Maxell XLII-S-90 (1982–1990)
Maxell's XLII-S-90 was the 90-minute member of the company's XLII-S high-bias cassette line. Maxell spent the early 1980s pitching it as a serious step up from its well-regarded UD-XL series. The Archive's record of the model runs from 1982 into 1990. It comes almost entirely from period advertising, buying guides, and one editorial mention. No full lab review of this exact length has surfaced, so what's known is market presence more than measured performance.
Maxell's own advertising in HiFi-Stereo (August 1982, p.17) credited the XLII-S with a new "High Epitaxial" formulation. That was an improved crystallization process for the magnetic particles, and it raised high-frequency response, sensitivity, and maximum output level compared to the older UD-XL tapes. An item in Audio (December 1983, p.22) grouped the XLII-S alongside the XLI-S as Maxell's ultimate ferric-oxide cassettes. It praised smooth linear response, high resolution of sound, and low distortion, and noted that the XLII-S used 70µs equalization, the Type II high-bias standard.
The pricing is well documented. HiFi-Stereo (1984, p.76) listed the XLII-S 90 at $7.29, with the 60-minute version at $5.29. By the time of the HiFi-Stereo tape buying guide in March 1990 (p.70), the XLII-S90 had come down to $4.39, and the XLII-S60 to $3.59. That is a typical price arc for a format being squeezed as CD-era tape pricing collapsed.
Beyond that, the record is thin. Confirmed production years, an official Maxell spec sheet, and measured frequency-response figures have not turned up in the Archive's sources.
- 90-minute high-bias (Type II) audio cassette
- Maxell High Epitaxial ferric-oxide formulation; 70µs equalization
- Documented prices: $7.29 (1984); $4.39 (March 1990)
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