Portables:
Used 80s-90s players are probably the best bet for reliability, quality, and repairability. Regardless of brand, if a working one pops up on FB Marketplace or in a shop ~$20, it's worth picking it up and giving it a quick cleaning to see if it works for you. If you want to spend a bit more, Sony Walkmans are definitely the standard. Techmoan's Sony Walkman Buyer's Guide is a good reference, and he goes over which ones can be easily fixed and which ones are doomed to break. There are some newer products like WeAreRewind that even support Bluetooth, but I don't have experience with them (if anyone does, I'm very curious!)
Stereo Decks:
Tape decks can be pretty affordable if you come across them at yard sales or Marketplace. Here's a primer guide on those. Most would say to stay away from the dual-cassette decks (the ones used for dubbing from one tape to another) because they were all made pretty cheaply. Nakamichis vary widely from affordable to expensive, but they're all really great.
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I was skeptical at first thinking it was solely a nostalgia-chasing trend, but I found out quickly that tape cassettes can sound really great! I think the lo-fi bias comes from our collective memory of car decks that were never cleaned and tapes that baked on Toyota Corolla dashboards for years. I was able to find a decent used Sony player, and then I realized the real benefits:
1. A lot of bands still release cassettes. It's cheaper for them to make, which means you don't have to drop $25 just to support a band you like
2. Used cassettes are SO CHEAP. It's a bit of a gamble on the quality, but when we're talking a couple dollars for a decent copy of your favorite album, it's a no-brainer. I have a local shop where I'm able to get them to check out whether they look ok or not.
3. It's the perfect middle ground between the frictionless aspect of streaming (where we fall into that "analysis paralysis"), and the slow, purposeful ritual of listening to a vinyl record from front to back. When you pop a tape in, you still get to bring it wherever, but you'll likely commit to it all the way through.
I can say so much more about the technical aspects, but maybe I'll save it unless people have questions.
Feb 29, 2024
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For less than $10, you could probably find some decent ones. I've got a couple sony boombox style cassette radio CD players that I got a few years ago for $5 each. Great sound!
Dec 19, 2024
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now i love buying vinyl. i think the sound quality is better and it's fun to build out a physical collection of my favorite music. BUT, they are SO expensive that for a person not made of money like myself, i can only splurge on one every once and awhile. seriously, like 30 dollars for a vinyl i just cannot justify sometimes.
BUY A CASSETTE PLAYER AND BUY CASSETTES!!! this has become my new favorite way to build out a music collection while still enjoying the physicality of a tape. also tapes are just so cheap compared to vinyl. go to your local record store and they should have boxes just overflowing with tapes going anywhere from 1 dollar to like 10 MAXIMUM. at this point i just buy random 1 dollar tapes in the hope that i am exposed to some new music i haven't heard before, and i am always pleased!!
now is the sound quality a little worse? yes, but that is a trade-off i am willing to make at this point. also most portable cassette players have radio functions, and nothing is better than falling asleep to AM radio.
Feb 14, 2025
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