Maxell UR 90 Normal Bias Blank Audio Recording Cassette Tape, Low Noise, 90 Minute Recording Time, 5 Pack

These tapes are pretty nice! Finding new blanks that are relatively affordable and decent quality isn't the easiest thing to do, and these are a great baseline for just that. 45 minutes on each side is plenty of time for most things - it's a comfortable length for mixes or possibly even two shorter albums. Quality control on the tape itself has been good so far, I've only used one pack but all 5 tapes have been consistent without too much noise and no real need for Dolby NR. I've noticed that these tapes don't saturate quite as well as others, though - if you like to push your recordings for that extra bit of tape saturation when you play them back, these simply don't do it very much (to my ear). The cases come with stickers to label your tapes, and the paper insert has a tracklist section on the back and a spot to label the spine. The tracklist is a little short - 9 entries per side is generally not enough for mixes full of 3-5 minute songs, and you may have to double up if you're particular about labelling everything like I am. My biggest gripe with these is the clear cases - in shipping, they tend to get damaged and may crack. I got lucky and only had one that broke, and thankfully the case is still fully functional but looks kinda bad. I know other reviews have had the same problem, though. If you're planning on listening on a high quality deck with full speakers, you may benefit from Type II tape, but for casual listening in the car or on a portable player, these will work great for your homemade tapes. Just make sure you have a half-decent deck to get the most out of your recordings. My biggest gripe with these and the reason why I've only bought them once, is that they're kind of boring. At this point, if you're listening to tapes, you're in it for the nostalgia factor of actually having a physical thing holding your favorite music. This particular brand of tapes just doesn't have much character aesthetically or sonically, which is good or bad depending on your taste. I've since turned to buying new old stock on ebay and it definitely scratches the itch more. Just something to consider if you care how your tapes look and feel in your hand. If you need decent, cheap, brand new blank tapes, these are a pretty solid option!

$11.15 at time of review Received package in good condition - fast shipping, Product quality looks very good, Nice uniform finish Performance good on both Nakamichi BX-150 I tested it on, Basted on quality and quantity - fair value for the price, Recommended product,

One case was cracked a little, but other than that, came very nice and worth the price. Also comes with plenty of stickers. (To write on)

These Maxell UR 90 normal bias blank tapes are exactly what I was hoping for: solid quality, reliable recording, and they just work. No weird issues, no unexpected dropouts—just good old-fashioned cassette goodness. I’m using them to mix my beats for my ’89 Mustang like it’s 1982 and I’m about to impress someone in a parking lot with my “serious music taste.” There’s something deeply satisfying about making a fresh tape, labeling it, and popping it in like the world hasn’t invented streaming yet. If you’re still living that cassette life (or getting back into it for the vibes), these are a great buy.

Good bundle. Standard quality. A bit of distortion, but still good sound.

I have most of my music collection on CDs or mp3s. But I do have an old portable cassette player that I still dictate onto from its built-in mic. Its good to remind myself of ideas and to use as sort of a life diary. I also verbally record my dreams on it immediately upon waking so I remember them more clearly over the next day or two. Its also gets used for old recordings of music and subliminal positive affirmations I occassionally listen to by the bedside. Yes I could setup a way to do this with modern methods. But the cassette player and tapes are still the easiest and fastest way to do this. (Although its getting harder to find cassette tapes of quality.) This brand of blank tape is one of the better ones Ive used for years. I seldom get any kind of dropouts or dead areas like I have with some of the cheap brands. The coatings are consistently the same throughout the tape lengths. The spindles and wheels move smoothly as well. I would advise if you get these to first ff and then rewind all the way to the tape end before recording. Sometimes tapes that have sat in storage for long periods can lose their tightness or stick in place. Doing the ff and rewind helps to retention the tape properly. These tapes are the best Ive found at a reasonable price for general recording purposes. Ive had some that were recorded decades ago and are still in good shape. Of course you should not record these in conditions of high heat or very cold temps. And store them away from electronics and things with motors. Tapes also do stretch and compact when played lots of times and will eventually no longer sound as good as they originally did. They do physically wear in time. This is why most people have switched away from analog tapes to digital media. But nothing beats the simplicity of the cassette player and tape. If you have a really old player or an extremely cheap one, you might find the motors can't handle the longer lengths of tapes made today. Most players were made to handle 60 minute tapes. These are 90 minute tapes. If your player continuously shuts off or distorts the sound, you might be able to do the ff-rew trick. But many old or cheap players couldnt handle low noise tape coatings or those longer than 60 minutes. So I can't guarantee these tapes will work in every old player but they work great in mine. The few newer players made can often handle 120 minute tapes fine. I'll occassionally keep buying these as long as the cost and quality stays the same.

I used to be a tape trader back in the eighties in the metal underground. I mainly used Sony back then but when I wanted a higher quality I would use Maxell. These work great and the playback sounds top notch. This is how I back up my CD and vinyl collection.

It gets the job done. Im telling my life story ,poems, advice and stories to my kids so they have my voice when im gone.