Old VS. New Portable Cassette Player!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ย. 2024
- How do new portable “Walkmans” compare with my trusty old Sharp JC-170? Watch this video to find out!
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I wish cassette would make a proper comeback like vinyl
Auto reverse was a life changer. My cassette player of choice was a Sony Walkman WM-33 in blue. I loved that machine, it had a three band graphic equaliser.
Do you prefer autoreverse over casette players that can play casettes both ways (no reverse required)?
Outo reserve is bad for sound quality
@@muhendisabi1697 thanks for the advice, ill stay away from outo reserve cassette players
I personally feel the best part of the nostalgia part of it was flipping the tape over. Not auto reverse
I got a Sony TCS-310 for Christmas. My dad knew that I wanted some walkman-type tape recorder. It came in handy when recording stuff in stereo. Some years later, the motor began having an issue: it wasn't quite as steady as it used to be and my dad doesn't think it was fixable. I was OK with that. I don't think I have that anymore.
Anyhoo , as a "replacement" for the TCS-310, I got this Christmas present: An Aiwa JS247. Unlike the Sony, the Aiwa has an AM/FM radio, as well as Super Bass. It also has 3 switches: "TAPE/OSC" for Metal/CrO2 (PB) and Normal tapes, "Pause" and "Band" (for AM/FM Mono and Stereo). It came with it's own stereo microphone, but it got lost. I would have to use a spare microphone for recording. The Aiwa I still have in my room today, looking almost like new. It's been quite a while since I've used it. So, especially after seeing this video, I gotta see how it still works.
The main concern with newer cassette players is some portable cassette players and boomboxes tend to only be in mono even if the player has a headphone jack (Walkman) or has two speakers (boomboxes) which Techmoan and VWestlife proved with their videos. Unless you have a test tape or can look at the head, you may never know if the product is mono or stereo. A test tape which plays audio on one channel can determine if it's stereo as a stereo player will only play audio on one side while a mono player (at least a mono boombox) will play it on both speakers.
In 2019-2020, I went through a kick of buying walkman players. Some were new (Jensen SCR-68C, ezCap 318), one was near-new from eBay with original packaging (Sony WM-FX290), others were various used Sonys acquired from eBay or thrift stores. You are generally right that most of the earlier players had better sound quality, tended to stay close to the correct speed/pitch, and reasonably low w&f. However, "vintage" units are two to four decades old. Mechanical parts either are worn out from intense use or abuse, or deteriorated from sitting unused for decades in a damp or hot environment. Ditto for electronic circuits and controls. Some people don't have the skill or desire to self-repair old units: what seems like an easy replacement of a belt to a hobbyist might seem like an insurmountable hassle to a casual listener lacking skill with micro-screwdrivers and very tiny components. So for those folks: I have used my Jensen and ezCap players a fair amount for casual listening. I found them kinda acceptable and in my own experience the functions all work. But if you really want cassettes for music and don't demand "walkability", I'd skip current walkmans and instead buy a Sony CFD-S70 micro boombox. The CFD-S70 cassette mechanism is genuine Tanashin. It plays and records cassettes fairly well. The CD player and tuner functions are satisfactory. The CFD-S70 sounds very good via headphone output - or even connected via headphone output to a nice 2-channel stereo receiver and speakers - but lackluster through its internal speakers. Final thoughts: of my own collection, my favorite units in working condition are a 1999-vintage Optimus SCP-96 (Dolby, Auto Reverse and 3-band EQ made by Aiwa) and my originally-purchased-in-1990 Panasonic RQ-V175 (Dolby, AR and 3-band EQ). Those units sound very good indeed.
Discman days were the good ole' days, grew up taking it with me to school and listening to some music on breaks!
Me too! In high school - we all had these little leather-ish cases with the player and room for like 4 cds - It was cool to listen to your cd player before class started.
I was skeptical of that Sharp at first, really concerned about the condition of the belt, but looks like its fine! Sounds great! The Retekess just sounds kind of thin and lifeless for music, obviously intended for voice recordings. I just find it crazy that they put the auto reverse and two way motor mechanism in it but couldn't bother to put a stereo head in! UNACCEPTABLE! LOL.
Sharp/Optonica have always been a good make for cassette players, not the best, but consistently good. Even their rock-bottom-of-the-line units are going to be decent, so I'm not surprised the performance of the JC-170GY was respectable. My favorite brand for portable cassette players back in the day was always AIWA, they couldn't be beat as far as quality v price was concerned.
The D-131 was my first Discman too! My wife bought it for me for Christmas.
Speaking of copywrite music I got a video block by Don Henley because it had an organ cover of an eagles song. I had to laugh over that one.
Some of the strikes can be invalid and I have successfully contested some.
I have been cleaning my attic out low and behold I found my portable cassette I had in the 70's , a GE AM/FM cassette player after cleaning the battery compartment It Still Plays!
Is it vertical say stereo in big words and a radio viewer on top
I went a bit nuts in the late 90's and early 2000's by buying vintage cassette decks on eBay or from thrift stores because I had a modest cassette collection and l loved the industrial design of vintage stereo equipment, so I purchased decks by Bang & Olufsen, Harman/Kardon, Sony, Pioneer, Akai, Aiwa, Sansui, Toshiba, Nakamichi, Mitsubishi, Tascam, etc.
They are still a lot of fun and it seems there might be a brief comeback for cassettes these days as another generation becomes interested in them. It'll likely just be a small niche market, but that's okay. :)
Is memorex any good?
i had a lot of cheaper models back in the day but they were adequate for what they were, they did the job and sounded ok. i bought a sony walkman years later when they were starting to phase them out a little bit and i still have it. the new ones can be really cheesy and sound crappy but i guess that is all that is available these days. buying a vintage model is the way to go i guess as long as it is in good working condition, but a lot of them can be really pricey. thanks for another interesting video on portable cassette players. take care
Sharp serial numbers in the past usually go....first number is the year,and the next two numbers represent the month,so 1037453 would be March 1981 or 1991,if we are looking at older products mr Recordology.well that I know is how it goes with old boomboxes.another interesting and nostalgic show.always a pleasure to watch.
Definitely go vintage if you want to enjoy the best of what a portable cassette player can offer. Most of the newer chinese made portable cassette player are mono unfortunately. The cloned mechanism is not bad actually. The speed is basically stable. The problem however is with the electronics.
12:20 I still have my original Sony Walkman (which even had a Canadian maple leaf motif as a product sold in Canada) and it still works perfectly. It pre-dated MegaBass, had no Dolby noise reduction features, and was only a cassette unit (no AM/FM radio like other more advanced Walkman units), but the point is, it still operates perfectly after all these years.
A year or two ago, I bought four or five other Sony Walkman units with the better features I listed and I timed my eBay purchases well because at one time, people were paying $40 to $60 for a vintage unit, but I took advantage of a brief window when I was buying units for $15 to $25 each at the most and then later on, people went nuts again paying $40 to $80 a unit again. So, timing and patience can pay off. :)
That's awesome!
Had a Panasonic RQ-J11 cassette player in the 80’s. That thing had some heft to it, you could tell it was a serious quality piece of kit that could not only be used to enjoy music but also double as a weapon in a pinch.
ahahahah awesome
My first personal stereo system was a Lenoxx Sound model 1129 radio and cassette player, though the first one I really loved was a Philco model 800K that I got from my aunt....... still wish I had that one right now!!!!
And speaking of modern personal cassette players, my current unit is a Jensen SCR-75 that a friend of mine gave me.... it’s not glamorous, but it still doesn’t entirely suck!!!
I have my cassette recorder from high school I am amazed it sounds so good as it does. it is nothing special. the only bad thing is it doesn't have is audio out. When I was growing up mono was the norm if you had stereo you had something special. MP3 on a small device like that seems so much easier.
Does your cassette recorder have a headphone jack? If it does, you can buy a cable with a headphone plug connection on one end and RCA red and white audio connections on the other end to connect to an amplifier. Then just adjust the volume of the recorder to play it through the amplifier and adjust the amp's volume too for best results. :)
@@TorontoJon ]It says ear on one side.
I regret that did not post my recorder in the comments when I originally posted My recorder is the Realistic CTR 24 Model 14-1102 I think it would be worth picking up if anyone needs a portable cassette player.
I do have a dual cassette deck hooked up to my stereo system but It needs some work. cleaning / Demagnitize heeds.
The cover of that "Authentic German Band Marches" tape uses the same font as Meat Loaf for his album covers, such as the "Bat Out of Hell" trilogy, which are amazing rock albums. I recently picked up a blue Sony Sports walkman.
I just dug my childhood Walkman (a Sony BF-44 acquired as a Christmas present in 1989) out of a box of junk in my basement. It's pretty scratched up from use but I have ordered new belts (as they'd both stretched), cleaned the head, captain, pinch roller and headphone socket / volume control, greased the gears, and am looking forward to seeing how it sounds after 32 years. Old is gold!
That Retekess is only MONO, so wouldn't be ideal if you want to listen to or digitise stereo tapes.
it is mono only, but my Sony TCM-2 sounds much better than that, and it is mono too
Tyler & retekess mono?
Good to see another video on cassettes. I have a few machines, both portable and home units. Some need servicing / partial restoration but that is a work in progress. Can i recommend the " Cassette Comeback" channel on You Tube, which covers different tape types and he has some really nice machines. Keep the good content.
Cassette Comeback thanks for the recommendation - yes I have seen some of his stuff.
I’m probably the last generation that knew and used Walkman even though I was a kid. My dad has a big collection of metal bands cassettes, that’s how I’ve started to love music in general but mostly metal 🤘
3rd Comment: You could record a playlist of TH-cam audio library music on a cassette on your proper deck, thats what I do!
that's cool the movie-audio idea!
I have a sony sports walkman! Auto-reverse with Dolby B NR.
omg, you so modern
Have a pioneer ct f755 it sounds incredible on a vintage ross 8 track receiver combo. With radio shack speakers.
I needed an adapter to use them on older receiver
Did magnavox and GE make good cassette players in 90's? Like the portable ones. As far as quality built, and sound quality?
They were lesser quality than Sony but better (by far) than what we can get today
i really like,,nay..love,i would go so far....cassette tapes and also own German marching,and beer drinking cd`s...plus Austrian mountain,yodelling music on cd....austrian music is far softer than hardened German type music..the one thing i have noticed,is my cd`s do not fit into my portable tape playewr,which i actually dont possess....if i did possess one,may bethey would play....not sure....good video... sounded good,what was wrong with the Tyler player
hahahaahah - not sure on the Tyler player....its completely dead at the moment.
@@Recordology that's how I feel every time I step into a r m delivery office...lol
Classic Walkman (even recordable ones) is better than Newer ones, because Walkman made in 80s and 90s Sounds coming from Left and right, Stereo, stereo fm, and stereo recordings too! Now a days Modern walkman Cassette mechanism Only record in MONO audio, mono FM, such as Retekess, Goldyip (dunno or some are stereo), Some china companies, but some walkman sounded in stereo (like the EZCap USB cassette ones, playback only).
I love my WM-FX355 the auto reverse is amazing!
Loved my tape player Walkmans (still have an old Sony) in working order and liked the old Discman and MD Discman from Sony, they were awesome. Unfortunately many modern portable tape players are not so great and only play in mono 🤦♂️
I got the the sharp ones and i love the sounds🥰
Nostalgia is a weird thing. Back in the 80’s I had a Panasonic RX C41L that I got bored of and sold to a friend. Skip forward to 2021 I have a music subscription, a Denon HEOS system with my favourite albums saved as Flac files stored on a SSD. And yet I spend time, effort and money tracking down another Panasonic RX on EBay, nostalgia? WTF!
I found old cassettes and didn't know what device to get to play them so I got a Crosley cassette player. I know you reviewed them on your channel a while ago but how did you feel about them?!
They work adequately .....older cassette players will sound better.
Was it the ct100 version
My dad had the same sharp Walkman.
The real authentic Tanashin mechanisms are great, Its the new copies of it that are very cheaply made and are nowhere near as good.
My portable Jensen hasn't played cassettes at the proper speed since day one. And it's lid is loose. I literally have to hold it shut more often than not. Being a Jensen--even a cheap Jensen--I expected much better quality and more accurate speed right out of the box. I really wish my portable RCA from decades past hadn't finally crapped out on me. It offered rewind as well as fast forward and by flipping a switch, the tape went into reverse mode. Not quite AUTO reverse, but close enough. And boy, did it have sound--really high quality stereo!! It ran on.2 AA batteries or a DC adaptor. It also had a bass boost switch, a rarity then as well as now. I bought it around 1974 for $21. Best portable I ever had, bar none.
Damn, i would love to hear this with a line recorder or something rather than over the speaker.
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Had the yellow sony walkmen sports✌💙
Those still command big bucks....
Your parents must of been rich cos they were the rolls Royce of walkmans..
@@garryfoster94 I was about 18yr old, working and still living with my parents. I had 90% disposable income. Should never have left home🤣🤣✌💙
My favorite woman was a Sears Walkman
No woman like a sears woman.....
That was just a random serial number by the way ,not necessarily yours lol,I'm not blessed with total number recall yet 😂
It sounds a little warbly because both spindles have to get to speed separately. I know what Im talking about. Im old...GenX.
i have that modern cassette player and it would play all of my tapes but it would come out distorted
Even the cheapest sony walkmans are better then any of the modern ones and the sharp (no offense) I’ve got a sony wm-f2015 blue edition. It is build very cheap and dates from 1990 but it sounds very good for what it is. It has FF REW and obviously PLAY. It also has a am fm stereo radio and its able to play metal tapes.
HOW DARE YOUUU!!!! IM SO OFFENDED!!!!! LOL Ya the Sharp is all plastic and cheap - just good memories is all! :)
The wm-f2015 is my other childhood cassette player.....love em.....didnt know they made blue ones!
@@Recordology they are quite rare
Just bought the same sharp player from eBay I'm so exited for it to come in the mail! (Update) it came in the mail and plays like shit and the screws are stuck so I can't fix it so I'm gonna have to buy a different one.
I have Philips cute walkman1995 , with moving sound system 500 INR , i have restored many times, but now the original sound is losted.☹️,. In firsts the sound is really thunder bass sound, but now ☹️☹️
Where would someone aquire a pre tanashin design " walkman" style ( don't have to be actually Sony walkman) p.s. cassette player without paying an arm and a leg?
P.s.=personal stereo
What does VAS mean in the monder ones
Link to buy walkman
Sony Walkman is all I had !
ya the new ones are doing a poor job at doing one job and are to play tapes, but as I always say "you get what you pay for". plus sony is not on the market no more so they no longer have a bar to measure up to now unlike back then everyone wanted a sony player and every company back then try there best to copy them.
Oh my lord🤦🤦🤦. Cassette players made in 2023 suck. Even a cheap stereo cassette walkman fron the 90s sound better than these. I mean CAN YOU EVEN CALL IT A WALKMAN!?