Philips UC-II - 1985 - EU
PURE CHROME TAPES WARNING: These are true chromium dioxide Type II tapes. If your deck is biased for cobalt‑doped Type II (TDK SA, Sony UX, Denon HD, Fuji FR‑II), performance will be off, quite disappointing, unless you properly calibrate it. Most “Chrome POSITION” tapes aren’t real chrome; DuPont’s CrO₂ patent kept many brands on ferric‑cobalt instead. Pure chrome behaves differently and can seem unpredictable on decks without proper bias or level adjustment. Please purchase only if you’re comfortable working with genuine chrome formulations, as returns aren’t accepted.
Note: Read a report by Tony Villa on this cassette at the bottom of this page...
Note 1: 90 Minutes: These are 100% box-fresh cassettes with perfect wrappers. Very low inventory.
Note 2: 90 Minutes:
B-Grade: (a) One was open to take pictures. Still has 100% of the wrapper on it and it does not fall off the case. You can't even tell its open unless you pry it open. If you prefer this one, let me know on the "Order" notes, when you place an order. Only 1 available.
B-Grade: (b) The other has one of the sides of the wrapper repaired with a bit of clear tape. It's insignificant as the most important sides of the wrapper are immaculate, and this is one of two sides that no one looks at. In fact if I did not mention it here, you may not even have taken notice. It is 100% sealed. If you prefer this one, let me know on the "Order" notes, when you place an order. Only 1 available.
Note 3: 90 Minutes: 2-Pack: These are NOT individually wrapped. Wrappers have some small blemishes, price stickers or residue from a price sticker. One was gently opened to verify they were indeed individually wrapped or not. It was was re-sealed with some clean, clear tape. Picture is available. Only three 2-Packs of these available.
More than any other cassette, this sorts out "the men from the boys" Tony Villa. No returns are accepted. These cassettes are perfect in every way. If you do have a deck capable of biasing and calibrating these tapes, PLEASE do not order them! Watch the video below!
About PHILIPS
Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Philips, stylized as PHILIPS) is a Dutch multinational technology company headquartered in Amsterdam currently employs around 105,000 people across 60 countries.
Philips, founded in 1891 in Eindhoven, became one of Europe’s most influential electronics companies and the very originator of the Compact Cassette, introduced in 1963. Their early leadership in tape technology shaped global standards, while their consumer audio lineup, cassette decks, portable recorders, boomboxes, and HiFi systems, earned a reputation for practical engineering and dependable performance.
Philips collaborated widely with Japanese and European OEMs for tape production, releasing ferric and chrome lines across multiple markets. In later decades the company shifted toward medical and professional technologies, but its role in defining the cassette format remains one of its most enduring legacies.
Philips UC-II - 1985 - EU
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Side Note: This is a challenging cassette! Pure Chrome from 1984. Philips "Ultra" chrome, made by DuPont, the company that created CrO2 cassettes.
"Tried to record it on a 2 head deck with no manual calibration features. Put it this way, if we'd bought these Philips UC-II "back in the day" we'd have been returning them as faulty, Type "0" cassettes.
Peaking at 0db, nearly full negative bias... but oh! This cassette has the lowest noise floor we've ever (not) heard. We had to guess when the leader ended and the tape began, it's that hiss free. Monstrous bass like a brown ferric, but with all the negative bias added by the deck, the highs are there; high hats and snares crackle to the front.
This is a beast of a cassette, but you have to have a masterful deck with manual calibration features to make the most of it." Tony Villa.