BASF’s chrome Type 2 tapes had a great reputation in the early 1980s, courtesy of their very well defined treble response, which suited the era’s quest for super-high fidelity. It is of course hilarious looking back on the size of early ’80s ghetto blasters from the viewpoint of the 21st century, where everything is expected to fit into the pocket.
But in general, the quality of sound from portable MP3 players this century has been very poor in comparison to that of the hi-fi cassette players of the early 1980s – the era of this BASF Chromdioxid II. This was a time in which that extra bit of frequency response at the extremes of the range mattered in a big way to the teenage consumer – perhaps just as much as it did to middle-aged classical enthusiast. The BASF Chromdioxid, and high bias chrome cassettes as a breed, were the manifestation of that obsession with ever improving fidelity.
Tape Tardis 