An “ES series” cassette at the top of the Normal position.
Normal. Since 1984.
First Generation, 1984
46 minutes - ¥520 / 60 minutes - ¥680 / 90 minutes - ¥990.
The package used the design shared by Sony cassettes of the time, while the model color used blue tones inherited from “AHF.” The cassette used a shell with the transparent section of its extra-wide window molded as one piece. The model name and SONY logo were printed directly on its upper part in blue. Inside, the “DP-Ⅱ mechanism” ensured stable tape travel with little winding disorder. The 46-minute version used large hubs.
Explanatory Note
“ES” is a special name Sony had bestowed on successive generations of its high-quality audio equipment. Among cassette tapes, this model was the second example after “Metal-ES.” From the original model, released as the successor to “AHF,” the top Normal cassette, each generation offered special performance and distinction worthy of that name.
The original model’s magnetic material was the high-performance ultrafine-particle Single Crystal Gamma also used in “AHF.” To draw out its performance to the fullest, it was coated using a newly developed “high-polymer binder system” (ハイポリマーバインダーシステム), achieving a magnetic-particle packing factor, or PPF (Particle Packing Factor), of 45.4%. The increased recording density brought residual flux density to 1750 gauss, among the highest levels for Normal tape. MOL (maximum output level) improved by 0.5 dB across the full frequency range compared with “AHF.” Performance continued to improve with each generation, and the fourth generation used a cobalt-based magnetic material. The cassette shell and internal mechanism likewise used the highest standards of their time. It was a product that consistently aimed to be the finest Normal tape.
Second Generation, 1986
46 minutes - ¥500 / 54 minutes - ¥550 / 60 minutes - ¥600 / 80 minutes - ¥800 / 90 minutes - ¥900.
The packaging received a new design. There were no major changes to the cassette itself, although the hub color was altered slightly. High-density packing of the magnetic material with good particle orientation and a newly developed special dispersion system raised high-frequency MOL by 0.5 dB over the original model. Smoothing the tape surface also reduced modulation noise.
Third Generation, 1987
46 minutes - ¥500 / 54 minutes - ¥550 / 60 minutes - ¥600 / 80 minutes - ¥750 / 90 minutes - ¥800.
Prices were revised later.
Along with the package design, the cassette itself changed substantially. The high-precision IS (Infinity Shape) shell inherited the concept of the Master series’ ceramic shell and introduced a horizontally elongated, slit-like window. Reinforcing ribs were added to the internal guide pins (パスピン), improving shell precision and rigidity as well as tape-travel stability.
Fourth Generation, 1989
46 minutes - ¥480 / 50 minutes - ¥500 / 54 minutes - ¥530 / 60 minutes - ¥580 / 74 minutes - ¥670 / 90 minutes - ¥770.
The package design changed, and the magnetic material was replaced with the ultrafine-particle cobalt-based Super Cobalt Crystal, achieving higher output at high frequencies. A “special high-dispersion system” and “high-density mixing” provided a high degree of dispersion and high-density packing, raising the residual flux density to 1800 gauss.