Four new Walkman-style cassette players - Are they any good?

Testing four models trying to be a modern-day Sony Walkman cassette player: the Mulann B-1000 EW, FiiO CP13, We Are Rewind WE-001, and Tomashi F-113.
Correction: The Mulann and Tomashi do have a metal flywheel, not plastic as I said -- just not as large or well-balanced of one as in the FiiO or We Are Rewind. And it is possible to adjust the speed of the FiiO without opening the case -- see my follow-up video: • FiiO CP13 cassette pla...
Time flow:
0:00 Introduction
1:29 The contenders
2:27 Features and sizes
3:51 The mechanism
5:57 Speed and wow & flutter
9:30 Audio quality
13:51 The verdict
#RetroTech #cassette #walkman

[@vwestlife]

*Correction:* The Mulann and Tomashi do have a metal flywheel, not plastic as I said -- just not as large or well-balanced of one as in the FiiO or We Are Rewind. And it is possible to adjust the speed of the FiiO without opening the case -- see my follow-up video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sHe4oWiAh9yEi9k

[@Drmcclung]

Completely subjective option on my part, I wouldn't choose any of them over an older repairable unit. But if I was forced to, and since all four are pretty much the same anyhow, I find the minimalist appearance of the Mulann most appealing. After watching Techmoan's review of We Are Rewind a long time ago I was pretty much immediately turned off of that one if we're just comparing price and appearance.. so not worth the huge markup.

[@sullycliftona]

Theirs a uk bloke. That slated the gold one. And. He’s got better content.

[@gwheregwhizz]

1980s - How did they build the pyramids all those years ago? 2024 - How did they build a decent cassette deck all those years ago?

[@the_kombinator]

All those years ago it was the norm, so good quality components were used (for respectable brands anyhow) but now it's just a nostalgia cash grab for filthy casual users of tapes in order to make a buck. Seriously, my tapes are so degraded that even in my Yamaha tape player, they sound about as good as in my 80s Hyundai's tape deck. It's really not that hard a question to answer IMO, certainly not anywhere near the scale of the Pyramids lol.

[@kosmas173]

Companies used decent cassete mechanisms that they made themselves instead of bying the same one that is made in bulk in China that costs 2$.

[@zwete]

Economy of scale.

[@christo930]

@@the_kombinator Did you store your tapes in a swamp or something? Tapes from the 60s sound as good as they ever did.

[@dancooper6002]

The answer is honestly a lot more complex than people realize. But the shortish version is this. The middle class has been in decline since the 1970's. As a result consumer products have become a race to the bottom, with price being the key metric for competing. The result of this is a decline in the quality of consumer goods as costs are cut. In some areas, such as personal computers and cell phones, technological inflation has effectively masked this, as the tech was progressing fast enough to improve the device even as prices fell. But for some technology, such as cassette tapes, technological inflation simply offers little benefit, ie. you cannot die shrink a cassette mechanism.Thus, cost cutting must be done to win the price based competition, and the result is the lowest grade garbage being manufactured in China and sold to an unsuspecting public.

[@themaritimegirl]

That email response has some strong "you'll eat what we feed you and you'll like it" energy.

[@vadnegru]

Realistically, it's the best they could have, there are no mechanisms made other than these trash. You could decorate crap but that would still be crap, no matter what you do.

[@TheRailroad99]

I think that the response was pretty decent - it was at least honest. I don't know what they claim - if they claim it's .2% max, then of course even .21% means defective / out of spec. Otherwise it's false advertisement.

[@nickwallette6201]

I find it refreshingly honest ... but then, my career revolves around engineering, so I prefer my truth without sugar coating. That said, the reply could've also been: "C'mon, man. Nobody buys our over-priced tarted-up toys but hipsters looking to be recognized for being ironically out-of-date. W&F at or less than 0.9% is perfectly acceptable for an accessory to your red pants and rainbow-striped belt."

[@beefchicken]

​@@vadnegru Maybe it's time for the community to design an "open source" high quality tape mechanism that can be either 3D printed or machined from a lump of aluminum.

[@wheels2fun526]

@@beefchickenNot going to happen. These can not be 3D printed. They need to be made out of metal.

[@kevinh96]

Basically all Fio need to do is allow access to the speed pot and it'll be a decent little player.

[@Manu-Official]

I would bet the battery is in the way.

[@Bob-1802]

If one guy could open the unit and figure out where exactly to (carefully) drill a small hole in the back, that could solve the problem... for bold people only.

[@nobodynoone2500]

@@Manu-Official relocating the trimpot would be simple if doing a board revision. The case might be the more difficult part to modify in-production.

[@angelfire2023]

Finally! A decent comparison of newer portable cassette players. It's nice to see a good comparison between a lot of new ones; most videos online pertaining to newer cassette players tend to go after a singular one of these models, and then compare it to a fully refurbished, high end walkman from the 80s. I'm glad you didn't do that here, as I think this will be a nice little guide for newcomers getting in to tapes for the first time. I would like to throw in the cheapest alternative to all of these, that being the Jensen SCR-75. You can usually get them under 20 dollars, and they still output in stereo. Not the greatest in terms of fidelity, but it's a good way to get a decent stereo playback-only cassette player for the lowest possible price.

[@Cherijo78]

Yeah, anyone new to cassettes these days in the market buying a newer player needs to understand that they are all based off the same crappy Tanashin mechanism, or a clone of it. Some are adjusted better than others, and some clones are worse than others, but they're all essentially the same thing. No one makes a good transport mechanism any longer. Still, there are minor differences, and if people are going to buy crap, they might as well buy the best sounding crap that's available.

[@themaritimegirl]

@@christo930 You picked the wrong channel on which to diss Crosley turntables :)

[@EU_Red_Fox]

@@christo930 No that is not what lo-fi is lol

[@christo930]

@@themaritimegirl How do you figure? I've been subbed to this channel for like at least 5 years, probably 10.

[@christo930]

@@EU_Red_Fox "LOL" Grow up.

[@WillWill56]

FiiO CP13 does have a speed adjustment point, its just inside the front cassette bay, and very well hidden... there's a rectangle cut in the black plastic near the top right, and the adjustment point is inside that hole.

[@vwestlife]

Thanks! I will make an update video about the speed adjustment.

[@anlealanleal3218]

Any idea of how to disassemble player for service? And do you know if any transparent version planned?

[@WillWill56]

I tried using a suction cup to pull on the back panel, got a bit of a wiggle but didn't feel like it wanted to come loose. We might get the answer when we get more images of the transparent model, it has a fully transparent back panel that might reveal the secret.

[@GaryKeepItSimple]

I noticed that the WOW & FLUTTER figures came out very similar to the We Are Rewind that I tested. Which was well run in.

[@manoflego123]

A brand new day, a brand new VWestLife video on cassette players. Life is good.

[@Kartoffelliebhaber]

I saw another review of these devices, and i was really hoping you would make a video! Thank you, my favorite tech reviewer on KZbin.

[@Nile9063]

I actually contacted We Are Rewind about the W&F aswell about a year ago as my player had a W&F of 0.6. I have had four of them so far though and all the others measured in at 0.3 to 0.4. They're also very sensitive to playing with the wrong azimuth, when you carry them around, the sound changes a lot, some tapes sound better when you hold the cassette door slightly open or stick a paper in it. It definitely has it's weaknesses, but at least there are new models available now, for a long time there were only the trashy 10$ Amazon or AliExpress ones. We've come a step into the right direction, but we're not quite there yet.

[@AaronHayne]

This is the channel that got me into collecting audio cassettes, so it’s great to see you talk about these models! I got the B-1000 as my first real cassette player in January of last year. It’s a great selection for someone just getting into cassettes, but it makes me sad that the really good players have been left in the past. Great video!!

[@AdamRamseythetouchable]

I could tell they were all the same cheap mechanism through before you even opened them. You can see it through the windows.

[@chrisandrus2735]

It is such a shame😢

[@RealEpikCartfrenYT]

It's basically a shrunken down clone of a clone based on a budget boombox mechanism.

[@Charlesb88]

All currently sold new tape decks these days use a clone/knockoff of a budget tape deck mechanism once produced by a company called Tanashin. I don’t know if that company still exists but they used to sell a budget tape mechanism that was used in all budget cassettes decks and budget boombox’s. I believe at the end of the mainstream tape era, every tape deck was using a Tanashin mechanism but by then only a few companies where still selling tapes decks. When cassette tapes made a slight comeback and started to be become retro-cool in recent years and there was a demand for new tape mechanisms causing Chinese manufacturers to step in to make knock-offs clones of the Tanashin mechanism. Any modern tape deck would have to use a Tanashin knockoff since Tanashin no longer makes tape mechanisms.

[@BeautifulAngelBlossom]

There on other brand making different meca anymore

[@gmcnewlook]

Unfortunately all new cassette players are going to have that knockoff mechanism nobody else makes them

[@twocvbloke]

It's a fun comparison, showing how the same mechanism can vary so much in performance, and the fact that at least one of the case-makers pretty much say "Meh, not our fault!" because of those differences...

[@Onteo1]

Love the DAK equipment at the 13:00 mark. My very first Walkman was right out of his catalog in the very early 80s. I still have it and it works great. Nice overview.

[@ilusha88]

I preordered a Fiio. Hope they hash out the speed issue so thanks for telling them about it!

[@itogi]

Buy something else, it's the same as other current Walkman-style players that use the same cheap mechanism.

[@ilusha88]

Seems like they did improve things with the metal flywheel and honestly I like the styling and non-plastic.@@itogi

[@itogi]

@@ilusha88 It does not matter, it's still the same mechanism and it will sound the same as cheaper ones.

[@bezoekers]

​​@@itogiThere is nothing else to buy... All new players either have the exact same mechanism or an even worse knock off.

[@KylesVideos]

Theres more to the sond quality that just the mechanism. Theres no getting around the crappy feeling buttons but you can get good sound quality as long as its built and calibrated correctly.@@itogi

[@RealEpikCartfrenYT]

I personally bought one of those "Super USB cassette capture" walkmans, knowing they had trash mechanisms. All I needed was something that can fast forward, rewind and test tapes when I'm out at the flea market, after someone stole my Sony WM-FX271. It honestly does a decent enough job for that, and I would absolutely not recommend it to anyone, because it has terrible wow and flutter, and its speed keeps drifting as soon as the batteries are slightly used. If I were to go somewhere, like say, on vacation, I would actually carry my 2005 Panasonic boombox with me. It may weigh a ton with all 6 C batteries inside but it's probably my best cassette playing device so far. Even has full auto-stop and has a metallic permanent magnet erase head which causes less background noise and wear on recorded tapes than the typical blue erase head found in the players shown in this video, which is actually like sandpaper for your tapes.

[@pickoftheglitter]

...and probably that crappy usb capture model is also mono, not stereo. Take a look to the tape head...

[@krzysztofczarnecki8238]

@@pickoftheglitter mine is stereo, but mono could definitely happen. I've seen boomboxes that have two speakers, a clone Tanashin and a mono head in supermarkets.

[@RealEpikCartfrenYT]

@@pickoftheglitter it's actually a stereo head but the circuitry is so bad in it the motor noise overpowers the actual music so you can't even tell.

[@peacearchwa5103]

@@pickoftheglitter My ezCap-brand "Super USB Cassette Capture" device is stereo. Frequency response is actually quite good, but w&f is pretty dreadful.

[@mickaka]

Worth noting that unlike many others which have fixed level recording, the We Are Rewind has auto-levelling, which has to be used with an amplified input not line level. The manual suggests the device you’re recording from be at its maximum output volume! We’ve managed to make some acceptable recordings on my son’s unit from his laptop following those instructions. Given how much I ended up spending restoring some of my Sony Walkmans to working order, I’d probably still recommend one of these for someone just getting in to the format.

[@MrDwightsimon]

Where did you get them restored?

[@moar_nightsong]

Thank you so much for making this video. I feel like newer cassette players tend to have way more variables going into their performance as opposed to cheap record players which all generally perform same. I'm so glad to see this topic being explored in depth.

[@P3SS3SSOd]

The only thing that brought the step up in quality in the 80s for walkmans/personal radio cassette players was competition. So many amazing technical achievements in sound quality and innovation were driven by the immense competition. I doubt we'll ever see that kind of drive again for the format, but it's good to know the high end vintage pieces from the time still hold up. I managed to get a nice amount of high end Walkmans including my daily-driver WM-F1002 before the prices went silly. The quality of the manufacturing is really something to be appreciated, compared to virtually anything mass produced today, let alone the performance. Really enjoyed this comparison video, it's something I hope you''ll keep doing as hopefully more surface and I sincerely hope you thrift a high end Walkman at some stage, you really deserve it.

[@CARLiCON]

cool test V-dub, sounds like we have 2 issues here; all of these players seem to be playing at different speeds/pitches & then there's the W&F. What's really interesting to me is how you've illustrated that acoustic piano music is really a great ear test for wow & flutter, especially when it sustains, you really notice the speed is inconsistent, while the bass & drums don't really sound that bad

[@JZikovsky]

That big window on the B1000 is nice, you can really see the cassette!

[@diamondfieldmusic]

Mulaan wins hands down. I like the large window on it too, especially these days when artists releasing tapes have really nice graphics and the tape shells come in a lot of cool colors. Seems there's a small niche market to be had for someone to manufacture a decent modern tape head/transport.

[@Zone1242]

I got the 'We Are Rewind' unit and I'm pretty happy with it. I normally listen with AKG K371 headphones and the sound is very acceptable. The battery seems to last forever. I charged it when I first got it and been using it many hours since then and still going strong. I also have a Philips AQ6542 from around 1992. It's a playback only unit with integrated AM/FM radio. Thanks for the great review!

[@chinmeysway]

that’s cool. can i ask, is it stereo out or mono. thanks !

[@Zone1242]

@@chinmeysway Its stereo..

[@pktsqr]

Helpful video, I've been wondering about finding something like these. Great selection and presentation of information.

[@rager1969]

I remember DAK. I used to get their catalogs and wanted the bubble jet printer and the linear turntable from them.

[@BessieBopOrBach]

Wow, the wow and flutter on the "Tomashi" was brutal on the music sample. And of course the Fiio was far too fast. Very comprehensive and entertaining test, as always, vwestlife -- thank you!

[@ThetaReactor]

Well, I wasn't gonna buy a new walkman anyway, but I did just discover that my speakers are reversed. Damn Altec Lansing PC speakers aren't labeled. This is why those old DOS games had "reverse stereo channels" options.

[@JDCarnin]

I‘m still rocking my Aiwa HS-GMX 700 from back then. Never did anything to it besides cleaning the head. Still works with Dolby and full logic controls etc. A fine piece of tech! Probably wouldn’t buy a modern one.

[@yanks1fan09]

I also bought the FIIO CP13 during the initial offering and think it does sound decent for the price. No issues with the speed though. I also have the We Are Rewind in Orange which I bought last year. Not bad either I find it has a bit more bass on the eq than the FIIO. Mind you I do have other vintage Sony Walkmans like the WM-3 Metal Version of the TPSL2, WMD6 and another one. I didn't have high expectations for any of the new ones. The only thing they offer is they are new and don't require maintenance and for commuting they serve a purpose. I also like to listen to them through wired headphones not bluetooth as there is some loss in the transfer. Thanks for the reviews.

[@DavidQuerolRagasaCargani-wn3md]

I have bought a Retekess tr606 on November which was my second knock off walk man I bought last year. It works well and I had recorded 4 mixtapes on it since I bought it using my mic and audio adapter with an audio cable connected to my phone. Only problem, the wow and flutter is terrible especially during the recording but the playback is mostly tolerable but the audio output is MONO both through the built-in speaker and through the headphone jack. Hope you'll find some time reviewing it too. I bought that Retekess Tr606 at around 1100 Philippine Pesos almost 20 US Dollars from our own local online store.

[@jayadams6760]

I have two Sony walkmans from the 90's in a drawer. Both work perfectly fine. Haven't used them in over 20 years, because I'm not going back to that.

[@inglepropnoosegarm7801]

Wise.

[@dylanstrine]

Belts are probably junk anyways at this point lol but they are built like tanks

[@lucasrem]

@@dylanstrine Not if you kept them in good conditions, heat issues, water etc..... Mine are just good, climated room !

[@krzysztofczarnecki8238]

@@lucasrem One should also run a cassette player every now and then to avoid the belt developing a kink where it stays around the motor pulley. And never leave it turned off and in play position, as that would do the same to the pinch roller and any rubber idlers it might have inside. And maybe tape if it has tape inside.

[@bugstomper4670]

bought a bunch of NOS Maxell XL 2 and started making mixed tapes from my CDs. Using a Sony Sports Walkman on the bus. 😅

[@fhwolthuis]

Maybe open that blue one and find out where to drill a hole in the casing

[@desnick2316]

No need to open. Since the mechanism is the same in all of them, just align it with another one and drill it.

[@fhwolthuis]

@@desnick2316 yeah, well the cases differ in size

[@Narayan_1996]

Such amazing video, Kevin! Loved every minute of it, and got to learn more about them and which ones are better to buy and which ones to avoid ♥

[@TheHammerofDissidence]

Another bangin Vwest video. I kinda want one of these with Bluetooth because I spend a lot of time listening to my JBL outside. Would be cool to listen to my tapes on it.

[@langam7017]

Fiio making a portable tape player? That's funky. They're known for pretty good DACs and Amps. My Sony WM-EX50 has the same flaw with its case. It's really not thought trough very well.

[@duskonanyavarld1786]

I can't hear difference between good dacs. I am not sure but I don't think that cassette players use dacs like cd players.

[@langam7017]

@@duskonanyavarld1786 oh I wasn't suggesting that there's a DAC in the player. Just that Fiio is known for making DACs.

[@Des_Zee]

Wowwww , that first Sony walkman you showed in the video I had that one. It was great with the TV and weather bands. Takes me back👍

[@Xeraser2]

The mechanisms for these are dirt cheap and yet most of them cost as much if not more than a modern full size player...

[@MrCosmicVictory]

what i like about the wearerewind is the built in battery, audio-in, and BLUETOOTH. its so tempting

[@raymondmartin6737]

Thanks 😊 for the tests and advice. I remember about 40 years ago when good Aiwa's had Dolby, solenoid controls and a radio with digital display.😊

[@cloneroom]

Thanks so much for all the work you have put into this much NEEDED comparison vid. It really is something we need when looking at forking out your $$ on what is literally a minefield of quality variables despite prices at either end of the scale. I just wish a quality portable tape recorder could be put to market. It is obviously a difficult ask as the market is a small one.

[@vwestlife]

Like I said, the FiiO shows promise, if only they can get the speed better calibrated.

[@gieselats]

Very interesting. Thanks for your footage. I love this kind a videos. Old audio tape equipment is getting rare. I have to look out for my two sony TC D 5 M, if they still work. Keep up the good work. I used the sony devices for my field work back in the days.

[@needfortweed8734]

And if they don't work and you can't get them fixed, they fetch a fair price on the used market...

[@Markimark151]

Even though my current Sony Walkman is still working and I use it in my newer vehicle with auxiliary, that lacks playback of any physical media like cassettes and CDs. I’m glad there’s at least few decent quality portable cassette players like the Fiio and Mulan players are worth getting for a brand new cassette player!

[@AMDRADEONRUBY]

Nice a walkman video thanks Kevin for bringing me in the past. Very interesting video

[@Rivenworld]

I like the 'We are rewind' and FIIO, but love the Realistic, great looking machine and sounds pretty good too.

[@PaulTaylor1]

I wish someone could crowdsource a new mechanism, designed by tape lovers for tape lovers.

[@Solitaire001]

I agree. One of the things that has caused me to not considering returning to cassettes is the lack of good cassette portables. While I like the way the Fiio player looks (its the way I'd like a portable cassette player to look), it the mechanism that gives me pause. One thing I'd like to see added is the option of a noise reduction equalization setting. Since Dolby Noise Reduction is no longer available to license, I'd like to see a setting which will cause the player to reduce the highs to reduce the tape hiss. Then, when recording the tapes you boost the highs (using an equalizer) by the same amount. The main difference between that and Dolby is that Dolby is only on during quiet passages.

[@PhillyFixed]

I have that exact late-model silver Sony cassette walkman that you showed at the opening of the vid.

[@peacetrain3320]

These videos have been awesome. I still rock with cassettes on my hi-fi equipment.

[@audubon5425]

I only had one cassette walkman as a kid, probably around 1987 - a bottom of the line Sanyo with no radio and no rewind. It wasn't practical to walk around with it in the city (and not hear the traffic coming at you) so I used it to play tapes while I fell asleep (mostly Beatles and Monkees.) I remember the batteries were good for about two hours of play maybe, so that got expensive for a 12 year old. Would pick one up if I ran across one again for old times sake.

[@Ryan96se]

I have found speed to usually be fast. I believe this has a lot to do with the belt and lubricants used. Just as you mentioned, they may be calibrated perfectly at the time of assembly, but after a few minutes of play, the belt tension eases and so does the viscosity of the lubricants. When I install new belts, I almost always adjust the speed a little slow. Unless it's a very high quality belt, they all almost always stretch slightly and pick up speed over time

[@Defensive_Wounds]

I could tell using my EARS the first one was the best! I have a Sanyo M1010 portable tape deck that dates back to 1980, it is like a walkman in size but has an internal speaker, mic input, internal mic, remote, headphone out, DB meter. Only mono tape heads, recording and playback. Still works somehow!!! Takes 4x AA batteries. My old 1997 Sanyo "walkman" clone died whilst sitting in a box, this was the beginning of the end of long lasting tech! Lead free solder, it apexed with the Xbow 360 with the RRoD - the solder would heat up cool heat up cool etc, then eventually the CPU would disconnect from the motherboard, thus killing the console. They fixed this, but when using lead free solder things do not last as long!!

[@dotapark]

Okay i am interested in FiiO model the most

[@paulblackman8159]

The Mulann seems pretty good, but the one thing that I do like is the very large window. Since a lot of record players were visible, many labels were very artfully done and is arguably why we see so many records today on coloured vinyl. This might be because when I was a kid I was fascinated watching records spin on the turntable, so when I found out CDs spin even faster, but most players were closed units, it hurt my feelings.

[@sunbeam8866]

Besides records, I was fascinated by watching tape-reels spin. Still am!

[@scottysunday]

Cheers for the vid. I've been recently trying to fix up an old Realistic walkman (SCP-40) and while a new belt has gotten the thing working, only ac power works, which kind of kills the portability. Fingers crossed they fix the Fiio issues

[@MrNobodysSanctuary]

Thank you for this video, it's just what I wanted to see, thumbs up!

[@kens97sto171]

Great video and I appreciate all the testing... I thought the Mulann B1000 sounded the best of all of the new ones, maybe even a bit better than the vintage ones.. seemed "warmer" sounding or something..

[@sexytasmin]

Thanks Kevin excellent video as always. The belt on my 1999 MD Walkman is still original!

[@Musicradio77Network]

I’ve never owned any of these, but the most rarest one of the bunch is the Superscope Story Teller TP-101 cassette player from the 1970’s. It only has a fast forward switch, but earlier models doesn’t, and it doesn’t rewind. If you turn the tape over, and switch it to fast forward, it would use as a rewind. The Superscope Story Teller cassette player was designed for kids, and it usually came with the Superscope Story Teller book and cassette tapes that you get back in the 1970’s.

[@markwrightrf]

The Radioshack deck passes the Amiga interpretation of stereo with flying colors

[@christopherrigby2798]

A consise and fair comparison of these four new "Walkman" that leaves it to the viewer to work out where the price Vs performance value lies so thank's for making it. If only the slot to adjust speed was getatable in the Fiio that would go a long way to replacing older well made players that are showing their age.

[@vwestlife]

The speed on the FiiO is adjustable. I'll have an update video on it soon.

[@RickySupriyadi]

when I close my eyes I can imagine my self back in that era, where night sky are full of stars, open grass breezed gentle wind passing by without sound only the sound of music i heard this walk man have superb head quality, auto replay, soft earmuff. ahhh 9pm time to go home with my bmx, next cassette will do accompany my commute home

[@krzysztofczarnecki8238]

Good to know what the wow and flutter is supposed to be, also actually measuring it after changing each thing when restoring is KEY to not making it worse. I'm glad my Sony TCS-430 is probably where it should be, as it has .22% RMS wow and flutter after doing a lot to it. Funnily enough with the old belt, as the new ones from Decktech (specifically for it) and from Aliexpress (assorted) were actually worse. So I can finally not muck about with it, as it sounds OK to me. I had to: -glue the broken off rear capstan bearing back in place (I was like ha ha, oh come on when I saw it, probably a good enough reason to throw it away) -relap the motor commutator because it was emitting too much purely magnetic noise (even when powered from an entirely separate battery I could hear the motor in the headphones when I placed it roughly where it should be, without even touching the metal parts with it, but couldn't find a new motor), -change the rubber idler that drives the reel in play mode (that one was hard to find, so I tried 3D printing it. Right flexibility and size, but zero traction due to being TPU and not rubber. Used what I think was some water pipe gasket in the end), -restore globs of solder where the screws attach the mechanism to the PCB actually connect to ground, to decrease motor noise, -3D print a rubber motor damper, because the old one was so soft the belt would fall off, -lubricate the motor and capstan with 50-50 mix of watch mechanism oil and 5W30 engine oil, and the rest just with engine oil, -change some capacitors in the motor driver, -clean switches and pots, -bend the pinch roller holder tip a little to make the pinch roller press more onto the capstan (the end of the holder acts as a spring), -lose several retaining clips and find new ones that fit, because it happens, -change the belts, but I only kept the new counter belt since that was missing entirely and the older capstan belt is better, -change the microphone cable as that was broken, reattach the speaker many times as it kept coming off as I opened it and closed for each of the other things, clean and demagnetize things of course, adjust head azimuth with a We Love Analog calibration tape and an oscilloscope, rearrange some cables to make motor less audible, but it's old so it's still slightly hearable,but less so with an actual tape inserted, let it run overnight on a few occasions to let the belts and stuff run themselves in and become less wowy, and then calibrate speed again. And I got it from 2% wow and flutter (after gluing the bearing back in place and changing the motor mount) to 0.22%ish (after everything else). And it sounds good enough to listen to without suffering, even the recordings made with it, and I'm fed up with repairing it. Also most of it is wow rather than flutter, so it's not too annoying. So yeah, getting a Walkman to work once it doesn't can be just a belt change, byt it can be everything else than that. Which is why it's so annoying the new mechanisms are at very best only as bad as a 40 year old one with a broken and reattached capstan bearing and 3D printed parts. I also have a transparent Chinese Tanashin clone player that had about 0.35% wow and flutter when new, but now it has about 0.8% after letting it run for a few hours thinking it will get better. And in terms of sound it has like just the mids and hiss, so not a recommended buy at all.

[@ry491]

Why so expensive . They all seem to cost far too much . Glad there is still interest in tapes though . I love them .

[@itogi]

There is no good reason why they are expensive, they are all made with cheap OEM mechs cloned from Tanashin's design.

[@RealEpikCartfrenYT]

Nostalgia drive is the main reason why they are so damn expensive. Middle aged men craving to get a piece of their youth back. I bet these are all made in the same factory by the same OEM.

[@RealEpikCartfrenYT]

​@@itogithe worse thing is that the mechs would have been better if they kept the full auto-stop functionality of an actual Tanashin mechanism instead of having a plunger based tension trigger as the only form of auto-stop. The idler on the real Tanashin mech also acts as a safeguard against having your tape eaten. These walkmans will eventually eat your tapes as soon as the belts fail.

[@SianaGearz]

I don't think anything vaguely around $50 is too expensive at all. It is a mechanical device after all, the ony way to make them cheaper over time ever since the 80s is to make them worse. There are a lot of parts with different manufacturing methods and a lot of assembly and QC required, which is getting ever more expensive, since hands are getting more expensive worldwide, and unlike pure electronics, you can't just buy a robot from Japan to build a 600 of them an hour for you. Then you have the problem that if you start offering a nicer more expensive device, the cost shoots up since there will be so much fewer people buying it, so any setup costs weigh down the product more. You'd wish for higher quality at a reasonable price but there just isn't money in that.

[@redmanu]

I love my We Are Rewind. I like a lot FiiO, I think I'll buy it in the future.

[@veganguy74]

Great video! I know this isn’t particularly important compared to everything else about these players, but the design of the We Are Rewind player bothers me in that they couldn’t get the tape reels centered in the lower half of the circular window, or rather, didn’t adjust the design a bit to get the window’s lower half centered on the reels. The other players with windows seem to have done a better job with that in their designs.

[@MrEtonmess]

Thanks for the memory jog. Many hours spent listening to my Walkman. Not a care in the world. Just the music. Those were the days.

[@automatedelectronics6062]

Cool. Thank you! I'm gonna have to dig out my 2 personal cassette players. I've got a Sanyo auto-reverse model, considerably larger than others and I have a Sony Sports Walkman with radio. Have you seen how much these are going for now? Astounding! Maybe I'll have to sell my Sony. The last few times I used it was at football games to hear the play-by-play.

[@EastAngliaUK]

nice to see the much better HD camera back

[@JEEPSTR78]

One thing I thought I would mention to all the cassette lovers out there looking to entertain in your automobile like myself with old mix tapes. I have tried many vintage and newer portable cassette players & they all go crazy with my cell phone transmitting electrical interference. I had to place my iphone in the drivers side door tray with the player on the passenger seat & even still it was intermittent. Recently I purchased the "We Are Rewind". Its been great in the car! Maybe it has something to do with the metal case as a shielding or better internal circuity but it sounds great with it plugged into the AUX port (3.5mm jack) there’s plenty of volume and bass.

[@Jfd540]

Love your channel Kevin one of the few I still watch.

[@ThexthSurvivor]

Holy shit I had no idea old walkmans were selling for such insane prices. I have three that still work that I haven't used in years. Definitely will sell now. Thanks!

[@casualsuede]

When my friends went to Japan in the 1980's, many of them came back with a Walkman that looked futuristic and sounded amazing.

[@6ettinold]

My son wanted a Walkman-esque player. We spotted a boxed Ferguson ( budget 1980's brand here in the UK ) model in a local charity shop for £30. It had clearly never been used. It is from around 1983-4. Unbelievably it plays perfectly. I put some Energiser AA lithium batteries in it as there is no danger of them leaking & have given him strict instructions to look after it.

[@mercuryoak2]

It's good they're making stereo Walkman still.. I have a vintage Emerson from the 90s that I like because it has the FM and AM radio bass boost . The only thing that sucks on it is the Auto stop doesn't work that good anymore. It was the typical personal stereo that you would see at Ames department stores and Caldor. When I get a bigger place thankfully I have stored away a pioneer Auto rewind play dual cassette deck as well as a sansui cassette deck. I hope to stack these with my Optimus linear tracking turntable. And then I'll have a nice stereo set up when I find for the right price a receiver. Anyways good review and in depth as always.

[@mayankkakkar2945]

Great video and very timely for folks who might rush into buying any new arrivals assuming that all new would be great. Thanks! On another note for folks having old equipment in great physical condition, it will be extremely helpful to point to sources of bels, pinch rollers for restoration and, and, most importantly where can we get these Test Tapes for calibration restored equipment

[@thinkgeeks]

restoration of junk walkmans is a business, the cost can be higher than the new player (for example, a CX20084 for sony D6C now costs over 100$+, and every D6C will fail in that way).

[@pikaporeon]

Just clicked and cant wait to see what's up here, been looking for a way to bring my old Stompin Tom tapes on dog walks and road trips

[@jeskoumm]

As someone who never owned a cassette player- my second ever mobile music player was an iPod nano- I don’t know what to say about Today’s recommended….what other AIs are there on KZbin

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

My biggest gripe is that a lot of these new portable cassette players is their freaking Lithium Ion battery...... for the love of god, why can't they just make them run on standard AA batteries? >_> I'd rather use recharable AAs or standard Alkaline AAs than having to carry around a potential fire hazard cuz of these darn Lithium Ion Batteries. Also THANK YOU for this latest report on the modernday portable cassetteplayer front, Kevin. The WeAreRewind player, although looking the sweetest (Well yeah i LOVE orange) really sounded the worst. My god what a muffled sound with harsh high frequencies that sounds like digital audio at low samplerates.... I wonder if they even bother adjusting the tapehead azimuth at all before shipping? Even the Tomashi sounded clearer in comparison. But the wow and flutter is unacceptable.

[@audubon5425]

Im actually impressed how well the RCA worked. I remember seeing those in the stores back then (Wal Mart?) and thinking it must be cheap crap - Ive been wrong before lol

[@vwestlife]

Show me a "budget Walkman that has been refurbished for $50 that will sound great" and I'll buy it and do a direct comparison with these players to see if that's really true, or just glorified memories.

[@audubon5425]

@vwestlife well, we know time is money, so $50 is out of the question. But mattcorbyny1 said it best there. It is a shame for someone to lay out $150 for something that performs like a $15.99 machine from the 80's.

[@vwestlife]

@@audubon5425 The cheapest Walkman-type player that Radio Shack sold was $19.95 in 1989. That's equal to around $50 in today's money -- about the same as the new Mulann model that I recommended. And unlike that cheap 1980s player, it actually rewinds.

[@sunbeam8866]

Remember 'Durabrand'?

[@ConsumerDV]

@@vwestlife The last Sony Walkman sold in the U.S. was $29 in 2008, this is $42 in today's money. It could fast forward and rewind, and had autostop. No autoreverse. No tape type selector. No Dolby. But it had AM/FM radio. It was slimmer than the Mulann and worked from one AA cell for 30 hours.

[@JohnAranita]

My first portable cassette player was a Sears house brand. I got it in 1983. It did not have a rewind function, but I did not care in my freshman year in high school.

[@alliejr]

I actually like their response. Clear. Honest. Factual.

[@RoryEwanTan-gv3jx]

I am sticking to my Sharp 722 MD player and record . Crystal clear sound.

[@ALEXUNARGENTINOMEXICO]

I still have one, and I have some cassettes where I recorded my songs, those are so beautiful!

[@johanvanhuyssteen9217]

Thank you, thank you so much!

[@NicolasMelis]

thanks so much for the comparison

[@romulosendoromulo]

Excellent content, thank you very much

[@cofremusicalderarezas6735]

If I had to choose a modern Walkman, I would go with Mulaan or Fiio. But that Walkman Realistic from the 80s is still very good, and that RCA is not bad at all, despite its age.

[@itogi]

More like "Ooops, all Tanashin clones"

[@eddiewillers1]

Just what I was thinking - I mean, like, WTF? Tanashin mechanisms are not known for their quality and as the only surviving mfr of cassette mechs, it's not like there's a choice when it comes to what's under the hood.

[@itogi]

@@eddiewillers1 At this point, it's just clones (or even clones of clones), so it's even WORSE than Tanashin's quality.

[@RealEpikCartfrenYT]

​​@@eddiewillers1Tanashin mechanisms are actually reliable. Most boomboxes had watered down clones of them ever since the beginning of their existence back in 1986! That's why I like my Panasonic boombox so much, because it has a genuine Tanashin mechanism that actually protects your tape from being eaten as it plays it. Immediate auto-stop as soon as anything happens to the tape.

[@thinkgeeks]

tanashin is actually more durable, more reliable than Sony DD, DD may be good at low wow&flutter, but worse at everything else.

[@LudovicoOperti]

I've got the We Are Rewind one, and I have to say that it sounds very good, with unnoticeable flutter (no distorsion on pianos and guitars at all). My biggest concern is about the recording quality: I didn't expect much from a permanent magnet setup but... omg my ears...

[@apl175]

Although Sundays used to be my relax day with a new VWestlife video, I'm glad you started posting more on Monday, as it makes the trauma of the start of the week (working from home) a bit easier to bear.

[@PeterAmby]

Thank you for the comparison and video. I really hope to see a premium "walkman" in the near future. It's crazy that we can't buy a decent one! Really disappointed with the Fiio and WAR. Was thinking about buying the Fiio, but changed my mind after this video. Please post the response from Fiio. Really interested in their response.

[@krzysztofczarnecki8238]

I'm glad I managed to get my old Sony to about as much wow and flutter than Fiio before it came out, as I was legitimately thinking about getting a Fiio. And now I'm not. Honestly though, buy a good used deck. But best check the heads in person, as my deck currenlty waits for newer heads to show up on Ebay eventually for less than I got it for.

[@FarrellMcGovern]

As someone who owned probably close to a dozen different "walkmen" type cassette machines, and had hundreds of tapes, the biggest thing I can see is the lack of Dolby noise reduction. Anyone who really appreciates music can instantly tell the difference between a Dolby and nonDolby encoded playback. Add to that, Dolby does compress the sound in recording, and expand it in play back so you have a better amount of dynamic range...although the quality of the tape these days will probably be lacking, Dolby noise reduction would help a lot.

[@atrac88]

Snap, Crackle & Pop vs. Wow & Flutter. How did we survive? I was reborn when CD’s came out.

[@SHUPIRATE1991]

Great and thorough video

[@laranaarana]

The best cassette player I ever owned was an Optimus SCP-43 that I purchased on 1990 when it was on Sale for $100. If it hadn't wall from my shirt pocket I would still have it with me.

[@frankowalker4662]

Great review. To my ears they all sounded the same. (40+ years of loud music does that). However, I did learn that my PC outputs are wired up wrong. lol. Thank you.

[@SianaGearz]

They use the same tapehead so they REALLY shouldn't sound very different at all. It's not your ears.

[@frankowalker4662]

@@SianaGearz Yeah, but it also depends on the amplifier circuitry. If they all used the same circuit board too, then there should be no difference at all. So that would also explain it.

[@SianaGearz]

@@frankowalker4662 Amplifiers running into a line input are generally well behaved so you don't expect there to be much of a difference even if they threw together their own. With headphone driving there's more room for difference. The de-emphasis circuit has been copied around more than innovated upon, things sort of just congealed into a certain way of building things, so while differences here are possible, they don't just come about naturally, unless someone put up a ton of R&D, even if they taped out a new board, it's still going to be effectively the same.

[@andrewlittleboy8532]

Yep, they all sounded terrible. Not you ears.

[@frankowalker4662]

I had'nt wired up my PC audio wrong. The cheap Chinese audio lead I bought was wired wrong. LOL

[@robertgaines-tulsa]

I didn't notice anything unusual with the Tomashi. I don't know if it's because I'm 45 years old. I never had high end decks, though. By the time I was an adult, the cassette was on its way out. It could be I just don't expect much out of cassettes. I'm not sure why you'd expect high fidelity out of cassette when digital has you covered at least with the compact disc. When I listen to cassettes, I expect some wow and flutter to it to give it that tape sound that I grew up with as I consider it to just be a novelty media anymore. It's like if you expect digital quality sound out of a record and you don't have money to burn, you're going to be disappointed.

[@MiguelDuranoatgoogle]

Great and seems a rather honest comparison, thanks for this! What's the software you are using for measuring W&F, please? Thanks

[@Aeduo]

I think that small black one had a bit clearer sound with the symbols versus the we are rewind unit in the test track you played... And the sibilance of the person speaking haha.

[@IVR02]

That opening segment reminded me that I need to get the belts replaced on at least one of my Walkmen. I've got several, and all of them need new belts. I just haven't gotten around to changing any of the belts, mostly for fear of half-assing the replacement.

[@enamuossuo]

One thing those new players/recorders did to me is that now I'm more interested in looking for older devices with slimmer designs and possibly better sound.