A standard Normal cassette for music, with an upscale feel and good value for money.
Normal. Since 1984.
First Generation, 1984
46 minutes - ¥450 / 54 minutes - ¥520 / 60 minutes - ¥550 / 90 minutes - ¥800 / 120 minutes - ¥1150.
Prices were revised later.
The package design followed the previously released third-generation “HF,” while the model color used green tones inherited from “BHF.” The cassette shell had an extra-wide window, similar to the previously released “Metal-ES.” The sight of the tape rotating within the black frame looked cool. The model name and other markings were printed directly on the shell rather than on a label. The index label was self-adhesive and could be replaced.
Explanatory Note
The original “HF-S” was released in 1984 as a successor in the same grade as “BHF,” which had been a midrange Normal cassette. Its name apparently proclaimed “SUPER HIGH FIDELITY” to indicate that it was a higher grade than “HF,” which had been released the previous year as the successor to “CHF.”
Both appearance and performance were substantially upgraded from “BHF.” The cassette’s high-precision shell was newly designed, with a window large enough to show most of the tape. Visibility of the tape inside became exceptionally good, and replaceable labels were adopted. Inside, the cassette used the “DP-Ⅱ mechanism,” a version of the DP mechanism adapted for a wide window. The tape used the ultrafine-particle magnetic material “スーパークリスタルガンマ (Super Crystal Gamma),” reducing the bias noise level by 1.5 dB compared with “BHF” and raising high-frequency MOL (maximum output level) by 1 dB.
Despite its low price, it had an upscale feel on a par with higher-grade products and continued for four generations as Sony’s high-performance standard cassette for music.
Second Generation, 1987
46 minutes - ¥400 / 54 minutes - ¥450 / 60 minutes - ¥500 / 90 minutes - ¥700 / 120 minutes - ¥1000.
The second generation used the catchphrase “We produce a high voice.” Its price was set below that of “HF-X,” making its positioning as a low-price LH clear. It used the newly developed Fine Gamma magnetic material. With the mid- and low-frequency characteristics unchanged from its predecessor, both high-frequency MOL and sensitivity improved by 0.5 dB, offering still better value for money.
Third Generation, 1988
46 minutes - ¥400 / 50 minutes - ¥420 / 54 minutes - ¥450 / 60 minutes - ¥500 / 90 minutes - ¥650 / 120 minutes - ¥900.
Prices were revised later.
A minor-change version of the second generation. The package was changed to a new design. The wide-window cassette itself was almost the same, but the hubs inside were changed to gray “グレイッシュハブ (Greyish Hub),” and the orange clamper, which had provided an accent, was also changed to the same color as the hubs. A new C50 version was added for recording CDs.
Fourth Generation, 1990
46 minutes - ¥390 / 54 minutes - ¥430 / 60 minutes - ¥480 / 74 minutes - ¥550 / 90 minutes - ¥630 / 120 minutes - ¥870.
The package design changed substantially, taking on its own somewhat pop-style character, distinct from the higher-grade products. Like its predecessor, the cassette itself had a wide window. It used the magnetic material “ニュークリスタルガンマ (New Crystal Gamma),” raising MOL by 0.5 dB across the full frequency range. Sony’s cassette range was subsequently reorganized, making this the final generation.