maxell MS - 1997 - US
Studio Grade Professional cassette tape with XLII formulation. A classic Type II. Great tape with a great shell from the Maxell 1992 line-up. These "Professional" series cassettes were designed for use in studios and 4 track high speed recorders.
"Has pronounced treble compared to it's competitor, the SA. Best used with decks with bias adjustment. This however gives it great bass too. When you get the bias right, this is a remarkably good cassette with superb dynamic range and low noise." Tony Villa
Note 1: 60 Minutes: These have no-frills clear plastic wrappers. The cassettes have 100% clean wrappers, fresh off the box. However, almost all of them have some sort of common scuffing on them. See the last picture, it shows this oddity. It's on the opposite side of where the J-Card is displayed. As you would expect it from CC... "Full transparency", pun intended ;))
Note 2: 90 Minutes: Same as above in every way. Still a good few in stock for 60 and 90 minutes.
Note 3: 60/90 Minutes: Lower Grades: There are a few available with cracked cases, etc. See picture. No discrimination, you will get a random one. There are only 7 with hairline cracks or actual cracked and damaged cases, 4-60 Minutes and 3-90 Minutes. All will be D-Graded.
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About Maxell:
Maxell Holdings, Ltd. (日立マクセル株式会社 Hitachi Makuseru Kabushiki-gaisha), commonly known as Maxell, is a Japanese company that manufactures consumer electronics.
Maxell, originally part of Hitachi’s corporate family, emerged in 1960 when a dry‑cell plant was established in Ibaraki, Osaka. In 1961, Hitachi consolidated its dry‑battery and magnetic‑tape operations into the new Maxell Electric Industrial Company, positioning the brand as Hitachi’s key vehicle for consumer recording media.
Throughout the cassette era, Maxell became one of the most respected tape manufacturers. Their formulations, especially the XLI-S (Normal), XLII‑S (CrO₂), and MX (pure metal particle), were widely regarded as peak‑performance examples of the Compact Cassette format, earning strong loyalty from audiophiles and home recording enthusiasts. Maxell also produced a full range of consumer and professional magnetic media, including computer and broadcast tapes, before later shifting away from in‑house optical and recording‑media production.
The company’s cultural visibility peaked in the 1980s with the “Blown Away Guy” advertising campaign, which cemented Maxell’s reputation for high‑performance audio cassettes. Even as Maxell diversified into batteries, storage, and functional materials, its cassette legacy, and its long-standing connection to Hitachi remains central to its identity.
Maxell XLII - 1997 - US - Made in Mexico