Since most people nowadays use cassette recorders, or digital media, one can wonder...
However, there are still people who like these recorders.
So let´s talk about analog recorders and among other things compare some differences between cassette and reel to reel recorders.

Please let me know if you have any questions, or find any errors in my pages...
/Jan
 

INDEX Heads and Tracks Mechanical adjustments Electrical adjustments Standards (NAB, IEC, DIN) Electrical Levels Test Tapes How to measure and use instruments (with photos) Test results Tape recorders in Sweden Links

CASSETTE RECORDERS.
...is something most people are familiar with.
The tape is 1/8 inch wide, and the speed is 1,9 ips (inch per second).
Cassette recorders have improved a lot, but basic matters like tape width and speed, makes it hard to beat
a reel to reel recorder.

(By the way, when cassette recorders are reviewed and measured, a different standard is usually used, which does not show the drawbacks of a cassette tape).
More about that later...
 

REEL TO REEL.
Is of course the "original" recorder. Tape is 1/4 inch wide (= twice as wide as a cassette tape) and speed is usually 7,5 or 15 ips.
Older recorders have 3,75 ips, but "HiFi" recorders usually had at least a choice of 7,5 ips.

(There are wider tapes than 1/4 inch, but I will not discuss that in these pages).
 

Facts about Heads and Tracks on the Next page
 
 

(Have you visited all pages ? 1  2 3  4 5 6  7 8  9 10 11 12  13  14 )