delve deep into my cellar ’s storage space always palpate like I ’m rummaging throughRaiders of the Lost Ark‘s giantrelic warehouse . I ’ve got shelves of bank identification number and box stack to the ceiling containing priceless artifact , damnatory evidence of my preceding tomentum criminal offense , and trace of retiring aliveness . What I was looking for , though , is far more valued than any Ark. I needed my old cassettes .
As a batting order - carryingvinyl lover(and Gen Xer ) , I whole get the nostalgic pleasure that can be derived from walk down parallel storage lane . So when the audio gear makers at Fiio reached out with the chance to check out its novel Walkman - same portable cassette instrumentalist , the adorable $ 100 CP13 , and take my old tapes for a whirl , I obviously grabbed my fedora and bullwhip . Here are my thoughts .
If yourSony Sports Walkmanwas a changeless associate on prospicient road trips , bus rides , or just hanging out in your elbow room with your Alyssa Milano and Lamborghini Countach posters , then the Fiio CP13 is blend to fire on all cylinders . OK , it ’s not lemon yellowed ( Fiio ’s obviously not trying to rip off Sony ’s iconic participant ) . Instead the CP13 dons a more sophisticated and minimalist design , which I really like — especially the sheer critical review unit Fiio sent me that allow you see the playing cassette in all its retro glory .
If you do prefer a splash of people of colour , the CP13 also come in chic - lookingRed - and - Silver , Sky Blue , and White - and - Blackoptions , all with a matte aluminum body that feels premium . But design - Stephen Samuel Wise , that ’s about all the frills you could look . Make no error , the Fiio CP13 is a basic portable cassette musician that does nothing but play cassettes — and that is fantastic .
The specs
About the size of it of , um , a Walkman , the orthogonal CP13 measure 4.7 inches by 3.4 inches by 1.25 column inch and count just 11 apothecaries' ounce . ( An iPhone 15 professional , for comparing , is 6.6 ounce . ) And while it does n’t fit in your back sack like a phone , it does n’t experience too big in your bridge player and is well - suited for a windbreaker jacket air hole , pelvis sack , or backpack .
Its controller are wide-eyed : four basic buttons line the top ( arrest , rewind , fast - forward , and play ) , and I ca n’t tell you how gratify their tactile resistance and mechanically skillful clicks are to see — the clackety feeling is immediately nostalgic as you snap between FF and toy to queue up the next vocal .
On the side , you ’ll find a small-scale volume control telephone dial , a 3.5 mm headphone remark , and a USB - century embrasure for charge because , praise be , there is no fumbling with AA battery here . The CP13 has its old -chool predecessor outsmart with the comprehension of a built - in 1,800 mAh stamp battery that deliver up to 13 hours of playback on a charge . It ’s also a nice touch that it comes with a charge cable , too .
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends
you could recite that Fiio knew what it was doing in terms of the design of the CP13 . We ’re babble small touches like getting the stiffness of the cassette door the right way so it snaps come together after slide a tape in , but is n’t so light to spread that your tapes come flying out when you ’re walk or jogging . complete it .
Fiio has also seen fit to give the CP13 a few upgrade from the days of Walkmen past , give it a in high spirits 4.3 - V motor power supply and a more modern speed controller circuit , as well as an oversize copper flywheel that Fiio say reduces wow and waver ( aka , frequency wobble ) , which keep playback quieter .
There ’s not much to say about using the Fiio CP13 except that it ’s all in simpleton : skid a cassette in , shut the threshold , and insistency gambling . If your cassette are anything like mine , they ’re 25 year sure-enough and all need to be rewound , which is one part of the nostalgia that my 2024 brain could do without . And no , it does n’t go quicker if you call on the volume down or plug it in — I checker .
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends
A few of gracious - to - rich person would have been an auto - stop feature when fast - promotion and rewinding ( when it hits the destruction , the motor retain running ) , at least some basic onboard EQ , and maybe a bass rise . But I can see why Fiio would just require to keep things unsubdivided ( and at a decent price ) .
I tested the CP13 with a pair of solidSennheiser HD 560Sopen - backheadphones , which have a great neutral and balanced sound . The CP13 powered them just fine , with the loudness getting loud enough to be uncomfortable .
As far as how the Fiio CP13 sounds , however , the myopic version is that it sounds OK . But there are a few caution .
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends
First , how good the CP13 sounds depends largely on the quality of the cassette you ’re act . In this display case , my collection of Depeche Mode , The Smiths , Tears for Fears , and New Order tapes have beenverywellloved . They ’ve also been sit in a shoebox in my cellar for decades , and the result is much less definition and clarity , and the periodic warble and pappa .
Second , there is no on - board EQ like some Walkmen of onetime , so there ’s no way to ameliorate thing . I did , however , connect the CP13 to my old Marantzstereo receiving system , which allowed me to add up low end and dial - in the mids and highs to an extent — it actually ameliorate the sound substantially , especially come out of a decent pair of talker .
On the impudent side , since cassette are back in vogue , a vintage graphics food market in Toronto I lead to late was selling raw reissue cassettes of some Canadian indie bands , so I grab a copy ofThrush Hermit‘s excellent 1999 recordClayton Park . The brand - unexampled magnetic tape measure sounded marvellous on the CP13 . There was much less noise , the soundstage was bountiful and full , and the fidelity was understandably not marred by decade of degradation — the lifespan of cassettesis just about 30 years .
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends
But let ’s be good , the Fiio CP13 was n’t created for new euphony or to shanghai audiophiles . It ’s here largely to pull on the nostalgia strings of those of a , shall we say , certain vintage ( present companionship include ) . And as far as I ’m concerned , it has fill its obligation .
From the min I heard that intimate “ booowiiiiiip ” ascending exam tone at the beginning of my beaten - up copy ofThe Queen is Dead , I was hooklike and quick to settle in to an eve of cassette magic . And that ’s deserving stack more than the$100 the Fiio CP13will set up you back . If you have cases of old tapes lie down around , this tape measure player is for you .
