FiiO’s CP13 portable cassette player is now available to buy, and it comes in a previously unannounced transparent finish. The player is also cheaper than we were told at launch, retailing for £99 / $129 (Australian pricing is yet to be confirmed).
We first discovered the CP13 earlier this year and our deputy editor immediately fell in love with it. Its boxy design is inspired by Sony’s Walkman from 1979.
Unlike the We Are Rewind cassette players, there’s no Bluetooth, but it does have a USB-C port to charge the lithium-ion battery (which has a 13-hour battery life). Its audio circuitry is entirely analog, from the playback head to the signal amplification. This results in a “classic, unmistakably analog sound,” according to FiiO. Whether that’s a good thing is up to you to decide.
The motor is powered by a 4.2V supply, which is higher than the 1.8V or 3V typically found in portable cassette players. This works with a custom motor speed stabilization circuit to increase drag when needed to maintain stable movement speeds, smoothing out unwanted pitch changes.
It also promises more stable signal transmission, higher signal-to-noise ratio and lower distortion than a conventional portable cassette player.
Since there’s no Bluetooth, you’ll need a pair of wired headphones to listen. The CP13 is on sale now at Advanced MP3 Players and Amazon.
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