FiiO CP13 Cassette Player - Unboxing & Review!

[@kevinpatrickmacnutt]

I wouldn't be too hard on the Fiio or We Are Rewind for having some stability issues when shaken. The only solution to shake issues is dual flywheels which originally showed up on both Sony and Marantz/Superscope professional stereo field recorders. When auto reverse started showing up on Walkman style players, by nature these had dual flywheels, therefore being more stable than most auto stop players.

[@leecooper8589]

"Back in the day" the rewind function was normally enabled by use of a biro or pencil! Oh and what I would have given for a "walkman" that I could charge up in the late 80s.

[@andygriffith5160]

You would have been burned at the stake as a witch for even suggesting such a thing!

[@londongaz2]

Always exciting to see a new Record-ology upload!

[@TheFrugalAudiophile]

The two-tone coloration reminds me of an RCA player I had back in the early 90s. I really wanted the Sony Walkman, but it was 40 bucks and the RCA was 20. The RCA ended up being a fantastic player that lasted me years! Unfortunately, I no longer have any of my cassette tape so I really don’t have a need for a player. Still have over 600 CDs though!

[@Ryan96se]

I appreciate these and I would certainly purchase if I didn't know how to repair vintage gear. If you are capable of restoring a vintage machine with a new belt, etc., I would go that rout because it's hard to beat the original units in their prime. If you do not feel comfortable with that or don't want to refurbish an older unit or spend the money on one that has been restored, these are the next best thing.

[@marcusschenk3577]

Great show! I just picked up the Complete Glenn Miller CD Set on Discogs! Can't wait to get it in!

[@stevemorris187]

Another fantastic video thanks. I have the We Are Rewind and love it. Regarding hiss and lack of Dolby, I bought a vintage Sony Walkman equalizer SEQ50 which helps to shape the sound and reduce hiss, increase bass etc. Will certainly consider the Fiio on the back of your review....cheers from the UK

[@Recordology]

Great tip!

[@andygriffith5160]

Each to their own but I love tape hiss. It's the audio equivalent of film grain and is a very welcome "imperfection" to my ears.

[@williamchan8866]

Great review just found out this player now and found your video via search. This seems nice I’ll pick one up. I have a Sony Wmd6c, bought it new when it was still in production. Everyone knows that’s a great machine. But this one I’m happy to discover.

[@rafacq]

My Sony WMD6 I bought way back when, needs a new belt. Can you recommend where or who could fix it?

[@joeyjustin6895]

21:50. TAPES NEVER SNAP OR HAVE TROUBLE IF LISTENER IS AWARE WHEN IT STARTS TO SOUND FUNNY. When starts to sound funny I stop it Twist it put back in and play and all is exellent again. You have to catch it though

[@rafacq]

I bought a a fiio and only received playback one channel was louder and no it wasn’t the tape. All tapes I tried sounded the same way. I returned it. Yesterday I ordered the We Are Rewind. Waiting for it to arrive.

[@therealwhite]

Finally someone not being shitty about modern attempts to rejuvenate the cassette player. Especially the take about Tanashin being a baseline that can be improved. Cassettes aren't a mass market anymore and hifi is so easily achievable without them, someone going back to cassettes isn't trying to go back to the 90s for the cassette-based hifi systems of the time, they're going back for the cassette experience. The fact that they're trying at all is way better than what we've had for a long time and it could pave the way for something better in the future.

[@stefanegger]

I have harman/kardon TD 292 and TD 202, I wil listen to all the old cassettes that I and my parents did. I also picked up 10 or so Sony UX-S tapes in a box on a flea market and I will record some music to them. I use it from time to time, but depends, sometimes more, sometimes not.

[@johnmarchington3146]

Have you played any piano recordings through it? I find that instrument is very revealing when it comes to wow and flutter. In the excerpts of music you played I was actually quite impressed with the stability of the sound and it sounded very 'clean' too..

[@Recordology]

Good idea

[@sorka95032]

While I appreciate the availability of a basic one direction portable cassette player, it just re-enforces the incredibly engineering of units from 40 years ago that were 3 time smaller and did 10 times as many things...and did them all well. For me, not having Dolby C and auto-reverse are basically deal killers which is why I have a well working collection of vintage Sony and Aiwa units from the 1983 to 1989.

[@icecreamwtf]

Do you plane to sell any ?

[@williamnovak1201]

I never used Dolby when I had it. Sure, it lessened the hiss, but it also muddied the sound somewhat. The sound just didn’t seem as clear as it was without Dolby.

[@Recordology]

agreed

[@davidreidy5750]

Just ordered the red one yesterday because as a Tapehead since the 80s,and a solo music producer I mixdown/master to CD's and cassettes.I need this cause I cannot find any other reliable portable tape players.Also most likely going to get a we are rewind.And finally,subbed!📼🎧

[@Recordology]

Awesome enjoy!

[@cdnowuk48]

I’m loving mine so far, the only problem is the stabilization you be mentioned at 12:55. When i lay it flat down it doesn’t seem to clear up

[@83Roboto]

Since you are also into portable CD players you need to check out Fiio's DM13 portable CD player. It's a unit that has metal construction for the body, a wealth of outputs as well as a built in rechargeable battery. It harkens back to the high end units that Sony and other brands offered back in the day.

[@SirZechs77]

If re-shelling can be such a problem I would recommend 3d printing them, that would even allow for some custom artwork on the shell itself

[@CraigMcIntosh]

@Recordology I was looking at ordering a FiiO CP13 for £99 but your review showed me why I should consider buying the We Are Rewind as I felt the sound output test gave it a nices balanced sound between bass and treble. It just sounded more rounded to my ears. So thanks for the review. Very interested where you suggest buying tapes for recording.

[@Recordology]

Usually, I just pick up new old stock at antique stores and thrift stores…

[@andylundberg5097]

I wonder how to get a 3000hz tone on tape to test and adjust. You can find the tone online but this won’t record and recording the tone on anything else would be subject to that recorders nuances. Just trying to figure out how it could be done

[@Recordology]

I’ve thought about this too. Would have to be a machine that you knew was 100% accurate.

[@MrDwightsimon]

I had a clear plastic no name walkman that had no radio or rewind button. To rewind the tape, you had to take it out, flip it over and press fast forward. Good times!

[@waygonemusic]

I ended up buying one of these. No worse than a cheap portable from the late 90's which is about the best we can hope for. I ended up needing to adjust the head azimuth which was fairly easy to do. I really do like having the rechargeable battery!

[@Recordology]

I think it’s at a minimum on par with a decent vintage unit.

[@lilbigdaddy2294]

Auto Reverse is also a nice feature back then.

[@lordatkinson2046]

Just as a question for the comments. Does this cassette player allow use of C90 tapes as this has chewed up on and caught it almost chewing up another but when I tried my C60 test tape it didn't try and eat it.

[@Ralph-r2i]

When ya gonna do the Toshiba walkie?? Looks like another new winner

[@wataworks6478]

I love cassete tapes. I have so many and I want to listen to them once again. But here in the Phils, this new players are sold expensively. 😢

[@stevenj2380]

Just got a Fiio, clear front! It is the only thing you ever 'reviewed" I bought. My use for now is to dub (into my component CD recorder) old OLD personal non-music tapes. Not sure if they will be OK to do this. Cheap tapes too. So cheap i won't put the tapes into my serviced vintage cassette deck to try this!

[@travingalloverthemap8375]

I need a portable cassette player. That would be great for putting on a bicycle.

[@SnowMan68]

There's a portable record player out on the market by audio Technica called The sound Burger. Was wondering if you've done a review and what do you think of the quality??

[@sheila-wn7cn]

I have about 300 audio spoken cassettes, which I listen to at night when I cant sleep. I have one or two Sony cassettes from the 80s. What I would like to know does the Fiio CP13 chew tapes? Thank you for testing and showing the item.

[@Recordology]

So far it’s working flawlessly.

[@stefanegger]

12:50

[@jasonwilliams6005]

How have you found the battery life to be?

[@tomcat1112k]

how was your listening experience? I mean I own a pair of Sony W1000XM5. Did you have better listening experience with your audiophile/studio headphones ?

[@audiewpb]

Do you know how you’re able to get the case?

[@clarencehoover6748]

12:43 Hence the Sony “anti-rolling mechanism” was born.

[@michaelgreene5703]

can you play cr02 and metal tapes?

[@lookoutleo]

Love your vids

[@Recordology]

Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@rastaman5105]

Sounds very good , not bad !!

[@jorgeehernandez6930]

Where can I get the case?

[@michaelgreene5703]

now we need tsk, maxilla, fuji others to start making high quality recordable blank tapes again ccr02 and metal etc normal

[@peacearchwa5103]

It can't be a 2-track head since stereo cassettes are a 4-track format. 2 stereo tracks in 2 directions. What is likely true is this is not a combined record/play head, only a play head. That is a good thing, since a combined R/P head involves design compromises. A play-only head will provide a wider frequency response with lower distortion.

[@Recordology]

Since it does not have auto reverse….it only needs two tracks instead of four. Auto reverse walkmans need four tracks.

[@TheRandom-h7g]

Depends on the type of head. Some had four track two way heads. Others like the sony hifi stereo I have here flip the head around for each direction​@@Recordology

[@ralphreinhardt6020]

Very cool, a new walkman type cassette player. Classic Tape-ology ! 😂😂😂😂

[@tomcat1112k]

do we need external DAC for these cassette players?

[@Recordology]

Nope they are fully analog.

[@LetThereBeSound1]

I love mine!

[@RobCamp-rmc_0]

I dunno, I had some pretty relatively inexpensive portable cassette players in the early ‘90s that had rewind function; one of them, from Koss, even had auto reverse so I didn’t need to flip the tape, and it still cost a fraction of a Sony unit. Also: people complain about rechargeable machines that have non-removable batteries, but let’s remember the stuff from Sony (et al? I don’t remember) at the turn of the century, that used those gumstick batteries that are pretty much all dead now and are no longer manufactured. Sure, you can attach an external AAA battery pack but c’mon man. I’d really love to get a portable MD player but that gives me second thoughts.

[@dirty-moto]

If it's similar to the We Are Rewind, that one has an 18650 battery inside, so at least it uses a standard battery even if it may be a pain to replace when the time comes.

[@GabeTheGabriel]

Inbuilt battery means it wont last longer than a few years... very sad😢

[@Recordology]

The battery is not too difficult to replace… In the meantime, it’s a fantastic feature to have

[@ILIVEPLAYSTATION]

Again.... What is so hard about putting a belt clip or leather case with neck strap included in the box!?

[@Coinmancer]

Probably not there because its not good to walk around while listening.

[@slats66]

I received this unit 2 weeks ago. It is a solid performer, sounds punchy and clear. Better than other modern solutions I've tried so far.

[@bobby666666]

I already knew the price in the UK a few weeks ago but for people who don't know, you never mentionef the cost of the item in your video. I doubt it something I would use know. I can listen to Spotify saved tracks on my mobile. The case looks nice, but impractical. Instead of the side opening, they should have had concertinered sides so the front of the cassette could be opened without taking it out. The cable supplied should be good quality bearing in mind the cost for it.

[@Recordology]

It’s around $100 USD.

[@bobby666666]

@@Recordology Thanks

[@johnclementi4224]

Currently, does anyone make a decent cassette deck?

[@jasonwilliams6005]

Teac is the only decent deck (component). This is about as good as a portable will get now.

[@RyuichiSakuma13]

I have mixtapes that I made back in the '80s that I haven't been able to listen to since CDs became popular. My FiiO is due to arrive in four days, and I am chomping at the bit to be able to listen to all the songs I recorded off the radio back then! 😁

[@Recordology]

You will love it. Very solid device! What color did you go with?

[@scooterboi8761]

I have an old Sony WM-10 which I rediscovered in the back of my media closet. It needs repair, probably belts. I hope I can get it to work again, because the new walkman-type tape players are pathetic! I can't believe how many don't have stereo heads. SMH...

[@aDistantLight]

Player does not have a belt clip. Comes with a case. Case does not have a belt clip. How is this "portable?" Where are you going to carry it?

[@albert71292]

As for cassette players, I bought a new "ION" branded USB cassette deck a few years back to use to digitize the hundreds of old pretend "radio shows" my friends and I made mostly in the 1980's. It has held up well, since I'm close to converting all the cassettes I need to digitize. However, when I bought a new desktop a couple years ago, the USB feature only transferred one channel on the new computer, so, since the cassette deck also had standard RCA audio out, I bought a cable with RCA on one end, 1/8" audio plug on the other end, to run into the computer audio input jack. This way. I was able to continue my conversions. Also, running the audio though the Sound Forge cleaning software, the nearly 40 year old recordings actually sound better than the "master tapes".

[@cuoresportivo155]

one channel recording is a default setting in windows, it annoys the heck out of me that I have to manually set it to stereo every time again. Windows assumes the usb device is a mono microphone.

[@PaulJCost1]

A restored Sony DD series Walkman blows that away... Easy.

[@Recordology]

The real problem with vintage walkmans is the fact that they are aging and capacitors and other parts are wearing out… One of the benefits of the newer units is that all parts are new… Obviously, there is a trade-off in initial quality. There’s also a benefit of some cool features.

[@PaulJCost1]

Yep, i restored my Sony DC2, new caps, new motor tire, lubrication, center wheel and its working like new again.

[@PaulJCost1]

It can get a little experience though. Ive done it myself so I saved a lot on the restoring process.

[@michaelgreene5703]

oops sorry yes on cr02 and metal

[@MJohnson-b8f]

Jensen Trail

[@ThomeTeque]

The latest sony walkmans sounded much better and had more features than this thing does. It's just mediocre in sound quality so nope, not for this price, not from this manufacturer, they can do much better :D

[@g-r-a-e-m-e-]

Sharp edges or corners don't make a lot of sense for a portable device.

[@tigerclaw4537]

Not sure if anyone has ever felt an audio orgasm, but wow. I purchased an old set of Bose TriPort Headphones on Amazon, popped in my Moody Blues (Other Side of Life Cassette) and jacked into my FIIO CP13. OMFG. I never experienced such an amazing distribution of sound from my all-time favorite band on a cassette player. This wouldn’t have been possible without the FIIO and Bose headset. Strike me for whatever you want, but even my high-end phones don’t produce this amazing sound. To much base, etc. … Sometimes old school is still the best.

[@MuzikJunky]

Looks like the same Chinese mechanism as the We are Rewind. Peace.

[@dirty-moto]

In the video he addresses the mechanism and I believe he articulates it well.

[@lxngswordkr33per]

Thanks for this Vid my guy

[@Recordology]

Very welcome!

[@jub8891]

its certainly chunky

[@Recordology]

Yes.....not really pocketable.

[@LarryLeeMoniz]

They all use the same, crappy modern cassette mechanism. Only when another company starts making a quality one, will any new cassette player be worth considering.

[@Recordology]

That mechanism is actually a decent mechanism… It’s all about how that spec out the peripheral components such as the flywheel. is it metal or is it plastic? Same thing for the head… Is it stereo? Is it well designed? The core mechanism is sort of a framework and it’s actually good! All stamped metal parts and can be made to sound fantastic. Both this and the we are rewind, indeed very good players!

[@rickpinelli1586]

I am not impressed at all. It is not worth the $100.00 Plus price point. The unit is thick and cannot be comfortably carried in your back pocket. There are no straps or clips to attach a strap to for walking around. I imagine wow and flutter are a problem as well. There is also the lack of a battery meter and link mobile phones, the battery is not consumer replaceable. Later...

[@RockwellAIM65]

It's not your fault... but this product is NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Looks cheesy and too chineesey! Want decent controls and a modern design, with controls that are designed for the form factor. I am very disappointed... was ready to buy.

[@Recordology]

What looked bad to you? I am VERY happy with mine!