PL6AAIU@VM.TCS.Tulane.EDU (Andrew Nulman) (04/07/90)
In response to the earlier query regarding brands of metal tapes. I also have used the "That's" brand. They make several grades, the highest is a Metal formulation called "That's CD", which I have found to be excellent. The company is called Taiyo Yuden. Their cassettes sell under the trade name TRIAD in the U.S., and That's elsewhere. They are either owned by or distributed by Harman America, which says something as for their quality. Best of all, they are cheap! A case of ten costs about $25-30 from my local audio shop. That's also makes a tape called the MG-X90, probably available in other lengths. It is very good, though not as great as the That's CD. I still prefer the That's MG-x to the Maxell MX and the TDK equivalent. In my opinion, the very best metal tape couldn't top the Sony Metal-ES. But at $6.00 or more each, I can buy twice as many That's! Ohm... one other thing: Don't ever pay dept. store retail for tapes. If your local tweak shop charges too much, buy them mail order! You can find great prices in the New York Village Voice newspaper. (sold at better news- stands). My general price gauge is if they are charging more than $2.00 for a TDK SA90 or Maxell XLII90, they are too high. (not that I would buy these) In general, I've found Sony cassettes to be excellent, and of more con- sistent quality than their TDK/Maxell counterparts. But they do tend to jam/shred in the cassette deck more often. Timed obsolescence? Who knows. Has anyone else had this problem with the Sonys? Also, on the subject of cassettes, I have found BASF to be very junky.