Mystik: New portable tape player by RTM (prototype) tested & compared

Introducing "Mystik", the new walkman or portable cassette / tape player from Recording the Masters (RTM) the leading reel-to-reel tape producer in Europe based on the famous BASF and Agfa recipes. Soon they will be lauching a Kickstarter campaign to create the final and enhanced version of the prototype we are testing and comparing in this video. Tape is definitely back!
:: TEST
Mystek: 6:23
Digitnow! (BR602): 12:16
Ion Tape Express: 15:35
Sony WM-EX615: 19:22
:: SPECS
Mystik
Stereo
Freq. resp: 40Hz-11Khz (Type 1 tape)
Signal-to-noise ratio: 50db
Distorsion: 1%
Wow & Flutter: 0,3%
Headphone output power: 2x2 mW on 32ohms
Digitnow! & ION Tape Express
N/A
Sony EX615
Stereo
Freq. resp. 30Hz-18Khz
Power output: 5mW/channel x 2 (@16 ohms)
Impedence load headphones: 8-300ohms
N.B. Forgot to mention that the Mystik has a speed and an azimuth alignment screw!
Check out my videos on walkmans: • THE NOMADIC AUDIOPHILE...
MYSTIK Kickstarter page: www.kickstarte...
You can buy the prototype version from the French blog here: walkman-la-toi...
#Walkman #Cassette #Mystik

[@anadialog]

MYSTIK Kickstarter page: www.kickstarter.com/projects/rtm2020/mystik-a-next-generation-portable-cassette-player?ref=ksr_email_user_watched_project_launched

[@XinnerthD]

This is expensive stupid and ugly shit. Old players is the best!

[@john005_]

Has it succeeded in 2021?

[@john005_]

@@XinnerthD would you elaborate in how it is not very good? I would like to get a decent player

[@XinnerthD]

@@john005_ just look at panasonic rq sx5, sony wm-ex5, sony wm 20, and others.

[@john005_]

@@XinnerthD i will, can i find them for the same cost as this? I had a cheap cassette player as a kid but it disappeared. I consider myself beginner, so i want to limit the amount of maintenance I would need to do. I will verify your models.

[@luciousbrun5437]

I think everyone is hoping for a top notch walkman. I'd buy one. I love cassette tape music.

[@christoskastoras1799]

The time when I consider cassettes to be back is when proper cassette decks are made again

[@cruzingrsx4484]

Man I remember my top of the line Sony Walkman. I would use it daily at work and it sounded awesome. Lone live analog!

[@christophschuermann6512]

Cool video! I had a great time with a Sony WM-D6C walkman. It looks like the 80's never end....i love it :-).

[@anadialog]

Thanks Christoph! I agree, it's a golden retro moment! Special for who was actually alive during the 80's

[@GTI1dasOriginal]

"We from the development department, surely hope you enjoy our new product. Best regards, Mr. Wow and Dr. Flutter"

[@anadialog]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@stevesstuff1450]

At least the RTM new model was better than the other cheap players - except for the Sony, which was rock solid and very stable, as far as W&F.... Vwestlife did a review of one of these a few days ago, and his model of the RTM was even better with the audible W&F - it sounded great, with no audible, and when he ran test-tones through it, it came up as per spec (not great, admittedly) and sounded decent, with no nasty W&F either... so I think that maybe these 'prototype' units are not all equal at the moment.

[@anadialog]

I did a speed and wow and flutter test on my own and I got the same risults, 3040/3015hz. I think the type of music I used made the issue, which isn't that bad, more evident.

[@richardcush9161]

You know, I would just would like one of the cassette players to at least not be made out of flimsy plastic. I always love the cassette players made out of metal like the sony WM-f10 or tps-l2 as those are fantastic classic players!

[@anadialog]

I agree 100%

[@thesherlockhound]

That's cool. I'm glad companies are making more high quality versions of these again. The only really good cheap Walkman out there is probably the Jensen one. It's a bit cheaply made but it plays tapes at least very decent for the price, about $20 at most at Target, which is actually really reasonable. It also has a radio on it too so there's that.

[@christronicsdereksrandomness36]

I agree with you on the Jensen walkmans. Although ive noticed that the 2018 model sounds worse than the 2019 model. Which I own both so i can easily verify that.

[@thesherlockhound]

@@christronicsdereksrandomness36 Yeah. I managed to fix mine and now it's doing well (new batteries and an adjustment in the speed adjustment screw in the back). It hasn't given me any trouble so far.

[@christronicsdereksrandomness36]

@@thesherlockhound Thats good to hear!

[@spicetbedhead]

I love what the play became. The best playing one 1️⃣ out of so many out right now and how tiny it is makes it even better❤❤😊

[@jeandejazz6426]

So much for cassette players! But that group ! Calibro 35. They're great stuff! Excellent jazz-movie style music ! Thanks for making me discover this great Italian? Group. I'm now a fan. Salutations from Canada.

[@anadialog]

That's positive!

[@peepers4763]

I’m old enough to remember high end cassette recorders. I also remember the screw on battery compartment on the Sony. For now, streaming is the winner for me.

[@majortom_223]

it's a pity that the kickstarter has not advanced, it was a good idea, they wanted to do something good

[@imnotangry7594]

I highly recommend buying 91~96’s Japanese Walkman because the late 90’s models are using plastic wheels to capstans. Therefore, It makes a big wow and flatters when you shake the Walkman. However, there is some cool Walkman in the late 90’s~early 2000. For example, WM-EX20 and WM-EX2000. These Walkmen have “MEGA SURROUND”. I have never tried these before but that sounds amazing.

[@anadialog]

Thanks!

[@chuheihkg]

I personally have a workable retro player known as D6C, It seems if for purely playing , can be outstanding. If I need record new tapes then I will have to find a better deck to do it. Since the Mystik might be able to deal with one real problem except battery , If this happens ,then I might need using france code to deal with that.

[@18000rpm]

If you want that 70s B movie feel that Super USB player is great!

[@anadialog]

🤣🤣🤣

[@ФилиппЛыков-д8е]

The stick battery in the Sony player (NC 6WM) is a Ni-MH one rather than Li-ion or Li-pol.

[@anadialog]

Yes, you are completely right! I realized I made a mistake immediately after I said that! Thanks for pointing that out!

[@LyndonSoulGroove]

Very enjoyable, i've been a fan of your channel for a few years now. In the Late 90's to me I got the last drop of quality from cassettes, in those days my car had a cassette deck so i made recordings from Vinyl & CD & was amazed at the quality with Metal / Crome tapes, I remember also in 2001 buying a quality sony walkman, to replace my 1987 walkman, i have looked after this similar to the one in your video, unfortunately i had it out recently & stopped working, i guess its the Belt so will have to get service manual & replace belt ! within a few years ( in 2003 ) i invested in a CD recorder which i used to record off air FM & from Vinyl. I do recall haw bad the pre- recorded cassettes were compaered to the ones i had recorded in real time. Was impressed by the sound of you tape test in this video & think the so called proto type made a good stable flutter free reproduction. thanks again

[@anadialog]

Thanks man and thanks for sharing your experience! It is difficult to serve these devices but once done its portable heaven, especially the high end models!

[@aldo9887]

ANA DIA LOG : un’altra splendida recensione, quale Tu solo sai regalarci.- Lo stupore nostro quindi, non ci coglie impreparati, sapendo a priori che la Tua descrizione dei piccoli riproduttori di cassette, sarà ben lungi dall’annoiarci, offrendoci anzi nuovi orizzonti, di ciò che quel supporto può ancora rivelarci.- Grazie da Aldo.-

[@anadialog]

Aldo ma adesso mi commmenti anche in rima...ma sei un poeta!! Grazie!

[@erwindewit4073]

Well, what I did understand from Techmoan is that there are lots of bad Tanashin transports, but also some reasonably good ones. He had one in a Japanese made Sony boombox of recent years. But it's quite likely indeed that this cool walkman is indeed Tanashin based. Who's going to really design a new transport from the ground up right? But I AM going to run with your tip for a good, affordable 90s Walkman though! To be used next to 3 Nakamichi's ;) Thank!!

[@SianaGearz]

It's not Tanashin. Just compare the stampings. It's the same transport used in $10 Cassette-to-USB/MP3 players from China like the one that makes appearance in this video - well not entirely identical, but you'll find so many identical pieces that you have to conclude that it's from the same manufacture. NOT TANASHIN, worse than Tanashin. Stop repeating the lie that Tanashin is the only mechanism. It's the only mechanism used in boom boxes, but this is a compact mechanism, not a full size one.

[@williamsmith2761]

I like the sound of the first one . I would buy it.

[@joshuab8633]

Glad I got the jump on the cassette resurrection. That being said, while not being an audiophile or needing to buy the top of the line electronics, even I know that you should stick to a refurbished EX walkman or other notable models by other manufacturers. Just got a Sanyo M-V40K boombox this morning and I cant wait to clean it up. It plays perfectly and I'll nickname it " 'Ol Reliable" given that it can be a bit wonky sometimes, but a little fiddling always makes it work out well in the end.

[@jeffrey2xtreme195]

Glad to hear you joined the community😁

[@chuheihkg]

Me too, but my mission was finding a suitable being to backup old tapes as many as possible (D6C is one of examples). Now, Because of some special demands, I now need a workable recorder to get my business started.

[@LetThereBeSound1]

Whoa! The RTM unit is running at what I would call "Speedy Gonzales" tempo compared to the Sony! Please compare both players by skipping back and forth between say, minute 6:42 (RTM Mystik) and 19:42 (Sony) and you will hear the substantial difference in speed. If you do this of course you should also notice a more "brittle" sound reproduction on the cheaper player. The Sony by far is the more organized, natural, relaxed sounding player. I also hear more lower frequency even though thus far I am only monitoring through my laptop. Also, I sense a bit less tape his with the Sony during playback. Clearly proof positive that the high frequency on the Mystik player is tipped up. Great video nonetheless. Thanks for taking the time ANA[DIA]LOG!!! P.S. Please note I did not even bother mentioning the other two players because they are not worth mentioning. They were truly deplorable.

[@anadialog]

True...thanks for pointing that out!

[@LetThereBeSound1]

@@anadialog You're very welcome. I guess it's something else you want to point out to the fine folks at RTM. Over than that, like you say, with some mechanical tweaking and a cosmetic makeover I think we have a real winner here!

[@StevenS757]

In VWestlife's recent review video of this prototype, he pointed out that there is a motor speed adjustment screwhole on the back of the unit, so if yours is running fast you can adjust it. However, the one he received was running pretty much at the correct speed out of the box.

[@KlaasDeforche]

In this case we can really say they don't make them like they used to.

[@stephendeluca4479]

Usually you can't detect much difference in sound over KZbin, but in this video each player is so much different from the others that it was very clear to me that the Sony blew the others out of the water. And speaking of water, that's what the Agptek device sounded like it was under.

[@anadialog]

In fact, that is why this time I did not put the rips for download.

[@agustin1990alarcon]

@anadialog Thanks for introducing Calibro 35! What a great band! I fell in love with their albums, greetings from Chile!

[@anadialog]

Yes, the are amazing!

[@dattallaudiophile236]

Dude! Gotta thank you for recommending Calibro 35. Just listened to them. Absolutely fantastic!

[@anadialog]

Great!

[@wildbilltexas]

I really hope RTM can improve the Mystek's sound quality, because it sounded shrill and cheap while the Sony Walkman was very smooth with far more definition and separation. I also hope they'll keep it affordable instead of price gouging. BTW what Mp3 bitrate does the ION use for recording? Most are (crap) 128 kbps.

[@anadialog]

Well, the Ion can import the files with a good software also in WAV with CD quality, not bad.

[@wildbilltexas]

@@anadialog Thats good, I might pick one up. I have a lot of old airchecks from my radio days that I want to digitize.

[@huhummmmmmm]

@@wildbilltexas Reminds me of kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmjNYZute9l-aqM

[@Projacked1]

dont listen to mp3, period. bad for the ears.

[@huhummmmmmm]

@@Projacked1 Meh. Nonsense.

[@jeffrey2xtreme195]

I hope this new walkman gets released soon😊

[@carolleenkelmann3829]

Whoopee! I'll be into this. I still have my old Sony Professional and spillt fruit juice on it and couldn't get it fixed. The Agency flatly refused because it of the digital technology replacing the analogue. And NOW. Thank you for this tape.

[@tookitogo]

Carolle Enkelmann Go on eBay and buy a used Sony. The current ones are guaranteed to disappoint you.

[@chuheihkg]

It is sadly hearing this. Many people refuse repair these purely analogue things. Five months ago, I have received a retro player known as D6C, The first question is, all normal but coming with one major problem, playing too fast, later on, finding many things broken to get major fixed and restored. That messager warns me must be careful or his cyclop master refuse my asking anymore.

[@chuheihkg]

@@tookitogo Used Sony in 1980s has some issues such as bias fixed, might be a reason why cannot get something as close as listening . Because of being considerate and more testings, I think the purposed recorder might be a good idea as the being is designed by who makes tapes.

[@tookitogo]

KENNETH的遊戲頻道 LEETUMBRAGAMES Except it’s not really. Maaaaaaaybe they had some influence on the circuit design, but they had zero control over the mechanical design and the heads. You can pair the best electronics with a crap tape transport and heads, and it’ll be just slightly less crappy. But it’ll never be as good as a high quality player from the 80s or 90s that’s in good condition.

[@chuheihkg]

@@tookitogo When one thing solved, another thing appear. I have my D6C, the playing of course, is more outstanding than Deck , we perhaps know how heavy, how crazy the box is. For recording part, I'm afraid that model has fixed bias which I rarely understand, Perhaps someone might help with, at least can tune for SM900 based Fox C60 (type-I) , TDK SA at least?

[@sting64az]

I know this was 11 months ago... Is this model Mystik out now and has it improved from the proto-type you demonstrated?...

[@anadialog]

Unfortunately tye kickstarter did not make the pledge...no Mystik for now :-(

[@sting64az]

@@anadialog I have a Sony DD2 but the center gear needs replacing as it makes a noise and tape gets tangle.. I need to find someone to fix it for me.. I seen the parts on eBay no very pricey... This unit be well worth fixing as it is in nice condition with original protective case.. I found it at a local Goodwill for $5.00 awhile back...

[@hemantparakh8995]

The Mystik Walkman has an amazing Fast Forward speed

[@ΣήθΔειμος]

I was looking at the AD-850 (combined CD/cassette player with a USB interface for recording the latter) by Teac a while back and thought it looked decent, but when I checked the more detailed specs saw that it only rips mp3s at 128kb... which is exactly the same as the USB cassette recorders you find on Amazon. I'd expect the deck itself to better, obviously, but it amazes me that they'd put out something costing (at this time) just under £400 that's as limited in terms of format/rip quality.

[@kevinh96]

I am sure someone could come up with a stylish looking portable cassette player, with auto reverse, a playback noise reduction system similar to Tascam's, bass boost etc. The problem isn't the design, it's the mechanism. Like it or not the only mechanisms available are from Tanashin and they just aren't a patch on even most budget mechanisms from the 80s and 90s. Sony and Tascam both manage to get decent performance out of Tanashin mechanisms in their latest boomboxes and tapedecks but a good part of that is probably down to their own electronics, and maybe their engineers having some say in tweaking the mechanisms themselves for better performance. Unless RTM are able to have some major input into that side of things I can't see it being any better performance wise than the prototype. Time will tell though.

[@anadialog]

I truly hope that they are reading your comments and taking notes...fingers crossed!

[@michaelmartin9022]

I got an old Panasonic boombox for free (the CD player is broken) with what looks like the Tanashin mechanism in (it has that curly spring), it sounds pretty good but, as you said, it's probably down to the electronics. When I get a good deck for my "proper" system I'm going back to the 80's!

[@tookitogo]

ANA[DIA]LOG It also doesn’t help that Dolby will not license Dolby noise reduction any more. Somebody makes a clone of Dolby B (what’s used in the new Tascam), but Dolby C and S are absolutely impossible to incorporate now. :(

[@Solitaire001]

@@tookitogo That' unfortunate, and will prevent many people from properly enjoying cassettes. I wonder if, instead of Dolby Noise Reduction, a new Noise Reduction Standard option could be introduced involving a simple increase in the highs during recording and the same reduction in the highs during playback. However, unlike with Dolby it would always be on. It would be much like the RIAA curve for LPs/45s.

[@EmergencyChannel]

There is only one cassette mechanism manufacturer left, so these all probably have the same tape mechanism (besides the Sony obviously) but just different guts for amplification.

[@Badassvidsz]

Great video as always i do love cassettes :-)

[@JaiKumar-bh1np]

Amazing presentation. Thank you

[@sonhouse9636]

Hello, I have a lot of Japanese re-releases of jazz records (prestige, blue note, Atlantic, ...) bought in the early 80's in France. The covers of these discs are luxuriously conform to the originals, but what are these discs worth in terms of sound quality? I guess it's good, do you have any idea ? I no longer have a turntable to listen to these records but I really want to taste this hearing pleasure again. Thanks

[@sonhouse9636]

I owned a simple direct drive technics turntable and Shure M97HE cartridge at that time.

[@anadialog]

Japanese pressings are highly sought for. In most cases they are superior to the original releases also because they worked with the original master tapes. Keep them tight and get a good cart to make them sing!

[@venturarodriguezvallejo9777]

A good try from the newcomers. But they can do it better, as you say. The comparison with a REAL Walkman by SONY is quite deffinitive (and a good guide for beginners).

[@metalheadmalta]

Have been a Sony Walkman fan since day one when they released their original WM. I'd say that the Mystik, Digitnow and Ion have SERIOUS wow and flutter concerns... won't get anywhere close to those! The Sony was far better in audio quality and pitch as well... No comparison. Sadly, one of the things that always bugged me when buying original tapes (of which I had a huge lot), was that the quality of the recording was not always on par for the course.... I remember buying albums by Polygram/Mercury (example: Hold your fire by RUSH), and it was absolutely horrible. I recall taking the tape back and asking for another.... only to discover it was the same. There was no consistency at all. Jet Records (Ozzy Osbourne), had awesome quality for example, same as Deep Purple and Iron Maiden (Polydor and EMI respectively)... this turned me to vinyl... I still listen to tapes and vinyl when the mood hits me. But having a high quality sound card (in my case an external) SoundBlaster Live!24bit makes listening to digital far more enjoyable.

[@john005_]

@ANA[DIA]Log Will you cover the upcoming WeAreRewind project for new cassette tape player? It seems that only one youtuber did a review of the kickstarter for now, unfortunately in spanish. I cannot understand much. (Francisco R. T.)

[@anadialog]

I did see that some weeks or months ago...doesn't seem very promising and quite bulky...but hey, it's a start!

[@lesrogers7310]

Great review and thank you for that. Please take care with the dust cover on your AT-LP120. Sliding items on and off it will lead to lots of marks in the plastic.

[@anadialog]

Thanks, well, its a little late for that! ;-)

[@pokingjoe]

I have my Sony Walkman WM -EX 512 this is vintage Quality! It plays every Day still in 2020!

[@bawkray]

Is the mic input stereo? I want to get a portable walkman that I can record mixtapes with

[@anadialog]

Then go Sony. Possibly the Pro Walkman. This new stuff is truly inaudible in terms of quality. Plus, you need a VU meter to correctly record on tape.

[@bawkray]

@@anadialog a little out of my price range 😅 could you send me a link for this tape player? I don't need the recording function but I do want an affordable portable tape player

[@anadialog]

Yes, they are expensive, especially now, but it's a great investment. Justbsearch eBay or similar sites for the Sony WM-D6C...otherwise something larger like a Marantz PMD 430

[@bawkray]

@@anadialog I've found a tcm-150 in my price range. It says it has stereo mic input, and the price is high enough to not make me uncomfortable. I'm not an audiophile by any means, I'll be listening through $100 headphones. What do you think? Will this work at all?

[@anadialog]

That is for voice recording memos. The quality is going to be painful. I am not sure it has a line input. If you like music and like it to be faithful, not corrupted by distortion and noise, then you are an audiophile. If not, then a mono Walkman on Amazon will do!

[@raymondcpl]

I used to own several Aiwa 'personal stereos' which were really good.... much better than Sony had during the period...

[@benitostudiosofficial8701]

Does the prototype records on stereo?

[@anadialog]

Yes

[@benitostudiosofficial8701]

@@anadialog is there any way i can buy it?

[@anadialog]

Right here: walkman-la-toile-sur-ecoute.myshopify.com/

[@benitostudiosofficial8701]

@@anadialog Thanks! Anyways sadly it's sold out.

[@anadialog]

Oh! I am sorry...I did see it elsewhere...don't remember now...try hunting!

[@tovarischdiogen8968]

I agree, Sony is a way much better then anything before it in this video. But.. second and third.. waw how bad they are ! :) And thanks for new music :) I will research for.

[@owenkenny6263]

Where can I find the French bundle?

[@anadialog]

They didn't make it in the end but the prototype is for sale here: store.recordingthemasters.com/products/b-1000ew-walkman

[@RedWolf777SG]

Personally, I'll stick to Walkmans from the 80s to 90s. My red Awia HS-P07 Cassetteboy, still sounds great. Nevertheless, I hope their crowd funding project works out for them. I might buy one, if it's sounds good enough to add to my collection. No matter how good the build quality is, if it doesn't have any form of Noise Reduction build into it. Like Dolby. It's not going to matter much.

[@Retroaria]

Nice, where's the kickstarter link?

[@anadialog]

They haven't released it yet...it will be in the video description ASAP.

[@Nichtmoslem999]

does it have a chrome, metal EQ switch ??

[@anadialog]

Nope!

[@Josillusion]

Thank you so much for this review. I hope you're gonna test the future walkman from the brand We Are Rewing (which is still in pre-sale now). I think I'm gonna buy the RTM for now ! Really great video !

[@anadialog]

The RTM did not succeed in its Kickstarter crowd funding. No production. :-(

[@johneygd]

I,ve seen millions of these BS overhyping retro kickstarter campaines before whether it’s a now modern looking finyl record player or a double double deck cassette player etc,,,along with modern features on it ,,,, it’s everytime the same old story over and over and over again, trying to hit the mass by producing it as cheapass as possible,, and with that sad i will say to those reviewers “ please stop being overhyped in the beginning and then being reasonably sad at the ending” because as just as i predicted,, this product will be not much better ,and i promise you that even if they will make it better it will never hold a candle against those professional products of it in fact you better off getting 2nd hand products from the 80’s, and yes i can understand that they would weight between quality & costs trying to hit the mass ,but i say but still,,, my problem is that those low lifespan cheapass products could ruin your vinyl recordings or cassette tapes and/or ruin those digitized recordings ,as what i see it’s a shameful business these days and so we should stop funding those BS kickstarter campaines,i don’t care how expensive a modern pro version will cost i prefer wuality over quantity!!!

[@anadialog]

I am with you on the last sentence (and not only that)...but that's an audiophile point of view, I guess! ;-)

[@nickfrench7372]

I have a couple of Sony logical recording walkmans I had bought more than 20 years ago,,,,one of them still works as it should with the remote control headset cord. The other walkman won't play due to the mode switch playing up,,but the radio still works well. Both do have auto reverse recording. Only had to replace the belts once,,and re-adjusted motor speed. At least the sound,,without too much bass,,,sounds nice and clear,,one of them I bought new,,back in 2000. Models are wm-gx670 and 677. Auto reverse recording models with am/fm stereo radio.

[@itxofficial8281]

Thanks for finally convincing me why I should NEVER EVER buy one of those Amazon Walkmans!!

[@anadialog]

🤣

[@haroldfarthington7492]

I own that one. The super usb one. Wanted to look into getting a Sony direct drive. Thought the song d6c doesn’t suffer the problems of the other DD’s. I am really doubting such. Oh the auto reverse on it is good. Wish I could get a DD9. DONT have the financial resources or the mechanical knowledge to get a good Walkman. How good are the belts on these old Walkman’s? Is the EX678 worth getting? Also, and I apologize for these questions but I am really interested in getting good tape machines, but if I wanted a good mono tape deck, would the Sony TC-D5 be a good idea? Don’t have an interest in stereo. What I’m looking for is an easy to use, reliable, good quality mono tape deck. Any suggestions? Tried going to a subreddit for cassettes but for some reason it won’t let me start a thread. I apologize for the wall of text.

[@Halterung01]

You can hear the motor speed control interfering with the audio. This is not a good chassis at all sadly. I'm really glad I taught myself to repair my WM-D6Cs back while these things were still cheap.

[@pompeymonkey3271]

The horse and cart was a technological wonder in its day. I don't see these making a come back anytime soon....

[@anadialog]

They said the same thing for vinyl! Although, in that case they were plenty of turntables. Now we are lacking decent tape players!

[@pompeymonkey3271]

@@anadialog The perfect self-sustaining market ;)

[@barneyjones5174]

Recorded some music feeding a Squeezebox (Pandora) to a Nakamichi deck using metal tape and Dolby B. Playback on a WM-EX615 with Dolby off and Sony noise canceling MDR-NC300D. Recent visit with my dental hygienist was great - i turned up the volume and was mightily impressed with the clarity and fidelity.

[@eddiespaghetti54321]

58 years of development and not a single manufacturer that still makes tape players can make a cassette player that isn’t atrocious. It’s bullshit.

[@gbclab]

Welcome back

[@rammisframmis8588]

I hear a *lot* of wow and flutter!

[@1mctous]

Only the Sony had good pitch stability. The Mystik's flutter became very apparent on the Dala vocal track and the Ion's (moderate) and Digitnow's (high) could be heard from the first note.

[@xenon2Merchant]

Sound just crappy. They want to rip off people on nostalgia. Its better to buy old one and repair it.

[@shootingstar3206]

In my cassette playback days I used to align the playback head (with a tiny screw driver) to achieve optimum quality - I found that various recordings does not stick to a "standard" alignment (if there is such thing). Not sure if modern cassette recording had such issue ?

[@anadialog]

I understand but I wanted to replicate how this uniti will be used, not its maximum quality. That is because the target is a casual listener that wants to listen to cassette with a good quality. Optimizing the player is something that this type of target will never do. Fixing the azimuth, BTW, means doing that for every tape if you want the best performance. Perhaps you are referring to a better allignment in general, well again, people are not going to fiddle around a Walkman, although we audiophiles can surely do that. Also calibrate the speed etc. but that is a different story. The hope here is that RTM sells a huge load of these because better presented and with better quality than the rest and subsequently make a higher quality version or see Sony get back in the game.

[@pauldickinson1075]

You are confusing Auto-Reverse with dual capstan. True dual capstan engages both capstans with the tape in order to minimize wow and flutter induced by the cassette shell. Auto-Reverse only engages one capstan at a time, depending on the direction of playback.

[@anadialog]

Yes, I agree that I wasn't clear on that (I was just describing), but as I mentioned in another comment, why is the ION set with two capstans and no autoreverse? I am pretty sure that they are not bothered active...perhaps the result of a bulk design? I'd so, (tanashin), why is the first with only one?

[@amllemans]

All till the Master comes... SONY 😍

[@lesgl]

Thank you for the review..maybe one step closer to a all new basic good quality cassette tape deck..

[@untrust2033]

I would like to see a remake of the Sony ex670 series or whatever it was called, barely and hiss due to (I think it was the second Dolby nr) I'd take it out with me but I don't have the gumstick charger and don't want to lose it D: A slim walkman that is affordable and sounds okay would be great. Don't see th point in Bluetooth, just adds bulk

[@amoney11]

I have the B-1000EW, I don’t know if you’re familiar but I tried recording music using a maxell 90 via my computer and connected both male to male cords to the cassette and computer and pressed play and record on the music and cassette like you would normally do but instead it just recorded the noise it picked up through its build it microphone, could you help me find why and how I can fix this problem, it being a cord problem or the cassette itself? Thanks

[@anadialog]

Apart from the fact that you are using a mic input, not a line input. So maybe you damaged the input and that is why it's only picking up the built in mic. Most probably, it was already damaged. It's a poor quality mono recording. I wouldn't bother. If your want to record get a deck, simple vintage. Here is a video I did on the topic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGSlp2p7is2Gr5o

[@amoney11]

@@anadialog yeah I was thinking of just getting a deck, thank you for the help I appreciate it

[@john005_]

Does this offer protection from recording on cassette where the tabs have been removed? or is it still possible to record by accident?

[@anadialog]

If the tabs have been removed from the cassette you can't record

[@sawderf741]

@@anadialog what is a cassette tab? Im sort of a newbie.

[@anadialog]

Sure, tabs are the little plastic pieces on top of the cassettes covering the lateral holes, aka notches. You can brake them off and the cassette is protected, it cannot be recorded. If you change your mind just put two small pieces of scotch tape and you can record again.

[@dusteye1616]

Thanks, grande

[@GenerasiIslamMasaDepan]

Kalau ada di Indonesia saya mau beli Walkman ini. Kapan kira kira dijual untuk khalayak?

[@anadialog]

It wasn't founded. The project aborted. They did this one though that is decent: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6m6fKlmlqqYm68&feature=share9

[@Retroaria]

19:40 this model have a cable remote control and the Remote have a "SOUND" button. Pressing this button we can activate MEGA BASS OR GROOVE, did you activated? If I'm not wrong... it's impossible if you don't have the Remote control (cable). Thanks amazing video.

[@anadialog]

You are correct. Yes, of course I have the remote. As I have explained in the video I turned off Dolby and the Mega Bass. Since the other ones clearly do not have that I wanted to make a more fair comparison by turning everything off.

[@Retroaria]

@@anadialog Excellent . Nice video. Thanks from Seoul. I'm brazilan living in asia since 2010.

[@RiderRc100]

wow..Thank you for clip. I like this too.

[@deathstrike]

I completely understand attempting to create a quality Walkman style cassette player to give the less heeled a chance at discovering one of these. But honestly? They can't seem to get it right. The modern Guardians of the Galaxy Sony issue Walkman is about the best you can get. Otherwise you have to go back in time. Your best bet if you can afford it or are comfortable taking apart an old Walkman is the old classic Sony Walkman with the inline controls and gumstick battery. Or even older the Aiwa and Sanyo are good choices and even the early 90s and below Panasonic portables. I have a Panasonic RQ-V162 that I had to rebuild (rebelt) and it was only 20 dollars on fleabay. But it has analog AM/FM tuning, auto reverse, Dolby B NR and XBS Bass enhancement. It is plastic, but the cassette assembly is metal (big plus) and can handle Normal/FeCrO2/metal tapes. Any 80s brand Walkmans (Aiwa/Panasonic/Sony/Sanyo and others) are far superior to any current models and can be repaired fairly easily with tutorials available online. Forget these modern ones, they cut too many corners. Lack of Dolby (not a deal breaker) no auto reverse, even no rewind. It would be nice if other, more competent companies would offer Walkman's again without cutting the most basic corners or having all plastic even for the cassette mechanism.

[@maxmustardman298]

I think it would make more sense for companies like that, which obviously care for the analog culture, to broaden their target market beside the consumer music enthusiast, ie including musicians that actually want to record their work on tape again, or just consider doing that. For a long time there have been companies like tascam which offered affordable tape recording machines, not just expensive reel to reel machines, but multi track or master tape solutions. These aren't produced anymore. Knowing how musicians are, we want something tangible and hands on to work with, instead of using daws all the time which is certainly not as worthwile and satisfying as to work with the most analog way to record music.

[@anadialog]

I see your point, but this is not a good medium for recording, not even the sony ones, except the high end models. Plus, musicians don't know much about recording by default, you must look for that artists interested in analog media with recording skills. Most enthusiasts and sound pros are much more informed and skilled than artists to record. If we are talking about recording, those are the ones to contact.

[@zaxmaxlax]

I think they should discard the bluetooth and rechargeable batteries and go with standard AA. Also, if possible make the case out of metal. I tried shielding one of those monstrosities with copper foil(same material for shielding a guitar) just to make an experiment and it noticeable reduced the noise floor level.

[@anadialog]

Yes, I agree, it was picking up a lot of noise.

[@zaxmaxlax]

@@anadialog Hi, I did a new experiment today. I swapped the dual side head of the crappy player for a single side head from a broken pioneer ct300. The head lenght was bigger and didnt fit inside the frame so I had to manually press it against the tape. I got more level, more dynamic, more high frequency response but a little bit more noise(probably my fault). I don't know if RTM can source newly produced cassette heads but they definitely need a better one. Some photos that I took -> imgur.com/a/GWpqQQL

[@anadialog]

@@zaxmaxlax cool!!! I know, heads are a huge issue...

[@smacksalad]

Where is Techmoan at?

[@RayRayP2001]

lol i'm surprised he didn't do this.

[@francoispenaud8350]

L'aimant du haut-parleur ne risque-t'il pas d'effacer les cassettes à la longue ? Il me parait bien proche de la bande.

[@craigenputtock]

It doesn't sound bad; but it doesn't sound great. To sound great would take a quality transport and well-made tape head--and no company these days is going to spend the money on creating those unless there is a profitable market for it, and unfortunately there isn't. But would it sell as it is? Probably, if the price were right.

[@anadialog]

I agree, but this could be an first step in that direction...

[@_dxnnie_]

Personal ranking: 1) Sony WM-EX615 2) Ion Tape Express 3) Mystek 4) Digitnow!

[@RWL2012]

Hmm interesting, for me 1 and 4 are the same as you but 2 and 3 are swapped

[@DoubleMonoLR]

I thought the Ion was perhaps a little better too, though Ion & Mystek seem similar. All other than the Sony sound terrible compared to basically any walkman made in the 90s though.

[@john005_]

Can it read Type ii?

[@anadialog]

All types

[@john005_]

@@anadialog Perfect answer hehehe

[@john005_]

Because of your review and some research, I decided to get it. I am happy.

[@immrnoidall]

remember parties and mix tapes?

[@anadialog]

I sure do!

[@cristianarreola8582]

How well does the prototype record?

[@MrocznyTechnik]

They HAVE TO improve W&F!

[@physicalmedia1981]

I hate speakers on these... And on the picture it looks better. Walkman is still the king

[@yhhou7809]

Project very interesting but Are you Italian?

[@anadialog]

I am!

[@yhhou7809]

@@anadialog lo sooo perché si sente dall'accento hahha comunque me ne sono accorto perché anche io sono Italiano come te scommetto pure che sei dal Nord Italia. Communque sto studiando Inglese e ti assicuro che hai una padronanza dell'Inglese impeccabile nemmeno gli autoctoni lo parlano come te. Per quanto rigurada il progetto lo voglio finanziare abbiamo bisogno di un buon walkman oggi

[@anadialog]

Aspetta! Mia madre è americana, quindi ho un piccolo aiuto dalla mia. No, sono di Firenze!

[@yhhou7809]

@@anadialog a ecco perché lo padroneggi ottimamente comunque grazie per la recensione e non so se le hai giá trattate ma sono in commercio delle musicassette veramente interessanti da parte della Splicit te le vorrei suggerire: www.splicit.com/Capture-Series-C-60-Cassette-Tape-p/cap-c60.htm P.s. adesso metto il "MiPiace" al canale ed attivo subito la campanella ;)

[@bobjerome5390]

hi how many people have cassette decks in there homes i look only days ago on how many could be fixed ebay is full of them all better than the player you have to many cassette decks need home i am not happy they are making them again would like to see the info on how they do they are ploy bricks make a sony one all well made i fix them in my spare time

[@MrTauron77]

A mai napig használok egy Sony WM-FX227-es és egy Panasonic CW03-as walkmant, és mindegyik működőképes, ámbár az AKG fejhallgató elkél hozzá. A prototípus az ipon és a Sony szerintem minőségileg szép hangokal rendelkezik.

[@brit-in-czech]

Okay, but please stop using the lid of that beautiful Technics as a workbench.

[@lanakias1]

I really wish the Japanese would once again create high quality cassettes players like the past but they were always a people looking ahead and they wound not go looking back for producing something of the past. Now they are trying to invest in something new and innovative and not go back to the past. And this logic made them so innovative and special and it would be selfish to ask them to produce products of the past. I hope someone else can produce high quality cassette players, but I doubt it will be able to get close to the Japanese

[@anadialog]

Well, they are making amazing things with turntables! It's just a matter of demand. If it increases they would go back into production.

[@sawderf741]

@@anadialog so smart move would be buy the cassettes now and the player of our dreams later.

[@MrAdamGC]

They should ditch the record function and speaker on that new model and instead put in an auto-sensing tape type selector (still plenty of Type II tapes out in the wild!) and a Bluetooth Transmitter. Then they would have something unique and useful. The tape type selector is Much more important than Dolby noise reduction when only playing back tapes if they could only pick one of the 2. The Type II/IV capability would only need the EQ portion, Not the bias portion of that circuitry for playback so it wouldn’t cost that much to implement. I say it should be auto-sense (little fingers attached to micro switches that poke into the top holes of Type II/IV tapes) because most newbs to cassettes will be befuddled by an actual Normal/Cro2 switch!

[@anadialog]

I agree, a 70ms eq would be great!

[@eddiespaghetti54321]

It better be as good as a Walkman.

[@anadialog]

Unfortunately it wasn't financed completely on Kickstarter. They have the prototype on their website though..

[@davedrew9328]

Hi why do you think people won’t want to play Chrome and Metal high bias tapes ? Lots of us still have cassette from the 70s and 80s that have been stored correctly. Also there are plenty of TDK BASSF SONY etcetera Chrome and Metal tapes to buy on line.

[@anadialog]

You got me wrong. I was talking about the true target of this new walkman, newbies and casual listeners. Not walkman maniacs like me and probably you. WE love high quality cassettes and high quality playback and WE are ready to pay good money for a high quality player! This is not the case.

[@lizichell2]

Panasonic made some great personal cassette players in the late nineties

[@anadialog]

Indeed!

[@aholatom]

I hope they include Dolby! At least B or even C. I would not like to have Bluetooth on it. It degrades sound quality a lot and increases cost. If a must - then have the aptX codec. Also, the speaker is not needed - adds too much weight & size & cost. External speakers are available. A lithium battery I don't like either. After 5-10 years it will die and a replacement might be difficult or impossible to find. Also, it might start a fire and might be banned from airplanes. AA batteries (Alkaline or NiHM) you can always find and they work great.

[@anadialog]

I know that there won't be NR, Dolby does not licences their patents. The speaker will be removed.

[@TomTechVideos]

Yes, funny that recent cassette recorders from Tascam don't have Dolby NR either. Seems the patents have expired long ago. Of course the Dolby brand would need a license to be used. Why would not Dolby take free money? Anyway any Dolby chips might not be available. But the Dolby NR could "easily" be implemented in a generic digital signal processing chip. And it could be called "Dolby compatible" so no license would be needed.

[@anadialog]

Yes the main problem is the chips...

[@TomTechVideos]

Just learned that the recent TASCAM 202ᴍᴋVII has a noise reduction which is not branded as Dolby but is claimed to be "equivalent to Dolby B". This is the way to go!

[@someoneelse1534]

I don’t understand why you would want bluetooth on a cassette walkman. Carry your phone so you can play it though another device with no apparent gain.

[@anadialog]

Probably for wireless earphones.

[@AussieTVMusic]

Avoid buying any new cassette walkmans. They sre from the one place. Buy a 15yr old sony if you can.

[@olegshteker]

Is it Stereo input?

[@anadialog]

I haven't tested that but it does say stereo palyer/recorder

[@MuhammadKharismawan]

I think it'd be better if you put the original straight A to Digital for a control model.

[@christianjohnson7228]

Cassette tapes are not meant to be digitized. They were meant to be played in a walkman, not a phone or ipod.

[@bletheringfool]

We used to call non Sony Walkmans 'personal stereos'. So I would call this a RTM personal stereo

[@springbay1]

Interesting. Techmoan did a video some time ago about the mechanism in modern cassette players. I got the impression from his video that it is only one manufacturer in China that provide a quite rudimentary mechanism for all new cassette players. Did i get him wrong, or is this the case?

[@anadialog]

I am afraid this is the case but I am not 100% sure...there are differences among models....but I think that they are all Chinese. Not many are able to replicate this type of circuitry and mechanisms at such a low cost...

[@RWL2012]

"some time ago" - that was a pretty recent video from him actually. but then again I found him in 2010 or not long after through his Dockintosh video