Elcaset_Feb1977 - Preservation Sound

Will the
Elcqset Moke
Assessing the future of the newest tape
by Larry
lr rs
1977,and the folklore that forecasts the
intro-
rl
lt"
format
I
zde
I
I
ofADC',s new Accutrac record-pla1 t"3
"1::O^3:::
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1""1"""1i'"'?: , iJ":f"',1il;;".11::';%:":;":;l[:"'""i:J:i
:*:1ru**:: tit'lil'a"my
tv'-'iltiifiir,"r" ;;;';;i'"r airrrr, e rhar speecl Firsl arbouble I
late 1s75.
sprout as eartv as
Ii'J:1il*J,l'"ilT;i
".0 iJ
It was'
*h;i;";
';me
or
it is simply a
its v"ry n"-e i"n""tt rttur iuit-
Whal is an Elcaset? To the eye.
targe cassette. and
..8I.. (L) for large. plus a simplified spelling
of..cas-
selte.' The volume of ils casin8 is such that il
would hold just about lour standard cassettes.
ll:
","*X:$:i:ililtnl*ji**:lnJi3,'J;T:l
[?"""rl,y"'il
l;iill,*
;l1"J;li,:,x::
anoitt"., tn" tup" it
tape.
,-pi"a oi tfr"
"u.."tte's
;;
uppro*i"-;i;i;l;i;
*i0..
quarter-incf,
-rfi.
a fult
'For
I
il;io,":t l:o'ax"l""T::';;::':11"-i{*[{t
recordtng.eqt
quency response \\ ilh less
which in turn means less drstorlion Als(
I
;e lecs no1;1s1e
ur".lon3"r.
,""ora"i'*"r'.i"neih,
|
lentral problem itrth self-erasure "f l:t-l-il:
I
casselte
a
reSular
quency. Being lrr r, e as wide,as
f
*;':i"il'jl*"ii:",;:l'jii:31'.'S:i,1"1|'"311:;
*"""J1
i;:'"'.""ni:?ii? ,'""f"li:';:",,'*,:ii,f]
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within the audio industry To find ou'
rlqiir"t
,uoul
Uro"fr"i"'i. "fi
".t"lt ":;ij"l"t:,?\ I
at lhe.cnmnacl Lassetle. From ils humbleteSrn-
it
|
fas !rot.:'n
tact the heads and drive mechanism and then re"asserre
we can agree on u^l iust how
proJuEi-rhis
delitV
,ft"
rr.".p"r'.
the
Thus
shell.
rurned to the
can il be?rt.o-th"
""i
"ii
Howgood
is
a
cdsserle?
good
.i"ii-u*"-". the arbiter of ho,w precisely the
you wa
what
on
depends
ansrver
The
with
;ontu"t. ttt" tt"ua"-much as
;;;il;;;;;
preciorrs discs or
copy
to
y"o"
*u"r
.;;;;;. rt
open_reel tape.
"p"
the compact cassele, the Elcaset is a [our- ,"'""ra'rlurr"ur""u;";i;;;. t;'";"" l:li'*:::Like
--r""o"alpiay
pass the reeular cassette Therearenur
format. f*o it""ttt rnut" u
t.".t
ilil;; ;J; "uJ cooles altot"ttt t*tt1"tt
be
-l"a"ti"cuishable
stereo pair, and four tracks conceivablv can
original rhe
wide as that for cassetles. fu.ih"t.
rup"
pulledoutlromlhefrontbythellanspollloCon-nlnsslndicldtinSmachinesjustadecaoeaSo,rneI
to lhe slature of a-true hieh fi.B
I
I
I
J
I
g"iit"t
used to create quad. But ,rt"
tional narrow tracks down "ti"""'a'illl'*l"raii
"""'". "i'in"-i#
;h;-r;
uujio'iiu"krj.
{between the stereo pui* of'tr"
i""?r''i*ii.ii,ii'""ili,;;;;;;";;;;.ir,itsi"".rt'"
ar"^,&
"
p"t".iiar versatuity
from the
6andwidth and"dynamic range of the cassetle.medium is about as"good as (and otten better than)
rhat.of the source material so usins a more ca-
;;;;;r""'i;,i.;i il!r:;"".nij#:ljJltXJ':l:1."1"Jtr""::3'hi:
Larrv 7ide. on oudio wriler bosed in New YorA mofies nls
own topes for his w""tiv.oaio .ho- i?"'1";;;;;;'i;';;-""d
croohonesan"dmixers,youwiIIfindanoliceable
sonic difference between a cassette and open-reel
forstolionWQXR'tapeatT%ips.Youwillevenfrndasubstantialdif.
HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE
64
]
J
rent.
ding
ed, I
uble
sby
.fretion,
e
the
s poSome salient features of the Elcaset are shown here: The A recesses are
keyways for aulomatic switching of such things as tape-matching cir_
cuitry, noise reduction, and erasure prevention;B isa reiease tor an;uto_
matic reel-braking system; C, keys for automatic tape-side sensing; pos!
lioning hole D doubles as access for a photoetectric end-of-tape aensorl
tape protector E actually is a gate that is pu ed open to give the transport
fresette,
ratio,
So
it
free access to a loop of tape, which it pults out of the Etcaset in u;eallowing freedom in drive/head-complement design and insuring that
as the tape passes the heads it is independent of the Etcaset housing.
al
rt the
I look
rr si
;egino, the
igh fi-
t how
rm the
iscs or
l surts cass altoL The
te me-
: than)
)re ca.
But,
if
od miiceable
en-reel
rial dif-
{
a(;AzlNE
'
:lrveen 7th arrd 'LS ips, The reason is
. of the increased headroom the higher
: . . :s t ou. Again, higher speed gives better
. . and permits the recording of high fre' ' - -.,.rh lower distortion.
'. ::pe recording entails more than this
- ' : utline suggests, but the
point is that
: . :.: cassette can do, the Elcaset system
' '-.:-much better. High-speed open-reel
.-'.r still, of course, but not by all that
. : -. .... n'ill see.
- : :-. less obvious advantages of a tape for. : :. -:.s a fixed speed is that the tape itself
'. -:.rjzed for performance at that speed,
.. --. designer of an open-reel tape must
:' - :- :o nake his product usable at two or
' -- :. speeds. This is one reason why a
cassette recorder of reasonable quality sounds
better than an open-reel machine operated at 1Zr
ips. A similar relationship can be presumed to exist between an Elcaset recorder and an open-reel
machine at 3% ips.
But there is more to the Elcaset than its performance. The new lormat has automation capabilities
exceeding those of any previous consumer tape
system. In addition to the cue-track coding men-
tioned .earlier, the casing (like that of lecent
chrome cassettes) can be coded according to the
type of tape it contains, so that the oorrect bias and
equalization will be set automatically. Like the
compact cassette, the new system has keyways
that can provide erasure protection; however, the
Elcaset's keyway is closed not by a plug that must
be broken loose, but by a plastic "gate" that you
65
be used for
can reset al will. The same keywav can
if Lhe
."J'"il"". rathe; th;n Dolbv-keyway
;;*;;;
similar
I"-"1 . J"tien". prefers it' Another
lo set lhe recorder for Dolby or non;;;-;
"*e
boinu .""otaing or playback None of the lransin;;;tr'";;;;;il";"ait'autl or soon to be orrered
these
for
sensors
i".""t"r"t "iiitt" corresponding
Elcaset mai;i;t. A fullv automited cueing
before 1978-and
chine wllt probibly not appear
its price iJ expected io top $2'000'
ii
-^tt""
"
costs, we should iake a look
riftif" ".t''1""-, -materials
"o"*ia".ing
A high-quality C-6o
ih" o.i""t of ,uw
"t
four dollars an Llaboul
lor
sells
comoact cassette
three dol;;";i;i ti;n;;.unning time {or lwo toreel
of tape
7-inch
a sixtv-'minute
i;;;,;a
therefore'
Prices'
that'
a"l* more than
i".
"-[""i]
."*o"utfv consistent with the record/play""1.
exp-ecred from the
;;;k;;;i;;;";"e rhar can berun
for ninely minElcasets lhal
r"ri",l.
"*air.
;;;;, i-sos, will also be available at competitive
nrices.
t'i"n""*
orodu"t's marketability conc€rns nol only
lo
its oromolers, but its purchasers Nobody lrkes
to
aboul
is
ri"iln"i fti. new pieie o[ equipment
?h" el"u'"t will surelv nor be
effort With three large
*u.keting
*""""ti* t-is""u, TeacI and Technics/ Panason ic)
".#""fii*
i"rn" tf,"ii smaller relatives (Aiwa and IVC'
"i U"nind the venlure' il's not likely that
^"1
i"t-"*".pi"l
irr"." *ifi be a shortage o{ recorders or of promobe in less lhan
ii;;-"; ti;it behalf."What mav
cooious supply. however, is blank tape Sony
and if its produclion-and
-Jt"" ir""i'si;,asets.
members of the conother
by
for
iiiul
"o"ttu"t"d
lhe demand' the
supply
lo
inadequaie
.o.iiu.-i.
tne
svstem will be in greal trouble Unlortunatety'
Tape
bind:
;it";ii;; inuolu"i a chicken-and-eggup for
1n91
*"nuiu"tu."tt are reluctant to tool
exists' but at
ii"- "ttff ttt"v are sure that a marketacts
to retard
iil;";;; time their very caution
can you
all
after
What,
i-n" n-*rft of that markei
and no
lape
tape-or
no
and
i" i"..itf' , t*"taer
recorder?
'"in"t"
ttu" been some buzzing in the industry
aboul the possibilily of commercially rec^orded.Elclassrcar
casets. IVe, which has a vasl calalogue oI
inlerand
from
music
fapanese
;;;';;o;i".
to
appears
nalio;a i (including American) sources
Iapesl
sucn
lor
be interesled. Bul is lhere a market
lon."n.ut i.: No The compact cassette is toq
il;";;';;"i;1;.
itt"
firmlv
..'io'U"entrenched.
.u.", an audiophile market willing lo pdy
exisls'
a oremium for music tapes of beller quality
girt Lhis markel is as rarefied as it is fussy' and
enoYcl to supq:ll
iii;;;;"""d barelv largerecorded
open-reet
of
production
limiled
even
Elcaset'
the
lor
i"""".ilit ""Ui"tv to do any betler
rne
wlth
Elcaset
an
that
Further, it's a safe bel
twice
cost
to
have
it
will
on
LP
an
;;;;
.qtit^ilti "t
what the LP-or, for that matter, the cassette-does'
io itt" p.oSnoti" tor recorded music in this format
aDDears dim at best
"6rit-t""i Jrttrenls have argued that the Elcatt
set liacks editabililv But anyone who examines
*irir"l1n"utt"t. i, no rno," difficulty editingthis
l h€
lene than anv other tape dt the same speed u'" a btake ihat is readily released'.allowins the tape to be pulled out edited' and reeled
ri"iti-f"l[ i".'a"a a standard quarter-inch splicing
biock
"'iiih;will do the iob.
irir, ir n"lJ
il
decks
will lack sorne automatic fea-
ttt. tutut" models thel' will have the auto;;ii"-;;ii"-htil of bias and equalizalion for lhe
tu."t
of
three tvpes of tape to be made available: low-norse
feiric. chrome and ferrichrome'
iiigtt-
f"i the first Seneration
il.illt"'"ip"t
will fall
between $600 and
of decks probablv
S9O0
Crystal-Balling It
What follows can be described only as my own
otonno"i*. ufr"t ttaving obserled ihe Elcaset'spro5."$ r". oJ"pt six rionths l do not beUeve there
trriri
dent in tbe cassetle markel'
u"
"["li*itincant
plu"r"""tse t te offers a ;elatir ell high^perfn"
Er-en if you
"orn
f";;;;; ;t a verv economical price
pay
rlillstill
tou
deck
giioo
cassette
fot
ouu
voui
cassette.
for a blanl
.,niu
- -ds a few dollars
sysa medium for lire record:ns lhe Elcasel
but
for-all
is
acequate
speed
,"; ;;;;l;;. The
(.".tering. for erample) and the con"rjiiJuE"t
venience of a slip-in container cdn be invaluaDle
of a
i-'rnrf.i"* o"i.[ tape chanees in the midd]e
seconds
frve
about
taie
sirould
"*i".t*"%,i--rnis
[tr- ttt" Et"u."t machines arar]able and to unmachine in that
t*ft."ad an open-reel
iftt"uJ
jif
""J
be done at all'
it
can
stunt
i;;;i*;;i;"to
no more expro\e
rtrll
deck
Certainly. an Elcaset
al tne
mdchine
open-reel
an
than
run
oensiveio
bemay
it
i"." tp""a, as the svstem calches on'
come even cheaPer.
.*i'rt"-n.i"f,i"tt'future
for the Elcaset l believe'
but in audio-visual use'
audio
fi"" nofl.Zotturner
capabilitv is imporlant' and in
*ft"r"ii,"
ls
"t"-trrck
automaled radio station operalion' wbere lt
lhe
exPand
can
chinger
A; Elcaset
;;;;;";.
De
iormal s potential radicalll Semipro users may
su,care
lhey
if
bul
changers
demand
tle ftrtt io
lo lhe
cessful. changers rrould soon filter down
level.
consumer
--3-ii
consider whether another system
-rtt
utti*"tely the consumer will determine
"""iJ.f itU"ving decisions l don't doubt thal a
i"rr"ilu
," *Ji thiught-out
trtiupht-out and as powerfully
PowerfullY insvstem
"',"i""i as
will be given serious.con,
on"
i"
ii.au""Ju.
the Elia-sel
the industry and consumer alrkesideralion by
"*tt"n some of its salient features are
pu.ti"utu.ty
0
iruly unique among taPe formals'
HIGH FTDEL1TY MAGAZTNE
66
\lbrl/
€r flufler:
.W;.
--
$grtoLhdse rotio' @
Elcoset itself -just os in.ree-11to1991,
Resrilt' lowest wow ond fluftet
bring
" superior
tope/heod olignment, even
lntroducing the incredible
jony to
system. Developed bY
,r'ou-unrrroossed cosselte s'ound.
'.tl tn" ElcOSet tOOe is Os wide os
I.;;t;;;;ii;F,Zl
ll
Tooe moves twice
beffer frequency response.
(see dioerom)
rtt-newtoperormulotion with
;[
elothicl<er oxide cooting ond thicl<er
os fost: 3% ips.
Z.n.g!"ri, ih" *iJ"ti ov;"mrcilingu,
the
tfre widest frequency response,
lf"tn"iit"uncilveiotered in o
polyester for highest quclity sound'
Automotic tope formulotion
holes encoded
9o odjustment. Sholl
"tell
the Elcoset
on the iossette cose
used
is
belng
tope
of
decl< whot type
(SLH, FeCr). The Elcoset then oufomoticolly odjusfs both blos ond EQ for
optirnum performonce.
cos- lf
stondord
;;;t;fd, tn! Sony Elcoset sound is not
comoressed, consfroined. lt's exponsive bnd full' lt "breothesi'h's true
high fidelify.
sete formot. Unlil<e fhe
ri fne tope is lifted ouf from the
.
oiio'iin.
.*-::1"\
\r.;;;';;i;ono eria"l
,
..,."
-\
\
I
heods by o stobiliZing pin in the deck
' -, \Jf)n
(Actuol Size)
.
eng_^-' ^ -- --oh. the Sony EL-7 41 Sony s 3-heod system offers the
)le-e3 : :3_.e- =:i€:. wos desioned
lVomost precise tope/heod olignAn
ex: -s . . ':- -^e rew Elcos6t tope.
=
C osed-loop duol copston tope
{lod-ve.
3^e cf the most odvonced
ment possible. All three heods ore
mode of ferrite ond ferrite-o superformulotion thot losts up to
-::€ 3- .e systems now ovoiloble, it strong
2OO times longer thon stondoid perm::s,'3s constonl lope-to-heod contocf olloy. Heod surfoces ore mirror:'a:s,:e. low wow ond flutter ond
smooth for friction-free tope frovel ond
, --c;iy nonexistent modulotion noise. optirnum fope/heod contoct. lncredibly
close foleronces in the heod gop
Tne 3-motor system storts wirh o
ossu re widest f requency response.
ZoDC servo motor for utmosf
Direct coupling of ploybock heod
reliobilify. A sophisficoted feedbocl< cirIowith fhe FET first-stoge reproduccuif corrects for line voltoge fluctuotion omplifier signif icontly reduces
tions, ond other speed-olfuring
distorfion, improves signol/noise rotio
foctors. This is theTinest tope rdcorder
ond frequency response lineority.
m.otor system money con buy. Proof?
Wow ond fluffer of only .O4%.
Also ovoiloble: The 5ony EL-5 stereo Elcoset Deck.
4)
.l
lncludes mo^y of lhe so-e hiqh pefor"ronce feoru,es
ofihe Sony EL-7 or o lower price.
SONY
sren:o :r.crser o:cx
lgg-71.w-
F-
*-,=
-
lrt.
tr,.*
dt
:tt-,C'G;C
l-
l-
T
,I
6
i,Jurn",, o.o oo*,"
sofly opens top€ com-
dr erdernol llmei furds
:_ .'a'.y5ock or re:a-: -3:e J^onended,
--ffad
::r " -r:::.
: ::-::::
:
syslem ollows insiontoneous mode chonoe.
bypossrng
stop
porhenldoot
thus
minimiziog weor on eject
system.
Syrlem includes 25
/.l5
de+mphosis circuit
for Dolby FM, os wellos
.( solrce 5o.vCo'o)
-:c:):esord-odesrlbl;d'ocho.gewirholr.oice.Co.suriheyelowpogesforyour.eo,en5lpe*.opedeoter