TDK SA - 1979 - US
One of TDK's most loved cassettes. One of their first generation of Super Avilyn cassettes. They still look and sound fantastic, even after 45+ years, it still performs so well.
Priced as a collectors piece, it really is a cassette that you could use for a special recording or a special occasion. Don't even need calibration on most Japanese decks, as most were calibrated to this exact SA tape formulation... so, you're probably going to get a perfect recording without even trying.
Note 1: 60 Minutes: Scarce length. Out of stock.
Note 2: 90 Minutes: Box-fresh cassettes. Perfectly clean wrappers. However, it is widely known that the wrappers of this era (1975~1980) easily crack and split as the plastic gets extremely brittle. These are nearly impossible to find with 100% perfect wrappers. Kept inside a new plastic bag to help avoid it from getting worse, especially due to normal handling.
Note 3: 90 Minutes: B-Grade. Perfectly brand new tapes. However the brittleness of these wrappers resulted in the multiple splits and cracks seen here on these pictures. Price of $14.97 is for each single cassette. Kept inside a new plastic bag to help it stay as much together as possible while withstanding some handling.
About TDK:
TDK was founded in Tokyo, Japan, on 7 December 1935 to manufacture the iron-based magnetic material ferrite, which had been recently invented by Yogoro Kato and Takeshi Takei.[3] In 1952 and 1957 they began production of magnetic tapes, with compact cassette tapes following in 1966; it is for these that the company is most widely noted. TDK used to manufacture an extensive portfolio of magnetic and optical media, including several formats of videotape and blank CD-R and recordable DVD discs until the recording business was sold to Imation in 2007.
Operations in the USA began in 1965 with a New York City office,[4] and European operations began in 1970 with an office in Frankfurt, West Germany.[5]
Since 1997 TDK has gradually withdrawn from the production of compact cassettes. First with the MA-X and AR ("Acoustic Response"), then the AD ("Acoustic Dynamic") and SA-X line in 2001 and 2002 respectively, then the MA ("Metal Alloy") line in 2004. The SA ("Super Avilyn") and D ("Dynamic") lines were withdrawn in 2012 under Imation ownership. Industry trends see the company moving into new forms of media; in 2004 TDK was the first media manufacturer to join the companies developing BD post-DVD technology.[4] TDK operated a semiconductor division in California for about a decade, but divested it in 2005.
In late 2007, Imation acquired TDK's recording business, including flash media, optical media, magnetic tape, and accessories, for $300 million.[6][7] This also included a license to use the "TDK Life on Record" brand on data storage and audio products[8] for 25 years.[6] In September 2015, Imation announced that it had agreed to relinquish this license[9] and would cease selling TDK-branded products by the end of the year.[10]
TDK SA - 1979 - US