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About cassette-recorder

(general opinions presented by a collector, no specialist in electronics)

The transistor’s appearance (invented in 1947 by John Bardeen
May 23, 1908
January 30, 1991,Walter Houser
February 10, 1902
October 13, 1987 siWilliam Shockley
February 13, 1910
August 12, 1989 from Bell Telephone Laboratories, New Jersey, USA) – has represented an essential moment in electronics; with this tiny piece, having semi-conductor properties, which has rapidly replaced the electronic valve, all audio-video items (but not only) has reduced their dimensions, electric power consumption and increased few times their reaction speed; this technical event can be similar to the appearance -12 years later - of the integrated circuit, which represents the base of actual electronics and had a similar impact or maybe greater. One of the complete transistorized items was the cassette-recorder.

Due to the facility of listening and recording favorite music nearly anywhere and anytime, the cassette-recorder represented a very appreciated (and implicitly, sold) entertainment item worldwide, especially between 1970-1990. It has fast replaced portable reel-to-reel tape recorders and record players (pick-ups), due to its increased handling (magnetic tape was closed into a small plastic cassette, easier to put into recorder) and its increased/satisfactory recording/listening time (60 -120 minutes/cassette).

As in many other cases, the idea of a recorder with a rechargeable cassette appeared first in the military activities, beginning with last years of WWII. (e.g. the item Cosmos Industries RD 11B
Casetofon militar cu caseta cu fir de otel
1944 ). Few years later, the secret services of the cold war benefited from portable-transistorized devices (e.g. the item Minifon P55
Minifon P55 ). According to my searchings, the first domestic cassette-recorders appeared in Germany in 1955 (named Tefifon The first cassette recorder in the world, 3rd type
The second portable cassette recorder in the world, type 3 ), followed next year by the American "Dictaphone"
ITC - triplu deck de studio cu caseta tip Fidelipac
cca. 1959 (initially created for recording voice adverts for radio broadcasting); however, because different models were used (= not-standardized),the specialists and public have decided the cassette-recorder was invented by the Dutch company “Philips” in 1963, after their sooner launching of the compact cassette; it was public showed at the 1963 International Radio Fair in West-Berlin, Germany and marketed from 1964. The impact was major, the sales increased at high level (millions of items) during 1970 -1988. The vinyl disc records were “doubled” then gradually replaced by the professional pre-recorded compact-cassettes (in 1986 the number of sold cassettes was greater than vinyl discs), unti their disappearance from series production, around early 1990's. Must be specified that in USA - due to a large market – until the massive intruding of compact cassette, some bigger cassettes were used, named “8-track cartridge” (imposed by the RCA= Radio Company of America), which used reel-to-reel tape without end; also, 1-2 years after Philips, the german producer Grundig has tried to impose his own model of cassette – (DC international) with an increased speed of playing (5.1 cm/sec in comparison with 4.75 cm/sec of Philips cassette) and a little greater cassette; the public imposed finally the Philips variant, also adopted by the German Telefunken, in 1965.

During 1955 - 1992 approx. 18 models of audio cassettes were produced and marketed, as follows:

Besides the types accessible for large public, due to its characteristics (reliability, small dimensions and costs, easy handling) the audio cassettes in various dimensions were used also in other areas: IT (for storing files), aviation (for flight recordings - “black boxes”), answering machine, spying (discrete recorders), games for children and so on. Must be also mentioned the great success the cassette recorder had as auxiliary equipment for cars, where the reel-to-reel tape-recorder or record-player never found a place.

Working principle - for playback - is based on the pre-registered tape passing (with constantly speed) on the surface of a playback head (a tiny copper wire wrapped on a magnetic metal); this movement is generating an electric current, amplified and filtered later; for the recording way , the mechanical action is similar, but the electrical operation is reversed: electric signal is registered/”printed” on tape with the same head (the advanced recorders have a separate head for each function: erase, record, playback). Mechanical part allows searching for certain songs, fast forward/rewind the tape, pause, continuous listening, etc (see the different constructive types from collection). Its technique had constantly developed, the sound quality (the most common indicator of it being the “frequency range”) becoming in many cases equal or superior by comparison with domestic reel-to-reel tape recorders. In my opinion, the most important moments of the technical evolution of this item were:

  • (I) The issuing in 1969 of the first deck cassette recorder (first in the world was Philips N 2500
    Primul casetofon stereo deck
    Philips 1969     ), which prepared the launching in 1972 of the high-fidelity cassette-recorder (first in the world was Philips N 2510
    Primul casetofon de inalta fidelitate din lume
    Philips 1973     ); it principal improves were the electronic motor speed control, signal/noise ratio of min.50 db; the built-in of a noise filter, a more extended frequency range (at least between 40 -14.000 hz), all of these for the purpose of a better sound’s quality ; the decks were the best constructive variants of the cassette recorder, satisfying the highest requests, until the CD’s launching;
  • (II) The appearance of the auto-reverse cassette-recorder which had permitted the continuous listening of more cassettes (first in the world was Philips N 2401 S
    Casetofon stereo cu autoreverse
    Philips 1969     , in 1969-it had a built-in toboggan which facilitated the successively cassettes positioning for playing; with the goal to eliminate the complicate mechanics, at the end of 80’s were produced: the rotative/turning playing head ???? (at the end of first cassette’s half it turn automatically for continue to listen the second half, the tape moving in the opposite sense due to the second capstan) and the 4 track head – more advanced then the above mentioned – at the end of cassette’s first half the tape started automatically to move in the opposite way, playing the second part using the others 2 tracks;
  • (III) The appearance of the digital cassette-recorder, first launched by Sony Corp. Japan, approx. in 1987 named DAT ( digital audio tape
    Digital audio tape
    Sony, Japonia 1987     ); after few years ( in 1991), Philips launched also its own digital model, named DCC ( digital compact cassette
    DCC
    Olanda, 1991     ), which can play also the old compact cassettes; their audio performances were the best can offer this kind of item using magnetic tape (ex: frequency range= 20-20.000 hz !! ), being near equivalent with the compact disc’s and with professional equipments (the only problem remained the mechanical ensemble, more complicate then those of the CD’s).

The CD’s (compact disc) market release in 1982 - invented by Philips and made with a small contribution of Sony - has represented a new reference moment in audio histry, due to increase of sound quality; (primarly, the laser was used also by Philips for making the video laser disc = DVD’s greater predecessor; the item was VLP 600 = Video Long Play, launched in USA, 1978). Gradually, digital technique conquered also the cassette-recorder’s area, being invented by Sony in 1987 its digital variant, named DAT = digital audio tape, using a different kind of cassette and mechanical conception (rotation head, tape’s speed = 2,3 cm/sec, non-reversible cassette - this technique was inspired by the VHS = video home system). After few years, around 1992 Philips has created also its own digital cassette-recorder, named DCC = digital compact-cassette, which played both new digital cassette and the old compact-cassette (see the Sony DTC 690
Casetofon digital DAT
Philips 1991 and Philips DCC 300
Casetofon deck integral digital
Philips 1993 and 951
Casetofon deck digital
Philips 1994 ).

Most important producers: Philips (Holland), Sony, Matsushita (National, Panasonic, Technics), Sharp, Akai, Pioneer, Nakamichi, Teac, Otari (Japan), Grundig, Telefunken, Blaupunkt, Uher, ITT-Schaub Lorenz (Germany), General Electric, RCA, Northern Electric (USA), Studer-Revox (Switzerland); they developed all cassette-recorders’s types, until digital technique of today, which is over the cass-rec. possibilities. In Romania, first cassette-recorder was produced in 1975, under the licence of Polish company - Unitra; the production continued until approx 1993, including radio-recorders, decks, audio-systems, data recorders, in 4 factories. The cassette-recorder was marketed as individual item until around 1996, when the CD’s competition determined a large scale achievement of combined audio-systems (radio + CD + cass-rec); after this year, the interest for this item declined constantly, and around 2006 the principal producers (Philips, Sony, Panasonic) renounced to develop new models, even combined with other items; it was replaced by CD player and it’s extended variant: MP3, (which can store up to 5-7 hours of music), the item’s dimensions being determined just by the possibility to handle them with only one finger!