20.09.2022, 10:54
(Dieser Beitrag wurde zuletzt bearbeitet: 20.09.2022, 10:55 von Kirunavaara.)
Hi!
Your Memorex Hi Intensity cassette (blue inlay and sliver labels) actually has an EMI shell, you are correct there. That one is easily identified by the vertical lines pattern, 4 screws and a "Made in U.K." embossing at the same place where Maxells usually have their Japan or England embossings.
But there are also EMI cassettes from the late 70's and early 80's which have that Magna shell with rough surface, 5 screws and the refined 100-50-0 scale under the window, same as your black Memorex NB. Unfortunately I couldn't find pictures online, need to dig out my own ones and take photographs.
Concerning the vintage of your black Memorex Normal Bias with red text, I am uncertain. These were not sold in Germany, I only have very few examples, but not with the original memorex shell as yours, mine have the Magna shell. Best guess would be around 1980, because the design is somewhat renewed compared to the blue Hi Intensity cassette which fits into the 1979 line-up, but older than the NB, which fits into the 1981 line-up.
The Woolworths tapes from the 90's exist in two versions, with the same package design. So you need to guess the thickness of the box when you buy them online: The (earlier) Forward examples have slim cases, and the (later) BASF examples have standard size Norelco cases. The Forwards exist as Ferric (blue), Chrome (green) and Superchrome (brown). From BASF, I have so far only seen Woolworths Ferric and Chrome, and still wonder whether there was also a BASF-made Superchrome or not. It would be especially cool if that one came in one of the better CS or CM shells, like the BASF-made Philips MCX.
JVC UF II-S is, according to a test in German "Stereo" magazine from the early 90's, a double layer pure chrome with properties similar to BASF Chrome Maxima. They wrote the same about Philips MCX and Scotch XS II-SP. All of these came in ICM shells, too. It is not yet clear who really made the tape, but some of us have started considering it could all be PDM tape from Oosterhout, because these pure chrome cassettes in ICM shells are nowadays suffering less from CrO2 degradation symptoms, compared to their BASF siblings.
The tiny date indications on Agfa cassettes can only be found on cassettes that were introduced in 1983 and later. So the 1982 series doesn't have them yet, but the 1985, 1987 and 1989 line-ups have them, as well as LNX and CRX.
Regards
Martin
Your Memorex Hi Intensity cassette (blue inlay and sliver labels) actually has an EMI shell, you are correct there. That one is easily identified by the vertical lines pattern, 4 screws and a "Made in U.K." embossing at the same place where Maxells usually have their Japan or England embossings.
But there are also EMI cassettes from the late 70's and early 80's which have that Magna shell with rough surface, 5 screws and the refined 100-50-0 scale under the window, same as your black Memorex NB. Unfortunately I couldn't find pictures online, need to dig out my own ones and take photographs.
Concerning the vintage of your black Memorex Normal Bias with red text, I am uncertain. These were not sold in Germany, I only have very few examples, but not with the original memorex shell as yours, mine have the Magna shell. Best guess would be around 1980, because the design is somewhat renewed compared to the blue Hi Intensity cassette which fits into the 1979 line-up, but older than the NB, which fits into the 1981 line-up.
The Woolworths tapes from the 90's exist in two versions, with the same package design. So you need to guess the thickness of the box when you buy them online: The (earlier) Forward examples have slim cases, and the (later) BASF examples have standard size Norelco cases. The Forwards exist as Ferric (blue), Chrome (green) and Superchrome (brown). From BASF, I have so far only seen Woolworths Ferric and Chrome, and still wonder whether there was also a BASF-made Superchrome or not. It would be especially cool if that one came in one of the better CS or CM shells, like the BASF-made Philips MCX.
JVC UF II-S is, according to a test in German "Stereo" magazine from the early 90's, a double layer pure chrome with properties similar to BASF Chrome Maxima. They wrote the same about Philips MCX and Scotch XS II-SP. All of these came in ICM shells, too. It is not yet clear who really made the tape, but some of us have started considering it could all be PDM tape from Oosterhout, because these pure chrome cassettes in ICM shells are nowadays suffering less from CrO2 degradation symptoms, compared to their BASF siblings.
The tiny date indications on Agfa cassettes can only be found on cassettes that were introduced in 1983 and later. So the 1982 series doesn't have them yet, but the 1985, 1987 and 1989 line-ups have them, as well as LNX and CRX.
Regards
Martin