1987 Sony HF 30 Audio Cassette

In latter 1985, my normal bias tape of choice became the Sony HF – in particular the HF 30, as I normally went for as short a tape length as I could get away with. But by 1987 – the year of this HF 30 – I was almost invariably using Type 2 high bias cassettes; typically Maxells. However, amid my phase of Type 2 dedication, a local producer offered to record some tracks for a mate and I, after we’d started collaborating as a musical duo. The producer supplied our copies of the recording on these HF 30s. This tape, then, is quite an exception within my collection – particularly as the ’87 HF 30 is different from the ’85, which I have in abundance.

1987 Sony Metal-ES 60 Audio Cassette

I won’t try to hide the fact that I loved Type 4 metal tapes. This is a nice one from Sony – a 1987 Metal-ES, in a 60 minute format. I felt this was a tougher tape than Sony’s earlier Metallic, from 1983 and 1984 (I’ll photograph the ’83 Metallic for this blog in due course, but in the mean time it’s depicted in my 1980s Audio Cassettes article)… (UPDATE: I’ve now added my 1983 Sony Metallic to this blog. You can find it via THIS LINK).

1990s Sony FXII 60 Audio Cassette

If you wanted to find weasel words in the mid 1990s, I doubt the first place you’d look would be on the outer packaging of an audio cassette case. However, the term ‘reference quality’, used in relation to what was really quite a low-end Type 2 tape, would surely make a PR officer smile. Sounds impressive; doesn’t really mean anything – the Holy Grail for anyone in the business of selling decidedly unremarkable goods.