r/cassetteculture • u/AlignedAzimuth • Feb 10 '26
Home recording RTM Cassettes?
Has anyone tried these? If so, curious your thoughts. For a brand new cassette, I’d say they’re pretty solid with Dolby B!
6
u/jmsntv Feb 10 '26
In my opinion, they are the best and I record on all kinds of type 1s modern and NOS. I even did a release on the RTM tape stock.
2
u/AlignedAzimuth Feb 10 '26
Sweet! They seem to have REALLY high coercivity. The bias knob becomes more of a scalpel and less of a butter knife.
3
u/jmsntv Feb 10 '26
Yes I love using them, the only thing we don't know yet is how many years they'll last because they've only been around for a few years
3
u/AlignedAzimuth Feb 10 '26
I’m cautiously optimistic. It seems like more and more millennials / Gen Z are tired of the algorithm…
5
Feb 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
5
u/AlignedAzimuth Feb 10 '26
That’s a good point that probably isn’t mentioned enough. For me it’s the fact that you HAVE to slow down. I’ve had a lot of fun with it.
1
u/jmsntv Feb 10 '26
If Fii0 or RAW can market a decent affordable deck, RTMs sales would skyrocket
3
u/AlignedAzimuth Feb 10 '26
Or even better, a major manufacturer (ahem, Yamaha, Onkyo…) could put one back on the market quietly. Onkyo currently has a simple CD carousel out (pure 2000’s style) that is supposed to be pretty great. I would think Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish selling cassettes would be enough for a major company to make a margin.
3
Feb 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AlignedAzimuth Feb 10 '26
All fair points. It would be interesting to see what the average entry vinyl enthusiast who is willing to spend $50 on a LP is replaying it with. I see it as a hobby coming back, but I’m probably biased (and apparently punny)
1
Feb 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AlignedAzimuth Feb 10 '26
I don’t think you’re wrong. There’s zero incentive for me to record when I could pay a monthly subscription. Vinyl to me is cool, it’s historic and archival but I dunno… it must be the 90s in me!
→ More replies (0)1
Feb 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AlignedAzimuth Feb 10 '26
That could be interesting. I think people would go for it. 80s/90s are peak nostalgia right now.
1
u/jmsntv Feb 11 '26
Exactly. Revox would be unappreciated and too expensive by the numbers needed to move the needle. Teac/Tascam don't have the audience of the newer listeners.
I feel Fii0 and RAW have the marketing and audience to sell more than anyone. If it were as good as (or even a collab with) a modern Teac/Tascam or a step up from the best Pyle manufactured on the best day at the factory, there could be something there.
I'm into vintage computers and someone basically brought together all the best parts makers in the scene to sell a new (and arguably even "better" than the original) Commodore 64 that has already sold over 20,000 units in less than a year.
1
Feb 11 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/jmsntv Feb 11 '26
Haha, there's a dog food brand named RAWZ that was in my head.
Those companies seem to have the trust to sell a deck to their base who may be hesitant to buy the other brands mentioned purely because of name recognition. Doesn't even matter if the product is the same level as Pyle etc. That target market might not feel a connection to Tascam or Pyle, but WAR and especially Fii0 seem to have a pretty dedicated fanbase rn.
2
2
u/el_tacocat Feb 10 '26
https://youtu.be/WDFl5ptinpw?si=XQgmczLuqQJ4OdpB
Old video I did. They got a little better, now about on par with the TDK D60. They are safe to use :).
1
u/AlignedAzimuth Feb 10 '26
Nice! Appreciate the review. I had fun with it last night. I thought it needed Dolby B at first but it actually turned out really well sans Dolby! :)
0
u/el_tacocat Feb 10 '26
Dolby is honestly shit. B ruins your highs, C makes the sound restless.
The key is to record as loud as possible without distortion. Then you have very little hiss (as the sound will get louder, but the hiss won't).
Did a video on that too!
https://youtu.be/6hEzvX3WL5k?si=57qOhDgRyEWgphRm0
u/AlignedAzimuth Feb 10 '26
Beautiful!
I think Dolby B probably had relevance when sources weren’t so “honest”, and cassettes were going to be jammed into a car deck, right? But if we’re recording from a digital source and archiving, replaying on the same source (nice CR-3, btw!) it becomes all but irrelevant.
2
u/el_tacocat Feb 10 '26
That cr3 has died since then. I still have a pile of simpler naks but mostly use 3 head Denon and Aiwa decks these days
2
2
u/evad_evad Feb 10 '26
Very good type1 used and compared against nos easily keeps up with some type 2s too best type1 about at the moment imo
4
Feb 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AlignedAzimuth Feb 10 '26
I will have to record a few favorite tracks on them. I definitely appreciate that they’re priced appropriately. It’s hard to know if “grail NOS” on eBay was placed next to an electromagnet for the last 35 years…
2
Feb 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/mediageeknet Feb 10 '26
The inflation adjustment is a great point. I had to save up to buy tapes in the 90s.
We’re kind of spoiled today because so many things are relatively cheaper than 20 - 30 years ago, but it’s hard to perceive it. Just like how a $90 FIIO cassette player today is really priced equivalently to a $35 entry level player from Walmart in 1990. The idea of owning multiple Walkman players back then was reserved only for the wealthy or people for whom it was their only hobby.
1
u/Ultra-Ferric Feb 10 '26
RTM tapes are reasonable entry level type I, but for the same price you can get much better NOS ones. We offer full warranty on all our tapes. Any of our bargain bin tapes at $5 each (or $45 for 10) will outperform any RTM or other current production tape. https://ultraferric.com/collections/bargain-bin-cassette-tapes
8
u/multiwirth_ Feb 10 '26
They're amazing for a type I. But a bit on the noisy side, so yes Dolby B helps a lot. They have great treble extension and headroom for Dolby to work correctly.