CH> You're paying for several things.  Better preformance in recording and
  > playback, usually better electronics, and machanical construction etc.
That's true, but $400 sounds like paranoia rather than purist.  :)
And I probably can't tell the difference in playback quality since
I listen to them on my walkman -  not inside a quiet room with superior
speakers so that I can hear the better frequency response and dynamic
range.
CH> Hmmm...  How do other tapes from other sources play?  I suspect that the
  > walkman could have gross head missalignment.
I finally have time for careful listening.   The walkman sounds flatter
(with NR on) with ALL types of tapes (Type I, II, IV).
I'd think if the head is misaligned the sound would be flat all the time.
The problem here is that when I turn NR on, the sound is flatter compared
to when I play the cassette on my tape deck (or my old walkman) with NR on.
The sound is completely normal when NR is off.
  > dissappears. :-)  Normally, tape head cleaner shouldn't be used on the
  > rubber rollers (pinch rollers) as it dries them out.  Tape head cleaner
  > can also be used on the capstans to make them clean.
I clean and de-magnetize the heads often.   I also got this spray from
Japan that removes oxide without touching the head.   Bzzzzt, like spraying
hair-spray, and the heads are cleaned - no need for swabs.  I use
dry-type cleaning cassette though.
CH> One minor word of caution:  Some bulk tape erasers don't like being used
  > for extended periods.  They get hot internally (before the heat
  > dissapates to the outside) and can fail.  (and remove your digital watch
  > too) :-)
The one I got shuts itself off if it gets hot.  So I can't use it even
if I wanted to.  (I wear an analog watch, though I'm not sure whether
the magnetic field could still screw it up  - worse, everytime I use it
is close to my waist area so I hope there'd be no adverse effects there
either).  :)
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