brent@itm.UUCP (Brent) (03/28/84)
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Cassettes - Part 2
Several companies make in-cassette machines: Recordex, Telex,
Pentagon, Alpha. These are known as "copiers", or voice-grade machines.
Frequency response may be 100Hz to 8kHz, +- 5dB. Not so hot. They
range from making only one copy at a time to add-on slave units that
can do up to 50. Tape speeds are around 30 ips. Head life 4,000 to
50,000 tapes, cost $400 and up.
The only true "duplicator" or music-quality in-cassette equipment
is Infonics. They're up in Michigan City, IN. They're a small company,
about seven employees, owned by Paul Lloyd and Carol Landt. Paul and
Carol's relationship is a subject of much speculation and amusement
in the audio world. It seems to be more than business, yet has remained
stable for a good many years. They do a lot of business in Hong Kong
because they like to travel.
Anyway, the equipment: it's expensive:
a cassette master playback unit and a four-position slave will cost
about $12,000. Tape travels at 20 ips (weird speed), frequency
response 40Hz to 20kHz, +- 4dB (I've measured it myself), wow and
flutter 0.03%. Pretty good. But the most impressive thing is:
no Infonics cassette record head has *ever* worn out. I know. We
have used slave units with serial numbers 2, 3, 4, and 5 here
for many years, and the heads are still perfect. Don't tell me
it can't be done.
More later,
--
Brent Laminack (akgua!itm!brent)