previous generation. They only existed because retailers wanted a tape they could offer in multiple packs at a very low price, while still being able to ask regular prices for the Chrome Extra sold one by one, without customers wondering too much. Did you notice that there is no bar code on the back side of the Sound II package? I reckon they weren't even available as single units. The Sound II you are showing here is the first iteration with this name (before, there was a Chrome Standard II) and should be from 1993-95-ish. If you want to know exactly, look at the 4th digit of the code on the cassette spine: It indicates the last digit of the production year.
That clear shell with the diagonal stripe pattern of your FM I was BASF's own construction, ICM wasn't involved there. It first appeared in 1991, by then still with screws which later unfortunately were omitted. The inside construction is the same as in the "High Capacity" shell which was used exclusively for BASF's C-120 cassettes between 1988-91.
Curiosa: Your sealed 1991 Ferro Maxima I has an Agfa shell :-) During the 1990's, you could get BASF cassettes with a large variety of shells within the same package design: BASF's own old construction (like your Sound II), BASF's own new construction (like your FM I), the Agfa shell, and some of the type I models also with ICM shells, or completely made by General Magnetics or Saehan, or by ECP using Agfa's old tooling. In the Emtec era, tey did unfortunately move more and more towards Chinese Kolormagnetics shells, as soon as BASF's own production was used up.
Ah, and please don't remove the SM tusks if you want the BASF cassettes to keep their soul. As long as the tape itself doesn't suffer from binder breakdown like some FeCr, and your tape deck transport is okay, they don't make any trouble at all. The friction and pressure they apply is not harder compared to what the tape inevitably is subject to during playback in the tape path between heads, guide posts, capstan and pinch roller.
Thorough as usual 😀 The SM destroyed a FeCr. Without it, another one was fine, so it does something...
@@CassetteComeback Yup, you could compare it to a rusty car which is only held together by the colour painted over the rust. What the SM does here, is like removing the loose colour from a rusty tape. The coating would disintegrate anyway, sooner or later. A batch of these FeCr tapes is faulty from production, I've had this happen to one (in the very same design) already back in 1986, when the cassette in question was max 7 years old and I had bought it new from the shop. Guess that I also instinctively removed the SM, but it didn't really help, the flaking continued, even though not as quickly.
So yes, ok, if you have a precious recording on a FeCr SM cassette, it is a good idea to remove the tusks before transferring the audio.
Christ is Risen! As for BASF, back in 1984 my favorite cassette that was available for 9 roubles a piece for us in the Soviet Union was BASF LH Extra I. Yellow ones, if you remember. I liked these cassettes more then other cassettes from other vendors available for us at that time. Since it was a lot of money, I could buy one - two a month maximum, and, since BASF LH extra I was my favorite, I got about 10 of them, and nine of them still perform awesome. One of them has deteriorated sleeps unfortunately? I guess because for some long time was stored in very dry place, so it squeezes, I would need to replace them, probably I will take it from BASF Ferrochrom III, which appeared to be totally unusable because of poor tape condition. Also, these BASF LH Extra I have the SM inside, and I never had any problem with it in these partucular cassettes.
My brand I allway's used in the 80's where mostly the Maxell XL-II's..thanx for your amazing work Tony..really love your video's..
I BOUGHT A BASF CASSETTE TAPE FOR THE FIRST TIME OH MAN IT RECORD BEAUTIFUL ON MY REVOX 215 SOUND BETTER THAN THE CD I RECORDED FROM I WAS SHOCK FROM THE 80S ON E BAY IT IS A BEAUTIFUL TAPE TONY I BOUGHT IT CUS OF YOU SAID IT IS A GOOD TAPE N IT IS THANK YOU
When I recorded many years ago..from CD or Vinyl on my type-II cassettes..with my Denon DRM800A..all my cassettes sounded even better than the CD's..
i worked at basf in the 70,s they were constantly changing the formulas for all the tape products they made there. we could be blems for 10 cents each at the time!!! nice video
I have always found BASF a pleasure to record on, even their basic Ferro Extra I's and that is on basic stereo systems. I have only ever used 90 minute versions.
Lol, I bought the BASF FerroMaxima (0:43 in the vid) - 90 min version!...for $1 at an antique store...sealed.
I then proceeded to record music on it and when the recording was done, I accidentaly spilled an entire bottle of beer and it got into the cassette, so I washed it under water, dried it and it still plays perfectly.
Only later did I find that it's much more expensive than I previously thought - the sound is absolutely great though.
what an awesome batch of tapes! harkens back to a different time in life in alot of ways! Cheers!
Thanks for this video. I just bought 5 BASF chrome maximas because of this.
You didn't buy them from me though. Thanks for the support 😆
I liked any cassette that fit my pocket book and was on sale Sony TDK BASF Maxell Scotch and served well still a cassette user to this date 40 years
Hi Tony! And The Winner is.......BASF FM 1 jeje!I like very much Type 1 cassettes because their botton end and full body sound, but I never heard a Type 1 cassette with that top end as clear as this BASF FM 1.For me too is one of the Best cassettes ever made!!Thanks for the video!!!Regards!Rafael
I Worked in the Business for many years and it was a Shame when all my Friends & Colleagues Lost Their Jobs: 3M Scotch, Agfa, Ampex !!!
Hello Gerry. What part of the business did you work in? I'm trying to find info on the manufacture of the tapes themselves, from design to production but I can't find much on the net at all.
Jason Howard
Hey Jason, you are making me go down memory lane !!
I worked for a Professional Tape Recorder Manufacturer which worked closely with ALL the Manufacturers of Audio Tape !! Basically Open Reel format, however those tapes would be sliced and loaded into cassette shells for other markets. I lost touch with All of them as Analog Tape Recording got phased out. I MISS THAT ERA IN MY LIFE, VERY MUCH !!! I Was on Top and Loved what I Did !!!
Since I was the Manager of Service and Applications Engineer, I Supported Every Phase of that Business !! I worked closely with the tape manufacturers, especially when a New Formulation of tape was being developed !! My Feedback was crucial !!!
The Head of 3M Audio Tape Engineering was a man named Del Eilers !!! Brilliant Engineer !!!
He knew every phase of Analog Tape Development and Production !!!
SORRY I CANNOT HELP YOU MORE !! I LOVED HELPING PEOPLE !!! THAT IS WHAT I DID !!!!
AMPEX, AGFA, BASF, SCOTCH (3M) NOT STICKY TAPE !!!, MAXELL, TDK
THE LAST TWO WERE NEVER CONSIDERED PROFESSIONAL.
@@gerryk3114
Thanks Gerry.
Interesting story. There must still be thousands of people around who worked in these plants. Probably some not even retired yet.
Considering how big an industry tape manufacture must have been, I'm surprised there is not, at least, even a few photos knocking around.
Of just like to see the whole manufacturing process.
BASF, we don't make the product, we make it BETTER! Always loved that tag. Its a life lesson.
Great tapes of the past still around for unboxing
Cool Beanz
Nice, some BASF!
I wish I had a few of those type Is from the video. I always seem to have the best luck with Type I tapes.
I have 3 Ipods and an iPhone (which functions as a pod. I don't carry a phone) and all 4 of them have broken screens and 3 of these have failing batteries. Replacing them is a major hassle and expensive and most of the i-software can no longer run on them. I don't have any of these problems with my walkman and tapes. I am no luddite and was an early adopter of MP3 and there are good uses for them. But I am also a cycle hobbyist and I like listening to the radio besides. Between cracked screens, no radio and failing expensive proprietary batteries, the walkman just serves my needs better.
BASF LH Maxima I-1983/ Chrome Extra II-1987/Chrome CR -1985/Chomedioxid 1982-Others 1999-2004
In 1994-5 I was buying BASF type 1's. I was happy just to be able to transfer some reel to reel tapes to cassette, and I trusted the brand, because of being familiar with their r-t-r format.
Love this video ! Could you do the same video but about sony ? It would be nice !
Never knew they had type 1 maximas...
P.S. please no background music. It is disturbing.
BASF chomdioxid II and CR_M II were my go to tape for recording cd's :) Wish I could still get them
The Ferro Maxima is a topper. Certainly up there with the AR.
BASF were my go-to as a kid. One: they were cheap; and two: they were bright orange and therefore happy! Best birthday present? A 3-pack of LH-Extra 60s! Also the 3-pack was arranged like a bar as opposed to a brick.
I reckon you're right about about the chrome maxima having some pure chrome in it. It performs the way I'd expect for such a formula.
I did here some minor distortion on that last recording using my Beyer DT1990 Pro headphones but I'm nitpicking here. These are extremely revealing headphones.
That ferro maxima is amazing though! +7 with practically no distortion is in the same league as TDK AR-X!
I'm also a big BASF fan. It's just a shame about the pure chrome deterioration though. The ones I have here that I recorded in the early 80s still sound fantastic so it seems the deterioration is only affecting new recordings.
Here was supposed to be "hear". Spell checker decided to "correct" me incorrectly again!
I’ve been buying mid-90s Chrome Supers and Chrome Maximas from eBay Germany. Their supply isn’t always steady, as some tapes are bought quite quickly. Could you tell me any other places where I can buy more new old stock BASFs online?
BASF was in close cooperation with Hitachi/Maxell at least in EUR, my understanding is that BASF supplied tape base for Hitachi/Maxell European production whereas H/M supplied BASF tape coating for some of TP Maximas and maybe more especially in the initial period on introduction of IEC tapes regulation.
Excellent, another video...🙂
I have some of those old silver Chromdioxid tapes in my collection. I need to check and make sure they're not fading or shedding. I didn't buy too many of BASF tapes in the 80's because my budget decks bias weren't set for them. And BASF had spotty distribution in the USA except for the LH Extra I and later Ferro Extra I.
BASF VHS tapes were excellent too. I have 30+ year old recordings on BASF tapes that still look great, while I have stuff recorded in the early 2000s on the typical Maxell and TDK consumer grade tapes of the time that's barely watchable now.
I think this will be helpful in the world of BASF cassettes. BASF's cassette with cobalt doped ferrics for type II: 1987-88 Reference Super II; Reference Maxima TP II, during the first years with a single layer coating sourced from Hitachi/Maxell, the same "Black Magnetite" they used for the XL II-S; TP II from 1995 until the end: BASF's own cobalt doped ferric tape; 353 series Cr II Focus and Cr II Studio from ca 1993-94: Single layer cobalt doped ferrics. Other type II Basf cassettes are made of a single CrO2 layer, or two layers: one CrO2 and the other ferrocobalt f. e. CE II 1995 until the end: "single-layer chrome/ferric cobalt mix (85%/15%)" or Cr Super II 1980-ca 1995, as well as Cr Maxima II 1982-ca 1994/95 are double layer true chromes with off-standard magnetic properties, still close to S4592A, but higher sensitivity and a non-linear frequency range on IEC-aligned recorders. I found this information on vintagecassettesdotcom and shared pasting quotes :)
They were used by Mobile fidelity because Researcher Mark Colen used an electron microscope at 10,000x to 50,000x magnification to analyze samples of all the major cassette tape brands. The analysis revealed that only BASF tape had uniformly sized crystals aligned in an almost woven pattern, and BASF PRO II Chromium Dioxide tape was chosen for use in MFSL Original Master Recording High Fidelity Cassettes
I like me some cm2 (not so much the overdone sidechain compression on the track though)
I loved this. Great channel. On it now, babe.
The 1980s BASF Chrome was the tape that turned me on to what tapes were capable of. I was used to type zero crap, and had moved to Sony HF/TDK D etc, but I was given a couple of these Chrome tapes and used them in a Philips music centre if all things. The tape deck on that came alive with the BASFs, and I found out years later that despite being cheap, it was chrome capable and seemed to be tuned to pure chromes. The quality of recordings from that humble system with pure chrome rival the standard my Aiwa 850 was putting out years later. Very low noise, very nice warm sound with plenty of top end. I think this must have been almost an accident as the deck didn't respond well to TDK SAs at all.
Indeed. Philips type 2 were mostly pure chrome, so it makes sense that the decks were biased to this as opposed to the Fe/co of Japanese decks.
Top video as usual,Tony-much respect. The F Maxima, or at least the latest ones in my opinion are way too noisy.A beautiful tape nonetheless,yet when driving it on such high peaks,the noise is substantial. In my opinion and according to my mid range deck-Onkyo Integra 2570,I haven't experienced a better super ferric than the TDK AR-X.Yeah,an expensive and a rare one,when compared to the Sony HF-S or the That's premiums,it just slays.Would love to see a video of the AR-X on the ZX-9,,,that would be boss.
Be well and keep the fire and flames alive☠⚡☠
Great tapes from great days. Wish I had bought more variety in the days.
I have "Mr Music" cassettes from 1988. There are text.. "This is BASF Chrome tape, use Normal position when playing not chrome position." something like that. original text was Swedish language.
What kind of tape they use? Chrome with 120us ? Or Record like Chrome, but need to be listening like Type 1 so there are more treble?
Can I use those tapes like chrome? or like that tape are ment to be?
The BASF Sound Level ll tapes come in different wrappers. Are they all of the same quality?
I have a few BASF cassettes, including the LH E-I which was a “Type 1” cassette with a nicer shell. I used to have the earlier ones like the “Ferro Super LH”, “Studio-I” and the later Ferro Extra I. These were recordings of Old Time Radio shows that I used to listened to.
This was BASF’s last stab of making cassettes until it becomes EMTEC. I wish EMTEC should make cassettes again.
Tech&Music I wonder if RTM will ever make a Fox C90 and Fox C120, because they already have Fox C60. I like to see more tape lengths at some point.
Sometime in dump im found a brand new cassette like the crome maxima a 5:02 and is rare to find in dump on my adventure zone
When I first saw the CMII I thought it was beautiful, but I could do without the Fantastic Sound for CD. 26:23 I pause and type this comment.
In the 80's we bought them a lot, because the Chromdioxid II was a testwinner and BASF was cheaper than TDK, Maxell and Sony. I still have them (losing labels...).
My last two unopened cassettes are Chrome Extra II. I can't remember why I bought them... must have been on special because almost all of my tapes back then were TDK SA and various Sony Type II.
Did you give the RTM Fox C60 and the RTM C90 a try? They are being produced in France and based on BASF Formular.
I have a similar looking Ferro Extra, perhaps from the same era. It sounds pretty good.
I have two of BASF Chromdioxid 120 1974 with SM, it runs fine.
What was the idea of the security mechanism?
I am deeply saddened by exclusion of Type III and BASF Metal IV, a comparison between each type's best would be a battle of the titans. And mostly becuase i have and cherish the Metal IV.
But still, BASF is the greatest brand of cassette tapes.
@@Dan-TechAndMusic I know about the III, but a video with all types would be an ultimate battle. Metal Maxima yes, but not the red ME IV.
هل يوجد لديكم تيب البكره باسف وكيف احصل علي هذا الكاسيت
Thank you, Tony!
Hi great video would you say a Sony HF-S or Maxell XL 1 S get close to that BASF super ferry?
The XLI-S is as good as the Ferro Maxima in my book. The HF-ES could also sit in that company. The HF-S is still a brilliant cassette, but not quite as good. I think of it as an XLI or TDK AD equivalent.
wich one is better, old basf chrome exra ii or new one with transversally reinforced?
BASF doesn't seem to come up very common here in the US (at least from what I've seen) and I only really have experience with the CR-E II, but I absolutely adore them. You can't record them hot, but they sound fantastic when fed a good signal. I'll have to see about getting some of the rest of their cassettes.
Funny I noticed the same features about this late clear Basf cases - they seem heavy and tough.
I've got Chrome superII and TPIV Maxima. TPIV is, in my opinion, the best IECIV tape. Chrome Super is good. Only good.
I wonder if anyone will be doing this with cdr's 30 years from now?
Oh CD-R will have a resurgence...if they're being stored well.
@@CassetteComeback Only problem is, like minidisc they all sound the same to all intents and purposes.
Thanks Tony x
Hi Great video again very informative 😄
I have just goon back to cassette and i have bought a teac ad-850, did not know that its so dark times for the cassette 😭😭.
i bought some Chinese tape called BKB Don't know if you know them?
but i think they are type 0 after your definitions 😂😂😂😂
I also waiting for some Basf chrome extra II that I bought 2 hands. the seller told that he have only recorded on them one time, and they should be in
excellent condition, but i did not have any way to check it (bought them from a guy on a local internet shopping portal)
but the price was fair
bought 10 for 7.28 sterling pound and 10 for 8.5 sterling pound.
i don't hope that they are to deteriorated over time, and i will probably order some from you, just need to wait to the whole brexit is over so we know what we have to deal with.
but thanks again for your videos 😄
bought 10
Now if only the Ferro Maxima I were easier to find. And I though finding the German-made Ferro Extra I was hard...
From the sound of that it's an AD-killer (and I'm only saying that because that's really the only Type I I had any great experience with).
Right now I'm holding off on getting any more BASF true chromes until I have a deck better suited to them, one with a rec sensitivity knob. The final cobalt-doped chromes, though, those might be worth a look.
Excellent topic, thank you very much! Is there a chance that you could do the same with AGFA tapes?
I'll get round to it at some point, but I haven't got many Agfa
Oh, yeah, AGFA! I also don't have one, but I know where i Could get at least one ^^
@@CassetteComeback I guess they are not as common in England as they are here in Germany, so that is understandable.
Only the low end ones were. They were easier to find in OEM cassettes than with their own branding over here.
@@CassetteComeback I see, so probably they used their material overseas for rebranded cassettes and their own ones here in Germany. Because here, they are as common as BASF. I´m really looking forward to that video once you have enough of them together!
BIng. where's your vintage games channel gone?
Nobody watched. It's taken you 6 months to notice 😆
I don't have any BASF tapes but I do have a few flash drives that are EMTEC branded. Two of them are failing.
I feel like almost all of these cassettes would be more reliable if used as data storage somehow.
Tape is still the main storage medium for long term data retention. I've got my original commodore 64 copy of Ghostbusters that I got on Xmas day 1984. Still works. I've had micro SD cards that didn't last 2 years, let alone 35...
BASF made C120 / 120 minute cassettes - think they were the only manufacturer who did. I still have a few much used that perform perfectly.
The ones with the SM (Security Mechanism) were the best as it eliminated tangling with fast forwarding or rewinding.
Many manufacturers made C120's, including Boots own brand back in the day.
@@stanian2 Not that many made type II C120's though. I think it was only the Chrome Extra and the very late XL-II. I've got a few CE C120's here. Don't sound bad at all, though the level does drop a lot when recording onto them. Would love to try a C120 XL-II
The Chrome Maxima sounds a bit muffled on the atmospheric highs.
I agree, the super Ferro sounded better in the highs than the chrome!
Tony sure love is tape 😂😂😂😂👍😎
Thank you Tony for this. Those tapes are just beautiful... I never had a BASF, basically because I never found any of them here in Malta :/ I was looking forward for a great video such as this, after the Maxim one which was funny but I really do enjoy these insightful ones! Thanks again.
I have all this cassettes, BASF and AGFA made greate VHS to.
Your 'bings' don't always show on the screen!😅😂
I personally find the 1989 Chrome Maxima II and the 1988 Chrome Super II are both prone to print through... I keep recordings no higher than zero, but it still seems to be an issue. 🤔
It's because of the uniform length of the chrome particles. It's only a problem when you're listening to silence 😁
@@CassetteComeback I still love them! The 1989 Chrome Maxima is probably my favourite cassette...❤
Hmmm... Interesting... I Purchased BASF Blank Audio Compact Cassette Tapes from BASF in 2004, Actually it merged from BASF into EMTEC (Not to be confused with MEMTEC, which took over Memorex DBX Tapes.)
Great tapes.
Plot twist: (But) some of the cassettes were 90 minutes, not 1 hour long!
Just saw a comment from a channel named "Bass Drip NCS" on this video, beware of them, they might be spam. Something is telling me they are related to Trap town NCS. Search for Trap town NCS on Google if you don't know about them.
Shit, I was all happy I got a comment on a video.
BASF founded the 1st magnetic recording tape and sold it to AEG..back in 1934..
its ok basf is still there and now emtec and i got a saehan version of basf aka emtec. basf uses skc sometimes but they use saehan.
the korean just made skc saehan lucky goldstar and Samsung where it was originated from.
Que vuelvan!!!!!!!!
does canadaman have a YT channel?
No
German technology NEVER let you down😀
Mi gran marca de cassette chrome
I don't have many basf tapes the only one I have is a ferric from the 70s. Anyways keep up the good work cassette comeback! Love your videos. :3
Ah yes. Flashbacks of chewed tapes being pulled out of my car stereo in the mid 90’s. I must admit i was more of a TDK buff however.
Tapes being chewed. Your didn't clean your deck did you? Tell the truth 😄
Do you use noise reduction ?
No
DNR just dulls the top ends.
Also not using any encoding makes for a more fair/clear comparison.
Hier Gefallt mit das Tape wieder besser als die Quelle - das Tape lingt weicher und überzegt durch die Wiedergabe der Basedrums.
This is an obvious sentiment, but... I'm struck every single time when I see design from the 80's and earlier, then I see design from the 90's and later... the 90's looks like such utter sh!te. I mean, what happened to people? Did everyone totally lose the plot completely?
Trends change, but maybe they seem better to us as they remind us of our youth more than later ones?
The greatest example was the liberal application of "For CD" on the products. Yes it is possibly an indicator of the evolution of tape particles, but it was bloody everywhere! Headphones too - "Digital ready".
@@Fluteboy Reminds me of the computer monitors that came with stickers on 'Windows Vista Ready'..... its a VGA monitor! it's DOS ready as well if you want to be like that lol
@@Davey656 true thing ... like one of my keyboards with a big old sticker on it that says "designed for windows XP" ... guess what? it's now plugged into my BSD based freenas box and it works just fine - i have used it on a mac as well, an old powermac even.
now, if you'll excuse me, i gotta record an old led zep vinyl on one of these "for CD" cassettes. i hope my deck doesn't explode XD
@@CassetteComeback I really don't think so! I started a successful design firm in Los Angeles in 2000, ran it for 4 years, then wound it up because I thought I had to be a serious individual and get a professional doctorate (dumb move). But we did branding, print, web, , information, motion and even sound design. Design in the late, late 90's and early 2000's picked up, and visual design was sort of restored. But objectively, if you look at every decade of the 20th century, there were amazing movements in design. Each movement, while really distinct from the movements before and after, were all valid, competent, invested with thought, inspiration, and ability. Until you get to the 90's! It's a total wasteland! All fundamentals went out the window! All inventiveness went out the window! All balance and proportion, all reason went out the window! That decade is like a missing tooth right in the middle of the smile of 20th century design.
And, looking at this, and many other videos, some of the worst design was in cassette packaging! It's really so horrible. If you look at design from every decade of the 20th century, and you hit the 90's... 90's design looks dumb. Like the design choices made are dumb, and the design choices are for dumb people. Putting "for CD" or whatever every brand did, and putting it on everything, the box, the shrink wrap, even on the cassette shell... like people couldn't figure out you could record a cd onto a tape? You'd have to have an IQ of 4 not to understand that. And then the fonts used to express the elusive and profoundly technical concept that tapes can record things, are always THE WORST.
Maybe the designers knew what they were doing was stupid, so made it look as stupid as possible for the stupid decision makers. (One of the things that burned me out in our design business was having clients or individuals within their organizations with no visual design knowledge, no information design knowledge, no even aesthetic sensibility, being the decision makers in our work. And then having those people pass the buck onto us when their national magazine ad campaign failed because their spread sucked! We were young and hungry and couldn't even conceive of firing a client, but I might have continued if we had figured that out!)
But, you can look back at Art Deco, like it, love it, hate it, whatever, there was a legitimate design sensibility there, it can't be denied. But the 90's... it just looks SO dumb. And all aspects of it are infected by this dumbness. The typography is atrocious. Just everything!
Shoot, I get heated when I see bad design!
And I do have nostalgia for purple and teal, lol, but I'm sorry, that decade is an eyesore, and stands out so starkly against such an amazing century of really quality design.
With the return of vinyl I have started to record again and I forgot how good the quality was on cassette. The analogue signal with some DBX signal processing allows me to get what I want from my music where a digital copy your stuck with what they mastered.
My ferro máximas are unusable , the head gets completely dirty after few seconds.
They are Maximas from the end of 80's.
I could hear a big difference with Basf CMII and source. Not impressed acutally 🤔
I love dropout city
I always found the BASF to be mediocre. I had the old orange coloured type 1 and the binder layer used to come off all of mine. It was the 70s so they probably improved. I think I still have one so I'll see if it plays