03.07.2022, 20:22
(Dieser Beitrag wurde zuletzt bearbeitet: 04.07.2022, 13:23 von Kirunavaara.
Bearbeitungsgrund: Added some PE codes
)
A brief compilation of Agfa cassette tapes:
- ca 1965: PE 65, 85, 125: Standard formula (PE 85 and 125 for C-90 and C-120 came a year or two later)
- ca 1968: PE 66, 86, 126: Low noise
- ca 1971: PE 67, 87, 127: Stereochrom
- ca 1972: PE 68, 88, 128: Super
- ca 1975: PE 69, 89, 129: Super Ferro Dynamic
- ca 1976: PE 610, 810: FeCr Carat
- ca 1978: PE 611, 811, 1211: Super Ferro Dynamic I
- ca 1979: PE 612: Magnetite for duplicators
- ca 1979: PE 613, 813: Superchrom (FeCr coated)
- ca 1980: PE 614(?), 814(?): Metal
- ca 1981: PE 619, 819, 1219: IEC I standard ferric for Ferrocolor HD, LNX and duplicators
- ca 1982: PE 662, 962, 1262: Magnetite for Superferro HDX and F-DX I S
- ca 1987: PE 649, 949: IEC I standard ferric for F-DX I, HR, LNX and duplicators. No C-120 thickness any more.
- ca 1989: PE 657, 957: SR-XS double layer CrO2
- ca 1989: PE 667, 967: SR single layer Cr or Cr/Co hybrid?
- ca 1989: 601, 901: Maxell UD I tape for Agfa HR-S
- ca 1989: 603, 903: Maxell XL I-S tape for Agfa HR-XS
- ca 1989: 604, 904: Maxell UD II or XL II tape for Agfa SR-S
- ca 1990: 605, 905: BASF Ferro Maxima I tape for Agfa HR-XS
The last one or two digits are the crhinoligical number of the pigment type. The Magnetite tape was first introduced for duplicators, with little success, which must have been around 1978-79, and returned later in the Superferro HDX and F-DX I S consumer models.
Some numbers are missing, especially the newer iterations of Stereochrom and Superchrom from 1982 onwards. You can find the codes on the spine of the cassettes in the last edition from 1989-91, but not on older Agfa cassettes. I have collected them mostly from Agfa's publications, and from third party cassettes where the smaller companies were kind enough to write which Agfa pancakes they used to wind into their shells.
In the last line-up from 1989, many tapes were sourced from other companies. HR-S is Maxell UD I, HR-XS is sometimes Maxell XL I-S and sometimes BASF Ferro Maxima, SR-S is Maxell UD II or XL II.
LNS was a budget model below the official entry level Ferrocolor. Probably the same tape, which may either be pigment type 6 or 8. I suppose the old type 6 was discontinued by the late 70's, so the type 8 "Super" formula is more likely here. A hint on this is the "High Dynamic" marking, which had been there since the first use of type 8 tape in the white Super models from 1972.
Yes, Pfizer is the big chemical company you are thinking about. In the mid-70's, they had developed a process to make finer iron oxide particles than what was available before. Many of the US and European tape producers jumped on it: Agfa Super Ferro Dynamic, Ampex 20/20, BASF LH super, Memorex MRX3 and Philips Super Quality all used that very same oxide from Pfizer as base material. Not sure about Audio Magnetics XHE, Certron HE, EMI X1000 and Scotch High Energy.
That hum shield in your Magna was funny :-) Such things happened, with most brands, except for the Japanese, these were almost always perfect.
For me it is also impossible to distinguish between SNC and early Saehan. The later Saehan have a lesser refined surface with thicker lines between the "TDK bricks" on the shell, but the early ones look quite exactly the same as the original SNC. The best clue is the storage case, if you can make sure it is still the original. The SNC made tapes have cases where there is almost always a Made in Japan on them, the Saehan made ones have either one of Saehan's own case designs or cases that look like Fuji from the early 80's.
Yes, the Sony EF versions you have listed as 1988 and 1990 need to be switched around. Then maybe the older one is from 1989/90 and the newer from 1991/92. The EAN code gives the hint that the first one of these two was released about the same time as the first Metal-XR and Metal-S. Unfortunately the EAN codes were not changed any more with design updates since the early 90's.
Unfortunately I don't know much about Sony's US line-ups. But I tend to agree with you that the "Hifi" should be the older version than the red/grey HF.
Regards
Martin
- ca 1965: PE 65, 85, 125: Standard formula (PE 85 and 125 for C-90 and C-120 came a year or two later)
- ca 1968: PE 66, 86, 126: Low noise
- ca 1971: PE 67, 87, 127: Stereochrom
- ca 1972: PE 68, 88, 128: Super
- ca 1975: PE 69, 89, 129: Super Ferro Dynamic
- ca 1976: PE 610, 810: FeCr Carat
- ca 1978: PE 611, 811, 1211: Super Ferro Dynamic I
- ca 1979: PE 612: Magnetite for duplicators
- ca 1979: PE 613, 813: Superchrom (FeCr coated)
- ca 1980: PE 614(?), 814(?): Metal
- ca 1981: PE 619, 819, 1219: IEC I standard ferric for Ferrocolor HD, LNX and duplicators
- ca 1982: PE 662, 962, 1262: Magnetite for Superferro HDX and F-DX I S
- ca 1987: PE 649, 949: IEC I standard ferric for F-DX I, HR, LNX and duplicators. No C-120 thickness any more.
- ca 1989: PE 657, 957: SR-XS double layer CrO2
- ca 1989: PE 667, 967: SR single layer Cr or Cr/Co hybrid?
- ca 1989: 601, 901: Maxell UD I tape for Agfa HR-S
- ca 1989: 603, 903: Maxell XL I-S tape for Agfa HR-XS
- ca 1989: 604, 904: Maxell UD II or XL II tape for Agfa SR-S
- ca 1990: 605, 905: BASF Ferro Maxima I tape for Agfa HR-XS
The last one or two digits are the crhinoligical number of the pigment type. The Magnetite tape was first introduced for duplicators, with little success, which must have been around 1978-79, and returned later in the Superferro HDX and F-DX I S consumer models.
Some numbers are missing, especially the newer iterations of Stereochrom and Superchrom from 1982 onwards. You can find the codes on the spine of the cassettes in the last edition from 1989-91, but not on older Agfa cassettes. I have collected them mostly from Agfa's publications, and from third party cassettes where the smaller companies were kind enough to write which Agfa pancakes they used to wind into their shells.
In the last line-up from 1989, many tapes were sourced from other companies. HR-S is Maxell UD I, HR-XS is sometimes Maxell XL I-S and sometimes BASF Ferro Maxima, SR-S is Maxell UD II or XL II.
LNS was a budget model below the official entry level Ferrocolor. Probably the same tape, which may either be pigment type 6 or 8. I suppose the old type 6 was discontinued by the late 70's, so the type 8 "Super" formula is more likely here. A hint on this is the "High Dynamic" marking, which had been there since the first use of type 8 tape in the white Super models from 1972.
Yes, Pfizer is the big chemical company you are thinking about. In the mid-70's, they had developed a process to make finer iron oxide particles than what was available before. Many of the US and European tape producers jumped on it: Agfa Super Ferro Dynamic, Ampex 20/20, BASF LH super, Memorex MRX3 and Philips Super Quality all used that very same oxide from Pfizer as base material. Not sure about Audio Magnetics XHE, Certron HE, EMI X1000 and Scotch High Energy.
That hum shield in your Magna was funny :-) Such things happened, with most brands, except for the Japanese, these were almost always perfect.
For me it is also impossible to distinguish between SNC and early Saehan. The later Saehan have a lesser refined surface with thicker lines between the "TDK bricks" on the shell, but the early ones look quite exactly the same as the original SNC. The best clue is the storage case, if you can make sure it is still the original. The SNC made tapes have cases where there is almost always a Made in Japan on them, the Saehan made ones have either one of Saehan's own case designs or cases that look like Fuji from the early 80's.
Yes, the Sony EF versions you have listed as 1988 and 1990 need to be switched around. Then maybe the older one is from 1989/90 and the newer from 1991/92. The EAN code gives the hint that the first one of these two was released about the same time as the first Metal-XR and Metal-S. Unfortunately the EAN codes were not changed any more with design updates since the early 90's.
Unfortunately I don't know much about Sony's US line-ups. But I tend to agree with you that the "Hifi" should be the older version than the red/grey HF.
Regards
Martin