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Can anyone provide info or pics of Metal Bias microcassettes?

doity - 2008-02-18 09:41

Hi Everyone. I was prowling Ebay late night a few days ago and right before my laptop battery died I found a Sanyo boombox with detachable walkman for a BIN of $25 so I snapped it up. It was not in the right category so I suspect that is why it was not purchased sooner.

Anyway, after doing some research on the microcassette format I found out that there were metal bias tapes available in this format. The Sanyo takes metal tapes. Does anyone have any of these tapes that the could provide some pictures or maybe even a short list of tapes available for this thing?

I do not plan to do serious listening with this but it would be fun to have a couple of nice tapes to show it off with. After doing more research I found that a few manufacturers even made component stereo microcassette decks. Guess I missed those back then!


Luke

fatdog - 2008-02-18 11:50

I think Walkgirl has the Sanyo also. It's definitely a sweet looking micro-box. Metal microcassettes are very difficult to find but not impossible. Metal microcassettes were made by TDK, Memorex, Olympus, Sanyo, and Sony along with other lesser known brands. Some guys over at AudioKarma mentioned spooling some Metal tape onto a micro. That might be one way to try it out.

walkgirl - 2008-02-18 12:50

The microboombox I have is a Heru and a sanyo!
here is the heru:




Smile

Here is the sanyo:





on the demonstration tapes is no original
music anymore Frown

doity - 2008-02-19 10:16

Thanks! Those are great pictures. If anyone has one or two that they want to get rid of, either the metal bias or demonstration microcassette(s), I have a box full of nice sealed metal or Cr02 cassettes for which I could do a straight 1 for 1 trade.

ao - 2008-02-19 17:12

Yeah I've always loved these. I've got the stereo one with the microwalkamn that slides out of the top.

ffracer - 2008-03-10 17:32

The creme de la creme were the National Panasonic metal evaporated MCs. RT-MC90A.

These used a metal technology way ahead of its time to provide much better sound. Only problem was the price. They were also sold in regular size cassettes as high bias tapes: National RT-54DU. Amazing amount of headroom. But these were $9/tape in 1985!

Similar technology to what is used in mini-DV camcorder tapes today.

doity - 2008-03-14 10:19

ffracer, do you have any pics of the National/Panasonic tapes that you mentioned? There is a place online that is selling Panasonic RT-90AMC for a bit over $6. I presume this is the same tape you mentioned. If so I might order a few of them for collectors sake.

autoreverser - 2008-03-16 11:51

i do have a "minerva" (grundig) micro-cassette stereo boombox, and do know as a fact that JoeCool got the same one from grundig, but mono.

nice one, fully metal-housing, good sound for the size...

walkgirl - 2008-03-16 12:20

I have a minerva also, a mono, but the tape does not
work Frown

Inwill post a picture tomorrow! Smile

ffracer - 2008-03-25 20:49

quote:
Originally posted by doity:
ffracer, do you have any pics of the National/Panasonic tapes that you mentioned? There is a place online that is selling Panasonic RT-90AMC for a bit over $6. I presume this is the same tape you mentioned. If so I might order a few of them for collectors sake.

No, those are 90 min conventional tape. They need to have the "Angrom" logo on them.