Same as it always was with new technology. On a side note, I wish these were still made like they were. New portable cassette players all have the same terrible tape heads and the models from the glory days are really starting to fall to disrepair as time passes. I just had to cannibalize one of my Walkmans to fix the other, only to have the same issue resurface nearly immediately.
Unless they clearly say so, assume the same crappy Chinese magnetic head/motor combo single integrated module as in every other cassette player these days. I wouldn’t buy it.
Oh neat! Didn’t know this was a thing. Not something I need, but glad to know it exists.
I’d be surprised if it was anything other than the cheap mechanisms everything else gets. There’s very few companies manufacturing them and Techmoan is always on top of modern cassette systems and hasn’t brought it up. I could always be wrong, though.
It’s probably true for the head, but at least coming from Fiio there’s a good chance the rest of the system (motor, flywheel, etc) is top notch at least.
Same as it always was with new technology. On a side note, I wish these were still made like they were. New portable cassette players all have the same terrible tape heads and the models from the glory days are really starting to fall to disrepair as time passes. I just had to cannibalize one of my Walkmans to fix the other, only to have the same issue resurface nearly immediately.
How’s the Fiio player? Also crappy heads?
Thats one I haven’t forked over for yet. It appears very chunky and I like my cassette players slim for pocket storage so I did not consider it.
Fiio player? If you’re referring to the Echo Mini, it’s just a digital player. It’s just aesthetically a tape player.
Edit: I stand corrected
No, the CP13: https://fiio-shop.de/EN/FiiO-CP13/HL02296.SkyBlueSilver
Unless they clearly say so, assume the same crappy Chinese magnetic head/motor combo single integrated module as in every other cassette player these days. I wouldn’t buy it.
They do indeed specify some sort of high voltage precision motor and a copper flywheel. And they claim a custom movement design.
And since it is an enthusiast device from a company with a good reputation, you can easily find teardowns online.
Anyway, you can read reviews online, there are plenty of them, and make your own mind.
Oh neat! Didn’t know this was a thing. Not something I need, but glad to know it exists.
I’d be surprised if it was anything other than the cheap mechanisms everything else gets. There’s very few companies manufacturing them and Techmoan is always on top of modern cassette systems and hasn’t brought it up. I could always be wrong, though.
It’s probably true for the head, but at least coming from Fiio there’s a good chance the rest of the system (motor, flywheel, etc) is top notch at least.
I was looking to get one, but a lot seem to be mono only. Otherwise Retekess TR606 looked interesting, even if just mostly as a toy.