Tapes Explained.

There are 4 types of Tape Cassette used with Dictation Machines. This article is designed to help you understand the different types of recording media.

Philips Mini Cassette

Mini Cassette is by far the most popular and is the industry standard for Dictation. The Cassettes measure 5.5cm x 3.5cm. They are manufactured mainly by Philips & Sanyo. They come in two types 15 minutes a side (Philips 0005) and 30 minutes a side .(Philips 0007) The latter are not recommended for heavy use as the tape is very thin and prone to breaking.
They are often confused Micro Cassettes because of their similar appearance and size.
However, they are completely incompatible with Micro Cassette and great care needs to be taken when matching Machines and tapes

Grundig Steno Cassette 670

The Grundig 670 Steno Cassette Is made Exclusively by Grundig, this is the only Cassette made specifically for the Dictation market. It measures 6.5cm x 4.5cm and holds 30 minutes of Dictation on one side
It is very popular with the legal and medical profession, due to it's very high reliability and exeptional sound quality.
It fits all Grundig analogue Dictation Machines.

Micro Cassette

Micro Cassette was originally designed by the Japanese to replace the Standard Music Cassette. When this didnt happen, they targeted the dictation market, where they have had some success. They are not as robust as Mini Cassette and the mechanisms that drive them are more complicated. They are often confused with Mini Cassette but are slightly smaller (5cm x 3.5cm). However they are not compatible in any way.

Compact Music Cassette

Compact Music Cassettes or Standard Cassettes, as they are sometimes called, are rarely used these days for dictation. This because their physical size makes them too big to fit the Pocket Dictation Machines that have become so popular in recent years. It measuures 10cm x 6,5cm.
However they are still used in some desk machines for recording Police interviews and the like.
Dictation Machines that take these tapes are now becoming increasingly rare.