Quote Originally Posted by SlumpBuster
Once again Melvin, you are showing your lack of knowledge. Sure there were high end cassette decks that cost alot of money. But, they were playing back a lo-fi medium. The cassette tape was initially developed as a dictation medium with sound quality similar to AM radio. The record industry saw a potential market for it and technology improved, but modern cassettes cannot by definition rivel CD or LP. Could they pass an A/B blind test? Sure, but not on a regular basis. Whether your Campbell's soup is the condensed version for 90cents or the Chunky version for $2.99, its still soup in a can. Thats they way it is with cassettes.

Your reference to the Ipod demonstrates a gross missunderstanding about digital playback. An Ipod is neither hi-fi or lo-fi, but is neutral. It is merely a flash drive with a DAC. The data and the compression method, if any, as well as the DAC used will determine whether the sound produced is hi or lo fi. An Ipod running lossless into an Audio Note DAC into Arcam amplification out of a pair of Theils will never, by anyone be considered lofi.
There is no point in continuing this discussion unless you are willing to do some research
Audio magazine did test reports on all the cassette recorders listed.
Read the reports and get back.
I have the reports on the Revox and Tandberg , and if I looked hard enough the Dragon.
I have heard all three , you have not , I have read the test reports , you have not, , but you can get them , you can either go to your local library are maybe find the test reports on your computer.

In the reproduction of music nothing is neutral. Unless one is listening to a live performance , that performance is being reproduced by something. An Ipod is no different.
Even if only relays something to something else it adds something to that something else.