How Good Can 8 Track Sound?

[JoeThePop]

Oh, and...
@prime minister -- don't forget to acquire a few paper matchbooks to use for those real-time alignment adjustments.

View attachment 41120

Matchbooks were also very helpful for alignment adjustments on the old, dial TV tuner too.

 

[mhardy6647]

Matchbooks were also very helpful for alignment adjustments on the old, dial TV tuner too.

My ol' man was a (self-employed) TV repair person for most of my formative years. Our TVs were a motley lot, but the tuners in 'em were always good, and in good (ahem) tune.

 

[JoeThePop]

My ol' man was a (self-employed) TV repair person for most of my formative years. Our TVs were a motley lot, but the tuners in 'em were always good, and in good (ahem) tune.

🤦‍♂️

 

[Kpatch]

🤦‍♂️

Avert your eyes and genuflect accordingly. Behold and be amazed at the venerable Akai 20005 R-R AND 8-track AND cassette player, all in one unit (not mine, a net photo). I‘ve never seen one, much less heard one.

 

[MikeT.]

So, how good could an 8 track sound? Is it a viable Hi-Fi sound source? anyone still listen to one?

Sounded OK, but just, assuming you could keep the heads aligned because it moved up and down. Plus, any tape technology that pulls tape from the INSIDE of the reel and wraps it back around the OUTSIDE of the reel is doomed, a certainty, to regurgitate tape into your machine and wrap itself around the capstan.
Nope and nope to your follow up questions.
Paper matchbooks @mhardy6647 and @prime minister .

 

[TubeHiFiNut]

The ultimate sonic quality of 8-Track tapes depends on the following:

• Degree of altered consciousness.
• Amount of wind noise.
• Distortion from the car stereo masking the distortion (and other nasties) from the 8-Track tape.
• Overall hearing loss from listening to really loud music at rock concerts and from listening to 8-Track tapes.

All of the above said somewhat tongue in cheek.

 

[Kpatch]

The ultimate sonic quality of 8-Track tapes depends on the following:

• Degree of altered consciousness.
• Amount of wind noise.
• Distortion from the car stereo masking the distortion (and other nasties) from the 8-Track tape.
• Overall hearing loss from listening to really loud music at rock concerts and from listening to 8-Track tapes.

All of the above said somewhat tongue in cheek.

By “amount of wind noise” are you referring to flatulence?

 

[TubeHiFiNut]

By “amount of wind noise” are you referring to flatulence?

That's great! 🤣

I was thinking noise from driving, but flatulence works too. 🤣

 

[Thermionics]

Strangely apropos:

King Gizzard - Teenage Gizzard on 8-track

Update: sold out! Discogs link: https://www.discogs.com/release/21004948-King-Gizzard-And-The-Lizard-Wizard-Teenage-Gizzard Together with Time Room...

5sevenrecords.bigcartel.com

 

[ponchogto]

Now, I never owned an 8 track player of any great quality. i Think I only owned one built into an all in one stereo by Candle or someone. My 8 track tape collection, was mostly hand me downs bought from my dad from the bargain bin. Though come to think of it, I own a handful of still sealed ELO 8 tracks.

Anyhow, I’ve wondered how good 8 Track can sound. I know there were a handful of pretty heavy duty 8 track tape recorders in the 70’s, but I never played with one, and have never heard anything produced from one.

So, how good could an 8 track sound? Is it a viable Hi-Fi sound source? anyone still listen to one?

Yes - Wollensak 805 machine and dbx encoding - interesting

 

[mhardy6647]

Oh, BTW. This 8-track oughta sound pretty good.



Need a big car to use one of these on the road, though, I reckon.

 

[Kpatch]

Oh, BTW. This 8-track oughta sound pretty good.

View attachment 41832

Need a big car to use one of these on the road, though, I reckon.

Can you roast a turkey in the lower section?

 

[ponchogto]

Matchbooks were also very helpful for alignment adjustments on the old, dial TV tuner too.

Still use them - hard to find

 

[TriodeLuvr]

Most of the 8-track players were decent enough for casual listening. The problem lies in the cartridges. The tape in an 8-track cartridge is wound in an endless loop, so it has to constantly slide over itself. After a while, the dry lubricant on the surface of the tape wears off, and the cartridge starts to bind. This causes audible wow and flutter, often mis-diagnosed as a problem in the player. Once this happens, the cartridge is junk and can no longer be played. Cartridges with hard plastic pinch rollers instead of rubber will succumb to this more quickly.

Jack