Elcaset

Size comparison of an Elcaset and an ordinary compact cassette

Elcaset recorder Wega E4950, identical to Sony EL-7

Sony EL-D8 (1978-1980)

Elcaset was an audio cassette format developed by Panasonic (under the brand name Technics , formerly used for hi-fi components ), Sony and TEAC , and launched in 1976. The primary goal was to create a sound carrier that combines the ease of use of a compact cassette with the excellent sound quality of the reel tape . It was positioned as an alternative to the compact cassette, which was popular at the time but not sounding at the time. This was developed by Philips as a dictation medium; corresponding devices have been sold since 1963. Panasonic, Sony and TEAC have also succeeded in this project - Elcaset meets the highest hi-fi standards. The Japanese manufacturers Aiwa , Akai , JVC and Marantz are also said to have expressed interest in the Elcaset format at the time; however, there was no such device.

The Elcaset tape is 6.3 mm (¼ " ) wide like an open reel tape and runs at the tape speed of 9.5 cm / s (3¾" / s), identical to the 8-track cassette and twice that Compact cassette. This means that Elcaset cassettes are much larger than compact cassettes.

In contrast to the compact cassette, the tape is pulled out of the cassette during operation in order to avoid the problem of inaccurate tape guidance caused by mechanical tolerances. Elcaset devices were very similar to conventional cassette decks in their design, only slightly higher due to the larger cassettes. The operation was also largely identical.

Elcaset tapes were available with a running time of 60 and 90 minutes, with the cassettes being recordable on both sides. The recorders were suitable for iron oxide , chromium dioxide and ferrochrome cassettes. In fact, only iron oxide and ferrochrome strips were offered.

Features of the Elcaset

Large dynamic range thanks to the audio tape width of 6.3 mm = ¼ "and the tape speed of 9.5 cm / s = 3¾" / s.
Exact tape transport: The tape is fed out of the cassette housing for head contact, so that the accuracy of the cassette construction has no influence on the tape run.
The tape tracks are mono / stereo compatible - in accordance with the compact cassette.
An independent control track is provided (e.g. for synchronizing pulses for film and slide dubbing).
Special recesses in the housing allow automatic switching of the premagnetization and equalization - for adaptation to three standardized tape types. Break-out plastic bottles marked the use of Dolby B noise reduction . Corresponding automatics were only found in the portable Sony Elcaset recorder EL-D8. On all other recorders, the user had to activate the tape type and noise suppression with a switch.
The cassettes could be marked as “recorded” (no recording possible) or “empty” (recording possible) using easily movable plastic tabs.

The end of Elcaset

The Elcaset system could not prevail against the compact cassette, which was already widespread at the time, so that production was discontinued in the early 1980s. Thanks to pure iron tape , better noise reduction systems such as Dolby C and better mechanics in recorders and cassette housings, the compact cassette was able to catch up. Digital technology was also heralded in the amateur market: around 1980, several Japanese companies, including Sony, offered so-called PCM adapters which, together with a VHS or Betamax video recorder, functioned as a high-quality digital sound recording device. (Ironically, at that time , Sanyo-Fisher and Sharp presented prototypes of digital audio recorders that used Elcaset as a storage medium. These can be regarded as the forerunners of the DAT recorders.) In addition, the mechanics of the Sony models equipped with only one or two motors EL-5 and EL-D8 was not up to everyday life - the slipping clutches behind the winding and unwinding mandrels were often worn out after a few months, which was noticeable by squeaking noises. Therefore, relatively small numbers of Elcaset recorders were sold, which is why it is difficult to get a used Elcaset deck nowadays.

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