Editing Cassette deck (section)

==== Effects achieved by the technological developments ==== 
With all of these improvements, the best units could record and play the full audible spectrum from 20&nbsp;Hz to over 20&nbsp;kHz (although this was commonly quoted at -10, -20 or even -30&nbsp;dB, not at full output level), with [[wow (recording)|wow and flutter]] less than 0.05% and very low noise. A high-quality recording on cassette could rival the sound of an average commercial CD, though the quality of pre-recorded cassettes has been regarded by the general public as lower than could be achieved in a quality home recording.<ref name=FORUM1>{{cite news|title=Prerecorded cassette quality?|website=AudioKarma.org|type=Forum|date=2005-09-05}}</ref> There was a call for better sound quality in 1981, surprisingly by the head of [[Tower Records]], Russ Solomon. At a meeting of the [[National Association of Recording Merchandisers]] (NARM) Retail Advisory Committee in [[Carlsbad, California]], Solomon played two recordings of a [[Santana (band)|Santana]] track; one he had recorded himself and the pre-recorded cassette release from [[Columbia Records]]. He used this technique to demonstrate what he called "the tunnel effect" in the audio range of pre-recorded cassettes and commented to the reporter Sam Sutherland, who wrote a news article printed in ''Billboard'' magazine:

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"The buyer who is aware of sound quality is making his own." "They won't be satisfied with the 'tunnel effect' of prerecorded tape. And home tape deck users don't use prerecorded tapes at all." Yet, contended Solomon, while Tower's own stores show strong blank tape sales gains, its prerecorded sales have increased by only 2% to 3%. With an estimated 15% of the chain's total tape business now generated by the sales of blanks, "it would appear our added tape sales are going to TDK, Maxell and Sony, not you." he concluded. - ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'', Vol. 93, No. 38, 26 September 1981.<ref name=BILLBOARDSS1>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|title=Better Cassette Quality Urged|date=26 Sep 1981|volume=93|issue=38|pages=3, 6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vSQEAAAAMBAJ&q=pre+recorded+cassette+quality+v+home+recording&pg=PT5|access-date=4 June 2013|first=Sam |last= Sutherland}}</ref>
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