FiiOCP13 Cassette Player (Transparent)

Just received it and listening now. First off, true to Fiio form, it's way overbuilt. I mean it's solid, the whole thing is made to last, no questions. After a quick charge, fired it up and put in Aerosmith Greatest Hits from 1993. Playing through also new Koss Porta Pros and holy nostalgia.Sound is warm, and better mastering equals better sound. Seems well balanced, big mids and smooth low end. Not overly bright as I somewhat expected. Headphones will be the key to equalization success due to no on board feature for it, which is absolutely cool in my book. I'm actually surprised how good this sounds and will have to try my HD600s for kicks. It might not be "audiophile" quality, but it's lively and I dig it for the same reasons I like vinyl.I have no complaints about the player. Looks good, well built, sounds a lot better than expected and has the essential features. Auto stop would be nice, but not a deal breaker, just pay attention when rewinding. I remember when auto stop was as much a new feature as bass boost on CD players. Because it has a rechargeable battery (thank you Fiio for the type c), a level indicator would be nice, but again not a big deal. How serious can you be with a cassette player?Overall, if you're wondering about it, just do it. Buy it. Buy some vintage inspired headphones and kick it.

This is about the best modern cassette player money can buy. I am glad I did. While I own several vintage cassette decks ranging from a Pioneer CT-F850 to a Nakamichi CR-3A, I don't like using them for anything but recording new cassettes or digital transfers. Don't want to wear out the precious heads or rubber parts just listening. That being said, it is hard to find a QUALITY playback only unit that is in production.The FiiO fits the bill. It isn't cheap but you get QUALITY audio with no wow and flutter problems of low cost tape transports because they have a METAL flywheel and a good proper STEREO head with good playback circuitry as well. Out of the box, I popped in a TDA D-90 I recorded of Steely Dan's AJA from CD on my Nak CR-3A and was surprised at what I heard through my AKG K-52s: a stable and clean sound, granted a little bright because I underbias my recordings and used Dolby B (the FiiO, like any modern player, does not have Dolby NR as Dolby stopped licensing the chips in 2013)- otherwise there was no wow and flutter, channel separation was superb, and it sounds like a real Sony Walkman from the 1990s.The unit itself is spartan. I like that. No flash but it is far from cheap. It's made of finished metal, everything feels solid. The volume KNOB is substantial and easy to adjust. Unlike old Walkmans of the past, this one charges off USB-C and came partially charged out of the box. It was about the best "plug and play" experience which is what tape is all about: you PLUG in, INSERT cassette and push PLAY and enjoy.I am really pleased someone is producing QUALITY ANALOG stuff these days. I still enjoy my old Hi-Fi gear and making mix tapes as well as enjoying my own collection. No subscriptions. No LTE/5G required, no ads, no spam. Just music. This little box makes magic. The thing is also well packaged. They even give you a screen protector for the plastic window (which is LARGE so you can watch your tape move!). I am rarely excited about anything these days, but this little wonder takes me back. Now I can enjoy my tapes in the car with a simple aux cable, or in my office- and not worry about wearing out mechanisms on my high end decks. It's simple: put in your tape, push play, enjoy.Thank you FiiO for putting out something good.

I waited for 6 month since they announced there will be a transparent version of CP13, and HERE IT IS! I have this player for a couple hours, and here is my experience:1. Design and Control: The product it self is very well made, feels sturdy and solid. All buttons are smooth (compare to other cheap plastic crap for 30$ on amazon). The volume knob has decent resistances to it. The cassette door makes pleasant open and close sound and feedback.2. Sound quality: With a Type IV metal tape (Sony Metal Master), and use simulated 70us compensation via EQ curves, this little player could be on par with all my other vintage AIWA/SONY/Toshiba portable Walkman (sub 100$ range). There is not a ton of bass but enough for pop/classical/R&B, etc. Bass extension could be flat around 40Hz and roll down till 20Hz. The treble response amazed me actually, which has response all the way till 20kHz from my line-in result with Sony Metal Master. It could produce a flat out response till around 15-16kHz and start slow roll over. The frequency response is very good. The output power is much better than expected, and with a VERY LOW noise floor with my Balanced-Armature IM02 earphone, I could not detect noticeable motor hum and distracting noise from the electronics and amps. I am very pleased.3. Technical specs wise: The Wow & Flutter, well, check my picture. I have done a 10-min test with my reference tapes, and the result is 0.10~0.15% WRMS, with peak DIN around 0.24-0.3%. This is good for current mechanisms it uses, and I expect it will just be better over time as it break in. The default tape speed is about 1% faster than standard, and I have tuned using screwdriver through the internal pot, and now it is steady at 3145-3155Hz (I am using 3150Hz ref. tape). The stability is not perfect but acceptable if you compare to some vintage Walkman, but it is the flaw for current mechanism. I do encountered azimuth error by little amount, and it is an easy fix if you have the reference tape. The issue is the cassette door holder, which I found that it is a bit loose for some slim cassettes. This could cause discrepancy in tape azimuth when you change the orientation of this player.Overall I am very pleased with this player (especially I only paid 28$ since I have gift card haha). For 99$, you could get rid of hassle in changing belts, oiling mechanism, replacing capacitors, and many more repairing in vintage players that lived over 30 years. I recommend this product as anyone who are newly to tapes or wants a backup player for daily uses.

I really like the strudy build and functionality of this device. For the past few weeks, I've had it running through the aux channel of my stereo receiver and have been pleased with the sound. Just plugged in some entry level Senhisnser headphones and was not pleased. Tinny and muddy. Maybe would sound better with more high end headphones. So I recommend this unit as a cheaper/less clunky alternative to a cassette deck unit.