SONY MUSIC POPs - 1985
"An utter classic. If you were taping "back in the day" you most probably will have used some of these. The second HF. Now getting difficult to find. By 1988 many tapes continued to get better in formulation, but much of the quality of the shells starts heading south going forward. Put some Noise Reduction on them, and negative bias at 9 o'clock and you'll find they're very musical cassettes." Tony Villa
This rare MUSIC POPS cassette in all likelihood use the always reliable HF formulation, much like the HIP HOP cassettes, and as described above by Tony Villa.
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Note 1: 60 Mins: B-Grade: Japanese and USA parts. Assembled in Mexico. Bottom edge of the wrapper has some Sun discoloration. It also a large 65mm (2.5") linear hairline crack right across the front of the case. There is also a small piece of plastic wondering inside the cassette, from manufacturing. The cassette itself does not appear to have any damage, however,if you plan to use the tape, you will have to open it up and remove that tiny loose piece of plastic. Only 1 available
Note 1: 60 Mins: Japanese and USA parts. Assembled in Mexico. Bottom edge of the wrapper has some Sun discoloration. Two (2) repaired tears on the wrapper. Only 1 available
Click (Cut & Paste) on the YouTube link below to watch a video on an HF cassette by Tony Villa!
https://youtu.be/WKBlKW5BZHs?si=E4_7gh0276CbmjJZ
About Sony:
Sony Corporation (ソニー株式会社 Sonī Kabushiki Kaisha, /ˈsoʊni/ SOH-nee, stylized as SONY) is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Kōnan, Minato, Tokyo.[9][1]
Sony began in 1946 as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo, founded by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita with a focus on turning advanced research into practical consumer technology. By the 1960s, the company had adopted the Sony name and expanded into magnetic tape, quickly becoming one of Japan’s most innovative audio manufacturers.
Through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Sony established a strong presence in the cassette market with lines such as HF (Normal), UCX/UX (Type II), and Metal‑ES/Metal‑XR (Type IV). These tapes were known for clean, stable formulations and consistently high build quality, earning Sony a reputation amongst the best in the upper tier of global tape production.
As the cassette era wound down, Sony gradually exited its in-house tape manufacturing and shifted its focus toward electronics, imaging sensors, gaming, and content creation. Unlike some of it's competitors, Sony did not sell or transfer its tape-manufacturing operations; the company simply wound them down as the cassette era ended. Yet its cassette legacy, from everyday HF to the premium Metal ES, remains highly regarded.
SONY MUSIC POPs - 1985 - US - Assembled in Mexico