Supreme x Maxell Cassette Tapes (5 Pack)
The original behind the Supreme x Maxell Cassette Tapes (5 Pack) is the Maxell Maxell UR-90 Blank Audio Cassette (5 Pack) — $14 retail vs Supreme's $36.
Supreme vs. Original
About the original
The Maxell UR-90 is a 90-minute Type I normal-bias blank audio cassette with a low-noise ferric-oxide formulation and a transparent polystyrene shell, built for voice recording, mixtapes, and dubbing from LP or CD. Maxell Holdings was founded in 1961 as Maxell Electric Industrial in Osaka, Japan, spun out of Hitachi, and the company has produced the UR series continuously since the 1960s. It is one of the few Type I cassette tape lines still in active production. The FW2023 Supreme collab is a five-pack of UR-90s with printed Supreme logos on the shells and J-card inserts. It released November 30, 2023 at $36; a standard five-pack retails for around $14.
About Maxell
Maxell is a Japanese recording media and electronics manufacturer founded in 1961 in Ibaraki, Osaka, after spinning out from the magnetic tape division of Nitto Denko. The name is a contraction of "Maximum capacity dry cell." Maxell brought the first audio cassette tape to the Japanese market in July 1966, ahead of TDK and Sony, and went on to produce VHS tapes, floppy disks, CD-Rs, and lithium batteries. The 1980 "Blown Away Guy" print and TV ads, shot by Steve Steigman, became one of the decade's most reproduced advertising images. Supreme has collaborated with Maxell on co-branded cassette tapes.
Price comparison
| Supreme retail | $36 |
|---|---|
| Maxell retail | $14 |
| Hype tax | +157% |
Questions
Is the Supreme x Maxell Cassette Tapes (5 Pack) just the regular Maxell UR-90 Blank Audio Cassette (5 Pack)?
The Supreme x Maxell Cassette Tapes (5 Pack), released in Fall/Winter 2023, is based on the Maxell UR-90 Blank Audio Cassette (5 Pack). Supreme collabs sometimes change the colorway or materials; the description on this page covers the original's specs and any notable differences in the Supreme version. If you want the product without the box logo, the Maxell UR-90 Blank Audio Cassette (5 Pack) is the one to buy.
How much cheaper is the Maxell UR-90 Blank Audio Cassette (5 Pack) than the Supreme version?
Supreme charged $36 for the Supreme x Maxell Cassette Tapes (5 Pack); the Maxell UR-90 Blank Audio Cassette (5 Pack) retails for $14. That's a 157% markup — buying the original saves you $22, or 61% off the Supreme price. Buy the original at retail and you skip the hype tax entirely.
Where can I buy the Maxell UR-90 Blank Audio Cassette (5 Pack)?
You can buy the Maxell UR-90 Blank Audio Cassette (5 Pack) from Amazon or from Retrospekt. Retail price is $14. The buy links on this page go straight to the product listing at each retailer.
