PIONEER M1 - 1981 - EU(JP)
This is a tape manufactured by Fuji for Pioneer. Pioneer never made cassettes of their own. Pioneer also had TDK produce some of their cassettes. Pioneer could not have chosen two better companies to come up with a few runs of cassettes for them. They would not have chosen Sony, Hitachi (Maxell), or even Denon for that matter, as they also competed on the HiFi equipment spectrum. They could have gone with Taiyo Yuden (That's/Triad), but they did not, as far as I've been able to gather.
Bottom line? This is a Type IV, Metal formulation from Fuji and it will perform as well as any other top-end Metal tape you decide to stack up against it.
Note 1: 46 Minutes: Please expect some wear on the wrapper. Nothing too excessive, but it's there. There's also a small oval opening (1.5mm x 0.4mm) on the wrapper as shown in the last picture. Only 1 available.
About Pioneer:
Pioneer started in 1938 with Nozomu Matsumoto’s hand‑built dynamic speaker, and that single product set the company on a path to becoming one of Japan’s most influential audio manufacturers. Through the Hi-Fi boom of the 1970s and 1980s, Pioneer earned a reputation for dependable, great‑sounding gear: solid receivers, well‑engineered cassette decks, and loudspeakers that delivered real value. Their CT‑series decks and Elite‑line components, in particular, helped define what mainstream high fidelity could look and feel like.
Today, Pioneer’s presence is more spread out. Home AV products continue under the Pioneer and Elite names, while their former DJ division—now operating as AlphaTheta—remains a dominant force in professional audio. They’re still active in automotive electronics and select home‑theatre categories, maintaining a foothold in the broader AV landscape even if they’re no longer the all‑encompassing Hi-Fi powerhouse they once were.
Their importance endures because Pioneer consistently made gear that balanced innovation with accessibility. Whether in speakers, cassette decks, or full systems, they shaped the expectations of everyday listeners and helped bring high‑quality audio into millions of homes.