I agree the format is worse than alot of others however the key point is, Cassettes are as crap as you make them. In layman's terms, type 1 cassette recording off an AM radio with poor connection will be absolute garbage. However, metal tapes recording off a high quality turntable/Mp3 player sound great. Obviously the first method is so much cheaper than the second one (One metal tape can be about £50!) but I suppose it's down to how much you like it and how much money you want to invest.
Çerastes I guess it's more of a sentimental, meaningful and in a way nostalgic thing. I honestly just appreciate music so much to get CDs, and records! That's just me though. But at the same time I have my files for music in the go! But there's just something about kicking back to a record or a CD. Again, that's just me
The reason why a lot of cheap cassette players eat tape is because they don't detect if the take up spool is not turning, so if the take up gets jammed, the capstan pulls all the tape out and you get a tangled mess! It's happened to me many times. Good tape players will detect if the take up is not turning and shut off, preventing the tape from being eaten. The easiest way to tell if it has that is to do what I call the "rewind test", where you press rewind without a tape in, and if the rewind button pops up again after a couple of seconds, it's good, that means i has the type of auto stop that detects when the take up spool is not turning, and not a crappy tension senor instead. Also does this have AC or DC bias recording? DC bias sounds like crap as it still has a little distortion and brings out all the "surface noise" of the tape, whereas AC bias makes nice clean recordings.
The rewind test doesn't work on all cassette machines. It does work on most, but I have a JVC boombox from the late 70s that stops when it detects that a hub isn't moving, but it doesn't stop in rewind when there is no tape. Makes me think that's an advanced one that detects when any of the hubs aren't turning...I've always wondered why it didn't stop in rewind with no tape.
the buttons aren't upside-down, there like that on purpose. they face the direction that the tape is playing. since the tape loads upside-down it's plays right to left. it's like that on a lot of old school cassette players. also I love when you do videos on anything cassettes!!!
I figured that out when I was like five. If you have a device where you put in the tape "upside down" the playing direction goes to the left and to the right when the tape is "upwards"...
That's the one I've got. I bought it for work 9 months ago and it works perfectly. Mainly use the AUX with my iPod, but I have used the Radio, CDs & Cassettes many times. Great product.
After watching Techmoans video about cassettes and how they can actually sound pretty good, I got my Dad's old Sony TC-KE300 cassete deck out of the basement, cleaned and aligned the play- and recording heads, and recorded a mixtape to check it out. I was absolutely stunned (and I still am everytime I record something and play it back) I couldn't believe that for all these years I thought cassette tapes had to sound mushy and low-quality. I used to record mixtapes for my parents cars up untill around 2007 ! Trying it out nowadays really brings back childhood memories of sitting next to the player, hoping it doesn't cut out and hoping the last song will fit before the tape runs out... x)
You could not have timed this better. Because I just bought a lot of 80's cassette tapes at a thrift shop! Hall and Oates - H2O Men At Work - Cargo Dire Straights - Brothers in Arms Mike and The Mechanics - The Living Years Duran Duran - Ordinary World (Single) The Cars - The Cars
It truly is. I found it an original lp of it, however it had the radio edits of the songs. So some songs didn't have an intro or outro. Just bought the 180 gram version of it and it is amazing. A cheap audiophile reference. With good music! What is there not to love!
I remember going to a small car show in Baltimore a number of years back and driving by there in my '97 Camry and checking things out. While observing the cars, a guy came up to me and asked what kind of stereo I had in my car and on what format I was playing it on. I told him it was the stock stereo and that I was playing a chrome (Maxell XL-II) tape. He was astonished that is sounded so good.
Hi Jarrett, love your work and your passion. I have one of these machines but mine is called a CFD-S01 and I think it is at least ten years old. Cosmetically different but functionally identical, even down to the back to front buttons on the cassette mechanism. It's still working perfectly so I will say that these things are reliable as well as a reasonable sound. Cheers.
The transport buttons on the player are accurate. Check any old deck. The play arrow seems backward, but that is the direction the tape moves if you are looking at the supply and takeup reels. (Sony knows what they are doing) Love your content, and I love the forays into the land of magnetic tape!
Great video, Jarrett. I've had this portable player for several years and have enjoyed it a lot. I plug it into the auxiliary jack of my receiver and it sounds even better and can use the receiver's equalizer, enhancing the treble.
I have a Sony CFD-S300 CD/Cassette/Radio combo that I got in 2004 and it has worked incredibly well for almost 15 years. You can still find them on ebay used for around 30 to 55$.
Well he could have recorded some royalty free music to a blank tape and played that but that would be pointless as we are hearing it over compressed CZcams audio and our PCs sound hardware and not the actual cassette player.
I have a portable player and it's a panasonic. I researched the hell out of that model and made sure it was one of the best and I am still in love with it. yes, it's not the highest quality and it is older, but I love it so much. I've been a cassette enthusiast for a while now especially that I grew up with these babies. I'm so happy that I found your channel and that there are people who are just as passionate about cassettes and the art of taking care of them
For those who don't like buying used e-bay stuff, TASCAM still makes new cassette decks, some available with CD recorders as well. So you can make a mix tape along with a mix CD. They're not cheap though. Nice recommendation on a not-terrible player.
I have one that I bought about 3 to 4 years ago. I like the fact that it can play CD-Rs with mp3 files on them as well as standard audio CD and homebrew CD-Rs. I do use the cassette sometimes but find it has wow and flutter. Overall I enjoy my Sony CFD 50 or whatever the model number is.
I've got the CFD-S70 model myself and that looks like it's more or less the same as that one. It seems quite reliable, keeps the proper speed and does not try to eat tapes. Sound quality is decent, even if I may think that the cassette recorder motor is a bit noisy. It's very affordable though for those who want to play tapes. Great vid as always. Cheers!
Just got one of these yesterday from a local store. Didnt realise you got a video for it! I was confused when i wanted to rewind a tape but realized that the buttons are backwards :D
I love cassettes. always keeping the analog format alive. Also, as vinyl prices keep being gauged and going up cassettes remain cheaper to afford, analog sound, and just plain fun. Plus nostalgia if you grew up with it like me. Got 80s Yamaha and Technics RS B7 tape decks.
Sony is the law, we had one in school I bought few cassettes to record a radio. I was surprised with how he recorded! Perfect, clear sound, the only bad thing at Sony cassette + CD machine was the automatic NR filter.
4:50 “Everlong (Acoustic Version)” by Foo Fighters... This is pretty nice for the value. I do like how it has a digital tuner for AM/FM as well as the elapsed time and track number for CDs. The mini stereo (aka auxiliary) in was a nice touch too.
Sony does not make crap. They may not be an audiophile brand, but I never encountered a sony audio product that was not able to keep up the expectations. ;-)The boombox design? If portable is what you need, this is fine. If it will forever rest on a desk? Go for a smell microset instead. Having seperate speakers, even being of a very cheapo type, is always a huge improvement for sound. Vibration is always an issue with a boombox system ...
I scored a Sony cfd-v15 at a Goodwill for $6.99. Everything works and works very well. Radio, tape and cd player. Manufacturing date on the back is May, 1998. I've been using it for 10 months now. I see these players for around at least 40 to 50 bucks on ebay.
Buttons aren't upside down. Play arrow shows the direction of the tape. Since the play heads are on the top to save on mechanism costs, the cassette is being inserted upside down, thus it runs from right to left, so the arrow points left. Same with older walkmans that had the buttons on the side like Starlord's TPS-L2, the play arrow would point up. And the FF and REW arrows would also point up and down.
My preference is to cassette decks. I have several, a Harman Kardon CD-491, a TEAC C3RX and a SONY TC-WR90ES. I use outboard dbx noise reduction on the HK and the SONY, but the TEAC has it built in. My walkman unit is a Panasonic RQJ20X which has built in dbx noise reduction. Most of my cassettes are dbx encoded so compatibility is an issue, but the trade off in noise reduction is worth it. To have cassettes that are literally indistinguishable from digital sources is quite incredible. I also prefer 3 head cassette decks, which allow monitoring of the recording as it is taking place. Brand new 3-head decks are hard to find, but e-bay has many still. All of my decks were purchased new and I am the original owner. If you take care of your stuff, it lasts. :-)
Great Video-I still have a portable tape player, as well as a stand-alone cassette deck(Harman Kardon).Most Sony products tend to be good,nice to see the Sony featured here play tapes,CD's, & the radio. So many portables only have radio & tape/or/radio & CD. For the price,good value! Thank You for the info!! E
Great, great, GREAT VIDEO! Anybody can make videos about crazy expensive gear and say how great it is or highlight the budget crap that you shouldn't buy, but showing off a decent quality player that's simple and reliable will get my vote every time. Well done, Jarrett!
You can't go wrong with Sony Products. I swear by there products and it's nice to know about the small boombox you're showing in this video. I have an old Sony boombox from 2001 with a cassette deck, CD, and radio and it's still working like a champ to this day. My turntable is a Sony PS-LX300USB that I bought back in 2008 and it works like a champ as well. Anyone asks me what's good for a turntable or a cassette deck, I always say Sony.
I had the JVC PC-XT3 Boombox, and it never chewed up any of my tapes. Due to the TWIN-CD malfunction, I replaced it. I bought the SONY MHC EC-69, with USB/3CD/FM/AM-playback. I love the USB-port. I can fill up the stick with music and play it on my stereo set. The sound quality is great, SONY at it's best.
I remember buying a RadioShack CT-120 "shoebox" cassette recorder to interview people for a local history project that I was working on. It sat in the cupboard for over 10 years until I introduced it to my 8-year old son, along with some cassettes. My son started to make his own voice tapes - he thought it was so cool!
I bought one of the Sony CFDS50 CD/Tape players about a year ago. I like that it plays MP3 CDs as well as recorded CDs. I borrowed my parents CD/Tape boombox and it wouldn't play recorded CDs. My friends and I make "mixtapes" on CDs and trade each other a few times a year but I have one friend who still has a cassette deck in his car so I got the CFDS50 so I could record his on a cassette. It works great. Like you said not super high audio quality but gets the job done.
The job i worked at last had this exact player.. we used it heavily and it has aux in. One of the guys used the cassette player and it worked pretty well
I play radio on very similar player in my kitchen all the time! I think that sometimes we need superb quality and sometimes just convenient way to enjoy our music, so this is a perfect way! And always much much better that laptop speakers
You CAN actually record music onto that boombox, using anything for that matter because there is an aux cord. All you have to do is set it to audio in, then get your phone with music, press play and record, and start playing music. You can also record from a hi-fi turntable (which I have done before, it turned out great!) by using an RCA to aux adapter and putting it through the audio in and following the same process. You can basically do that for any audio device with RCA cables. Pretty cool!
@@kjererrt7804 The CFD-S50 and CFD-S70 both have 3.5 mm headphone out and audio in ports. The CFD-S50 has them on the rear and the CFD-S70 has them on the left-hand side.
I bought a similar Sony boombox for my parents to play their CD's and tapes on. I tried recording CD and radio to a Maxell UR tape and its not a very recorder, low volume and tape hiss. And I wish it had some kind of bass/treble controls instead of a "super bass" switch. It does have a good tuner, even for the AM band which was a surprise.
I have this same one but the design is a bit different, I think mine is a newer updated version, but it still has the same features. It has everything you said, plus a headphone jack on the side and an aux cord input right next to it, and I believe it's Bluetooth. I've had it for over a year and a half now, and everything still works great. The speakers sound great to me, maybe not to an "audiophile" but I sure love it.
Also I get what you're saying about the buttons being backwards, it was confusing when I first started using the cassette player but I got the hang of it.
Historically Sony tend to standardise components to high end specifications using the mass manufacture lowers the price principle so it doesn't at all surprise me at all their cheaper stuff these days is still good.
I love tapes. The common misconception about them is everyone thinks the format sucked. When in reality everyone's cheap-o tape player sucked. If you get a decent deck, and play a decent recording with it, you will be surprised on how clear it sounds. If anyone reading comments is curious about it. Find you a 3 head tape deck, clean it, throw some new belts in it. Record your favorite CD on a type II or type IV tape. Then, sit back and listen to what you were missing all those years.
I guess it'd be safe to give this boom box a try. I'd plan on hooking it up to separate high quality speakers. Not sure I'm willing to invest in an expensive tape deck just yet unless I ask for one for Christmas 😜
(Probably this has been said before, but can't find those right now, so I'll add my comment.) The cassette buttons were like that pretty commonly in players that would access the cassette from above. Usually that kind of players were boomboxes or something like that. Instead, non-portable players meant for living room use usually accessed the cassette from below, and those had the buttons set up in "traditional" way. So, the order of the buttons and the direction of arrows pretty much always was reflecting the direction in which the tape on the spools of the cassette would move. In a living room hifi setup, when you inserted the cassette (to be accessed from below), the tape was first on the left spool. The arrows on the play and other buttons showed in which direction the tape on the spools would move. In matter of fact, I still have a JVC boombox from late 80's, and it has the buttons in same order and with the same arrow directions. So this player is not a special thing; there have pretty much always been players like that.
I always loved cassettes and always will. Just gotta use right equipment when It comes to recording. I got tapes from 1960's that still sound amazing. Gotta have the top of the line equipment to make them last and sound great.
The absolute BEST cassette deck for anyone getting into cassettes is the Realistic/Optimus SCT-86. It's very small and compact and sounds FANTASTIC. VWestlife actually reviewed one a couple years ago.
Love cassettes - more for recording/mastering purposes but playback can be awesome as well if you've got good tapes & player - currently thinking I might have to replace my Marantz deck since it's been giving me a bit of trouble but I'm glad you suggested a quality portable player as well
I still have a Nakamichi Dragon and a BX300, an Aiwa AD-F770 and a Sony Pro Walkman WMD-6C, and also an AIwa CS600K Portable radio cassette deck which has a brilliant sound quality even now, 34 years after I first bought it. I like that once I have put a tape on I can switch off for 45 minutes, no track skipping, or random play, just the album end to end in the order intended.
None of my tapes hiss. And I don't even use the Dolby noise reduction. I played my tapes at the party, and people wouldn't believe me that the music I was playing was actually from a compact cassette tape.
Jarrett you would have been perfect for the children's tv show Blue's Clues. you have such a gentile face and expressions. your aura is very welcoming. keep on truckin' bud!
I've been seeing a lot of Sony, Pioneer, and Technics cassette decks at thrift stores lately. They look like they were made in the 90's. Prices range from $5 - $20. If I find one in good condition, I might add it to my bedroom stereo.
Sony use to make boom boxes three times bigger and better quality. I had one from 1991 until a few years ago. Not a cassette guy but I admit the TDK metal was the best I tapes I've ever heard.that was back in the 80's. I don't have a cassette deck in my stereo set up. Just a 80's Sony turntable,which is great.
I never understood why people always say tape hiss, when tape really has nothing to do with the hiss. It's the tape player that produces all the hiss sound. With no tape present in a tape player, press the play button, and I'll guarantee you, you will hear the same hiss sound. (Turn volume all the way up without tape in the player). Sometimes that stereo hiss does get recorded unto a tape while recording, but it's that same hiss that the stereo produces that gets recorded unto a tape.
As someone who uses Streaming, MP3's, Cassettes and vinyl, I have to say I love cassettes and vinyl more than MP3's and streaming. There's some satisfaction with cassettes I dont get with MP3's. Don't get me wrong, I like how useful MP3's are, but all my "special" music is on a mix tape or a record. However MP3's are great when making mix tapes since mix tapes are dead easy to make with MP3's and steaming :)
Unfortunately my mother's CFD-S50 likes chewing the tapes little bit since then i bought, especially the prerecorded ones at the beginning. I realized that the cassette door's stabilizing is absolutely weak, so the cassettes always moving after the operations, and maybe this causes the chew. The head and the pinch roller seems to be in perfect condition.
I have that exact same cassette player I use it all the time and I have for about two years with no problem at all it's a very good unit and I highly recommend!!! AWSOME video!
In my opinion the manufacturers should always include the cassette player in a boombox or HiFi as it doesn't consume a lot of space in the player itself and its not boring to see a cassette tape rolling while playing your music unlike sd card and usb its just plugged in and play... there is no physical sentimental attachment. Also make it by default in all boombox to have dvd player not the CD only as the function of CD player is so limited. At least if it is DVD player you are carrying a player that can play not only music but can play movie as well anytime anywhere with the same allotted space in the player. Also make it by default that all USB slot is able to play movies and files and not music only and able to record not read only. Since bluetooth is part of the modern technology, it is fun to see it built in by default also in all boombox. How I wish to see the bluetooth technology improved and able to play movies and files from your smartphone and not music only. Hope to see more breed of boombox in the market soon.
Hey Jarrett and viewers... i also have a cassette deck at home, BUT i also use a cheap alternative, still with quality play for your tapes: just buy one of the last sony walkmen that were produced back then on ebay.. i mean the quality ones buildt out of metal and not these cheap plastic ones. i just link the walkman with a audio cable to my amp or jvc boombox or dj mixer (whatever works for you).. itz a pretty comfortable solution + you also have the possibility to actually use it the way it was supposed to be: outside with headphones ;) I own the Sony Walkman WM-EX631 which also has a build in pitch wheel !!! yeah like a turntable!! pretty sweet gimmick ;) peace, dj skeli
Cassettes are the best! There’s a cassette deck downstairs... but my room is upstairs, and I don’t have enough space for a whole deck, so portable players are gonna have to do.
Hey my sister recently purchased the dreaded Crosley turntable and convinced her to get a technica lp120 that you have and I thought it would be cool to play all my favorite artists like Beatles, Queen, Aerosmith and so on. After watching your videos I've learned sooo much about vinyl! I really would like to get into turntables, and I am getting Queen Greatest hits l and ACDC Highway to Hell album to start. I am getting headphones and cleaning kit that you have also. I was thinking in the future I could get the monthly subscription to vinyl moon that you have. Keep spinning that vinyl! -Sam
I would love if in the future you would do a modern walkman that doesn't suck video while this boombox is dope I would like something smaller to go with it to keep in my pocket
Another thing I noticed long time ago is, if you want to record good quality music unto a tape, make sure you use a deck with AC bias and an actual AC bias erase head. Not permanent erase magnet. Permanent erase magnets create background noise.
Hey friend, i have a few things to say. 1, The Sony cassette deck you have is a Sony tc-k615s. mine came from a guy at a flea market that donated it to for fixing. I now have perfectly working and trying to sell. I think the $200 price tag was not the best deal for you. There are nakamichi bx discrete 3 head and duel capstan transport. a very high quality one compared to the Sony. they sold for $750 back in 1984 and are now worth only $250. The sony model you have is worth about $75 bucks. just recommending prices for u
I'm so glad physical music is making a huge comeback!
donttreadonme76 except all cassettes sound like shit. The format is just bad.
deedlede2222 I wouldn't know, haha! I honestly just love vinyl but cassettes seem pretty cool
I agree the format is worse than alot of others however the key point is, Cassettes are as crap as you make them.
In layman's terms, type 1 cassette recording off an AM radio with poor connection will be absolute garbage. However, metal tapes recording off a high quality turntable/Mp3 player sound great.
Obviously the first method is so much cheaper than the second one (One metal tape can be about £50!) but I suppose it's down to how much you like it and how much money you want to invest.
Çerastes I guess it's more of a sentimental, meaningful and in a way nostalgic thing. I honestly just appreciate music so much to get CDs, and records! That's just me though. But at the same time I have my files for music in the go! But there's just something about kicking back to a record or a CD. Again, that's just me
because analog audio destroys digital. digital is not music only a "sample " of it.
The reason why a lot of cheap cassette players eat tape is because they don't detect if the take up spool is not turning, so if the take up gets jammed, the capstan pulls all the tape out and you get a tangled mess! It's happened to me many times. Good tape players will detect if the take up is not turning and shut off, preventing the tape from being eaten. The easiest way to tell if it has that is to do what I call the "rewind test", where you press rewind without a tape in, and if the rewind button pops up again after a couple of seconds, it's good, that means i has the type of auto stop that detects when the take up spool is not turning, and not a crappy tension senor instead. Also does this have AC or DC bias recording? DC bias sounds like crap as it still has a little distortion and brings out all the "surface noise" of the tape, whereas AC bias makes nice clean recordings.
The rewind test doesn't work on all cassette machines. It does work on most, but I have a JVC boombox from the late 70s that stops when it detects that a hub isn't moving, but it doesn't stop in rewind when there is no tape. Makes me think that's an advanced one that detects when any of the hubs aren't turning...I've always wondered why it didn't stop in rewind with no tape.
wow, very good info, i didn't know that, thanks!
Mine did that. It never forced a cassette to play if the tape was dodgy. Sadly the CD reader suddenly died after less than 2 years of use
I have one of the boomboxes in this video and it ate my iwrotehaikusaboutcannibalisminyouryearbook tape that they made when they reuinted :(
the buttons aren't upside-down, there like that on purpose. they face the direction that the tape is playing. since the tape loads upside-down it's plays right to left. it's like that on a lot of old school cassette players. also I love when you do videos on anything cassettes!!!
What he said.
I agree. Besides, they wouldn't have the Eject button pointing down. Otherwise, I do appreciate the review.
would expect him to know that
I figured that out when I was like five. If you have a device where you put in the tape "upside down" the playing direction goes to the left and to the right when the tape is "upwards"...
its because schools can use these to play a casette, with the speaker facing towards the students, while still able to access the buttons
I love listening to cassettes to a point where I no longer listen to digital music any more.
Same
That's the one I've got. I bought it for work 9 months ago and it works perfectly. Mainly use the AUX with my iPod, but I have used the Radio, CDs & Cassettes many times. Great product.
For those you don't know the Mexican song, it's called La Chona by Los Tucanes de Tijuana.
Fireboy I got it on vinyl
Fireboy that's a damn good song
I actually really want a cassette player, great video!
helenehaugenh I'm looking for a cassette deck also !!
Me too
I have 2 cassette players, I hope 3rd....
After watching Techmoans video about cassettes and how they can actually sound pretty good, I got my Dad's old Sony TC-KE300 cassete deck out of the basement, cleaned and aligned the play- and recording heads, and recorded a mixtape to check it out. I was absolutely stunned (and I still am everytime I record something and play it back) I couldn't believe that for all these years I thought cassette tapes had to sound mushy and low-quality. I used to record mixtapes for my parents cars up untill around 2007 ! Trying it out nowadays really brings back childhood memories of sitting next to the player, hoping it doesn't cut out and hoping the last song will fit before the tape runs out... x)
You could not have timed this better. Because I just bought a lot of 80's cassette tapes at a thrift shop!
Hall and Oates - H2O
Men At Work - Cargo
Dire Straights - Brothers in Arms
Mike and The Mechanics - The Living Years
Duran Duran - Ordinary World (Single)
The Cars - The Cars
Johnathon Teodosio I have a Beatles 67-70, late night delight, and a single
It truly is. I found it an original lp of it, however it had the radio edits of the songs. So some songs didn't have an intro or outro. Just bought the 180 gram version of it and it is amazing. A cheap audiophile reference. With good music! What is there not to love!
I remember going to a small car show in Baltimore a number of years back and driving by there in my '97 Camry and checking things out. While observing the cars, a guy came up to me and asked what kind of stereo I had in my car and on what format I was playing it on. I told him it was the stock stereo and that I was playing a chrome (Maxell XL-II) tape. He was astonished that is sounded so good.
Hi Jarrett, love your work and your passion. I have one of these machines but mine is called a CFD-S01 and I think it is at least ten years old. Cosmetically different but functionally identical, even down to the back to front buttons on the cassette mechanism. It's still working perfectly so I will say that these things are reliable as well as a reasonable sound. Cheers.
The transport buttons on the player are accurate. Check any old deck. The play arrow seems backward, but that is the direction the tape moves if you are looking at the supply and takeup reels. (Sony knows what they are doing) Love your content, and I love the forays into the land of magnetic tape!
Can you please make more videos on cassettes?
+The Real Polish Dude for sure :)
Great video, Jarrett. I've had this portable player for several years and have enjoyed it a lot. I plug it into the auxiliary jack of my receiver and it sounds even better and can use the receiver's equalizer, enhancing the treble.
I have a Sony CFD-S300 CD/Cassette/Radio combo that I got in 2004 and it has worked incredibly well for almost 15 years. You can still find them on ebay used for around 30 to 55$.
I got a Sony CFD-E95
He reviews a tape deck and doesn't play a tape on it? Seriously?
Well he could have recorded some royalty free music to a blank tape and played that but that would be pointless as we are hearing it over compressed CZcams audio and our PCs sound hardware and not the actual cassette player.
I have a portable player and it's a panasonic. I researched the hell out of that model and made sure it was one of the best and I am still in love with it. yes, it's not the highest quality and it is older, but I love it so much. I've been a cassette enthusiast for a while now especially that I grew up with these babies. I'm so happy that I found your channel and that there are people who are just as passionate about cassettes and the art of taking care of them
Hi don't mind sharing the model u are using, I'm planning to get a player soon
For those who don't like buying used e-bay stuff, TASCAM still makes new cassette decks, some available with CD recorders as well. So you can make a mix tape along with a mix CD. They're not cheap though. Nice recommendation on a not-terrible player.
Wow, 89.9 FM was Fire by Justice! Proud to be french ahah
Great Song :D
WOW we have the same last name
Isn’t that BbC radio 2
This might be a good gift for my grandma, she likes to listen to the radio and she plays CDs and cassettes
I have one that I bought about 3 to 4 years ago. I like the fact that it can play CD-Rs with mp3 files on them as well as standard audio CD and homebrew CD-Rs. I do use the cassette sometimes but find it has wow and flutter. Overall I enjoy my Sony CFD 50 or whatever the model number is.
I've got the CFD-S70 model myself and that looks like it's more or less the same as that one. It seems quite reliable, keeps the proper speed and does not try to eat tapes. Sound quality is decent, even if I may think that the cassette recorder motor is a bit noisy. It's very affordable though for those who want to play tapes. Great vid as always. Cheers!
Do you have to have batteries in if it is plugged in?
@@cliffsalisbury7714 No, you don't.
Just got one of these yesterday from a local store. Didnt realise you got a video for it! I was confused when i wanted to rewind a tape but realized that the buttons are backwards :D
I love cassettes. always keeping the analog format alive. Also, as vinyl prices keep being gauged and going up cassettes remain cheaper to afford, analog sound, and just plain fun. Plus nostalgia if you grew up with it like me. Got 80s Yamaha and Technics RS B7 tape decks.
Sony is the law, we had one in school I bought few cassettes to record a radio. I was surprised with how he recorded! Perfect, clear sound, the only bad thing at Sony cassette + CD machine was the automatic NR filter.
4:50 “Everlong (Acoustic Version)” by Foo Fighters...
This is pretty nice for the value. I do like how it has a digital tuner for AM/FM as well as the elapsed time and track number for CDs. The mini stereo (aka auxiliary) in was a nice touch too.
I have this Cassette player and I love it
LOVE cassettes. Got a Nakamichi DR3 myself.
??.? FM
Haha the song is ''La chola¨
João Alberto Maybe it's 95.7 FM
Sony does not make crap. They may not be an audiophile brand, but I never encountered a sony audio product that was not able to keep up the expectations. ;-)The boombox design? If portable is what you need, this is fine. If it will forever rest on a desk? Go for a smell microset instead. Having seperate speakers, even being of a very cheapo type, is always a huge improvement for sound. Vibration is always an issue with a boombox system ...
do a video talking about those 5 in 1 turntables like the "Crosley Rochester 5 in 1 Entertainment Center"
I scored a Sony cfd-v15 at a Goodwill for $6.99. Everything works and works very well. Radio, tape and cd player. Manufacturing date on the back is May, 1998. I've been using it for 10 months now. I see these players for around at least 40 to 50 bucks on ebay.
Buttons aren't upside down. Play arrow shows the direction of the tape. Since the play heads are on the top to save on mechanism costs, the cassette is being inserted upside down, thus it runs from right to left, so the arrow points left.
Same with older walkmans that had the buttons on the side like Starlord's TPS-L2, the play arrow would point up. And the FF and REW arrows would also point up and down.
My preference is to cassette decks. I have several, a Harman Kardon CD-491, a TEAC C3RX and a SONY TC-WR90ES. I use outboard dbx noise reduction on the HK and the SONY, but the TEAC has it built in. My walkman unit is a Panasonic RQJ20X which has built in dbx noise reduction. Most of my cassettes are dbx encoded so compatibility is an issue, but the trade off in noise reduction is worth it. To have cassettes that are literally indistinguishable from digital sources is quite incredible. I also prefer 3 head cassette decks, which allow monitoring of the recording as it is taking place. Brand new 3-head decks are hard to find, but e-bay has many still. All of my decks were purchased new and I am the original owner. If you take care of your stuff, it lasts. :-)
Ha! I bought one for my dad, too. It's a decent little unit.
+Gregory Short (popcrackle.com) glad you like it as well man! :D
Great Video-I still have a portable tape player, as well as a stand-alone cassette deck(Harman Kardon).Most Sony products tend to be good,nice to see the Sony featured here play tapes,CD's, & the radio. So many portables only have radio & tape/or/radio & CD. For the price,good value! Thank You for the info!! E
Great, great, GREAT VIDEO! Anybody can make videos about crazy expensive gear and say how great it is or highlight the budget crap that you shouldn't buy, but showing off a decent quality player that's simple and reliable will get my vote every time. Well done, Jarrett!
You can't go wrong with Sony Products. I swear by there products and it's nice to know about the small boombox you're showing in this video. I have an old Sony boombox from 2001 with a cassette deck, CD, and radio and it's still working like a champ to this day. My turntable is a Sony PS-LX300USB that I bought back in 2008 and it works like a champ as well. Anyone asks me what's good for a turntable or a cassette deck, I always say Sony.
LOVE THIS I GOT THIS AT WALMART a year ago i have 450 tapes and they all sound great
I just bought this! I wanted to get into cassettes but I didn't have enough for a deck! Thanks so much for suggesting this Jarrett!
I know not everyone wants to invest in a retro stereo system for cassettes, but man, when you do it just blows everything away.
Yay another cassette video! I love the quality of your videos and your style is not abrasive like a lot of other channels. Keep up the good work!
I had the JVC PC-XT3 Boombox, and it never chewed up any of my tapes. Due to the TWIN-CD malfunction, I replaced it. I bought the SONY MHC EC-69, with USB/3CD/FM/AM-playback. I love the USB-port. I can fill up the stick with music and play it on my stereo set. The sound quality is great, SONY at it's best.
I remember buying a RadioShack CT-120 "shoebox" cassette recorder to interview people for a local history project that I was working on. It sat in the cupboard for over 10 years until I introduced it to my 8-year old son, along with some cassettes. My son started to make his own voice tapes - he thought it was so cool!
That was beautiful, you tuned into la Chona! Probably the best Latin dance song
I bought one of the Sony CFDS50 CD/Tape players about a year ago. I like that it plays MP3 CDs as well as recorded CDs. I borrowed my parents CD/Tape boombox and it wouldn't play recorded CDs. My friends and I make "mixtapes" on CDs and trade each other a few times a year but I have one friend who still has a cassette deck in his car so I got the CFDS50 so I could record his on a cassette. It works great. Like you said not super high audio quality but gets the job done.
The job i worked at last had this exact player.. we used it heavily and it has aux in. One of the guys used the cassette player and it worked pretty well
I play radio on very similar player in my kitchen all the time! I think that sometimes we need superb quality and sometimes just convenient way to enjoy our music, so this is a perfect way! And always much much better that laptop speakers
You CAN actually record music onto that boombox, using anything for that matter because there is an aux cord. All you have to do is set it to audio in, then get your phone with music, press play and record, and start playing music. You can also record from a hi-fi turntable (which I have done before, it turned out great!) by using an RCA to aux adapter and putting it through the audio in and following the same process. You can basically do that for any audio device with RCA cables. Pretty cool!
it has a permanent magnet as the erasing head so. and it has no line in or line out.
@@kjererrt7804 The CFD-S50 and CFD-S70 both have 3.5 mm headphone out and audio in ports. The CFD-S50 has them on the rear and the CFD-S70 has them on the left-hand side.
Love them, own over 200 tapes in mint CONDISH and 4 tape players of various kinds.
I bought a similar Sony boombox for my parents to play their CD's and tapes on. I tried recording CD and radio to a Maxell UR tape and its not a very recorder, low volume and tape hiss. And I wish it had some kind of bass/treble controls instead of a "super bass" switch. It does have a good tuner, even for the AM band which was a surprise.
I have Sony CFD-S50. But after buying it, I had to tune screw of the tape head, now it sounds pretty well, except for noise.
I have this same one but the design is a bit different, I think mine is a newer updated version, but it still has the same features. It has everything you said, plus a headphone jack on the side and an aux cord input right next to it, and I believe it's Bluetooth. I've had it for over a year and a half now, and everything still works great. The speakers sound great to me, maybe not to an "audiophile" but I sure love it.
Also I get what you're saying about the buttons being backwards, it was confusing when I first started using the cassette player but I got the hang of it.
Historically Sony tend to standardise components to high end specifications using the mass manufacture lowers the price principle so it doesn't at all surprise me at all their cheaper stuff these days is still good.
I gave a mix tape to my lady friend once, it made her really happy, which makes me really happy.
They also make the CFD-S70 which is practically the same thing, although with a few small differences here and there.
Ohhh man I love those hidden crosley jokes!!! Please please please amp up the crosley jokes. Its a great way to raise awareness about bad equipment.
thanks i found a cassette tape thats blank and i wanted to record on in with something decent since i love cassttes
I have them all, and I am not giving up on analogue no matter what pixels or digits are out there
I love tapes. The common misconception about them is everyone thinks the format sucked. When in reality everyone's cheap-o tape player sucked. If you get a decent deck, and play a decent recording with it, you will be surprised on how clear it sounds. If anyone reading comments is curious about it. Find you a 3 head tape deck, clean it, throw some new belts in it. Record your favorite CD on a type II or type IV tape. Then, sit back and listen to what you were missing all those years.
I guess it'd be safe to give this boom box a try. I'd plan on hooking it up to separate high quality speakers. Not sure I'm willing to invest in an expensive tape deck just yet unless I ask for one for Christmas 😜
I am getting a Sony CFD S70 tomorrow actually!
(Probably this has been said before, but can't find those right now, so I'll add my comment.)
The cassette buttons were like that pretty commonly in players that would access the cassette from above. Usually that kind of players were boomboxes or something like that. Instead, non-portable players meant for living room use usually accessed the cassette from below, and those had the buttons set up in "traditional" way. So, the order of the buttons and the direction of arrows pretty much always was reflecting the direction in which the tape on the spools of the cassette would move. In a living room hifi setup, when you inserted the cassette (to be accessed from below), the tape was first on the left spool. The arrows on the play and other buttons showed in which direction the tape on the spools would move. In matter of fact, I still have a JVC boombox from late 80's, and it has the buttons in same order and with the same arrow directions. So this player is not a special thing; there have pretty much always been players like that.
I found one like that at the second hand store. It's good to play my CDs and cassette
I always loved cassettes and always will. Just gotta use right equipment when It comes to recording. I got tapes from 1960's that still sound amazing. Gotta have the top of the line equipment to make them last and sound great.
I just picked up a used Harman Kardon cassette deck and love it. It’s in awesome condition and picked up for $75 off Kijiji.
The absolute BEST cassette deck for anyone getting into cassettes is the Realistic/Optimus SCT-86. It's very small and compact and sounds FANTASTIC. VWestlife actually reviewed one a couple years ago.
I like cassette and used to make mixtapes and have upgraded to CDrs! I do still pllay my old mixtapes in the car! Trish
I actually saw it in one of our shopping malls here in the Philippines.I wanna buy it so that I can play my old tapes.
I have a PHILIPS AZ787/12 that does the same things this one does and it sound very good. Also my tapes haven't degraden over time.
Love cassettes - more for recording/mastering purposes but playback can be awesome as well if you've got good tapes & player - currently thinking I might have to replace my Marantz deck since it's been giving me a bit of trouble but I'm glad you suggested a quality portable player as well
I still have a Nakamichi Dragon and a BX300, an Aiwa AD-F770 and a Sony Pro Walkman WMD-6C, and also an AIwa CS600K Portable radio cassette deck which has a brilliant sound quality even now, 34 years after I first bought it. I like that once I have put a tape on I can switch off for 45 minutes, no track skipping, or random play, just the album end to end in the order intended.
i bought the twin to the boombox i owned when i was 12...off ebay and had it shipped from utah to NY. its by GE with digital tuning...
None of my tapes hiss. And I don't even use the Dolby noise reduction. I played my tapes at the party, and people wouldn't believe me that the music I was playing was actually from a compact cassette tape.
Get a "Bang & Olufsen - Beosound Ouverture". The system reads cd, play radio, and can erase, record, and playback cassettes, all in one head!
Jarrett you would have been perfect for the children's tv show Blue's Clues. you have such a gentile face and expressions. your aura is very welcoming. keep on truckin' bud!
I've been seeing a lot of Sony, Pioneer, and Technics cassette decks at thrift stores lately. They look like they were made in the 90's. Prices range from $5 - $20. If I find one in good condition, I might add it to my bedroom stereo.
Sony use to make boom boxes three times bigger and better quality. I had one from 1991 until a few years ago. Not a cassette guy but I admit the TDK metal was the best I tapes I've ever heard.that was back in the 80's. I don't have a cassette deck in my stereo set up. Just a 80's Sony turntable,which is great.
I never understood why people always say tape hiss, when tape really has nothing to do with the hiss. It's the tape player that produces all the hiss sound. With no tape present in a tape player, press the play button, and I'll guarantee you, you will hear the same hiss sound. (Turn volume all the way up without tape in the player). Sometimes that stereo hiss does get recorded unto a tape while recording, but it's that same hiss that the stereo produces that gets recorded unto a tape.
As someone who uses Streaming, MP3's, Cassettes and vinyl, I have to say I love cassettes and vinyl more than MP3's and streaming. There's some satisfaction with cassettes I dont get with MP3's. Don't get me wrong, I like how useful MP3's are, but all my "special" music is on a mix tape or a record. However MP3's are great when making mix tapes since mix tapes are dead easy to make with MP3's and steaming :)
I'm 28 listening to cassette tapes. it was what I was brought up on. didn't have CDs to I was older.
Unfortunately my mother's CFD-S50 likes chewing the tapes little bit since then i bought, especially the prerecorded ones at the beginning. I realized that the cassette door's stabilizing is absolutely weak, so the cassettes always moving after the operations, and maybe this causes the chew. The head and the pinch roller seems to be in perfect condition.
I have the bigger model of that Sony Radio. I listen to my records with it via Aux-input. It sounds good too.
I have that exact same cassette player I use it all the time and I have for about two years with no problem at all it's a very good unit and I highly recommend!!! AWSOME video!
I see Bohren record in the background!!!! Best record ever🎉
In my opinion the manufacturers should always include the cassette player in a boombox or HiFi as it doesn't consume a lot of space in the player itself and its not boring to see a cassette tape rolling while playing your music unlike sd card and usb its just plugged in and play... there is no physical sentimental attachment. Also make it by default in all boombox to have dvd player not the CD only as the function of CD player is so limited. At least if it is DVD player you are carrying a player that can play not only music but can play movie as well anytime anywhere with the same allotted space in the player. Also make it by default that all USB slot is able to play movies and files and not music only and able to record not read only. Since bluetooth is part of the modern technology, it is fun to see it built in by default also in all boombox. How I wish to see the bluetooth technology improved and able to play movies and files from your smartphone and not music only. Hope to see more breed of boombox in the market soon.
Hey Jarrett and viewers... i also have a cassette deck at home, BUT i also use a cheap alternative, still with quality play for your tapes: just buy one of the last sony walkmen that were produced back then on ebay.. i mean the quality ones buildt out of metal and not these cheap plastic ones. i just link the walkman with a audio cable to my amp or jvc boombox or dj mixer (whatever works for you).. itz a pretty comfortable solution + you also have the possibility to actually use it the way it was supposed to be: outside with headphones ;) I own the Sony Walkman WM-EX631 which also has a build in pitch wheel !!! yeah like a turntable!! pretty sweet gimmick ;) peace, dj skeli
Cassettes are the best! There’s a cassette deck downstairs... but my room is upstairs, and I don’t have enough space for a whole deck, so portable players are gonna have to do.
One thing we have lost with digital, you can't record songs! Cassettes were the easiest innovation!! I love cassettes!
Hey my sister recently purchased the dreaded Crosley turntable and convinced her to get a technica lp120 that you have and I thought it would be cool to play all my favorite artists like Beatles, Queen, Aerosmith and so on. After watching your videos I've learned sooo much about vinyl! I really would like to get into turntables, and I am getting Queen Greatest hits l and ACDC Highway to Hell album to start. I am getting headphones and cleaning kit that you have also. I was thinking in the future I could get the monthly subscription to vinyl moon that you have. Keep spinning that vinyl! -Sam
Love them. Childhood memories.
I have this model and the deck is a very cheap mechanism. Greetings from Mexico 🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽
All modern cassette players have the same mechanism
@@orbit9237 ☹️
I would love if in the future you would do a modern walkman that doesn't suck video while this boombox is dope I would like something smaller to go with it to keep in my pocket
Just got one for Christmas, I didn't know you'd reviewed the exact model I got! Awesome!
Another thing I noticed long time ago is, if you want to record good quality music unto a tape, make sure you use a deck with AC bias and an actual AC bias erase head. Not permanent erase magnet. Permanent erase magnets create background noise.
I like blank cassettes which I use to make all kinds of audio content, mostly mix tapes.
I love cassettes, I have nice deck with dolby B and C NR. But I also cutting my own vinyl records because I love analog music
I Had both and a sony walkman that i took to school back in the 80s with a small pile of mixed tapes.
Hey friend, i have a few things to say. 1, The Sony cassette deck you have is a Sony tc-k615s. mine came from a guy at a flea market that donated it to for fixing. I now have perfectly working and trying to sell. I think the $200 price tag was not the best deal for you. There are nakamichi bx discrete 3 head and duel capstan transport. a very high quality one compared to the Sony. they sold for $750 back in 1984 and are now worth only $250. The sony model you have is worth about $75 bucks. just recommending prices for u
I have this "boombox" for nearly 2 years and still works great! I also did a review video for this model.