8 track tapes, still alive and,well? Not so well

[tom b. 57]

I picked up a Panasonic 8 track player/recorder tonight for $10.00. It seems to work pretty good, although the unit is mechanically noisy, but if I remember correctly these things did make noise while running. It plays the 8 tracks ok. The sound is pretty good for 8 track. I had forgotten the poor quality of this form of recording. I hooked it up to my Marantz 2275 in the bedroom. It's kind of nostalgic and to say the least, fun. I get a kick out of listening to these things. I had been wanting to use these old 8 tracks for quite some time now. I was just waiting for the right deal on a player to pop up. If anyone has some 8 track tapes that are playable they want to get rid of shoot me an email or a pm.

Tom

[Speedball]

8 track.......wow! ......if I run across some I would be glad to let you know.

[rcarlton]

None of mine are playable. The foam pad had deteriorated.

[oldbuckster]

We have finally reached the bottom............................8 tracks..................Heaven help us ...............PULL, oops I mean THROW !!!!!!!!

Do you REALLY, and I mean REALLY, like listening to those????????????

[colterphoto1]

Ahhh, that nostalgic KAAACCHHHUNNNK in the middle of a beloved song. You guys will LOVE this one- a friend of mine actually bought an 8-track RECORDER so we could copy our LP's to tape format for car listening. I recall trying to change the order of the tracks in a vain attempt to avoid the dreaded change-of-tracks nastiness.

Those of us who came of age in the 70's should fondly remember that single smooth motion of RIPPING the offending cartridge out of the machine and WHIPPING it across the traffic lanes to the median, where the tangled mass of polyester and iron oxide would make a festive ornament around stop signs for others to enjoy for weeks!

I remember that my two favorite bands at the time (ok -still), Yes and Zep, were on Atlantic who used PINK plastic for their carts. My 8track collection looked like an early Hello Kitty sampler pack.

[JJkizak]

The main problem with 8 track are the old cassettes with the rollers that dissovle into mush which then mushes up the player and you have to take the player apart to clean it out. The second problem is the pressure pad not putting pressure on the tape. You can take those cassettes apart and try to repair them but beware of the "entanglement syndrome disease" which strikes with great furosity. They do play better than I expected.

JJK

[oldbuckster]

I realize they were the first form of music-to-go, but after 30+ years of steady improvement in sound, how can anyone really go back a listen to 8 tracks, with a straight face. Radio's today sound better than old 8 tracks...............I don't miss hearing 2 tracks at once, a track change in the middle of a song, oh my, stereo's have come a long way since the 70's......................I think..................................

[tom b. 57]

"I realize they were the first form of music-to-go, but after 30+ years of steady improvement in sound, how can anyone really go back a listen to 8 tracks, with a straight face. Radio's today sound better than old 8 tracks...............I don't miss hearing 2 tracks at once, a track change in the middle of a song, oh my, stereo's have come a long way since the 70's......................I think.................................. "

AAHHH!!!! Now thats the response I was looking for. There is nothing serious about my journey back into the 8 track world. This is something to do for fun. Yes it is hard to keep a straight face. Some times I read these threads in this forum and come to the conclusion that alot of us are pretty wrapped up in the serious side of audio. If we have come so far since the 70's, why does there seem to be a pretty good market for the vintage gear? Yes, 8 track sound and design is certainly flawed, but, ahhh, what sweet memories come with them. The old 65' Impala, the buddies, and the girlfriends. A trip down memory lane.

Tom

[joshnich]

I realize they were the first form of music-to-go, but after 30+ years of steady improvement in sound, how can anyone really go back a listen to 8 tracks, with a straight face. Radio's today sound better than old 8 tracks...............I don't miss hearing 2 tracks at once, a track change in the middle of a song, oh my, stereo's have come a long way since the 70's......................I think..................................

Actually the 4 track car player came before the 8 track! With the 4 track decks you had to engage the capstan!

Josh

[jackpod]

Yes and the 4 track had better quality because it was no different than standard reel 2 reel except all 4 tracks were in the same direction, which could be played on the 4 track R2R's of the day. I had a Muntz 4 track for years....

Jack

[seti]

A friend of mine just purchased an 8 track recorder LOL Now where would you find blanks?

[oldbuckster]

Sorry I missed that......................Really, aren't we better off today with the equipment and technology of today? Given everything, don't we really get more equipment for your dollar today, than we use to, even in the 70's.................I'm talking about normal equipment people buy, not exotic collector only items...............I think equipment has come a long way over-all, and good sound can be had for a reasonable price.............Better sound will cost a little more................

[CaptnBob]

I had a friend in college who had the coveted 8-track version of the Moody Blues' "Days of Future Passed." It wasn't until he heard my lp - a fiercely bad pressing, I might add - that he realized it was supposed to be music for a day. All the tracks were scrambled to make best use of the space on the tape.

[RichardP]

Am I correct in recalling that 8-tracks were invented specifically
for car audio? This was before consumer-grade Dolby B noise reduction
was available, which eventually made cassette tapes quiet enough to use
for music, and of course more convenient for recording and playback in
cars or home. The 8-tracks had wider tape (and faster speed?) which
gave it "acceptable" fidelity (at least moreso than other devices for
car audio). Or, were 8-tracks just a derivation of radio station
cartridges for home and car use? Audio historians chime in here.

PS:
when I began my current job 16 yrs ago, there was a junk room full of
all sorts of abandoned lab and office equipment, and from it I
scavenged, solely for the novelty, a sealed 8-track of Leo Sayer
"Here;" I am looking at it as I type. If anyone is greatly interested,
I will send it for the cost of postage.[]

[jackpod]

If memory serves me correctly, the 8 track was invented for consumer convienence, having 4 songs to choose from versus the 4 track having only 2 and as was noted above, the 4 track had a lever you pulled to engage the capstan whereas the 8 track you just pushed it in. The 4 track was more prone to tape damage because of the 1" or so hole that allowed the capstan roller to enter the cartridge. it was very easy to snag the tape and ruin the cartridge. The quality was sacrificed for consumer convienence. I had my Muntz for years, never wanting to upgrade to the 8 track because of the much poorer quality. Back in those years I had an old 110vac converter powering I believe it was called the "Tiger" SS amp from popular electronics magazine and a pair of AR4A's in my VW Bus. Had some great times back then

Those were the days......

[thebes]

Back in the early 90's I was gifted a 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood, all
black and one of the biggest cars ever built. It had an 8 track.
From somewhere I came up with about 20 8 tracks and would play them
sparingly since they had a tendenancy to dissolve/break you name it.

Eventually stuck a cassette player in there but I got to
tell you folks I used to get such a kick rolling down the road with the
windows down and Springsteins "Cadiallac Ranch" blaring at full volume
on an 8 track.

Sing along with me folks:

Cadillac, Cadillac

Long and dark, shiny and black

Take me back to the Cadillac ranch....

[Johncan]

Ok... don't laugh but I am an 8-track collector. A properly aligned, quality deck with a properly set-up tape, can sound better than most cassettes. They play at a speed that is better for high fidelity than cassettes. In one of my stereo rigs, I have an Akai 8-track player hidden under a box. I sometimes play it and don't reveal the source. No one evens suspects it is an 8-track until they hear the ker-chunk. They are amazed it did not sound like garbage. I think most people have only heard 8-tracks on low quality players.

Check out http://www.8trackheaven.com for lots of info on 8 tracks. You can still buy replacement pads for the old rotted ones.

Also, did you know that Columbia House had an 8-track club that ended in 1987. That means Billy Idol, Beastie Boys, Culture Club, Steve Earle, Motley Crue, Prince, Sting, Quiet Riot, Stryper, and Madonna were released on 8-track.

I have a bunch of punk 8-tracks like the Clash, Elvis Costello, Iggy Pop, The Police, Boomtown Rats, The Ramones, Patti Smith, Talking Heads, and U2.

John

[colterphoto1]

Anyone remember the Elcaset? 8 track size and 3 3/4 ips speed in casette format. It died quickly....

[tom b. 57]

Ok... don't laugh but I am an 8-track collector. A properly aligned, quality deck with a properly set-up tape, can sound better than most cassettes. They play at a speed that is better for high fidelity than cassettes. In one of my stereo rigs, I have an Akai 8-track player hidden under a box. I sometimes play it and don't reveal the source. No one evens suspects it is an 8-track until they hear the ker-chunk. They are amazed it did not sound like garbage. I think most people have only heard 8-tracks on low quality players.

Check out http://www.8trackheaven.com for lots of info on 8 tracks. You can still buy replacement pads for the old rotted ones.

Also, did you know that Columbia House had an 8-track club that ended in 1987. That means Billy Idol, Beastie Boys, Culture Club, Steve Earle, Motley Crue, Prince, Sting, Quiet Riot, Stryper, and Madonna were released on 8-track.

I have a bunch of punk 8-tracks like the Clash, Elvis Costello, Iggy Pop, The Police, Boomtown Rats, The Ramones, Patti Smith, Talking Heads, and U2.

John

John, it does my heart good to find that there is someone out there still using 8 tracks. Even if it is only occasionally. I didn't realize that 8 tracks were still in production in the 80's. I find that pretty wild. I'm just having fun with these things. I am, finding alot of bad ones though. Time has not been kind to the lowly 8 track tape.

Tom

[Islander]

Bill Lear (the LearJet guy) got the idea for the 8-track while he was taking a shower. He soon realized that having the tape rub over itself would cause it to wear out pretty soon, but he figured it would be good enough for automotive use and would make him some money.