High Position / Type II lineup
High Position offers good recording and playback performance in the middle and high frequencies. TDK’s High Position history began with KR in 1971. SA, the first to use AVILYN instead of chromium dioxide, then marked a major step forward for the company’s High Position tapes.
KR, SA, SA-X, HX, SF, CUE, SR, SR-X, SR-Limited, AD Type2, AD2.
SA
A pioneering brand that came to represent High Position cassettes
SUPER AVILIN
Second generation: 1975
C45: 500 yen.
An improved-shell version of the first generation, released in late 1975. Precision cassette half construction provided a high-precision shell with rectangular areas around the reels. It was substantially upgraded with improved internal sheets, a double clamp and a new pressure pad. The added C45 version used large hubs. A C90 followed the next year.
Late second-generation version with a slightly revised design.
Explanatory notes
The first-generation SA was the first non-chromium High Position cassette for use at the so-called chrome position.
The chrome position, also called High Position or High Posi, originally referred to the recorder’s bias and equalization settings needed to exploit chromium-dioxide chrome tape. These were standardized separately because its characteristics differed from Normal tape.
SA’s magnetic material was not chromium dioxide but AVILYN, developed through videotape research. It is a special iron oxide with adsorbed cobalt ions. Adjusting the ionic composition tuned its characteristics for optimum results at the High Position setting.
Chrome tape was a significant advance, improving the high-frequency performance that had been a cassette weakness. Its low- and mid-frequency performance was somewhat weaker, however. There were also issues involving toxic raw materials, manufacturing patents, accelerated deck-head wear and more. SA matched its high-frequency performance while surpassing chrome tape at low and middle frequencies. The different magnetic composition also avoided the various problems associated with chromium.
High Position equalization also compensates for chrome tape’s elevated high frequencies, reducing the hiss inherent in cassettes. SA’s arrival thus gave High Position a new meaning: a setting for high-fidelity tapes.
From the first generation onward, SA remained TDK’s main High Position cassette brand and one of the brands representing Japanese High Position tapes. Steady sales continued for about twenty years.
First generation: 1975
C60: 700 yen.
Introduced in March 1975, this was the first High Position cassette using AVILYN magnetic material. Its striped packaging matched TDK’s other cassettes of the time, with silver and brown as its model colors. Only a C-60 was available, priced 100 yen below TDK’s KR chrome tape.
Third generation: 1978
C45: 550 yen.
The new SA Improved, released in 1978, was the third generation. AVILYN was refined to increase remanent flux density and thus output level. A highly dispersive binder system also improved magnetic-particle orientation, increasing MOL and high-frequency sensitivity. The shell window became slightly larger.
SA Improved advertisement
Third-generation advertisement.
PRESENCE. New SA (Improved) cassette… New.
Fourth generation: 1979
C46: 550 yen.
The fourth generation arrived in 1979 with redesigned packaging and labels. The long-standing stripes gave way to a grid-based design coordinated with the other models. There appear to have been no major changes to tape or shell performance.
Fifth generation: 1981
C46: 550 yen.
The fifth generation was released in 1981. Denser packing of AVILYN increased remanent flux density and made the sound still more detailed. The shell used the same high-precision SP mechanism as MA. Tape transport was improved, including head contact through a dual-spring pressure pad. Self-adhesive labels were introduced with this model.
Sixth generation: 1984
C46: 570 yen.
Released in 1984 as Realistic Concept - New SA. New ultrafine AVILYN magnetic material delivered precise very-high-frequency performance and low noise. The high-precision SP-X shell mechanism increased rigidity by 35%, while a polyester label covering the entire shell surface suppressed small vibrations.
Seventh generation: 1987
C46: 600 yen.
The seventh generation was released in 1987 with the concept Response to a rich signal. For digital sources. Clear high frequencies. Since SA served as a reference for various deck manufacturers, low noise and high MOL were achieved without changing sensitivity and other characteristics. The shell used the low-resonance, integrally molded dual-layer SP・AR mechanism.
Eighth generation: 1990
C46: 530 yen.
The eighth generation arrived in 1990 under the slogan High-sensitivity High Position. New ultrafine AVILYN increased sensitivity and output while reducing noise. A new integrally molded dual-layer SP・AR mechanism reduced modulation noise. Playing times became more varied, with nine options from C40 to C100.
Ninth generation: 1991
C46: 580 yen.
The ninth generation was released in 1991. Along with AR and MA, it was renewed as a representative of its tape position under the concept Choose the optimum position to suit the character of the music you want to hear. This model represented High Position: High Position that brings subtle nuances of sound to life.
Tenth generation: 1993
C46: 580 yen.
The tenth generation arrived in 1993. Under The Position slogan, it continued the concept of matching tape type to music and was updated alongside AR and MA. Its low-resonance, high-rigidity AR・RC II mechanism joined integrally molded dual-layer shell sections using both screws and ultrasonic welding.
Eleventh generation: 1994
C46: 520 yen.
The final version was released in 1994. As high-grade cassettes disappeared one after another, it was renewed alongside AR and MA as a high-performance cassette for component systems. Its slogan was Sounds pleasant. The High Position. The final construction combined ultrafine AVILYN with the integrally molded dual-layer AR・RC II shell mechanism.