Maxell or TDK?

My Toyota Avalon has a cassette unit in it & I still listen to music I recorded years ago on UDXL2 tapes form Maxell. I am amazed how well they sound today.
It seems to me that the dark chocolate vs milk chocolate colored tapes were always better sounding. I think almost all the pre-recorded tapes I bought were the milk cocolate type and my home recorded versions off of LP's were much more superior. Feel free to yuk it up at my non-techno tape description. Simple things for a simple mind as my wife always says.
-John

Another thread where the findings are Maxell and TDK are the best.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/archive/index.php/t-88956.html

Another comment that having the cassette deck bias tweaked for the tape was crucial to best performance ...

Analogique in Manhattan did this for me and the difference was not subtle.

Bias is HF signal above audio band (usually 50-100kHz) used to reduce distortions of the tape. Too much bias on the other hand causes drop in high frequency response. High frequency content in music also plays role of a bias and by controlling total sum at given moment much better extension can be achieved without increasing distortions. Inexpensive tapes can sound like best chrome tapes. I had this long time ago in my Aiwa Deck and it was called HX-PRO. It is "servo" on the bias. Tapes recorded on this deck sounded much better than the same tapes pre-recorded.

Once TDK came out with the SA-X and Maxell with the XL II-S tried those too. Prefered the originals!

All this tape talk as me eyeing another Nak.