Zumindest offiziell gab es die 46er in Deutschland nicht von BASF. In anderen europäischen Ländern aber durchaus. Genau so eine Chrome Extra II 46 habe ich mal in Italien gefunden, lustigerweise ebenfalls mit TDK-Hülle wie diese hier. Ferro Extra I findet man auch ab und zu als 46er, und zwar wieder nicht in Deutschland. Erst in der letzten Serie, als sie dann FE I und CE II hießen, gab es scheinbar diese Laufzeit auch bei uns.
02.11.2023, 23:07 (Dieser Beitrag wurde zuletzt bearbeitet: 02.11.2023, 23:09 von EZ647.)
Kirunavaara:
Thank you, when you wrote about that, I remembered a few prerecorded audiocassettes that were AudioMagnetics and didn't contain screws.
So can I write to the site? Made by Magna's predecessor, shell AudioMagnetics?
Regards EZ
On the Basf CEII 46, it's very interesting. On the back is missing the indication of the country of origin. I will give the serial number after unpacking.
Can you show a picture of the Audioclub cassette itself?
Missing country of origin was very common on BASF cassettes in the 80's and early 90's. For most European markets, they would only write Made in Germany, and if the cassette was made elsewhere, the space was left blank. Snobby German customers were not to be confused with "their" cassettes coming from Brazil, Indonesia, USA or even France :-) Only for countries where legisation required to write the country of origin, it was there. That's why you will find 80's BASF cassettes saying e.g. Made in France in the USA or Great Britain, but usually not in mainland Western Europe.
Your Chrome Extra 46 is probably from France, and I bet its box is from TDK, with a blank space where the TDK logo should be.
Thanks! Yes, that looks like an Audio Magnetics shell. It doesn't have the typical black slip sheets which are cut in a way that they are visible at the sides of the window. It's just the simpler shell version without fixed window and without screws. The surface texture in the lower (thicker) part reveals it as Audio Magnetics.
Among these, the red one is weird. I have never seen these anywhere, despite the description being in German only. There are no influences of Magna. The cassette and packaging are from Audio Magnetics (Portugal).
All the other ones there are typical Magna OEM cassettes.
This reminds me that I once had an offer for audio club chromdioxide, but the price was probably high.
But in Europe and especially in Germany I guess these small brands and different chromdioxide designs were probably very common.
I also want to ask about that Basf C46, how is it possible that TDK cases have officially gone into production?
There was a listing on the forums a while ago from eBay where a TDK was wrapped in a Basf wrapper, or vice versa from 1985, I always thought it was a scam...
04.11.2023, 10:46 (Dieser Beitrag wurde zuletzt bearbeitet: 04.11.2023, 10:46 von Kirunavaara.)
Yes, the Audio Club Chromdioxid and other Magna/Permaton OEM cassettes are very common in Germany, and you can get them for really cheap, even the chromes. The difficulty is to find all the variations, there are dozens of them with different shells, colours, tapes, labels, boxes... even when the outer design of the index card is exactly the same.
TDK had a factory in Rammelsbach, Germany, from 1987. The BASF CR-E II packaged in a TDK SA sealing was most likely a home-made thing of a poor eBay seller hoping for some profits, but there is a faint chance that it actually slipped out of the TDK factory when they did a a test run of thier packaging line before they had started the production of cassettes themselves. I can't swear which story is true there.
Foreign Norelco cases on BASF cassettes were a not too unusual phenomenon during the late 80's and early 90's. Besides TDK, you can also find cases from Agfa and General Magnetics there, once I've even seen a picture of a sealed 1991 Ferro Extra in a Maxell case. My guess is that always when demand was higher than the output of the own factory, they bought such third party parts. By that time, BASF was changing the construction of their cases, which meant that part of their production lines was offline for a while, with cassette production going on as usual. You can see the same phenomenon with Fuji around the same time, were Denon cases made a short intermezzo in the clear shell series of FR-Is, FR-II and FR-IIs, when they were preparing for the new extraslim cases, and then they had their whole line-up of cassettes outsorced to OEM's for half a yer or so (when Sony made JP-II and JP-IIx), because they also completely changed the assembly lines for the cassette shells.
If those chromdioxides were in better condition after all these years, I'd be more happy to buy them, but a lot of those unknown brands are often with a white coating, or in pretty bad shape.
It kind of saddens me that actually our hobby is only ever going to get worse at this, when even the big brands like Maxell suffer from mysterious binder failures or sound dropouts from time to time.
Now I mistook the audioclub chromdioxide one for the mallory duratape one I have on the web, at first thought
With the dealer scam, I thought of that too. But it also occurred to me that it could be a bad joke by a factory employee. If both cassettes were made in Germany at that time, but I understood that the factories were not in the same place.
On ebay he might have had success with it if the price wasn't so extreme, I guess in the hundreds of Euros?
So for years we see frequent anomalies, or mixing of components or packaging between manufacturers and then sometimes it doesn't make sense.
If there are several designs from one model and vintage of audiotape, then it's very hard to keep track, just like keeping track on a web page
Fuji is a separate chapter. When SKC and Saehan cassettes were shipping frequently to the EU and US market, there were occasionally full Japanese products in the same package. Then the Sony ones as you mention. Occasionally the Basf one, JP-Is I guess? Which I haven't picked up yet.
Every single audio/video cassette on my site could write its own story
And sometimes the obvious things are not obvious at all. With time, if we get new information or materials that totally kill the knowledge before
Like for example the video about the Dessau factory that appeared here some time ago, it was shown how the 1992 version Basf FEIs were filled there. But then again the Made in Germany inscription is correct
05.11.2023, 20:42 (Dieser Beitrag wurde zuletzt bearbeitet: 05.11.2023, 20:43 von Kirunavaara.)
- BASF: Yes, it's from Willstätt, Germany.
- Maxell: You should consult someone who is more familiar with the time line from the US market. When I was in USA and Canada in 2008, I could find these in the shops, but don't know whether it was still current production back then, or already the rest of their inventory. Most shops only carried UR.
- Intersound in this design are always Raks, as far as I have seen. Don't know which of their ferric tapes it is, probably nothing really special. There were only two models in this line-up, Superferro and Superchrom, ironically both called CD. In Germany, we could only buy the Chrome, I didn't even know about the existence of the Ferric until few years ago when I stumbled over one from an eBay seller in another European country. So the type I must be quite rare, because Intersound was a brand of Photo Porst and Interdiscount, who had most shops in Germany, and a smaller number in Switzerland and maybe Austria.
- Smat: As this brand was almost not sold in Germany at all (even SKC was hard to find), I don't really have a clue. Judging by the design I'd also say late 90's.
So Basf is a mystery then why they didn't state Made in Germany on the packaging, same problem with the C90 version that is on the site.
Maxell, I am now sure of the year 1998. When I wanted to put the booklets into the scanner, I compared what I currently have on the page, the booklets are large J types, identical to the 1996 USA version https://ez647.sk/cc/maxell_xl2.html#98u
The shell design, the printing, is also identical between versions, only back then the quality was still much higher than in the new ones, so I would call it a transitional version. Everything old, just new foils.
I think every manufacturer was able to make similar complications
Same problem with TDK CD Power, when I have two versions of this audio cassette on the web, the third cassette I want to add has the older foil design, but the printing on the cassette is according to the newer one. The year of manufacture according to the number is 2001.
These are exactly the situations where I can't reasonably make a clear overview when the packages are combined. Like I have with several Basf Ferro Extra I's, I find it terribly messy.
Other websites have one or two versions there, just symbolically.
Smat I also looked at the SKC versions on the site, there is a lot similar and identical to the 1996 SKC vintage booklets, so I'm reviewing it again, I'll list the 1996 year, but it's always very inaccurate with these brands.
Agfa Snow
Snow needs to be cleaned off the unit after use
Intersound made me happy, I really don't like the quality of SKM lately
Hi
Three years ago I received a large bag of audio tapes destined for the trash heap, or taken out of the trash? It is about 89pieces cassettes.
In addition to the classic branded ones, there is a large portion of prerecorded audiotapes. Some are obviously home-made, I mean custom printed labels on unknown audiotapes that I can't identify.
I'm gradually playing these audiotapes, so I'd need to know if you can provide more information.
One today that looks like chromdioxide, the strip is that color, it doesn't show through, but lacks the typical binder aroma, but they are in such bad shape that they just may not be there anymore.
The recording is with a religious theme. Obviously damaged, tape dirty.
It matches the length of the C90 and has correct type II detection holes, which was not commonly used on prerecorded ones.
The actual label is only on side A, side B is without a label.
Is there a known manufacturer of shell and hubs?
05.12.2023, 08:02 (Dieser Beitrag wurde zuletzt bearbeitet: 05.12.2023, 08:03 von EZ647.)
Yes, the version I added is Saehan.
So out of the three pieces in my collection, two are Saehan and one is SKC audiocassette as Memorex dBS+
But in general I find Memorex very complicated to collect, but also varied.
No reasonable hierarchy, each vintage is often times something different, sometimes the same.
Frequent alternation of SKC, Saehan, Forward cassettes, occasionally straight USA manufacture, or something completely unfamiliar.
I have a question about the Saehan serial numbers.
It only applies to the embossed form of printing with an 8-digit number, for example:
96012906
is it possible to make it correct like this?
If we divide the number into
96 - the year, in the case of the newer ones this is referred to as 22 - 2002, 23 - 2003, 24 - 2004
01 - month
29 - day
06 - probably internal or other information, maybe batch, production line, etc.
If the Saehan audiotape has this form, it fits all Saehan/Samsung and OEM where it is listed in this form, except for Konica audiotapes, which seem to me to be considerably newer than what is listed on my and other web sites
Many Saehan audiocassettes do not include the number, mostly apparently models older than 1994?
Some OEM Saehan for other brands have a different form of the number
The Maxell UR 60 2002 for USA on my site has a embossed number that can be decoded according to the Maxell schematic which is interesting and unusual, to the point where I would believe that at least they really did package it in that Mexico
The Saehan codes could match, 1995/96 for the first version of Konica XR.I and XR.II seems realistic. Then it is only strange that your KX-HR is also from 1996, which would mean an overlapping in production of two line-ups for a year or so.
What doesn't match either is your Fuji CDfan1 46 where the code starts with 21 - I am quite sure that cassette was not made in 2021 any more :-)
Thanks a lot for sharing this observation. I will keep it in mind an check with all Saehan cassettes that slip through my hands.
As I was describing, after 2000 this form of the number changed meaning slightly, so 21 means 2001.
CDFan on my site will thus be C46 - 2001, C74 - 1997, C90 - 1998
The C46 has new lightweight hubs, which reveals that Saehan started to save a lot in this period, although I don't know if this was helped by such a design change.
The Konica KX-HR really has me worried because it doesn't make sense, or maybe the whole Konica brand needs to be redesigned, all the years are completely different.
The XR-I apparently starts from 1995 and the new generation won't be 1993 but only 1998 or later.
The KX-HR and this whole line could theoretically be 1990-1996, when the models really blended.
Apparently my piece of KX-HR will be from the last production run of that model.
But there are too few people who know more about it, and these little brands are very obscure and often times inaccurately defined.
If I recall, didn't you help the creator of the vintagecassettes site many years ago with determining the years of audiotapes?
Is it known where he drew the information for these tags from?
Is it known why he no longer updates the website or contributes to the forum?
19.12.2023, 11:38 (Dieser Beitrag wurde zuletzt bearbeitet: 19.12.2023, 11:38 von EZ647.)
Hi
I decided to do a big recording/testing of the SKM audiotapes, but I got angry.
Over the years and SKM purchases, in brief recording tests, I have found with about two SKC and Smat brand audiotapes failure of binder.
Last month, while trying to complete tests on my tapedecks, the number of bad SKC and Smat audiotapes increased to 7 pieces.
I have decided to add to the website, under the recently added EAN and model code information, information about the condition of the tape and binder on the specific pieces in the pictures.
The basis will be a combination of English/Slovak, but a more comprehensive description only in Slovak, because I am not good enough and there is not enough space for comprehensive multi-language descriptions. A translator will help a bit
I'll add gradually with each new update on the website, about once a month.
A sample is in the picture.
OK status means that no problems were detected during the short test or full recording
Warning means that the tape contains white powder that clogs the heads, or some other problem, I will often indicate for example for metal type tapes, or warn for tapes with Aurex Mexico or SKC QX tape, although I don't know if this applies all SKM Type II FeCo tapes.
BAD status means total binder collapse, tape sticking, squeaking and similar problems that will completely render the tape inoperable. The description will also include the date or year I discovered the problem.
MOLDy status means that the particular cassette pictured has been poorly stored and contains evidence of moisture, mold, or other serious problems. This can happen with all manufacturers and grades of tape quality.
I'm writing this if the form of the text and placement on the web page by the audio cassettes will suit, or if anything needs to be changed or corrected, let me know. If it's already in a big rollout, it won't be easy to fix a large number of files.
Hi, I think this is a good way to describe cassette aging issues, especially because it can easily be connected to the picture of the actual offender. This will be much better than a traditional description only, because there can be found quite many different tapes in the same or almost same package.
Thank you, but I'm afraid it's a very sad, gradual dying of tapes that is unavoidable.
Unfortunately there will be some Maxell UD2's Japan added to the list with which there has been a problem, and some other Japanese cassettes such as Axia, TDK etc are also reported.
Hi
While repairing and preparing the site for the new update (I still haven't taken pics because it's an awful lot, but it will be up by the end of the week, I guess ), I've been fixing the Scotch XSII cassettes file.
As we know the first two generations on my site are from the manufacturer Denon, the second generation 1987-88 was addressed here that it is also from SKM, which I don't have on the site. But I just couldn't come to terms with that second generation from Denon.
I couldn't come to terms with the fact that this is the small window Denon design for 1987-88. I mean, I could put up with it, but I didn't trust the tape, which in the DX7 was FeCo double-layered. Denon switched to HD6 and HD7 from a certain year onwards,
which were single layer and the brown was HD6 and the black was HD7.
Yesterday and last night I searched for a few hours with Stereo Review literature for any tests or ads for Scotch cassttes from the 1983-1987 period, but found nothing, nor did I find anything on google, saved files, but nothing that was for Scotch of that period.
So I changed tactics.
The Denon serial number is so short and strange, but could there be a year?
I was going through it and figured out that the first character of the Denon number is the year.
I went through absolutely all Denon audio cassettes, Denon OEM products, and for almost all of them it matched. Maybe 2-3 cassettes had a big deviation, but otherwise correct.
It also worked on Denon DX1 cassettes with General Magnetics Shell, I don't know why.
But it didn't work on the Denon MG-X, which has identical numbers to the Sony cassettes, but that's a separate story
I've yet to try that way with That's and JVC Japan cassettes, but it didn't work there almost at all, so I guess Denon is really unique.
I'll go back to the Scotch XSII from Denon.
The first generation, my cassette according to this discovery is made in 1985, if I rewrite the years of this version to 1982-1985 I might be satisfied.
The newer generation is 1985-1986 and maybe indeed for 1987-1988 they changed it to SKM, but the package design remained.
Denon may have used the old shell for these cassettes, but the tape may have been from old stock, or is there already an HD6?
Likewise, I'd correct Denon's ORA cassettes, where I have the 1992 year, but it's based on 1989 which is more like it.
Now I've also looked at the Sanyo and Fisher cassettes made in Japan in collaboration with Denon and it also fits correctly.
Please give me your opinion, it makes a lot of sense to me, thank you.
26.12.2023, 19:33 (Dieser Beitrag wurde zuletzt bearbeitet: 26.12.2023, 19:36 von 2245.)
I gave it a short try some time ago, from what I remember they used totally different code structures over the years.
(short ones with numbers only, long ones with numbers only, long ones with a lot of letters...)
On some series I was (almost ;-)) confident the last digit is the year.... I gave up.
There are also not that much codes to look at. I only have about 20-30 SKC and SKC OEM tapes to examine...
Well the effort was
And I thought it was the first or second issue, but it didn't work out
On the other hand, the Japanese Fuji/Axia ones did, where it's the second number, only for cassettes with the new code from the 90s until the end of production.
Hi
Audio/Video/Media update is being prepared for this month, there is a lot of stuff, so if I can't make it this week, it will be during the first month of 2024
I don't know who made the JES audiotapes, it says Made in Japan and uses Enplass hubs
I don't even know anything about the MEI-YA cassette
Preparing for the 01/2024 update. I don't know when I will have time to post it on the site. Maybe by the end of the month, maybe by the end of the year ...
Who wants to know details about the cassettes now, can ask questions.
Or colleagues can comment, like guessing what was made where
Audio and video tapes and optical media.
This is going to be a big update again, and I don't know if I can make it before the end of the month.
I've exhausted the whole day writing the list and taking pictures.
Scanning on the scanner will be for the next few days and then more days for editing.
The VHS will be missing many years of releases. There aren't many websites where the list is similar to collectors of audio tapes.
No catalogs or information, although I will be able to pinpoint dates for the Maxell and TDK brands.
For Raks I have one VHS catalog, Fujifilm none at all. Konica VHS hardly knows anything about it, even google.
Audio cassettes:
Basf chromium dioxide in the old design is interesting, the packaging says Made in West Germany.
Super Chrome, Made in Austria, looks like a Magnex-Magna design, but the tape is translucent against light, it's light grey, chrom dioxide it's definitely not.
Please have patience with waiting for the work to be completed.
The world of audio and video tapes is so fascinating.
But I don't have a physical place to put it at home anymore
The MCP Magnetics Super Chrome was made in Austria. It shares the hubs with some of Magnex' cassettes, but the shell is so different that I think it comes from some smaller manufacturer somewhere in Austria. There were a few more similar constructions, sold under the brands MCP, Audio Star, Rotochrome (with metal reels), as well as some prerecordeds. Unfortunately I don't know much about its tape. That kind of grey looking FeCo type II with a matte surface (and poor performance) also appeared in some Permaton cassettes around the early-mid 80's, but I don't know yet who made it.
The BASF Chromium Dioxide was made in Germany for the US market around 1975-77, before they started to coat chrome tape in Bedford themselves. There are later examples with the same design, but in the US shell with standard size window, some of thee still marked Made in Germany - which then may apply to the tape only, or they were simply using up old labels :-)
MCP Magnetics, I think I've seen this cassette occasionally here on the forum, now I'm wondering if the tape is related to the fake chrome dioxide from Magnex, also bright, low power, translucency.
Those other named cassettes I've also only seen on the internet.
Basf chromium dioxide, that's excellent information, I'll use the year on the webpage. That cover design is very reminiscent of the 1977-79 series.
Of course the serial number is missing on the cassette. But that chromdioxide binder aroma is so extreme
For the VHS I have a question for Basf serial number, the day and year are very visible there, but is it possible to determine the country of manufacture as well as for Basf audio cassettes? Or more details about the tape used etc.
Hi, the year of that US series is just a guesstimate, trying to find parallels between these and our German models which I am more familiar with. Agfabasf places them into 1976: http://agfabasf.com/catalog/basf/basf-1976-us/
Before that line-up, BASF only made SK, (few) LH, and some special use derivates of SK like Headmaster and Dictation series, at their US plant in Bedford. "Better" models like LH super and chromdioxid were imported from Germany, keeping the original design.
In the black line-up, Performance Series was the same as earlier SK, and Studio Series was German LH super, the latter being replaced by a new US-developed tape in the following line-up, those with the yellow star "Improved Formula" on the inlay: http://agfabasf.com/images/content/img10...1978)2.jpg
Yes, the Agfa PC cassette should be from around 1982-85, the time when using cassettes as a storage medium for home computers reached their top. But I have never seen those anywhere back in the day; it was like 5-10 years ago when a Swedish record mail order store had found thousands of those in their storage and sold them dirt cheap on their website, and a few weeks later they started to pop up on eBay every now and then.
I have tried to find more interesting details in the codes on BASF video cassettes, but unfortunately without success. I can't see more than day & year, either...
Kirunavaara:
Thanks for the reply!
So I'll list the Basf as a USA model made in Germany, year 1976.
Over the weekend I got around to at least unpacking the cassettes, but there's still a lot of work to do.
Well a few interesting tidbits:
The Agfa PC15 has a grey-black tape, I assume they used Fe3O4 magnetite like the HDX superferro series.
Saehan in an interesting design were made in 1998 and 1999.
The Sony HF 90 for the US market is made in 1999 and most certainly contains Mexican Aurex.
The inkel is a design like the SNC, or the old Saehan, but the tape is completely moldy.
VHS:
Almost all Raks show more or less signs of mold on the tape.
The Basf EQ 60 made in 1995 has mold on the shell surface, but the tape is seemingly fine, interesting. I suppose this type of cardboard packaging without foil had worse properties for long term storage.
Both Fuji and Axia were made in China and Korea, apparently SKM interfered extensively in VHS.
Fuji Super AG has complete hubs from SKM.
The Konica VHS is very nice, atypical, probably really original production in Japan.
Scotch VHS has original very interesting hubs, which you'll see later on the website.
As well as great hubs they are in amazing design on the TDK XP S-VHS 60 and the Maxell HGX Gold.
some details:
CKD and TECHNO, the shell looks structurally like the cheapest Chinese version, but the packaging says Tape Made by LG Korea
JVC AFI 30 Made in Korea by Saehan
LG CD Gallery I Made in Korea
Scotch AVX Made in Korea by SKM
Scotch XSII-S Made in Switzerland by ICM
Daiso probably Panggung cassettes with Korean tape
Memorex MD is probably made in France by Hi-Space MPO, the company that made CDs, DVDs, MDs and I think they had some relationship with Emtec
VHS:
Royal Shadow Tape Made in Korea, Assembled in China, I expect SKM
Savings Made in Korea, I expect SKM, or Saehan
Maxell HGX Black is higher end Hifi, yet Made in Korea, expect SKM/Saehan for assembly, Japanese Maxell tape, expect 1999-2000 but will be refined after opening, design is similar to Maxell turn of the millennium style audiotapes
Sony VHS Made in France
VHSC all Made in Japan
Cassettes I haven't listed, I guess the origin is clear, if not ask
26.03.2024, 11:10 (Dieser Beitrag wurde zuletzt bearbeitet: 26.03.2024, 11:20 von EZ647.)
Kirunavaara:
Thank you!
It's interesting how for example the Samsung MD was made in 1996 and the C60 in 2002, even on the hubs you can see it, with those orange clamps it's almost epic.
Daiso, I opted for the earlier years, from the early days of Panggung, because many cassettes marked 1998 contain a magnetic shield. That's why I think the entire Daiso line will be from that period.
Both CKD and Techno audio cassettes are probably China, although they claim to use LG Korea tape, they are very different, one tape is light iron like Basf or SKM and the other is dark brown.
The manufacturer listed on the Qeshm Free Area packaging. will probably just be the brand owner. But on the internet I also found various well-known audio tapes as OEM under this logo, for example Raks
It is also interesting to find at some serial numbers. It seems that on Goldstar, LG, even Saehan audiocassettes of older production like on JVC AFI, even some Forward, the first number may be the year of manufacture.
On SKM it could be second or third, but it's still very imprecise, but it's certainly interesting to see on the manufacturers listed.
Also on ICMs in recent years the serial number, similar to Basf, was the fourth place year, but the first three numbers don't match the day of the year.
It's also interesting that they color separated the Scotch XSII-S for the US and Europe, and used completely different audio cassettes.
Regards EZ
I still forgot.
I'm very disappointed with the Maxell VHS HGX Black that even though it was made in Korea, they didn't keep the original Maxell serial number, but apparently used the SKM number. The audio cassettes always had the Maxell number on them.
I believe they at least kept the Japanese tape, as it's a higher Hifi grade.
But unfortunately this is not mentioned.
Hi
Preparing for 04/2024 site update, so far only the first package of two.
Again a large number of VHS, I'm wondering who has information on the JVC VHS, why does it say on the back cover that it was made in the USA?
Did JVC have production there or will it be an OEM?
It is very well poossible that Victor had an assembly line, or even a tape factory, in the USA. I am not sure about their own JVC branded products, but in Germany we had Polaroid video cassettes, which were sourced from JVC. Some of them were made in Japan, some in Germany, and some in the USA, all with JVC shells. Some examples:
13.04.2024, 13:53 (Dieser Beitrag wurde zuletzt bearbeitet: 13.04.2024, 17:50 von 2245.)
Zitat:Did JVC have production there or will it be an OEM?
JVC had a plant for Video cassettes (coating, molding, assembling) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama the tape facility was active from 1986-2003.
They also made optical discs (Audio CD, Movie and Gaming Discs) there from 1987- around 2014 when Cinram bought JVC America from JVC-Kenwood.
Cinram who also owned the German Alsdorf plant at that time went bankrupt in 2017.
I've seen several JVC VHS's with the Assembled in USA or Made in W.Germany label, but some of the newer models are often missing the label.
Such as here. https://ez647.sk/video/jvc_sx.html#02
One more interesting thing, the Sony VHS Broadcast has Made in Mexico listed, should I be worried about the heads as with the Sony CD-IT?
