Maxell and Disk Union bring back the UD-60U cassette
On Antyweb I came across a column by Konrad Kozłowski about the return of a legendary cassette. Maxell, working with the Disk Union chain of shops, is producing the UD-60U again, a Type I ferric tape that competed with Sony and TDK products in the 1970s.
The UD series debuted in 1970, and the original UD-60U offered 60 minutes of recording time. The reissue keeps the old look but adds new black and red colours that echo Disk Union's palette. For now the tapes are sold only in Japan, so fans in Europe and North America will have to make do. A single cassette costs 990 yen, roughly 23 zloty, and a set of three costs 2,900 yen, about 68 zloty.
Disk Union's reasoning is interesting: before the digital era, swapping cassettes was the basic way to share music, and the company also suggests recording from vinyl records to get the characteristic sound of a tape.
The author points out that Type I tapes are not the best choice for hi-fi recording, since chrome Type II or metal Type IV are better for that. But they are a great fit as a data medium for 8-bit computers such as the Commodore 64 with its Datassette, the ZX Spectrum, the Amstrad CPC, the BBC Micro and the MSX. Maxell has revisited its history before: in 2016 it released cassettes in retro packaging, and in 2025 it made a first batch of UD-60U with Disk Union that attracted a lot of interest.
What I like most is that someone is still making brand-new blank cassettes. Do you have a favourite tape type for recording?
Source: Antyweb
The UD series debuted in 1970, and the original UD-60U offered 60 minutes of recording time. The reissue keeps the old look but adds new black and red colours that echo Disk Union's palette. For now the tapes are sold only in Japan, so fans in Europe and North America will have to make do. A single cassette costs 990 yen, roughly 23 zloty, and a set of three costs 2,900 yen, about 68 zloty.
Disk Union's reasoning is interesting: before the digital era, swapping cassettes was the basic way to share music, and the company also suggests recording from vinyl records to get the characteristic sound of a tape.
The author points out that Type I tapes are not the best choice for hi-fi recording, since chrome Type II or metal Type IV are better for that. But they are a great fit as a data medium for 8-bit computers such as the Commodore 64 with its Datassette, the ZX Spectrum, the Amstrad CPC, the BBC Micro and the MSX. Maxell has revisited its history before: in 2016 it released cassettes in retro packaging, and in 2025 it made a first batch of UD-60U with Disk Union that attracted a lot of interest.
What I like most is that someone is still making brand-new blank cassettes. Do you have a favourite tape type for recording?
Source: Antyweb
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