Rewinding the Future with Revox and National Audio’s Cassette Revival

Revox and US-based National Audio Company have announced a partnership that will see new cassette production lines installed at Revox’s Villingen, Germany, facility. The goal is to supply “a medium for high-quality playback and recording.”

That phrasing is interesting. For some of us, the cassette is linked to rattly shells, hissy playback, and a Walkman or Boombox in the schoolyard. Yet for a time in the 1980s and ’90s, the format was pushed further, with chrome and metal tapes marketed as higher-fidelity alternatives. Today, boutique formulations go even further still: cobalt-based “Studio Master” tapes from companies such as National Audio, RTM, and TASCAM claim higher output levels, lower distortion, and far better mechanical stability than anything mass-marketed in the cassette’s heyday.

If Revox — a company still producing master tapes and boasting Studer heritage — and National Audio are serious about making cassettes a “high-quality” medium again, this collaboration could evolve into something beyond retro nostalgia. The potential for an actual studio-grade cassette, offering more output headroom and cleaner recording/playback than the “metal” tapes of old, would certainly spark interest among audiophiles and collectors who see more in the format than a novelty.

So what would a modern studio-grade cassette actually look like?

In the heyday of the format, ferric and chrome tapes (Types I and II) were the norm, while so-called “metal” formulations (Type IV) became the gold standard for fidelity. Boutique tape makers are now taking things a step beyond. High-bias cobalt formulations, like National Audio’s Studio Master Type II, claim as much as 4 dB more output with reduced distortion. Others, such as RTM’s Studio Master series and TASCAM’s Master 424, promise studio-level clarity and archival consistency. Even vintage stalwarts like Maxell produced “MS Studio” tapes with dynamic range exceeding 64 dB — a far cry from the hissy mixtapes many remember.

Mechanical construction is just as important. Premium shells with reinforced housings, precision spools, and careful winding can minimise flutter and dropouts, while reducing the risk of tape warping. Put together, these refinements suggest that a “new-generation” cassette could indeed surpass the format’s 1980s peak, bringing durability and fidelity closer to what studios have long expected from reel-to-reel tape.

Revox CEO Christoph Frey, commenting on the cooperation, said:

This allows a new diversity in music recordings and a sizeable selection for personal analog music experience.

At the same time, National Audio’s Steve and Phil Stepp described it as:

Another proof of market leadership in the area of high-quality music recordings.

Alongside blank tapes, the plan includes a music portfolio under the REVOX | Horch House banner, supported by a major label. The first releases are due in the fourth quarter of 2025. With production in Germany and distribution into Europe and North America, Revox says it will become one of the largest cassette producers on the continent.

Cassettes have already shown unexpected momentum in recent years, with sales growing in specific markets and mainstream artists releasing albums on tape to tap nostalgia and intrigue younger listeners. Either way, the timing feels deliberate. With vinyl firmly re-established, could the cassette be next in line for a premium analogue revival — or will this remain a boutique extension of nostalgia culture? The format is back on a footing few would have predicted a decade ago.

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