TDK KROM-02 (c. 1972–1973)
Not much is documented about the TDK KROM-02. All that survives is a run of period advertising and one published laboratory figure. It was TDK's chromium dioxide cassette of the early Seventies, sold with the deliberately provocative tagline that "not all chromium dioxide cassettes are equal."
TDK's own advertising ran in HiFi-Stereo (May 1972, p.17), High Fidelity (June 1972, p.25), and Audio (July 1972, p.35). It leaned on the "know-how" needed to unlock CrO₂'s performance: the basic tape formulation, the accuracy of slitting, and the dozens of small construction details in the cassette housing. The ads claimed the widest frequency response, wide dynamic range, and the reliability TDK was already known for. These are manufacturer claims, not independent verdicts.
Independent measurement does exist in at least one place: Audio (December 1973, p.75) published frequency-response curves for the KROM-02 at 0 VU and −20 VU across the 100 Hz–10 kHz range. No full specification sheet, pricing, or packaging details have survived in this record.
- Chromium dioxide (CrO₂) compact cassette
- Marketed c. 1972–1973
- Frequency-response curves published in Audio, Dec 1973, p.75
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