Early 1980s TDK D 60 Audio Cassette

If you were in any way interested in music, or had a need to record audio during the early 1980s, you must surely recognise this cassette. It’s the ubiquitous-beyond-comprehension TDK D 60 – perhaps the general purpose tape of the era. Not because it was the best – but because it struck the perfect balance between price, aptitude and reliability. There were strong rivals, but TDK was a highly respected brand, and that counted for a lot among typical consumers, who wouldn’t necessarily analyse performance in any great technical detail.

1984 BASF Chromdioxid II Audio Cassette

Perhaps the memory most quickly recalled in a discussion about early 1980s chrome audio cassettes is that of the BASF Chromdioxid II. Heavy advertising on television meant a high profile. In those days the audiences per programme were much, much higher, with no Internet, and in the UK just four TV channels competing for share. So any audio cassette with a TV ad campaign behind it was pretty much assured immense initial uptake.

1987 Maxell MX 46 Metal Audio Cassette

Looking and feeling very much like the high-end Type II XLII-S of the same year, this 1987 Maxell MX 46 audio cassette was the range-topping Metal position offering. If you could afford them, these were great cassettes. A strong, frequency-rich sound, and a formulation which was able to take some pretty extensive re-recording before the signs of wear would start to manifest themselves in the sound. It’s fairly evident from the photo that this one’s been well used.