Will cassette tapes ever make a comeback?

Maybe as a collectible item, but I don’t see an explanation for why they would replace CDs or digital music.

It’s very hard to believe. We seem to be moving toward download delivery of music; I can’t believe we would go back to an older technology especially since cassette players are defunct. In the library, we are deleting our older cassette material

Maybe only in my fond memories of using my pen or pencil in the 80’s to twirl-rewind or twirl-forward cassette tapes to prolong my Sony Walkman’s battery life. : )

While there has been some fallback to vinyl, you won’t hear anyone talk about the “warmth of tape”.
They will be of interest to collectors, but not audiphiles.

Absolutely no. I am wondering, though – do you play your cassette tapes often? I have always heard that they degrade pretty quickly, and I have none of mine left to experiment with.

There will always be “audiophiles” who prefer the distortion and clipping of tubes over digital electronics, and there always be “audiophiles” who prefer the pops and clicks and rumble and low dynamic range of vinyl over CDs, and there will always be “audiophiles” who prefer the hiss and narrow frequency response of tape over CDs.

But most people who love to listen to music and want their music crystal clear with wide dynamic range and wide frequency response to the edges of human hearing and beyond, will have no choice but to stay with CDs.

Of course, CDs have their imperfections, too. They didn’t realize it at the time when CDs were invented, but the 44Khz sampling rate of CDs turned out to be too low, so the “audiophiles” were partially correct about CDs in that regard. But still, the sound quality of CDs are vastly superior to any analog medium that there’s really no argument.

Well, according to everyones answers, I am off to Goodwill with a huge boxload of cassette tapes to donate.

Thanks for the answers. jp

@john65pennington – Copy them to CD first if there’s any favorite music you want to preserve!

@john65pennington If I were you, I’d keep the tapes. If they’re all originals and in good working order, that would be quite a nice collection you have there. If it was me, I’d find it hard to part with.

Nope.

I didn’t hear of this trend but personally I would save them if you enjoy listening to them. I still have some vinyl records in good shape yet by the origibal artists, and a record player.