kassetten

Kassetten, in English commonly called cassette tapes, are magnetic tape storage devices housed in a small plastic shell with two reels. They were widely used for consumer audio recording and playback and, in earlier decades, for data storage in home computers. The format grew in the 1960s and remained common through the 1990s, well before digital media replaced most physical formats.

Originating with Philips as the Compact Cassette in 1963, the format was designed for durability, low cost, and easy mass production. It gained broad support as manufacturers produced players, recorders, and blank tapes for mass-market distribution. Over time, improvements in tape formulations—ferric oxide, chromium dioxide, and metal particle coatings—improved signal quality and signal-to-noise ratios.

Standard tape specifications include a width of 3.81 cm (1.5 in) and a playback speed of about 1.875 inches per second (4.76 cm/s). Common lengths on consumer tapes were labeled C60, C90, or C120, indicating minutes per side. Early formulations used ferric oxide; later tapes employed CrO2 and metal particles for higher fidelity.

Usage and cultural impact: The cassette enabled easy home recording, portable listening with Walkman-style players and car stereos, and the creation of mixtapes. It played a central role in 1980s music culture and in independent and DIY scenes. The format declined with the rise of CDs, MP3 players, and streaming, though it has seen niche revivals and archival interest.

Data cassettes: Beyond audio, the same form factor stored data for early home computers and office devices. Data cassettes carried programs and files via audio signals; read/write speeds were slow and capacities small compared with later floppy disks and optical media. They largely disappeared from mainstream use by the late 1990s.