BASF Chrome Maxima II - 1988 - EU
CAREFUL! These are pure Chrome Type 2 cassettes - If you have a deck calibrated to Ferro-Cobalt Type 2, typically Japanese 2-Head decks, these tapes may not perform well for you. You will need to calibrate to these pure Chrome cassettes on some European decks or high-end Japanese decks to get the best results.
Many cassettes say, "Chrome POSITION", but do not use any chrome particles in their tape formulation at all. BASF developed the first Chromium Dioxide "Chrome" tape and patented the technology. Most other manufacturers did not want to license it, and therefore, their Type II tapes are cobalt doped ferrics.
Why use true chrome tapes when they do not take a lot of signal? The benefits are: Extremely low hiss and brilliant reproduction, but they should be recorded at 0db levels. Best for music with a high content of classical, instrumental, and jazz sounds. Again, unless you calibrate your deck(s) to use pure chrome tape, they will sound horrible. Careful: Absolutely no returns or refunds on any true chrome tapes.
"If your deck has manual bias and level controls, record these at less than 0db, and you find these are some of the best cassettes ever made." Tony Villa
Note 1: 90 Minutes: Nearly 100% Clean wrappers with little or no scuffing. There may be a very small other blemish to them. Too insignificant. Very few available.
Note 2: 90 Minutes: B-Grade: Only (1) available. One rip on the lower edge of the wrapper. See picture with blue rubber band.
Other Notes: The last picture is just a stock photo and not relevant to any choices currently available.
Watch below two great videos by Tony Villa on this type of BASF tape, albeit a slightly later version. Very useful information by Tony Villa:
About BASF:
BASF SE is a German chemical company and the largest chemical producer in the world.[3][4][5] The BASF Group comprises subsidiaries and joint ventures in more than 80 countries and operates six integrated production sites and 390 other production sites in Europe, Asia, Australia, the Americas and Africa.[6] Its headquarters is located in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has customers in over 190 countries and supplies products to a wide variety of industries. Despite its size and global presence, BASF has received relatively little public attention since it abandoned manufacturing and selling BASF-branded consumer electronics products in the 1990s.
At the end of 2015, the company employed more than 122,000 people, with over 52,800 in Germany alone. In 2015, BASF posted sales of €70.4 billion and income from operations before special items of about €6.7 billion. The company is currently expanding its international activities with a particular focus on Asia. Between 1990 and 2005, the company invested €5.6 billion in Asia, for example in sites near Nanjing and Shanghai, China and Mangalore in India.
BASF is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, and Zurich Stock Exchange. The company delisted its ADR from the New York Stock Exchange in September 2007. The company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index.[7][8]
BASF Chrome Maxima II - 1988 - EU