Maxell UR - 2002 - MEX-IND-SK
The most common cassette in the world. The only audio cassette still being made brand new that's readily available. The 90 version is made my Panggung in Indonesia for Maxell, the 60 version is made by Saehan.
Not vintage and not rare, although the 60 minutes cassettes are a very difficult find.
However, that doesn't mean that this isn't a very capable Type I. Indeed, to our ears, it does its illustrious forefathers justice.
These do need NR, and negative bias, but if you just want a cassette to use with gay abandon, in your walkman, in your car, then there's no real need to spend more...unless you want to.
Although these were made in Mexico, Indonesia and South Korea, there is no visible or significant difference between them in terms of quality. Their hubs are the most notorious difference between them, but not always! The ones manufactured in Mexico will cost you less because there is always more inventory when compared to the ones made in Indonesia and South Korea. The ones in South Korea are more expensive because it's specified that the parts came from Japan and only assembled in South Korea. Anything that has any association with having been manufactured in Japan is always more expensive.
NOTE: September 12, 2023. New stock and same unbeatable price!
UPDATE!: October 24, 2023. Large new stock of Maxell UR just arrived at a reduced price... our prices are now as follows:
C90 Made in Mexico: From $1.93 each down to $1.78 each!
C90 Made in Indonesia: Remain at $1.93.
C90 Made in South Korea: Remain at $2.38 each.
C60 Made in Indonesia: Remain at $2.59 each new stock... now $2.38!
C120 Made in Indonesia: Remain at $3.75 each... now $2.98.
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 was formed in 1960, when a dry cell manufacturing plant was created at the company's headquarters in Ibaraki, Osaka. In 1961, Maxell Electric Industrial Company, Limited was created out of the dry battery and magnetic tape divisions of Nitto Electric Industrial Company, Limited (now Nitto Denko Corporation).
On March 18, 2014 the company was listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.[7]
The company's notable products are batteries—the company's name is a contraction of "maximum capacity dry cell"—wireless charging solutions, storage devices, computer tapes, professional broadcast tapes and functional materials.[4][5] In the past, the company manufactured recording media, including audio cassettes and blank VHS tapes, and recordable optical discs including CD-R/RW and DVD±RW.
On March 4, 2008, Maxell announced that they would outsource the manufacturing of their optical media.[6]
During the height of the Compact Audio Cassette's popularity, Maxell's audio cassettes were held in high regard, producing some of the finest examples of the standard available. The performance of the XLII-S (CrO2) and MX (pure metal particles) cassettes was regarded by many audiophiles to be the ultimate achievement in the pre digital domestic recording medium.
In the 1980s, Maxell became an icon of pop culture when it produced advertisements popularly known as "Blown Away Guy" for its line of audio cassettes. The original campaign conceived by Art Director Lars Anderson began as a two-page spread in Rolling Stone Magazine ad in 1980, and was made into television spots in 1981 which ran throughout the 1980s.[10]
Maxell audio cassettes are available in 46, 60, 90, 100, 120 and 150 minute lengths.
Maxell UR - 2002 - Mexico / Indonesia / South Korea (Japan)