An economical, high-quality basic cassette you can use with confidence.
Normal. Released in 1978.
30 minutes - ¥300 / 46 minutes - ¥350 / 60 minutes - ¥400 / 90 minutes - ¥650 / 120 minutes - ¥900.
The package followed the same design as the higher-grade products, with red used as the model color. The high-precision cassette shell was translucent clear brown with square embossing. As with the higher-grade products, removing the wrapping left just a simple card, making it convenient to use. No cardboard-box version was initially offered, but around 1980 a cardboard-box version went on sale for 50 yen less.
Explanatory Note
The model was born in Sony’s cassette range reorganization in 1978 as the successor to “LOW-NOISE,” which had previously been the basic grade. It was a so-called “low-noise type” product, a lower grade than the previously released “AHF” and “BHF,” but it formed part of Sony’s new “ABC” cassette series and offered fully adequate performance and economy as a multipurpose cassette.
Unlike the higher-grade products, the cassette itself used transparent components following the example of “LOW-NOISE,” giving it an economical appearance at first glance. However, it contained the DP mechanism, and its construction was on a par with the higher-grade products. The all-transparent plastic case, index card and other elements also shared the specifications of the higher-grade products.
Although the tape’s performance was slightly below that of “BHF,” it inherited the high standard and stable quality of “LOW-NOISE.” Its successor was released as the third generation of “HF,” so this model lasted for only one generation.