A new basic-grade High Position cassette offering economy and strong value for money.
High Position. Since 1986.
First Generation, 1986
46 minutes - ¥500 / 54 minutes - ¥550 / 60 minutes - ¥600 / 80 minutes - ¥800 / 90 minutes - ¥900.
The basic package design matched higher-grade products, but comparison revealed a subtly less premium feel than UX-S and other models, a finely judged distinction. The cassette itself looked more premium than Do through the colors of its shell, hub clamps and other details. It appeared almost on a par with UCX-S, giving an impression of strong value for money. Recording times included 54 and 80 minutes, which Do had not offered.
Explanatory Note
UX was a new High Position cassette introduced in 1986. It succeeded the economy High Position cassette Do, released the previous year, with prices reduced further.
The tape used the same ultrafine magnetic material Uniaxial (ユニアクシャル) as Do. The UX name appears to have come from this. Residual magnetic flux density was 1650 gauss, among the highest in its class. High-frequency MOL was 1 dB higher than UCX, while bias noise was 0.5 dB lower.
The first-generation packaging adopted the same design as higher-grade models such as UX-PRO and UX-S. As with Do, the cassette had an extra-wide window, with the main shell and transparent window molded together. However, changing the main shell from gray to black gave it a more premium feel.
Adding this basic-grade model to the previously released UX-PRO and UX-S reorganized Sony’s High Position cassettes into the UX series, with three grades carrying UX in their names.
Second Generation, 1987
46 minutes - ¥450 / 54 minutes - ¥500 / 60 minutes - ¥550 / 80 minutes - ¥700 / 90 minutes - ¥750.
The second generation received new packaging. The shell retained the previous generation’s wide window, but the two-color molded mechanical hubs (メカニカルハブ) stood out, with a design recalling the tape reels of storage units for large computers. Prices were reduced to match the Normal tape HF-X, making the two models like sister products in both design and price.
Third Generation, 1989
46 minutes - ¥430 / 50 minutes - ¥450 / 54 minutes - ¥480 / 60 minutes - ¥530 / 74 minutes - ¥620 / 90 minutes - ¥720 / 100 minutes - ¥780.
The packaging changed to a clean design with a gold base. The hubs adopted a novel medium-gray and deep-red color combination. The magnetic material changed to the newly developed エクストラ・ユニアクシャル (Extra Uniaxial), increasing high-frequency dynamic range by 2 dB over the previous generation. Versions of 50, 74 and 100 minutes for CD recording were added, bringing the total to seven recording-time options.