TDK MA-X-10
A ten-pack of TDK's metal-formulation cassette, sold with a 100-minute claim that never quite squares with the model number on the wrapper.
Overview
The TDK MA-X-10 is a catalog entry that won't give a clean identity. The listing that documents it reads "10 TDK MA-X 100min Ultimate wide dynamic range metal Tape for Cassette deck" - three separate claims in one product name. The "10" reads as a pack quantity, ten cassettes to a box. The "100min" reads as the running time of each tape. "MA-X" is the model family. The available documentation doesn't say whether those three belong to a single SKU or got mashed together by a seller's title field. Collectors chasing this designation should treat the number with some suspicion.
The formulation is clear. TDK built the MA-X around metal tape - Type IV, the top of the cassette hierarchy. The seller's copy leans hard on the phrase "Ultimate wide dynamic range," which is marketing language, not a measured specification. Metal-position tape was the format's performance ceiling, and the MA-X sat within that family as a no-frills entry: the same tape stock, in a standard shell, without the alloy-bodied extravagance of the company's flagship metal cassettes. Owners who have compared same-year MA-X and MA-XG samples report the tape inside is identical, with the shell as the only real difference. That claim comes from a single owner, so file it as enthusiast observation, not confirmed fact.
The 100-minute figure needs its own caveat. Metal tape is demanding on a transport - it needs more bias current and a deck that can supply it - and long-running metal cassettes use thinner tape to fit the extra length on the hub. The listing states 100 minutes plainly, but nothing in the available sources measures what that length costs in MOL or high-frequency headroom. Treat the number as a stated capacity, not a performance guarantee.
Similar items on eBay
No exact TDK MA-X-10 listings are live right now — these searches show current TDK and similar vintage audio gear on eBay:
As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.