Oh wow, the follow up video is up! Interesting how they've got the speed trim mounted so you access it from the top albeit not explained in the manual and that coupled with the azimuth tweaking performed it is a great new contender. Thanks for the upload.
Fortunately mine was tuned perfect. I received my new FiiO a few days ago. Today…OMG…TODAY, I received and played my first cassette (mint condition) tape inside it. Folks… We’re talking a cassette tape that is 47 years old from 1978 (47 YEARS OLD MOFO’s) featuring David Lee Roth and Van Halen. I’m an old Tiger now and this listening experience is nothing short of a Bucket List experience for me. Yes, I do have the Vinyl and CD versions also, but cassette was my first mobile experience and this brought me back to the curb side (Bad TiGeR) days of yesteryears. GTG… Jamie’s Cryin and the Ice Cream Man is passin by....
Indeed, for those who do not want to venture into restoring a real portable cassette player from the 80s or 90s, these Chinese gadgets being sold today may be the best solution.
i agree. another problem noone seems to be talking about is that many old walkmans have a worn out mechanism. the cassette may sit loose and therefor the azimuth is not stable. nearly impossible to fix that. on the other side, why on earth does that fiio not have a simple chrome switch. beyond me...
you made me learn something today! i didn't knew that azimuth adjustment was a thing before, i had seen that screw in here but thought it was for like removing the head or something so i didn't touched it, and i have an old Fisher player i have with the Fiio that i adjusted to sound pretty well now! i've had the older one it before it. and that old player would sound so muffled and fuzzy compared to the fiio and oh boy just tightening that one screw made it sound infinitely better! it sounds so much clearer now! i dont know how to thank you enough, i now have not only a Fiio that plays at the correct speed, but also my first player sounding better than ever! thank you so much!
Thank you for the azimuth adjustment tip. Only channel on the internet that covered that, as well as speed. Excellent job. 🌟 Often doing forensic cold-case work on the road, I don’t like to haul around bigger equipment. These seem to be very good. Old tapes that have been in storage have to be “seasoned” so that humidity doesn’t pull the ferric oxide off the substrate when playing back. Often these old tapes benefit from an azimuth tweak, as they came from cheap overused recorders.
That's so cool i have the exact micro screw driver set. Manually adjusting the azimuth alignment with no access point with the cassette door closed is very time consuming and guessing? What i have done in the past as for aligning tape heads with no access is drill a pin hole as close to where the head adjust screw can be accessed with the cassette door closed. Now a cassette can be played and live head azimuth adjustments can be achieved. This will void any warranties but azimuth alignment is crucial to the best sound quality from pre recorded cassette tapes. If you've ever heard of the NAKAMICHI DRAGON home component cassette deck. It's well known feature is Auto Azimuth head alignment which will play any cassette and align the tape playback head to the recorded sound producing the highest quality to your hi fi system and speakers.
My take on why the speed adjustment is "backwards" is that the mechanism was designed to be accessed from the rear, which would make CW rotation "faster" and CCW "slower." Also, I've found that when using a screwdriver bit in that fashion, I can make a much finer adjustment if I use a tiny wrench to turn the bit.
Everyone - since the FiiO shares the cassette mechanism with the We Are Rewind, the azimuth tweak is actually applicable to it in the exact same way! I've been struggling with bad treble and other signs of bad azimuth since the beginning and even replaced the unit twice, leaving the company clueless and making their "engineers to check out this very unusual fault" (with many mentions on Reddit and TH-cam comments calling it a "natural low-pass filter"). Who could have thought that the solution is that simple... It just shows that they know close to nothing about the internals and care only about the design and marketing, if they don't known about basic post-factory calibration. I am happy now though that finally a solution emerged. Love you man!
@@konstantinzarkovic7567 Actually I bought it only a few months ago, it's not a fancy model, but it has bass boost and an equaliser. Bought it in need of a belt change knowing that the motor worked after asking the seller
adjusted for inflation that's around $63 in todays money. I guess you can't make em that cheap today because they aren't produced in the same quantity. These days there isn't much demand, so you can't spend as much money developing and producing it.
These manufacturers should focus on the design flaws before they ship these portable cassette players to consumers. I’m glad you were able to adjust the speed for the FiiO player, it’s would entice us to buy the FiiO player once these fix those issues!
We have no idea how many design flaws they already corrected in the final product, we only know that these are two that they missed or maybe even just had to compromise on
@@thecianinator they should just make sure they fixed the speed drift and tape flutter. And they’re good to go, I just want acceptable quality for newcomers to cassettes!
It's just a sign these are made by people who see cassettes as a fashion accessory rather than an actual medium for listening to music. It's technically functional. But nobody's thinking about how you're going to maintain the player over the long term, because who's going to do that? It's a toy. Who cares if it's 5% fast, wobbles like a Weeble, and the head azimuth is off? Does it make a statement when you have it on your lap on the bus? OK, then. It's doing its job.
This is such an important piece of information, it might be a good idea to re-upload the original test video of the 4 walkmans with information about the speed adjustment added. As it is now, I suspect many people who are not subscribers will watch the original test video, and not this video, still getting the impression that speed adjustment is not possible.
Brilliant. Thank you. I love mine and had a lingering suspicion that it was running a hair fast. Now I can adjust for that as well as azimuth. Thanks again!
Thank you. This was such a well-done demonstration, as usual. You've contributed solutions and answers to so many different problems and questions that I've had over the years, this one being the latest. You're a real one.
It's great that someone finally shows about audio head azimuth and adjustments - have long suspected that on one of my better VHS decks that the audio head was slightly off-centre or was slightly 'dull' in audio tone - with what you've shown, I feel much more confident now to trying to adjust the azimuth of the audio head
I still have a high end Aiwa HS-P7 cassette Walkman from the early 80’s. It was like $120 in the day. I drilled a tiny hole in the metal top cover directly over the tape head azimuth adjusting screw. Using a small non-metallic screwdriver, I was able to quickly and easily adjust the azimuth by ear for each tape, no matter on what it was originally recorded. It made all the difference.
I have had my Fiio for a couple of weeks and have managed to dramatically improve it's performance following your simple tips on adjustments. Thankyou so much!
Looks like it was definitely worth it, it does sound really good now after the corrections! Even though it should have been good to go out of the box, at least it’s a new cassette player that actually works well.
As for Steve Gillette, the most James Taylor-meets-Gordon Lightfoot thing I've ever heard. Not really digging it (Bias Alert: I really like James Taylor! And RIP Gordon Lightfoot)
Dios te bendiga, amigo. Gracias a estos dos trucos, ahora sí que mis cassettes se escuchan como es debido. Al principio pensé que el Fiio estaba defectuoso, pero con un poco de paciencia y regulando la velocidad y el azimuth, ahora las cintas se escuchan perfectamente. Gracias por el vídeo y por dar la solución. Un saludo y gracias
My Superscope Story Teller cassette player from the 1970’s is rather shall but bulky as a Walkman, but it’s completely different with a built-in speaker and a switch for fast forward and a switch for playback and stop with a volume control. It was one of those rare birds, and it was designed for kids.
I wrote to the company to complain and they sent me a link to your video !!! Small world Instead of telling me that they are working on doing the QC check !!!
@@jdekong3945nah, at least it is a bit better then the other crap on the market. There is not much you can get today if you want it new out of the box.
Thanks for the update. I saw the review this morning after I have ordered the FIIO. I was worried but now feel reassured. I hope when it arrives it won’t need fine tuning but at least I know what to do if it does. You’re a great source of help. New subscriber here 😁
Thank you for this and your prior video! I preordered the FiiO about a month ago and am impatiently waiting for it. I just need it to be better than my Jensen SCR-75. I don’t think I’m ready to try to find and restore a vintage Walkman. I’ve searched a little online, but prices were discouraging. Plus I may have to tune up my Nakamichi deck soon, and I’d like to keep my project level low.
Takes me back to 1990 😄 Exactly the things I used to be obsessed about with my walkmans! Those things had their speed spot on. But head azimuth sometimes becomes an issue, specially once it gets magnetised. Then the tape starts to move sideways while playing. So I used to run demagnetiser cassetes. Adjusting head azimuth becomes a pain as different cassetes seemed to behave differently.
I was looking at all the ones you did reviews on and I liked this one, but the inaccessibility of adjustment put me off. Seeing how simple it was to make corrections has changed my mind! I still have my excellent Sony Walkman but needed one to for everyday usage.
Just an FYI... Chrome tapes are nearly always recorded less than 0db. Chrome tapes, especially true Chrome tapes are by design much quieter. Their primary purpose is to reduce hiss. But they are also not very good at high levels of saturation and so are usually maxed out at the loudest point of any music to be about 0db. A good Ferric can hit over 6db and still sound great while metal tapes can take even more at all times and not even just the loudest signal. I have some metal tapes recorded before I got them that come very close to maxing out the meter during loud portions. The whole point of metal tapes is they handle a lot of saturation which drowns out the hiss. The main problem with metal tapes is they have louder hiss. So if you make a metal recording that tops out at 0db, it will be very hissy.
Most Type II tapes weren't actually chrome, however. The Japanese, from what I read, either couldn't source enough chromium to make bulk tape stock, or they didn't want to pay for the rights to patented technology. Either way, the majority of Type II tapes used cobalt-doping of ferric oxide. Thus they get the benefit of lowering hiss while achieving higher saturation when compared to real chrome.
I have a late vintage (I believe second half of the 90s) mid-range auto reversing player with touch controls that I saved from electronics recycling. I believe it is a Sanyo (I don’t have it with me at the moment unfortunately, so I can’t say more than that right now). I replaced the belt and tried to fix the azimuths as best I could. It was quite an annoying project because it involved de soldering the minuscule solenoid to even be able to do that. Later, I had to go through the process again to glue a magnet back on one of the spindles. It is integral to the workings of the device, as it is how it senses if the tape is moving and when it came loose it thought that it was constantly at the end of the tape. It now works though 😊 and it has a built in Dolby 2 decoder. It may not be the best player in the world, but it works, and it probably is on par with any modern production device. Too bad I don’t have the remote control lead for the headphones. But I got a vintage player _with_ the AA battery dongle for the price of a belt (
Ha, I'm surprised you got it to balance on its buttons at 7:30 :) Nice update, and thumbs up for using the Junkies tape for some CanCon. They're still going; I think their latest album is great!
Gotta love that DAK (Drew Alan Kaplan) mixer. Used to love reading through those text-heavy catalogs back in the 1980's and 1990's. I bought my first computer and laser printer from that catalog back in 1990. At any rate, glad you were able to get this FIIO up to snuff. Great video as always.
Thank God mu 1995 Sony Walkman still works. It has AVLS , tape selector ( plays normal /chrome /metal ) and it also has AM/FM tuner. Changed the belt just once . I am from India.
Fiio make some of the best Amp DAC's you can get, notwithstanding other portable audio equipment, so for them this looks like a bit of a vanity project. They were probably given a couple of pallet loads of mechanisms, and decided to try and make a few quid from them.
To my ears, there seemed to be some audible wow and, to a lesser extent, some flutter. It seemed a bit higher than your measured 0.15%, which is a very good measurement for a walkman. It's quite possible that as the unit gets more use, the audibility of wow will decrease, this does seem to be a well-made unit. Thanks in abundance for showing how to calibrate the speed and head azimuth.
@@JD-lk7im I've noticed it too, but subscribed that to me being picky about W&F. Could it be that it is just due to the recording setup or it's actually audible on speakers and headphones?
@@borisbjedov6848 I'm a bit sensitive to wow and flutter too recently. I've been dealing with an Aiwa adf770, finally got the correct drive belts. I play TH-cam through my hifi system.
I noticed that head azimuth screw on the first video and that surprised me. My Sony Walkman (WM-B47 from around 1989) doesn't have that, its head is just slotted in a piece of plastic (that also probably works as a tape guide)
That is an auto-reverse model. Those don't have an azimuth adjustment screw due to the fact that the head is fixed in place and is essentially a four-track head (not the type that rotates, unlike their bigger desktop deck siblings). Fixing azimuth for one direction would screw up the other side. So I guess you just have to hope it's always correctly in place.
I found something really cool on Amazon the other day. I was looking for a cheaper portable for a friend and found a clear plastic one with brass or copper flywheels. It's smaller than the Fiio and runs on two AA batteries. It's just the standard mech, but seeing the upgrade flywheels through the back is pretty darn cool. It will also be insanely easy to service. It's also a stereo auto reversing head. Looks like another evolution, but it's like less than $40. I just searched "clear auto reversing cassette player" and it came right up. I'd love to see you test it.
That is pretty impressive, I never really had got into using cassettes since that was still before my time even though I grew up in the 90s mostly during the CD era.
Make sure if you do any adjustments to these that you're using non-magnetized tools, or you'll have a bad time. Also, if you want a quick screw locker for when you're done adjusting, fingernail polish works a treat.
Looks like I can skip all of these until someone comes out with something novel. I'd kill to find out what happened to my Sony WM-DDII. What a machine that was.
OMG I had no idea that fixing the azimuth is so simple (and I've been using cassettes since I was a little kid in 1980)! Why didn't anyone ever talk about this 😭 I just went through the house and fixed the azimuth on multiple decks including one of those $35 cheapo Walkmans I just got off eBay which sounds so much better now!
Tempting, despite its flaws... At any rate, this video was a good reminder for me to go back and relisten to Cowboy Junkies awesome version of "Sweet Jane".
I find it quite interesting, nostalgic and intriguing that there're still new releases on tape these days. Just two weeks ago I've got my copy of "Solar - Love has Gone' which only was releases on tape as physical medium. But: it's the cheapest type of type (normal, brown one). Would be interesting to know if new tapes are still being produced of it's new old stock or even second hand tapes they use for the current releases
There are a couple of companies still making new tape (besides the Chinese junk "Type 0"). I think the best of the bunch is from Recording The Masters (RTM) based in France. It is reported that they are using a BASF formulation, and though they're sort of pricey, they aren't too shabby.
@VWEstlife thanks for the follow-up video. I mean to ask in the previous one (comparison of the 4), in addition to the speed tape, what would I need in rder to do what you are showing? The meters UI part, I guess. Thanks
It's amazing, because, i may not any of the head aligntment kit for my c-tape walkmans, but i do have Interceptor Software's AZIMUTH HEAD ALIGNTMENT KIT for the Commodore 64. 😺👍🕹️
I had that one too! Maybe still have it even. I had 4 decks at some point (don't ask) and it was a real challenge to get them all to work with the turbo tape loaders.
I just bought the FiiO from Amazon for $110, I got it today and I'm a bit disappointed with the overall sound quality if I'm being honest. I acquired some"new old stock" Aiwa Walkman for $60 which really outperforms it by a landslide. I'm afraid its gonna go back to Amazon ... maybe they should make it more compact and I'd consider keeping it.
A major problem of almost every portable cassette player is that the speed actually varies not just due to W&F, but along the tape playback due to different amounts of tape on the take-up and supply reels. Because those reels are driven off the main motor via a clutch mechanism, they impose a ballast on it, and this can vary depending on how much tape there is already on the reel to wind up. Hence, cheap walkmen (walkmans?) tend to run slower at the beginning of a tape (due to lots of tape on the supply reel) and gradually speed up as more tape moves over to the take-up reel. For this reason, I've seen service manuals for such devices recommending setting the speed "in the middle of the tape".
Thanks for another great vid. I have a question this time. The buttons on that thing are kind of large and I am wondering how sensitive they are. Being so large I would be afraid they might be easier to accidentality bump when you don't mean to.
I use my Toshiba KT-RS1 Walkman from 1983. I restored it so one side is working (autoreverse). New Heads and capacitors and it sounds amazing. Very complicated mechanism, but you can adjust the speed at the battery component. Very easy. Even those cheap Sony Walkmans from the 90s are better even though they are completely made out of plastic
I received mine today and I’m loving it! However I have noticed when I lay it face (window) up, the sound changes. Could this be the head needs aligning?
This actually sounds really decent with the tweaks. They still absolutely shouldn't need this level of calibration or work, assuming everyone has tools at home to adjust pots that are in silly places is ridiculous.
I have a ceramic screwdriver set, which has removable bits if you pull hard enough. If you have a set, it would leave you with a shank that isn't wide instead of the hex region.
Thank you for this video! What computer program are you using with the Teac Test Tape and do you simply connect the FiiO via a male-to-male 3,5 jack to the computer?
I never like using Dolby noise reduction on tapes. It got rid of the hiss, yes, but it also got rid of most of the higher frequencies. It noticeably eliminated or muted most cymbal and snare drum sounds.
it is a crying shame that they sealed the fiio so that noone can open it up without damaging. it sound alright, but that 'feature' alone is enough for me to never even consider buying one. it is a cassette deck using belts. those belts will need replacement, which will be the moment you'll have to throw the fiio away (if it lives that long, because the batteries are likely going to die before that) make a proper servicable unit and so much more people will consider buying it. i am really glad that at least the EU will ban the sale of such throwaway gadgets. this might sound like a rant, but i am honestly just sad that they had to ruin their player with such nonsense. don't waste your money and don't support such rip off companies. i bet they were having a good laugh at fiio when they decided to make this player unservicable, forcing people to throw them away and buy new.
@Anthony96922 we are lucky that they even gave us an analog headphone jack ;) wonder if it is a smart choice to try to sell a walkman to an apple user base... why not target the cassette user base?
I can relate to your reaction on the windows restart screen. The world has become a place where companies want to sell you a product, but they still want to control it. My phone will restart when it wants to, ask for a pin instead of my fingerprint when it wants, I'm not allowed to fix it and I'm prevented from accessing the battery. I disable wifi or bluetooth and it will start scanning and connect anyways after a bit. Not to mention companies that will arbitrarily enforce a 2 factor authentication and ask for confirmation on a device or account you no longer use
The difference besides the size is that logic control models usually had brushless motors that even without quartz stabilized 3-phase driver had better speed stability and faster rewinding/fast forwarding while being less power hungry and models with radio receiver had way more stable and useful digital frequency synthesizer with frequency indicator instead of manually tuned VFO.
My sister's Sony WM-4 Walkman from 1983 had the speed adjustment pot worked "backwards" . It was accessible in the battery compartment with them installed and running.
Sounds way better now ,I think this is the best looking of the modern units.I do wonder how good the quality of the belts are they use in these devices ,.
Just watched a few of your videos and start to wonder if there are still car radios with cassette players produced. Full sized cassette decks one can surprisingly buy new, but for cars I couldn't find anything.
A problem i have with these devices and other ones, like modern wireless keyboards and mice is that they almost all have integrated Lithium Ion batteries, which puts an expiration date on them. In 5 years or so, they most likely will be rubbish. Unless there will be brand new replacement batteries, which would require dismantling and perhaps even soldering. I would consider buying one, if it would run on AA's.
Sounds much better now - shame it's not more easily accessible. Maybe it's intentional in case someone broke it. But at least with those screw bits you can make the adjustment
It sounds great, but the tapes with Dolby noise reduction on their recording will always have their treble over emphasized. What does it sound like with a good home recording on a blank type II cassette like the TDK SA without NR?
Like, when played on a deck without a dolby decoder? I always found dolby tapes (when played in dolby mode) sounded dull in the high end. I preferred the noise over the impact on sound. Except for Dolby S, that really worked very well. But by that time cassettes were well on the way to becoming obsolete.
@stragulus Correct. I think it can be personal taste when it comes to Dolby on or off, also depending on the quality of the tape and how well the deck is aligned.
Only thing I’ll add is that azimuth should ideally be adjusted on a per-tape basis, particularly for tapes not recorded commercially-being able to do this well automagically is what separated the high-end Nakamichis of old from the competition. If W&F could be reduced further somehow (I’m not sure if or how this could be done in terms of modding the mechanism) then it could be a decent machine for tape preservation, though with limitations given the lack of Dolby decoders
As someone who remembers very well some of the refined and compact machines in the 90s from the likes of Sony, Aiwa and Panasonic, I just can't get excited about these current personal cassette players.
Well some tape decks had little holes in the door and you could adjust it while the tape was running through the hole in the tape where the spindle wheel would go, looks like the same with that if you drilled a little holding the door or is there a gap between the opening of the door? They're not worth the thin cassette player I've got a Panasonic just about the width of the tape cassette with the screw on battery adaptor what do they sell for?
I may be telling you something you already know but right-angle bit drivers are a thing; Adafruit sells a set, appropriate for electronics work. BTW, until I put on my readers, I thought the Mark Thompson-Smith tape was Laura Nyro...
I use the bits from a similar screwdriver set to undo the screws on the RAM access door on my 2011 iMac. That way I just have to tilt the machine on it's stand slightly to upgrade the RAM and I don't need to use a screwdriver.
*Thanks VWestlife!* i must say, all this time you've shown Testing and ability to Adjust, i keep wondering how bad were any players i've used? [per 'Celica Tech': 'If it's not broke, fix it until it is'] : } or _test One's hearing_ May your Stash of Collection never end.
Hey, VWestlife. Kinda out of topic, but how can you encode and upscale a 480p to 1080p/60fps video? I forgot what program do you use when you discussed it and I can't find it for some reason. Thanks!
There is no reason why they should have a custom version of the pcb when they are using an off the shelf mechanism and in the normal version the pot is mounted over a hole in the pcb and is meant to be adjusted from the back but they did not add a hole for that. This could explain why your first instinct was opposite.
It’s unfortunate about the build quality and factory testing. My experiences with FiiO digital audio equipment has been nothing short of perfect every time, and I always recommend them for price to performance.
For some reason the ending with the music and the player in all of the glamour positions made me chuckle.
Oh wow, the follow up video is up!
Interesting how they've got the speed trim mounted so you access it from the top albeit not explained in the manual and that coupled with the azimuth tweaking performed it is a great new contender.
Thanks for the upload.
Fortunately mine was tuned perfect.
I received my new FiiO a few days ago. Today…OMG…TODAY,
I received and played my first cassette (mint condition) tape inside it. Folks… We’re talking a cassette tape that is 47 years old from 1978 (47 YEARS OLD MOFO’s) featuring David Lee Roth and Van Halen. I’m an old Tiger now and this listening experience is nothing short of a Bucket List experience for me. Yes, I do have the Vinyl and CD versions also, but cassette was my first mobile experience and this brought me back to the curb side (Bad TiGeR) days of yesteryears. GTG… Jamie’s Cryin and the Ice Cream Man is passin by....
Indeed, for those who do not want to venture into restoring a real portable cassette player from the 80s or 90s, these Chinese gadgets being sold today may be the best solution.
i agree. another problem noone seems to be talking about is that many old walkmans have a worn out mechanism. the cassette may sit loose and therefor the azimuth is not stable. nearly impossible to fix that.
on the other side, why on earth does that fiio not have a simple chrome switch. beyond me...
you made me learn something today! i didn't knew that azimuth adjustment was a thing before, i had seen that screw in here but thought it was for like removing the head or something so i didn't touched it, and i have an old Fisher player i have with the Fiio that i adjusted to sound pretty well now! i've had the older one it before it. and that old player would sound so muffled and fuzzy compared to the fiio and oh boy just tightening that one screw made it sound infinitely better! it sounds so much clearer now! i dont know how to thank you enough, i now have not only a Fiio that plays at the correct speed, but also my first player sounding better than ever! thank you so much!
Thank you for the azimuth adjustment tip. Only channel on the internet that covered that, as well as speed. Excellent job. 🌟
Often doing forensic cold-case work on the road, I don’t like to haul around bigger equipment. These seem to be very good. Old tapes that have been in storage have to be “seasoned” so that humidity doesn’t pull the ferric oxide off the substrate when playing back. Often these old tapes benefit from an azimuth tweak, as they came from cheap overused recorders.
That's so cool i have the exact micro screw driver set. Manually adjusting the azimuth alignment with no access point with the cassette door closed is very time consuming and guessing? What i have done in the past as for aligning tape heads with no access is drill a pin hole as close to where the head adjust screw can be accessed with the cassette door closed. Now a cassette can be played and live head azimuth adjustments can be achieved. This will void any warranties but azimuth alignment is crucial to the best sound quality from pre recorded cassette tapes. If you've ever heard of the NAKAMICHI DRAGON home component cassette deck. It's well known feature is Auto Azimuth head alignment which will play any cassette and align the tape playback head to the recorded sound producing the highest quality to your hi fi system and speakers.
To borrow a line from an old TV commercial that said "Panasonic you've done it again!" I say VWestlife you've done it again! Kudos to you.
Another Panasonic ad tag-line for many years - at least here in the States: "Panasonic, just slightly ahead of its time".
@@peacearchwa5103 That's true. I was thinking of that one as well. They used that tag line here in Canada also.
My take on why the speed adjustment is "backwards" is that the mechanism was designed to be accessed from the rear, which would make CW rotation "faster" and CCW "slower." Also, I've found that when using a screwdriver bit in that fashion, I can make a much finer adjustment if I use a tiny wrench to turn the bit.
Exactly my thoughts
Well also it makes sense electronically, i.e. greater resistance slows it down.
Everyone - since the FiiO shares the cassette mechanism with the We Are Rewind, the azimuth tweak is actually applicable to it in the exact same way! I've been struggling with bad treble and other signs of bad azimuth since the beginning and even replaced the unit twice, leaving the company clueless and making their "engineers to check out this very unusual fault" (with many mentions on Reddit and TH-cam comments calling it a "natural low-pass filter"). Who could have thought that the solution is that simple... It just shows that they know close to nothing about the internals and care only about the design and marketing, if they don't known about basic post-factory calibration.
I am happy now though that finally a solution emerged. Love you man!
The fact that it can't be opened it's enough to prevent me from buying it. I'll rock my 1989 walkman ($25 on eBay) until the end of time 🤙🏼
The issue is that those haven't been $25 in a long time
@@konstantinzarkovic7567 Actually I bought it only a few months ago, it's not a fancy model, but it has bass boost and an equaliser. Bought it in need of a belt change knowing that the motor worked after asking the seller
adjusted for inflation that's around $63 in todays money.
I guess you can't make em that cheap today because they aren't produced in the same quantity. These days there isn't much demand, so you can't spend as much money developing and producing it.
@@jort93z Actually the $25 I paid are in today's currency since I bought it a few months ago. I'll edit my comment
Even broken ones that I see are very expensive people upcharge it because they are vintage😢
These manufacturers should focus on the design flaws before they ship these portable cassette players to consumers. I’m glad you were able to adjust the speed for the FiiO player, it’s would entice us to buy the FiiO player once these fix those issues!
We have no idea how many design flaws they already corrected in the final product, we only know that these are two that they missed or maybe even just had to compromise on
@@thecianinator they should just make sure they fixed the speed drift and tape flutter. And they’re good to go, I just want acceptable quality for newcomers to cassettes!
it's just pure junk
@@deaddycruel it’s not junk, it’s decent enough to buy as a replacement!
It's just a sign these are made by people who see cassettes as a fashion accessory rather than an actual medium for listening to music. It's technically functional. But nobody's thinking about how you're going to maintain the player over the long term, because who's going to do that? It's a toy. Who cares if it's 5% fast, wobbles like a Weeble, and the head azimuth is off? Does it make a statement when you have it on your lap on the bus? OK, then. It's doing its job.
This is such an important piece of information, it might be a good idea to re-upload the original test video of the 4 walkmans with information about the speed adjustment added. As it is now, I suspect many people who are not subscribers will watch the original test video, and not this video, still getting the impression that speed adjustment is not possible.
I will include a link to this video from the original video.
Was a bit disappointed at it on the previous video, but now I'm sold :)
Brilliant. Thank you. I love mine and had a lingering suspicion that it was running a hair fast. Now I can adjust for that as well as azimuth. Thanks again!
Wow a DAK amplifier! I’d love a video where you go through some old DAK catalogs, those things were awesome.
Thank you. This was such a well-done demonstration, as usual. You've contributed solutions and answers to so many different problems and questions that I've had over the years, this one being the latest. You're a real one.
It's great that someone finally shows about audio head azimuth and adjustments - have long suspected that on one of my better VHS decks that the audio head was slightly off-centre or was slightly 'dull' in audio tone - with what you've shown, I feel much more confident now to trying to adjust the azimuth of the audio head
VCR can’t be adjusted the same way as they have different systems.
Nice one Kevin. Glad to see you were able to fix the major problem with this one.
And as usual, thank you for sharing the solution with us.
I still have a high end Aiwa HS-P7 cassette Walkman from the early 80’s. It was like $120 in the day. I drilled a tiny hole in the metal top cover directly over the tape head azimuth adjusting screw. Using a small non-metallic screwdriver, I was able to quickly and easily adjust the azimuth by ear for each tape, no matter on what it was originally recorded. It made all the difference.
Nakamichi mod !
Model?
I have had my Fiio for a couple of weeks and have managed to dramatically improve it's performance following your simple tips on adjustments. Thankyou so much!
Looks like it was definitely worth it, it does sound really good now after the corrections! Even though it should have been good to go out of the box, at least it’s a new cassette player that actually works well.
Mark Thompson-Smith, the most Night Ranger-meets-Sammy Hagar thing I've ever heard. And was kinda digging it!
In your face AOR.
As for Steve Gillette, the most James Taylor-meets-Gordon Lightfoot thing I've ever heard. Not really digging it (Bias Alert: I really like James Taylor! And RIP Gordon Lightfoot)
NIGHT RAAAANGER ! man I need to dig out the vinyl again
Dios te bendiga, amigo. Gracias a estos dos trucos, ahora sí que mis cassettes se escuchan como es debido. Al principio pensé que el Fiio estaba defectuoso, pero con un poco de paciencia y regulando la velocidad y el azimuth, ahora las cintas se escuchan perfectamente. Gracias por el vídeo y por dar la solución. Un saludo y gracias
My Superscope Story Teller cassette player from the 1970’s is rather shall but bulky as a Walkman, but it’s completely different with a built-in speaker and a switch for fast forward and a switch for playback and stop with a volume control. It was one of those rare birds, and it was designed for kids.
I wrote to the company to complain and they sent me a link to your video !!!
Small world
Instead of telling me that they are working on doing the QC check !!!
Thanks.
Any plans for disassemble video?
Best done with a big hammer in this instance I think…
@@jdekong3945nah, at least it is a bit better then the other crap on the market. There is not much you can get today if you want it new out of the box.
Thanks for the update. I saw the review this morning after I have ordered the FIIO. I was worried but now feel reassured. I hope when it arrives it won’t need fine tuning but at least I know what to do if it does. You’re a great source of help. New subscriber here 😁
Appreciate the update on this. It actually sounds listenable now and I would consider this one over all other new options for sure 👍
Was really shocked how far off my azimuth was. Luckily that was an easy fix. Unfortunately my motor is still all over the place.
Did you get a faulty unit
Thank you for this and your prior video!
I preordered the FiiO about a month ago and am impatiently waiting for it. I just need it to be better than my Jensen SCR-75. I don’t think I’m ready to try to find and restore a vintage Walkman. I’ve searched a little online, but prices were discouraging. Plus I may have to tune up my Nakamichi deck soon, and I’d like to keep my project level low.
Takes me back to 1990 😄 Exactly the things I used to be obsessed about with my walkmans! Those things had their speed spot on. But head azimuth sometimes becomes an issue, specially once it gets magnetised. Then the tape starts to move sideways while playing. So I used to run demagnetiser cassetes. Adjusting head azimuth becomes a pain as different cassetes seemed to behave differently.
I was looking at all the ones you did reviews on and I liked this one, but the inaccessibility of adjustment put me off. Seeing how simple it was to make corrections has changed my mind! I still have my excellent Sony Walkman but needed one to for everyday usage.
Do you use your Sony for special occasions only?
I have too many cassettes lol
I mainly use it for recording.
wow that sounds really good now
Just an FYI... Chrome tapes are nearly always recorded less than 0db. Chrome tapes, especially true Chrome tapes are by design much quieter. Their primary purpose is to reduce hiss. But they are also not very good at high levels of saturation and so are usually maxed out at the loudest point of any music to be about 0db. A good Ferric can hit over 6db and still sound great while metal tapes can take even more at all times and not even just the loudest signal.
I have some metal tapes recorded before I got them that come very close to maxing out the meter during loud portions. The whole point of metal tapes is they handle a lot of saturation which drowns out the hiss. The main problem with metal tapes is they have louder hiss. So if you make a metal recording that tops out at 0db, it will be very hissy.
Most Type II tapes weren't actually chrome, however. The Japanese, from what I read, either couldn't source enough chromium to make bulk tape stock, or they didn't want to pay for the rights to patented technology. Either way, the majority of Type II tapes used cobalt-doping of ferric oxide. Thus they get the benefit of lowering hiss while achieving higher saturation when compared to real chrome.
@@kirkmooneyham But it is a bit of a compromise. A true chrome tape (you can tell by a strong smell of crayon) have excellent hiss characteristics.
compared to other modern cassette players, this is quite a step-up in sound quality.
It doesn’t have much competition in all fairness.
@@johnmc3862 i totally agree. if we'd take a look back at the personal mono, there is a significant difference.
This is amazing! It really sounds great now that the speed and head alignment have been adjusted. Thank you for sharing your knowledge on this video.
I have a late vintage (I believe second half of the 90s) mid-range auto reversing player with touch controls that I saved from electronics recycling. I believe it is a Sanyo (I don’t have it with me at the moment unfortunately, so I can’t say more than that right now). I replaced the belt and tried to fix the azimuths as best I could. It was quite an annoying project because it involved de soldering the minuscule solenoid to even be able to do that. Later, I had to go through the process again to glue a magnet back on one of the spindles. It is integral to the workings of the device, as it is how it senses if the tape is moving and when it came loose it thought that it was constantly at the end of the tape. It now works though 😊 and it has a built in Dolby 2 decoder.
It may not be the best player in the world, but it works, and it probably is on par with any modern production device.
Too bad I don’t have the remote control lead for the headphones. But I got a vintage player _with_ the AA battery dongle for the price of a belt (
Ha, I'm surprised you got it to balance on its buttons at 7:30 :) Nice update, and thumbs up for using the Junkies tape for some CanCon. They're still going; I think their latest album is great!
Gotta love that DAK (Drew Alan Kaplan) mixer. Used to love reading through those text-heavy catalogs back in the 1980's and 1990's. I bought my first computer and laser printer from that catalog back in 1990.
At any rate, glad you were able to get this FIIO up to snuff.
Great video as always.
Thank God mu 1995 Sony Walkman still works. It has AVLS , tape selector ( plays normal /chrome /metal ) and it also has AM/FM tuner. Changed the belt just once . I am from India.
Fiio make some of the best Amp DAC's you can get, notwithstanding other portable audio equipment, so for them this looks like a bit of a vanity project. They were probably given a couple of pallet loads of mechanisms, and decided to try and make a few quid from them.
To my ears, there seemed to be some audible wow and, to a lesser extent, some flutter. It seemed a bit higher than your measured 0.15%, which is a very good measurement for a walkman. It's quite possible that as the unit gets more use, the audibility of wow will decrease, this does seem to be a well-made unit. Thanks in abundance for showing how to calibrate the speed and head azimuth.
I can hear it too.
@@JD-lk7im I've noticed it too, but subscribed that to me being picky about W&F. Could it be that it is just due to the recording setup or it's actually audible on speakers and headphones?
@@borisbjedov6848 I'm a bit sensitive to wow and flutter too recently. I've been dealing with an Aiwa adf770, finally got the correct drive belts. I play TH-cam through my hifi system.
sounds almost like a chorus plugin
I noticed that head azimuth screw on the first video and that surprised me. My Sony Walkman (WM-B47 from around 1989) doesn't have that, its head is just slotted in a piece of plastic (that also probably works as a tape guide)
That is an auto-reverse model. Those don't have an azimuth adjustment screw due to the fact that the head is fixed in place and is essentially a four-track head (not the type that rotates, unlike their bigger desktop deck siblings). Fixing azimuth for one direction would screw up the other side. So I guess you just have to hope it's always correctly in place.
Some models do have bi-azimuth adjustment screws.
I found something really cool on Amazon the other day. I was looking for a cheaper portable for a friend and found a clear plastic one with brass or copper flywheels. It's smaller than the Fiio and runs on two AA batteries. It's just the standard mech, but seeing the upgrade flywheels through the back is pretty darn cool. It will also be insanely easy to service. It's also a stereo auto reversing head. Looks like another evolution, but it's like less than $40. I just searched "clear auto reversing cassette player" and it came right up. I'd love to see you test it.
Wow thank you for this! I had a clear one in back in elementary school 😂😂😂
That is pretty impressive, I never really had got into using cassettes since that was still before my time even though I grew up in the 90s mostly during the CD era.
Make sure if you do any adjustments to these that you're using non-magnetized tools, or you'll have a bad time. Also, if you want a quick screw locker for when you're done adjusting, fingernail polish works a treat.
Yes, either that, or demagnetize the head after making the adjustment, which is what I did.
my wife had that Panasonic machine you showed back in the day. I loved that thing
Looks like I can skip all of these until someone comes out with something novel. I'd kill to find out what happened to my Sony WM-DDII. What a machine that was.
OMG I had no idea that fixing the azimuth is so simple (and I've been using cassettes since I was a little kid in 1980)! Why didn't anyone ever talk about this 😭 I just went through the house and fixed the azimuth on multiple decks including one of those $35 cheapo Walkmans I just got off eBay which sounds so much better now!
I agree with you that Fiio seems like really nice walkman for the price !
I found the improvements in the video made the playback 100% acceptable.
I have the same little red screwdriver set that I've had several frustrating adventures with.
Tempting, despite its flaws... At any rate, this video was a good reminder for me to go back and relisten to Cowboy Junkies awesome version of "Sweet Jane".
I find it quite interesting, nostalgic and intriguing that there're still new releases on tape these days. Just two weeks ago I've got my copy of "Solar - Love has Gone' which only was releases on tape as physical medium. But: it's the cheapest type of type (normal, brown one). Would be interesting to know if new tapes are still being produced of it's new old stock or even second hand tapes they use for the current releases
There are a couple of companies still making new tape (besides the Chinese junk "Type 0"). I think the best of the bunch is from Recording The Masters (RTM) based in France. It is reported that they are using a BASF formulation, and though they're sort of pricey, they aren't too shabby.
@VWEstlife thanks for the follow-up video. I mean to ask in the previous one (comparison of the 4), in addition to the speed tape, what would I need in rder to do what you are showing? The meters UI part, I guess. Thanks
The software I use is called NAK T-100. It's available for Windows 10/11 or Mac OS.
@@vwestlife Thanks very much!!
Neat mini-tool kit.
It's amazing, because, i may not any of the head aligntment kit for my c-tape walkmans,
but i do have Interceptor Software's
AZIMUTH HEAD ALIGNTMENT KIT for
the Commodore 64.
😺👍🕹️
I had that one too! Maybe still have it even. I had 4 decks at some point (don't ask) and it was a real challenge to get them all to work with the turbo tape loaders.
@@stragulus
No way!
I still have two Datassettes 😺👍.
Now, i really want Mills Load-It 😹👍🕹️.
And hey...
COMMODORE 64 FOREVER 😺👍🕹️!
Press play on tape
I just bought the FiiO from Amazon for $110, I got it today and I'm a bit disappointed with the overall sound quality if I'm being honest. I acquired some"new old stock" Aiwa Walkman for $60 which really outperforms it by a landslide. I'm afraid its gonna go back to Amazon ... maybe they should make it more compact and I'd consider keeping it.
A major problem of almost every portable cassette player is that the speed actually varies not just due to W&F, but along the tape playback due to different amounts of tape on the take-up and supply reels. Because those reels are driven off the main motor via a clutch mechanism, they impose a ballast on it, and this can vary depending on how much tape there is already on the reel to wind up.
Hence, cheap walkmen (walkmans?) tend to run slower at the beginning of a tape (due to lots of tape on the supply reel) and gradually speed up as more tape moves over to the take-up reel. For this reason, I've seen service manuals for such devices recommending setting the speed "in the middle of the tape".
Thanks for another great vid. I have a question this time. The buttons on that thing are kind of large and I am wondering how sensitive they are. Being so large I would be afraid they might be easier to accidentality bump when you don't mean to.
No, the buttons are mechanical so you do need to press them intentionally in order to actuate them.
Sonoridade incrível
I use my Toshiba KT-RS1 Walkman from 1983. I restored it so one side is working (autoreverse). New Heads and capacitors and it sounds amazing. Very complicated mechanism, but you can adjust the speed at the battery component. Very easy. Even those cheap Sony Walkmans from the 90s are better even though they are completely made out of plastic
I received mine today and I’m loving it! However I have noticed when I lay it face (window) up, the sound changes. Could this be the head needs aligning?
Many thanks, you convince me to buy CP13. Good informations for adjustment.
2:53 That part had be BURSTING out laughing, oh my glob
This actually sounds really decent with the tweaks. They still absolutely shouldn't need this level of calibration or work, assuming everyone has tools at home to adjust pots that are in silly places is ridiculous.
Like a screwdriver bit? Very exotic tool. :DDD
@@woldemunster9244 you'd be surprised how many people don't have tool bits, you ironic TOOL.
I have a ceramic screwdriver set, which has removable bits if you pull hard enough. If you have a set, it would leave you with a shank that isn't wide instead of the hex region.
Thank you for this video! What computer program are you using with the Teac Test Tape and do you simply connect the FiiO via a male-to-male 3,5 jack to the computer?
The software is called NAK T-100. I connected the headphone output of the player to the line input jack of my PC's sound card.
Thanks! @@vwestlife
I never like using Dolby noise reduction on tapes. It got rid of the hiss, yes, but it also got rid of most of the higher frequencies. It noticeably eliminated or muted most cymbal and snare drum sounds.
Rocking my 1982 Sony WM-F1 Walkman and my Sony Sports WM-F45 Walkman till the end of time!! 😄
You sure have some good taste in music!
it is a crying shame that they sealed the fiio so that noone can open it up without damaging. it sound alright, but that 'feature' alone is enough for me to never even consider buying one.
it is a cassette deck using belts. those belts will need replacement, which will be the moment you'll have to throw the fiio away (if it lives that long, because the batteries are likely going to die before that)
make a proper servicable unit and so much more people will consider buying it. i am really glad that at least the EU will ban the sale of such throwaway gadgets.
this might sound like a rant, but i am honestly just sad that they had to ruin their player with such nonsense. don't waste your money and don't support such rip off companies. i bet they were having a good laugh at fiio when they decided to make this player unservicable, forcing people to throw them away and buy new.
@Anthony96922 we are lucky that they even gave us an analog headphone jack ;)
wonder if it is a smart choice to try to sell a walkman to an apple user base... why not target the cassette user base?
I can relate to your reaction on the windows restart screen. The world has become a place where companies want to sell you a product, but they still want to control it. My phone will restart when it wants to, ask for a pin instead of my fingerprint when it wants, I'm not allowed to fix it and I'm prevented from accessing the battery. I disable wifi or bluetooth and it will start scanning and connect anyways after a bit. Not to mention companies that will arbitrarily enforce a 2 factor authentication and ask for confirmation on a device or account you no longer use
The difference besides the size is that logic control models usually had brushless motors that even without quartz stabilized 3-phase driver had better speed stability and faster rewinding/fast forwarding while being less power hungry and models with radio receiver had way more stable and useful digital frequency synthesizer with frequency indicator instead of manually tuned VFO.
Your music collection is amazing!!!
not bad. sounds great. thank you for your review
My sister's Sony WM-4 Walkman from 1983 had the speed adjustment pot worked "backwards" . It was accessible in the battery compartment with them installed and running.
Sounds way better now ,I think this is the best looking of the modern units.I do wonder how good the quality of the belts are they use in these devices ,.
Very Nice
Just watched a few of your videos and start to wonder if there are still car radios with cassette players produced. Full sized cassette decks one can surprisingly buy new, but for cars I couldn't find anything.
A problem i have with these devices and other ones, like modern wireless keyboards and mice is that they almost all have integrated Lithium Ion batteries, which puts an expiration date on them. In 5 years or so, they most likely will be rubbish. Unless there will be brand new replacement batteries, which would require dismantling and perhaps even soldering.
I would consider buying one, if it would run on AA's.
Sounds much better now - shame it's not more easily accessible. Maybe it's intentional in case someone broke it. But at least with those screw bits you can make the adjustment
Has always amazed me on how units leave the factory with wrong speed or azimuth, even going back to the 80’s!
It sounds great, but the tapes with Dolby noise reduction on their recording will always have their treble over emphasized. What does it sound like with a good home recording on a blank type II cassette like the TDK SA without NR?
Like, when played on a deck without a dolby decoder? I always found dolby tapes (when played in dolby mode) sounded dull in the high end. I preferred the noise over the impact on sound. Except for Dolby S, that really worked very well. But by that time cassettes were well on the way to becoming obsolete.
@stragulus Correct. I think it can be personal taste when it comes to Dolby on or off, also depending on the quality of the tape and how well the deck is aligned.
Only thing I’ll add is that azimuth should ideally be adjusted on a per-tape basis, particularly for tapes not recorded commercially-being able to do this well automagically is what separated the high-end Nakamichis of old from the competition. If W&F could be reduced further somehow (I’m not sure if or how this could be done in terms of modding the mechanism) then it could be a decent machine for tape preservation, though with limitations given the lack of Dolby decoders
Great job, way to make the most of what you have!
As someone who remembers very well some of the refined and compact machines in the 90s from the likes of Sony, Aiwa and Panasonic, I just can't get excited about these current personal cassette players.
What is that Mark Thompson-Smith cassette? Couldn't find it on discogs
Well some tape decks had little holes in the door and you could adjust it while the tape was running through the hole in the tape where the spindle wheel would go, looks like the same with that if you drilled a little holding the door or is there a gap between the opening of the door?
They're not worth the thin cassette player I've got a Panasonic just about the width of the tape cassette with the screw on battery adaptor what do they sell for?
And as a random aside, that bit of music looking at the device near the end doesn't half remind me of the date music from GTA San Andreas... :P
I may be telling you something you already know but right-angle bit drivers are a thing; Adafruit sells a set, appropriate for electronics work.
BTW, until I put on my readers, I thought the Mark Thompson-Smith tape was Laura Nyro...
I use the bits from a similar screwdriver set to undo the screws on the RAM access door on my 2011 iMac. That way I just have to tilt the machine on it's stand slightly to upgrade the RAM and I don't need to use a screwdriver.
The Lissajous test pattern in the NAK T-100 software will get you in the ballpark with a known good, prerecorded tape for aligning the azimuth.
*Thanks VWestlife!* i must say, all this time you've shown Testing and ability to Adjust, i keep wondering how bad were any players i've used? [per 'Celica Tech': 'If it's not broke, fix it until it is'] : } or _test One's hearing_
May your Stash of Collection never end.
我也买了此款，声音；做功都不错。
Hey, VWestlife. Kinda out of topic, but how can you encode and upscale a 480p to 1080p/60fps video? I forgot what program do you use when you discussed it and I can't find it for some reason. Thanks!
I use QTGMC to de-interlace and then Serif MoviePlus to edit and upscale the video.
@@vwestlife Thanks! I really appreciate the fast reply. 😄
No Edison Wax player reviews ? 😀
There is no reason why they should have a custom version of the pcb when they are using an off the shelf mechanism and in the normal version the pot is mounted over a hole in the pcb and is meant to be adjusted from the back but they did not add a hole for that. This could explain why your first instinct was opposite.
I thought the same thing. It must go all the way through.
It’s unfortunate about the build quality and factory testing. My experiences with FiiO digital audio equipment has been nothing short of perfect every time, and I always recommend them for price to performance.