COMPARING AND CONTRASTING TWO RETRO AUDIO FORMATS

Before the CD and DVD, there existed the 8-track and cassette tape. If you lived during their golden age from the late 60s to the mid-80s, you probably have fond memories of slipping your favorite 8-track into your car’s 8-track player or of jamming out to your cassette tapes on a boombox.

For those of you who are familiar with these formats, let’s take a short stroll down memory lane by comparing and contrasting these retro media formats. And for those of you who are not as familiar, please still join us to learn something new about 8-tracks and cassette tapes!

WHAT IS AN 8-TRACK?

In short, an 8-track is a cartridge with a tape. This tape is made up of a single magnetic strip that's a quarter of an inch wide. It can record up to eight channels onto the strip (thus the name!), giving the cartridge good audio quality despite the compact size.

The 8-track quickly gained traction among music lovers once it became possible to play them in the car.

WHAT IS A CASSETTE?

A cassette tape holds two small spools of magnetic-coated film inside a plastic exterior. This film is where the audio content is stored, and it passes from one side to the other. The film can support two stereo tracks. Since each plays in opposite directions, the cassette tape can have two “sides” for playback.

The compact cassette made it easy and convenient to take music on the go.

Fun Fact! Did you know that the cassette tape was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in 2010 as a significant cultural artifact? Anyone feeling old yet?

SIMILARITIES

Despite their differences, these two formats actually hold quite a few similarities. The biggest being their fame: Both cassette tapes and 8-tracks were incredibly popular media formats from the late 60s into the 80s. This was largely because both were portable; though it’s something we take for granted now, portable media was incredibly innovative for that time. 8-track cartridges and cassette tapes were far easier to take on the go compared to other music media formats like reel-to-reels and vinyl records.

Both were invented around the same time as well, during the early 1960s. 8-tracks were invented by William Powell Lear, the owner of Learjet (a manufacturer of business jets). Its design was based on George Nash’s earlier Fidelipac cartridge. The cassette tape was invented by the Phillips company in 1962.

Finally, both 8-tracks and cassette tapes are analog audio storage mediums that use magnetic tapes.

DIFFERENCES

There are several differences between the two formats. First, regarding sound quality, 8-tracks had excellent audio for their time. They even outshone cassette tapes when they were first invented. But unfortunately, 8-tracks had an annoying clicking noise due to where the tape would be cut; they also tended to have issues with warbling or fluttering. Conversely, cassettes could store almost an hour of continuous audio on a single side without any interruptions in the audio; it was also more stable during playback.

8-tracks were more fragile as well compared to the durability of cassette tapes. Not because of the case, but from what was happening inside it: 8-track cartridges had more issues with alignment compared to cassettes, which used a fixed head. Plus, the design of the tape meant the magnetic strip would often slide against itself, causing friction.

Another difference is that you can rewind cassette tapes, so you can repeat a song without needing to play the entire album over again. On the other hand, 8-tracks can be played continuously and you don’t have to worry about rewinding them to the start every time you listen to them.

SUMMARY

The 8-track and the cassette tape are both staples from a music era gone by. They changed the music industry and paved the way for portable media. However, their differences did mean that cassettes eventually “won” the audio format battle that took place between the two. Though 8-tracks didn't outright lose so much as gradually decline in popularity. With recording companies switching to cassettes, and with the creation of portable systems like boomboxes and the Walkman, 8-tracks quickly lost their stride in the early 80s. But they still have a nostalgic place in our hearts!

Today, cassette tapes are making a bit of a comeback, though not as much as vinyl. Nostalgia, hipster trends, and movies like Guardians of the Galaxy are paving the way for the reemergence of cassettes. Some artists are even releasing albums on cassette!

Thanks for walking down memory lane with us! If you’ve now got a hankering to dig out your old 8-tracks or cassette tapes - or are wanting to start your collection - but don’t have anything to play them on, we can help! Here at SpenCertified we specialize in vintage audio and video gear, so we’ve got a wide selection of both 8-track players and cassette decks. You can check those out here and here, or just follow the links below. Have a great day!

https://spencertified.com/collections/8-track-players

https://spencertified.com/collections/cassette-player-deck-systems