TDK D - Dynamic Performance 2001
Tape made in Japan and assembled in Thailand. Made for the Canadian market.
This 2001 "Dynamic Performance" contains tape made in Japan and it is assembled in the US or Thailand. It precedes the 1997 Dynamic Performance (same shell, same tape), which often gets top reviews. Self-described as a "Superior quality" Type I cassette. What is better than D tape? AD maybe?... No! Apparently not, based on a chart that you can look up on www.45spaces.com (see link below), it may be more like a DS-X, which is a step-up from TDK's basic and classic "D". The use of the word "Dynamic" also seems to stem from the 1991 and 1992 DS-X tapes. The tape is definitely darker as well. See comparison (see last pic) with the very popular and well liked 1988 TDK D.
Link to 45spaces... Blank Cassettes: Audio - TDK - DS-X - C - 100 - USA (1992) (45spaces.com)
The earlier Ds are held in higher esteem, but as time went on, tape particles got smaller and so the tape got better. A big of negative bias and NR, and this is a very musical cassette. How can current tape manufacturers produce a high quality Type I such as this one and sell it for these prices?! They are selling a 60 minutes tape starting at about $7.00 USD each! They may boast to have "fresher" tape, but it's not of superior quality, and all the other parts are also definitely not superior. Not to mention how much better these older tapes actually look... from a time gone by.
NOTE 1: 90 Minutes: These all have mild to moderate scuffing, but are all 100% sealed!
NOTE 2: 60 Minutes: These have little or no scuffing on their wrappers.
NOTE 3: B-Grade Tapes. Added November 17, 2023.
Limited Quantity: C60 tapes: 17 SOLD
Limited Quantity: C90 tapes: Last 5
The B-Grade pictures shown are the two worst ones in stock. 90% of them just have rather scuffed wrappers, some will have one very tiny 1mm rip. Most have their wrappers intact. This is more an excuse to sell them for less money than anything else. No visible cracks noticed.
About TDK:
TDK was founded in Tokyo, Japan, on 7 December 1935 to manufacture the iron-based magnetic material ferrite, which had been recently invented by Yogoro Kato and Takeshi Takei.[3] In 1952 and 1957 they began production of magnetic tapes, with compact cassette tapes following in 1966; it is for these that the company is most widely noted. TDK used to manufacture an extensive portfolio of magnetic and optical media, including several formats of videotape and blank CD-R and recordable DVD discs until the recording business was sold to Imation in 2007.
Operations in the USA began in 1965 with a New York City office,[4] and European operations began in 1970 with an office in Frankfurt, West Germany.[5]
Since 1997 TDK has gradually withdrawn from the production of compact cassettes. First with the MA-X and AR ("Acoustic Response"), then the AD ("Acoustic Dynamic") and SA-X line in 2001 and 2002 respectively, then the MA ("Metal Alloy") line in 2004. The SA ("Super Avilyn") and D ("Dynamic") lines were withdrawn in 2012 under Imation ownership. Industry trends see the company moving into new forms of media; in 2004 TDK was the first media manufacturer to join the companies developing BD post-DVD technology.[4] TDK operated a semiconductor division in California for about a decade, but divested it in 2005.
In late 2007, Imation acquired TDK's recording business, including flash media, optical media, magnetic tape, and accessories, for $300 million.[6][7] This also included a license to use the "TDK Life on Record" brand on data storage and audio products[8] for 25 years.[6] In September 2015, Imation announced that it had agreed to relinquish this license[9] and would cease selling TDK-branded products by the end of the year.[10]
TDK D - 2001 - US - Superior Dynamic Performance.