Sony UX - 1992 - US
Sony's entry level, premium Type II, US version. By Sony's account, this UX formulation is superior to that of its predecessor, the UX from 1988. It is reasonable to assume this UX formulation is Sony's previous UX-S formulation that carried them up until a certain point in 1988. In 1988 they introduced an improved type II formulation, to which they most probably assigned it to their UX Pro tape.
Therefore the following may have taken place in 1988:
The UX starts using the old UX-S formulation,
The UX-S starts using the old UX-ES formulation,
The UX-ES starts using the old UX-Pro formulation,
The UX-Pro starts using the new and last improved type II formulation,
The old pre-1988 inventory of UX tape may end up being used for other designations, such as the CD-it II... but I am speculating here. If you happen to have some real insight and knowledge about these changes with the Sony tape formulations around this time, please feel free to let me know, and such information will be shared here with everyone else. Thank you.
Bottom line? This is a superior UX formulation when compared to Sony's previous pre-1988 formulations but... cheaper!
Note 1: 60 Minutes: Typically any 60 Minutes tape, is much rarer than that of the same tape in the 90 minutes length. SOLD
Note 2: 90 Minutes: These wrappers have little or no scuffing. Still available at $7.92!
Note 3: 100 Minutes: Wrapper has light to moderate scuffing throughout, but no rips or cuts. SOLD
Note 4: 90 Minutes: B-Grade: Minor wrapper blemishes, light scuffing and/or 1-2 tiny rips. These don't even have to be assessed as these as B-Grade. In any case, save $0.80 for no real reason. SOLD
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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 UX - 1992 - US - Made in Mexico