If i remember correctly, Audio magazine did a test using a referernce quality cassette deck to see which tape types performed best. I think the machine in question was a Nak 1000. As one might expect, the Nakamichi brand tapes of various formulations ( EX, SX and ZX ) did the best of the lot. They bettered the likes of similar yet better known formulations from TDK, Maxell, Scotch, Sony, Memorex, etc... Then again, Nak probably pre-set the factory bias / EQ on their machines to match their specific tape formulations.
With that in mind, you'll find that specific tape formulations / brands will work better than others in any type of magnetic tape based recorder. This has to do with the factory pre-sets in terms of Equilization and Bias. Some machines automatically re-calibrate themselves for optimum performance with whatever type of tape you install. These were all more expensive three head machines and typically from the late 1970's to mid 1980's or so. If you don't have one of these machines, it would probably be best to experiment with a few different brands of tape to see which works best. For audio reproduction, Metal is best with Chrome coming in a close second. Anything else ( normal or Ferri-Chrome ) coming a distant third and fourth in most cases. Sean
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With that in mind, you'll find that specific tape formulations / brands will work better than others in any type of magnetic tape based recorder. This has to do with the factory pre-sets in terms of Equilization and Bias. Some machines automatically re-calibrate themselves for optimum performance with whatever type of tape you install. These were all more expensive three head machines and typically from the late 1970's to mid 1980's or so. If you don't have one of these machines, it would probably be best to experiment with a few different brands of tape to see which works best. For audio reproduction, Metal is best with Chrome coming in a close second. Anything else ( normal or Ferri-Chrome ) coming a distant third and fourth in most cases. Sean
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