How long do cassettes last ?
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Mindstorms
Member (SA)
Depends on ussage and dust colection i think 20 years is a good number they can last more but the sound quality suffers a lot if it hasent been used maybe up to 300 years lol proper stored
Beast From The East
Member (SA)
mulaz
Member (SA)
I Have many from the late 60's all from charity shops the earliest being a Decca Mantovani one from 1967 i picked up last week
Granted i had to open this one up and refix one leader end back to into the reel but the sound is as amazing ( pre Dolby ) and probably better than what it was played back on then
My opinion is that these Decca cassettes could last another 50 years
Granted i had to open this one up and refix one leader end back to into the reel but the sound is as amazing ( pre Dolby ) and probably better than what it was played back on then
My opinion is that these Decca cassettes could last another 50 years
toshik
Member (SA)
Mechanically as long as the tape is not chewed up or the case did not bend preventing the tape from free rolling 
The first thing you do with old tapes ff/rew them to take away stress from the tape.
From the recording stand point both strong magnetic field and non demagnitized heads would ruin the recording especially hight frequency part of it.
The first thing you do with old tapes ff/rew them to take away stress from the tape.
From the recording stand point both strong magnetic field and non demagnitized heads would ruin the recording especially hight frequency part of it.
Ferguson3T18
Member (SA)
That's a fact, cassette players are not exactly renowned for their robust and trouble free mechanics.JVC Floyd said:
Ferguson3T18
Member (SA)
I have a Paint your Wagon cassette on the EMI/Paramount label from 1969 I bought from a charity shop for 20p. It still sounds and plays perfectly. No Dolby either.
Hand me down that can o' beans... LOL
Hand me down that can o' beans... LOL
Transistorized
Member (SA)
Isn't that the truth? All the horror stories people seem to reflect on when remembering cassettes are often due to neglect of machine and tape. I always took care of my stuff and cleaned my players. Never had any tape get eaten in my life.....yetJVC Floyd said:
and all my tapes play as good today as ever.
Ferguson3T18
Member (SA)
Don't get me wrong, Cassettes can sound excellent but the players are high maintenance, pinch rollers and heads need regular cleaning, azimuth needs checking, belts and idler tyres and pinch rollers need replacing, moving parts need oiling, motors wear out and cheaper players tend to have flimsy plastic cogs that wear quickly or break...etc etc....Transistorized said:Isn't that the truth? All the horror stories people seem to reflect on when remembering cassettes are often due to neglect of machine and tape. I always took care of my stuff and cleaned my players. Never had any tape get eaten in my life.....yet
Cassettes are well worth the effort if you have the knowledge, time and inclination but they are not the convenient easy format they were marketed as being.
And don't get me started on Dolby NR.
Ferguson3T18
Member (SA)
Ghettoboom767
Member (SA)
Depending on manufacturer,storage,and case,and conditions so they don’t get to Hot then they do last this long! I have original 1970 3M cassettes that work and that’s 48 years.😎
Lasonic TRC-920
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You can google "long term storage of data magnetic tape" and get 2,800,000 results. To date, with the exception of laser engraving your data/music on to diamonds (which is hard on the playback heads 
) there is no better media for long term storage if it is stored in the correct conditions. That would be, dry, moderate temperature away from magnetic fields.
After that, they will virtually last for a very very long time. How long, well, magnetic tape is only 90 years old, so it's kind of hard to tell, but there is very old tape that has not depleted at all, so I would say, hundreds of years???? Experts (of which I am not) say possibly thousands of years. So, you have nothing to worry about. If you want to crank up "Like a Virgin" when your 95 years old, just take care of your collection and you'll be fine!
) there is no better media for long term storage if it is stored in the correct conditions. That would be, dry, moderate temperature away from magnetic fields.After that, they will virtually last for a very very long time. How long, well, magnetic tape is only 90 years old, so it's kind of hard to tell, but there is very old tape that has not depleted at all, so I would say, hundreds of years???? Experts (of which I am not) say possibly thousands of years. So, you have nothing to worry about. If you want to crank up "Like a Virgin" when your 95 years old, just take care of your collection and you'll be fine!
Transistorized
Member (SA)
Heck the future generations probably won't have the patience for anything that doesn't provide the instant gratification of their modern tech.JVC Floyd said:
With cars soon to be driving themselves we're likely to see vehicles driving around aimlessly downtown because their touch screen is frozen and they cannot press the park button. I believe it truly is going to get that bad
ZacMac
Member (SA)
Gotta disagree with you guys, on the young things not caring about your tapes and boomboxes, I was born in 1989 and bought all your old tapes and stereos at yard sales back in the 00's People my age weren't into them but now the generation Z kids? I have friends born in 2000 that think boomboxes and cassettes are awesome, and not even the nerdy kind! I think cassettes and old tech is something like a Rolex, They cost a fortune but a Timex keeps better time, but the charm is the mechanical movement, the analog feeling I guess. These Z kids, are generation X's kids and they are driving stick shift cars and playing with dads old boombox, I think its great!
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