Maxell UR - 1986 - US
"Possibly the finest incarnation of Maxell entry level Type I. Great shell, great looks and decent sound. Give them some Dolby and negative bias and they make great recordings. Nothing more to say. You can get as good a performance for less money, so these are really only for collecting. Strange to think there was a time when entry level cassettes had shells the same as TOTL!" Tony Villa
Note 1: 46 Minutes: SOLD.
Note 2: 60 Minutes: SOLD.
Note 3: 90 Minutes: One (1) available. This has one 1mm rip on the top edge ridge (front) repaired with bit of clear tape. Not enough to be B-Graded.
Note 4: 60 Minutes: B-Grade. One 3cm hairline crack on the front side of the case.
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See below a video review on these UR cassettes by Tony Villa:
About Maxell:
Maxell Holdings, Ltd. (日立マクセル株式会社 Hitachi Makuseru Kabushiki-gaisha), commonly known as Maxell, is a Japanese company that manufactures consumer electronics.
Maxell, originally part of Hitachi’s corporate family, emerged in 1960 when a dry‑cell plant was established in Ibaraki, Osaka. In 1961, Hitachi consolidated its dry‑battery and magnetic‑tape operations into the new Maxell Electric Industrial Company, positioning the brand as Hitachi’s key vehicle for consumer recording media.
Throughout the cassette era, Maxell became one of the most respected tape manufacturers. Their formulations, especially the XLI-S (Normal), XLII‑S (CrO₂), and MX (pure metal particle), were widely regarded as peak‑performance examples of the Compact Cassette format, earning strong loyalty from audiophiles and home recording enthusiasts. Maxell also produced a full range of consumer and professional magnetic media, including computer and broadcast tapes, before later shifting away from in‑house optical and recording‑media production.
The company’s cultural visibility peaked in the 1980s with the “Blown Away Guy” advertising campaign, which cemented Maxell’s reputation for high‑performance audio cassettes. Even as Maxell diversified into batteries, storage, and functional materials, its cassette legacy, and its long-standing connection to Hitachi remains central to its identity.
Maxell UR - 1986 - US