dlb@druxv.UUCP (Dave Bauer) (08/10/84)
I think DAK has been around at least 10 years. They started out as an independent manufacturer of blank open reel and cassette tapes, selling mostly through their mail order catalog. I remember buying tapes from them 8 years ago when I was a freshman in college. Slowly over the years their catalog started featuring audio gadgets, tape accessories, then later close-out stereo equipement, and over time it evolved into the JS&A-like mail order house that it is today. For the record, I never was very pleased with their blank open reel tapes.... I experienced a lot of dropouts on many of the reels. But they were priced attractively, and that was the overriding concern at the time.... -- dave bauer (303)538-4482 AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver ihnp4!druxv!dlb 11900 N. Pecos St., Room 30J28, Denver, CO 80234
ron@brl-tgr.UUCP (08/13/84)
Their cassettes are pretty mediocre too. They only sell standard FeO versions and they are mechanically pretty cruddy. They make a terrible screaming noise when being rewound. -Ron
briand@tekig1.UUCP (Brian Diehm) (08/14/84)
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The statement that DAK produces only standard FeCr (normal bias) cassettes
is not true; they now produce CrO2 tapes as well.
All their tapes have the advantage of CHEAP - they sell only in lots of 10
and they go for about $24 for FeO and $26 for CrO2. They save money by making
you insert the box labels, etc. The shells are cheap, but they are at least
screw assembled so that you can get to the works if necessary. They are very
good for automobiles - they are the quality you don't mind getting dirty or
munged up. They withstand heat better than Memorex - a TRULY garbage product
in my opinion.
I have not noticed ANY dropouts or any other funny characteristics with
DAK cassettes of either variety. DAK claims frequency response equal to TDK,
but I've never checked that particular claim. The shells do not do any wierd
trips for me; no rewind screech or anything, except for the following.
They have one wierd problem. I have a deck which uses the shell holes in
the back to determine not only write protect, but to sense CrO2 and Metal Oxide
tapes as well. To save costs, DAK provides only one type of shell, which has
removable knockouts (like the write protect ones) for CrO2 tapes - and yes, YOU
are the one who gets to remove all 20 knockouts on your new batch of CrO2 tapes
(cost is cost). HOWEVER, the knockout is positioned just wrong for my deck (it
is still too deep an impression), so that often a FeO tape (one that I'm making
for my car) is sensed by my deck as CrO2. If they spent the money to have a
separate type of shell for the FeO tapes, I wouldn't have this problem. To me
it's not severe - I only use FeO tapes for the car, so I record them once and
it no longer matters. I just tape over the spot for that recording session.
I would say that with DAK the rule still holds: You get only what you pay
for. But at least you get as much as you pay for; they're not ripping you off.
I am satisfied, and considering the cost, I think it's a bargain. Just be
aware that you're not buying top dollar quality.
-Brian Diehm
Tektronix, Inc.ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (08/16/84)
But I can get REAL TDK cassettes for less than 2.60, why do I need these worthless imitations. Memorex is much worse than DAK. I won't let one near my machine. -Ron
david@bragvax.UUCP (David DiGiacomo) (08/17/84)
>>All their tapes have the advantage of CHEAP - they sell only in lots of 10 >>and they go for about $24 for FeO and $26 for CrO2. This is cheap? TDK SA-90's are $2.25 - $2.50 by mail. -- Wendy, is the water warm enough? Yes, Lisa.
rfg@hound.UUCP (R.GRANTGES) (08/21/84)
[] You guys are right-on about Memorex. I have used TDK and Maxell UDXL extensively for years and I have never had a bad cassette with Maxell, either physically or electrically (magnetically?). I use it for all my master recordings and then use TDK for the dupes. Now I admit I am willing to compromise somewhere short of the ultimate on true golden-ear quality. I am, after all, not a golden ear but a Sn-ear. Now, if you are looking for really bad tape, try Radio-Shuck or Memorex. I used to use Memorex for the dupes and even masters because the recording quality was very good, but I had to stop using it when the oxide became unstable with lots of flaking and drop-outs, big drop outs. I believe Memorex went to Hell about 5 or 6 years ago. I used to make extensive meausurements of frequency response, distortion and s/n, but it has been a long time since I did that. Memorex was, according to my measurements, not only good on response, but had an extraordinary ability to carry strong signals with minimum distortion. Dick Grantges hound!rfg p.s.(world): I think DAK stinks. I bought their ink jet printer but they can't supply the ink they promised or the connecting cable for the PC.