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.

1995 TDK SF 90 Audio Cassette

The TDK SF 90 of 1995 was TDK’s basic Type II tape. I thought these were very good value and used them a lot. They were pretty much interchangeable with the That’s VX60, offering similar characteristics and reliability at the same sort of price. The tinted casing gave the TDK SF 90 a little visual personality.

1987 TDK D 46 Audio Cassette

I felt that the TDK D audio tape of the mid to late 1980s was very similar to the Sony HF. A basic and cheap Type I with quite a warm sound, relatively low fidelity, and a very similar appearance too by 1987, when the tape in this photo was made. Check the HF link above for a visual comparison.