Audio cassettes were the dominant music format in the 1980s, replacing vinyl records, 8-track tapes, and reel-to-reel tapes. They, in turn, were replaced by compact discs (CDs), which proved superior in several ways. Some differences are apparent just by looking at the two formats, but to understand why CDs replaced cassettes, it pays to look beneath the surface considerations.
Analog vs. Digital
Cassettes recorded sounds in analog, which creates a signal analogous to the source. CDs use digital information encoded onto their surface as a series of 1s and 0s, which produces a much cleaner and clearer sound.
Play Back
Cassette tapes play back their sounds by running the tape across a series of heads and filters, which translate the analog recordings on the tape into sound. CD players use a laser which reads the digital code into sound.
Moving Parts
Cassette tapes have a number of moving parts (spools, wheels and the like) which can break down. The tape itself can eventually wear out as well. CDs have no moving parts and CD players never actually touch the disc, which means they last much longer.
Rewinding
Cassettes need to be physically rewound and fast-forwarded to reach a specific point. Because CD players have access to the entire surface of the CD, you can instantly skip to any point you want and don't need to worry about rewinding when you're done.
Recording
Reusable recordings are the one advantage cassettes have over CDs. You can record on the same cassette over and over again. While some CDs are recordable as well, most can only be "burned" once.
Tags: Cassette tapes, into sound, moving parts
