Type 0 Cassettes - PART 1 - Do they actually exist?

[Music] it's Tony Frankie sack combat calm now today's video at this point where I'm shooting it might be a very long video or it might be a very short video I don't know and why is that well today I'm going to be looking at these these are what I think all of them yes you guessing it already just by looking at them tight zeros and I know someone who runs another Facebook group out there heads exploded now because I've called them type zeros but most of these have been sent to me by a friend in Holland so mark Cooper thank you very much sir for sending them because basically he said I tried to sell these and I couldn't so I figured let's have a look at these some are about knocking around myself and see if perhaps the usual rules of what is a type-0 maybe being breached by some of these but if you don't know what I'm on about with type-0 here is a little video that just explains it so what are we mean by type zero there is no official type zero designation you know we've got the usual type one to four tapes but type zero is slang in our community for cassettes that really aren't even worth using because their audio quality is so bad they can't even be classed as a type one so we call them type zeros there's plenty out there but if you're looking on ebay etc and you're not sure what you're buying what are the signs that the type zero well the first thing is that they usually type one only there are some type two which are not usable but on the whole the usually tight one they're usually from a brand you've never heard of maybe a sound alight to a non brand you know like KD K or you know we've got the Maxwells I mean I've tested a Maxwell which isn't a type zero but there are some which definitely are they usually have something like low noise high output written on either the cassette itself or on the inlay that you can see they've usually got the old Compact Cassette logo on them even though most of these cassettes you know aren't from an era where that camp Cosette logo was prevalent they still have them on they're all the same the user have a clear up a case and they usually wrapped in clear cellophane like a pack of or the sold without cases and J cards altogether and just come in a plastic bag in like search Ron's three in a bag you know $1.99 special offer that's usually good sign they usually made in Hong Kong a China you see cassettes was made in Hong Kong China on it chances are it's gonna be a type-0 they always have a cheap shell usually with a paper label on it you never get them with clear shells and you know stuck stickers to put on afterwards easily always cheap shell paper label and usually the J cast pretty rough on the inside as well they always use diverse solid colour leaders have the red blue but a lot of them are just playing clear leaders but they don't really have anything that signifies any sort of branding whatsoever on them and most of them have dull brown tape this has a consistency of fine grit sandpaper so misciagna some are darker which could be Riesling video cassette stuff but when you look at the tape you don't look at it and think all that looks like a TD kar that does no they they look dull and cheap and dodgy and not always a lot of them mimic the design of a well-known cassette I've got a few which sort of look like TDK sort of looks like mac sells you know if you're finding that manufacturers are trying to mimic the look of a well-known cassette you know they're doing that because they don't fit the cassette itself is good enough to stand on its own two feet maxime Maxell maxim i mean to be fair Maxim have made low quality electrical bits and bobs for as long as I can remember usually only found them on market stalls but here we go this is an Allen not a Mac sell that land it's a maxim ll-look low noise high output it's an old precision like I said it's got the usual shell which is black on the back so you can actually see how crap the cassette looks like inside and it's shrink wrapped like a packet of you know with Oh pull tear there we go so it's not flimsy it's a let's have a look yes yes there we go we have the Compact Cassette logo on there it's a black cheap shell with paper labels on it clearly done this one too the first tape let's have a look yeah it's pretty dull it's not very well current you know what this tip looks like you from being cruel it looks a bit like the net four five six ferrule muster with the back Colin ribbons you can see the lines on it so what do we think type 0 or is it's going to be tight one I'm gonna I'm gonna put this I'm gonna create a couple of piles while we do this just barely I'm gonna put this one in the type zero pile now this one takedo he's actually very pretty looking and is this chromed outside super high bias mm never heard of this but let's have a look this this isn't living with the type 0 sort rules because for start you can see the cassette is not saying low noise high output on it he's got some some stuff at the back no it says West Germany only that's a good thing so I'm thinking maybe this one that's let's have a smell that's how they smell no that doesn't smell like a pure chrome let's let's fast-forward this on a bit let's have a look it's got a strange leader it's like a blue and white striker leader the tape itself is very black like possibly a pure chrome should be but it definitely doesn't smell like a pure chrome so is this going to be at zero is it gonna be the same sort of tape inside this that I sometimes find stuff like you f4u CDs which I can't bias anywhere mmm I don't know let's give it the benefit of the doubt cause it looks nice and it's not doing to the road we'll put that the possibly not type-0 pout here's another Takeda Farallon eyes on our long eyes knit knit okay gamma ferric oxide mmm gamma that thought reminds me of what Sony used to put the HF so again it's a West German cassette assaulting it up I think he's got a little basically the same as the type 2 but in a but with a different different sticker on it so the long yeah this feels pretty flimsy clear had a sub look at the tape and that one this take doesn't look that bad to be honest it's darker than the normal it's quite dark for all we know I mean know a lot of these cheaper cassettes some people have said that they've got reefs like video cassette tape in there so who knows but that looks pretty dark for a tight one I'm gonna put both these two kiddos in the might be usable unlike this one ooh dear your core hmm oh no get it your core not in the months yeah Compact Cassette logo not a lot said on the back there again packet I type a key tight tear off these know the different designs of nasty nasty shell this does clear leader again doesn't have smooth lines this is a pretty rough wound or anywhere this one but mmm oh yeah that's that's that's pretty dull that's pretty dull that is that's pretty Brown and dull there's no Compact Cassette oh yeah oh sorry there's no complex Aloha Mitch Wilkinson but yeah I'm not thinking this is gonna be what to watch let's try something let's try it a song Yuki said no now Sony now Sony no no no no no no but back to the rules are cinema for Sonia only warrantied go low noise high outputs there's no compacts that log again at a strip clear shell nasty is that your core you know that probably these have probably come from the same place the shell look very similar and nasty and this has a clear leader like this one did I think there's something clearly let's just double check wrong way let's try winding it the right way yeah same diff different different paths books same sort of crap leader yeah I'm not holding out a lot of hope for the older so d I mean Sonia Cosette here of being of any sort of quality that solace we've been consistent let's just have a look at the tip and this one shall we oh this is a woman wide oh yeah that's very light brown but to be fair is very light but that is kind of shiny that tape that's you might not be the world's best ferret but that's shiny that's calendered nicely let's yeah let's say this one might be usable right pyrrol now I've used peril before I've got some the taupe type threes the super ferrets but the sprint 90 dork Noir let's have a look again this is clear but it's not saying there's no Compact Cassette log or there's no higher noise and it's made in England that's not always a good sign again this look at the shell this shell looks very similar to the Sun yeah yeah very similar shells this that's good it's near red leader very similar looking shells to the Sun yeah let's see it's the actual that tip itself looks any better Oh again it's an outline not some exile Island but a Tyrell alone all that stiff this isn't even turning its like it seized up doesn't even want to turn in the old winder this let's see I can't oh I can't get this to turn at all it's like this is stuck really stuck it's like the tapes disconnected overvote it's got the longest leader I've ever seen in my life but I think this one is though they were lost rygan no this is this is really I don't even think this tear pack is loose at all cuz it's just this works just this ain't spinning it at all look no super far out might be good wrap and this is gonna be lucky if it works at all so that's definitely going in the type-0 pile high tech high energy quality assured avoid touching the tapes you may cause rope house I don't think touching the tapes is gonna give this any dropouts it doesn't already have personally but let's tear this one open and have a look at the wonderfulness that is inside this I mean is what's happen there that's sealed look at that it's like someone of the factory was maybe having a really happy day when when they were packaging this oh yeah I wouldn't like to think about that is ya crappy-looking shall clear leader c90 let's have a look see what the tail looks like in there oh we that's dull yeah that's really really dull yeah that's proper dull that is that's got to be attack zero you know it's not a deal oh yeah sorry it's got the Compact Cassette logo on it ha so even though these I remember seeing leave them on markets in the 90 in the nineties book oh what's on the front about I need to disinfect my hands after that right have a look Pinker's low noise high output hmm manufactured in China odious not looking good for the Incas cuz I stopped to thee back in the chocolate and the tobacco or not not not cassettes yeah things in this Hill a few times high output there's no Compact Cassette on there oh that's it that's a big it's a big part that one not really love oh yeah oh yeah that starts with the worst-looking yet it's sort of off brown but it's line II it's not very well calendared know this is gonna be type 0 I'm pretty sure leader with a knockoff BASF sort of tight log or ultra ferric oxide minus one there we god this isn't attack geo this is a type minus one so this is gonna be really bad let's have a look the five-year replacement guarantee yeah and I bet in you if you look inside this there will be nowhere that you can actually write to to use this five-year guarantee I mean there's no address inside this is a let's have a look Boing hang on hang on I could hang on I could shop it oh hang on right or sell distributors of recording tape since 1964 so this has been made for this leader company okay so that's something and there's actually this as well getting the best from you cassettes before recording troubleshooting okay right well yeah it still doesn't give you an address of where to send this back but putting something like that in and listen says that they actually did maybe care about this cassette so the shell does seem like it at zero shell but it's Dolby dbx let's clear leadless I look on the tape itself it's not very well calendar this it's kind of dull I reckon they really wanted this to be a good cassette you know it seemed like there were a cassette wholesaler they wanted their own brand of cassettes so they got this made it doesn't say where it's made I'm sure they didn't intend them to be rubbish let's give this the benefit of the doubt this one this one might be usable maybe lead it put some thought into it right tak hmm no t DK tak super low noise Compact Cassette log oh yeah it doesn't say where it's made ah that's right now that's a clear shell it's still a clear shell with the Compact Cassette logo on low noise high outputs I actually really like these sales I think I think these are quite charming in the like this I mean these to me well let's let's not age me better let's just give it a chance let's have a clearly do you look at the actual tip itself no it's another one that stopped oh my oh my dear this I mean the lights reflecting ice it's making it look shinier but this this does look like fine grit some people with little blobs on it yeah I'm not expecting anything of this but to be fair this is exactly the kind of tape and I'll tell you a little story baby I've told you before I don't know if in so many videos now but this is the kind of tape heart transplant decent taping and then give it to somebody in the pickle and go oh what's this crap and the pleiades like oh my god that sounds amazing because I put my ad tape in it or something that I like this type of shell for that it looks very retro cool but I'm pretty sure this is gonna be tagged zero and now I TN again trying to do the TDK log or in England ITN these actually stands for independent television news they do the vanilla news for many many decades on stuff like ITV and channel 4 in the UK but this is an international Kenny's right fight it's low noise it's got the Compact Cassette logo Compaq your cert logo let's have a look at this I'm thinking you think maybe a black a black shell did your this you see this one doesn't even have a tear off strip only you know the they're really not engaging with me properly ITN here all right this is this Jojo I thought was up on brick more plastic right okay I'm thinking it's gonna be a black shell on this will we buy it would pick a liberal yep black shell doesn't look too bad for this tap you set but getting clear leader you know sub look at the tape that doesn't have the lines on it it is fairly shiny it's fairly calendared now I've heard these are terrible BOTS I don't know I think this one maybe let's put it in that pal so I'm thinking this part here are all definitely gonna be tied zero this pile maybe some are gonna be usable I mean when I say use but I don't think any of these here are gonna show a TD KFA clean pair of heels but there might be usable and not totally useless and maybe time has been cruel to them but there's there's only one way to find out so this is how I propose to see if I vege my bets properly and this is why maybe this will be a long video or a short video what I'm gonna do is I'm going to take my denim DRM 44 HX now it's not that I dislike that deck or anything but there's two things about it one is that I don't use it much anymore because I just don't I mean I know it sounds snobbish in that said I don't wanna be a tip snob or anything but the bottom line is when you've got a perfectly working revokes beating on five and dragon there you're not likely to record really for yourself on all the decks so if the sandpaper I don't in the will I mean you know people talk about deck headwear and these away your heads out maybe it'll take a long long time to do not for these thirty seconds that I'm gonna be trying these and it's not gonna wear him out but there's a lot of ice and Bucky head saying yeah you don't do that on your Reeboks so I'm gonna use it for that because I don't use it very often and secondly because it has an EQ feature which is like you know of dialing it in or Tobias it's not bias but it actually eq's it so that it matches the source and whenever I've used it the source always sounds very close to what's been on the tape so and he doesn't nice and fast unlike the Reeboks so basically and then i put them in and the rules are I put it in and the denon can actually lock on to it ie when it's been done it actually says doesn't say reference on the display reference means it cannot dial it in and it's using reference settings ie what the deck setup for freeze tape if it does that these classes attack zero MacBook and it doesn't get recorded on if he does manage to lock on to it then we'll record on to it and see how close it is to the source so like I say if all of these go in and none of them could be locked on by the Denham it's been a short video really that's not really proven anything apart from stuff like this is crap but if it locks onto some we'll have a listen and who knows there actually might be some little gems here I mean I doubt it but but there might be okay let's give it do ok so this is the victim I mean DEP that I'm gonna be using for this today my little denim Dr 44 HX r DRM 44 80s now I just want to show you this little bit here which says Auto tuning and currently says reference what that means is at that point is using the defaults which the Dex calibrated for press the start button and after it does it he comes up here in red and say is memory it means it's actually managed to lock onto the cassette supposedly and we'll have a listen to how it manages so I'm gonna start off with what I think you gotta be the type zero pile so let's try this one first the TAC TC 60 place your bets place your bets ladies and gentlemen type 0 or type 1 let's go oh it says memory so let's have a listen to what it sounds like now for the source today I'm using a song called silence by someone called King Khan and it's got vocals in it so let's start this tape off I'm gonna play the source and then we'll switch over to the tank so bear with me right it is now going [Music] when I start recording it so we're peaking now on the source around music zero using track 28 I'm using the completely wrong track let's try that again better [Music] feeling a light on our skin we are young I switch over and see what it's overcome attack that's not exactly dialed it in as it the levels are massively damn [Applause] [Music] oh do you know that's not working that's I tell well let's crank it up merci [Music] okay I think we've heard enough for that one so yeah the the tack looks like here retro coca Sarah managed to dilute him but no I really didn't and I'm starting to think now that maybe this was a wrong debt choice because in reality that was nowhere near what it should have been so hmm let's try another one the Incas who douse this one in as well it's rubbish and we're in for a long video yes you start this one in okay let's try the go back to the source again let's see if the Incas can dare do anything [Music] [Applause] I will switch over now yeah crank this one up yeah that's enough for the Incas so is it's upsetting me Eisley that the deck is actually saying we can dial it in when it really can't I tell well that's let's go over to something that I thought might work for Alice let's try this - kid you're sorry - kid or chrome dioxide super which doesn't smell like your chrome dioxide just pick it up as a CR or - let's see if it can dial it in yes it can okay so source again [Music] again mess of the down [Music] we [Music] we can pray ooh nice and technical [Music] distortions no that's not really like you said that I would be interesting in recording anything useful on to let's try this other to cure doornail and just pause the sauce on arm to shuffle about a bit here let's try this one and this was always had very black taping to type one let's see if maybe no it's locked onto all of them I'm getting a bit disillusion with this day now so source again [Music] all that's all that's disastrous I'll clean the heads before and both oh that's horrible that's that's terrible that's just what that's horrific I'll tell you what just just as a I'm gonna put this tape in which looks like a type-0 with body isn't let me just put this tape in nozbe just as a control just to see whether this deck actually has got all the heads kicked and crap now that I need to clean it off or but if it's just generally just record it with it badly right let's just tip the sauce down now [Music] no this is low [Music] yeah this actually does sound listenable [Music] yeah so that that does sound listenable I mean that's okay so see gone through this dirge the ITN plus you bet some reckon it's gonna probably lock on to it and then it's going to sound like crap so that's bias that one up incidentally I cleaned they the pinch rollers on the heads before I did this now when we were clean them again afterwards and see how dirty they are ensure you okay so back to the source put it back at four okay and the song just finished hahaha that's running again [Music] okay let's see how good it picks up this delicate intro let's crank it up yeah that's that's not going in that's not gonna suddenly blow my socks off is it that's another one right let's try this interesting one the leader let's see if this I mean that the case is nice from this to first it's like that's the case let's see if this one from the distributor's can do a better job than all these are the type zeros because yeah so far none of them have been anywhere near close to something I would actually use okay down to four here's a source let's ratatatat do it soon better so far let's crank it up a bit [Music] I don't compare to the source but to this five day this is gonna be a attack [Music] well it's better than the others but I wouldn't worry won't worry a day that wouldn't them again 70s put in your boombox the shoebox recorder who really knows will deal to us about now the the Sonia cassette let's have a see what the Sun you can do oh it's finding all of them now right back to the source [Music] garbage no the the high tech was the very dodgy looking stain on it okay source comes again [Music] oh dear oh dear bye right let's now this Tyrell which I couldn't even get to fast forward which may be all broken and stuck together let's have a look I know I can do it here right okay back to the source [Music] the car [Music] instead of the sauce [Music] but bit like the leader wallets it's naughty dkd book it seems usable that one rat would enter the last to the barrel is being scraped the Maxime well so far this has locked onto although even though it's on the crap down on all of them so I'm not sure about the sort or cheating on this deck anymore let me have to be a full book back to the source and get ready for the wonderfulness now [Music] either word three woman to sing close my eyes I feel where we are as when to leave the place in the drums kick in box he's not as horrific as it should be [Music] yeah but let's be honest if it's still crap we're doing that and now the last one the your core which could be also called the joke hole probably judging by how I think is can nicely run oh this will not even fast forward oh look at that I just put it in and it's it's all twisted yeah look at it twisted in the deck just give it another chance nope that was so crap though oh look at that look at what he's done there right okay let's just bear with me for one second DeMint or let's let's put a reference tape in an absolutely terrible tape a few GFR one super which is sublime sorry let's just just a reference because you never know the house might be all kitchen crap right now and that's skewing it but let's put this in what is it one or two knit oh it's done haha right let's go back to the source that's for talk to they're sincere at this [Music] [Applause] [Music] in the distance I can see all the things we can achieve I start yeah they are tuning to New Jersey or the heads are all kicked but at least at least that one you know just to show at the point that this one did actually sound usable so the deck isn't completely shot but it probably needs a damn good clean which I'm going to do now there's the old saying you pays your money you makes your choice and I don't know I mean let's be honest none of these will give a TD KD or max how you are anything to worry about out of the lot I'd say this pyrrol and this leader we're probably the closest to being a usable tape who knows maybe the years of storage and the rage have you know made them deteriorate from what they were a resuming you know pyrole Ron Paul and you know this is you can taste the heritage sorry trace a heritage of this to modern day Mulan who made the RTM Fox you know this leader you know with a little card inside they really wanted to try and sell something decent so maybe like I say these were okay 3540 years ago but not so much now but the other news we got these two kado o absolute garbage that is one of the worst cassettes I've ever heard I mean it's a shame because they look like it's a really retro cool but that is a really bad kisser I like they said with that dark take a look you see ribbed he's actually ribbed that a part that was in the player hmm I think it's a deck I mean everything else it's been okay that one's all right I mean we played this leader after we played that to here that was up been ribbed no that's not been ripped so yeah I mean that wasn't deteriorated it sounded terror and that's the thing I mean people collect these and I understand why they collect them because in their own crappy way they are sort of endearing I mean you know look at this Chuck I mean it looks like nothing else it's a lot of time caps your tie means I don't know good under the tape itself like I say kind of endearing lucky and swap the tip for someone decent and it's a nice level to take so part of me gets why people collect these but then part of me gets angry saying yeah it's because of crap like this that people think it sets a crap they bought crap like this thinking it's all Universal the listen to them recorded them on crap cassette recorders and these are crap I hate cassettes cassettes a crap you know so part of me you know I mean let's be honest nobody few money maybe maybe them two of the exception there but nobody you manufactured any of these and test them said oh this is a decent product this this is good they all went mad once they've bought it there are they gonna come back for a refund are they cynical passions to popularize and like I say I mean when we were young and you know I did not put some money when I was young and I ended up buying some of these and mostly the only thing I've recorded on this type of cassette was computer games because they just basically have very high pitch sine waves which which you know don't really need a good cassette in fact good cassettes and good decks don't record computer tapes very well he needed a mono boombox or a shoe box and one of these in the volume cranked way up and he would record the sound ways fine but I never after trying once never bought these for music again because of the even on my boombox Izzie sounded crap so there we got type zeros saw of an idea of what to look out for and a very graphic demonstration of how bad they really do sound and that's why I don't class mistake ones so thanks for watching don't forget to Like and subscribe don't forget Sunday at the retro Nouveau it's live UK time twelve to Falco's Radio org and I'd like to say thanks to all of you if you've not checked over at the community part I'm posting little bits in the community part of the of the youtube channel as well just bits and bobs about what I'm finding and all that but thank you very much to those of you who've gone up to Mixcloud and actually listening to the retro Nouveau it means a lot to me because it helps the actual show shoot up the global pop ratings I mean it hits in the 50s now which is brilliant so I want to thank you very very much for just taking the time to listen to the show so other than that happy taping I'll see on the next video

Channel: Cassette Comeback

Views: 53,887

Keywords: Cassette, cassettes, cassette reviews, blank cassette, blank cassettes, tape, tapes, blank tapes, tdk, maxell, that's, ferric, type 1, normal bias, cassette comeback, review, Type 0, aliexpress, wish, saehan, Nakamichi, Nakamichi Dragon, SKC, Type 2, High Bias, High bias cassette, type 2 cassette, chrome bias, chrome cassette, pure chrome, Type 4, Metal Cassette, BASF, Metal Maxima, Metal Tape, hubs, denon, denon cassettes, revox, Type 0 cassette, ITN cassette, Maxim Cassette

Id: EafO4qpJrw0

Length: 43min 12sec (2592 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 05 2019