FiiO CP13 Cassette Player (Blue)

As anybody in the cassette circle knows, all modern players are kinda junk. They use a "Tanashin mechanism"; a sort of "catch-all" phrase for shoddy Chinese knockoffs of a Japanese budget design meant for car stereos that ceased production around 2009. Every modern cassette player uses this Chinese clone mechanism, because sadly it's the only mechanism still being produced. It's known for poor tape feeding, insanely high wow/flutter (basically the tape playing at incorrect speeds or the sound "warbling"), and other issues. So how did FiiO achieve something so much better? The CP-13 has shockingly good playback quality for a new player. You can plainly see from the motor position and a few other signifiers (like button placement) it's a Tanashin mechanism. But, whatever improvements they've made have paid off, since of any modern cassette player I've used, this by far has the lowest wow/flutter I've heard, thankfully reaching the realm of "you can't notice it with your ears, only if you pull out some equipment to measure it will it show up." Can't say the same about some cheapo no-name players you'll find on this same website... As for sound quality, well, don't expect anything too insane and you'll be happy. It lacks Dolby NR, as Dolby has stopped licensing out that technology for cassette years ago. But still, with a good-condition tape I haven't noticed any serious hissing or crackling issues. Whatever amp they've put in here lets it get reasonably loud, good enough to drive some speakers probably. On my Koss Porta Pro's, around 20% on the dial is reasonably loud, anything beyond that is painfully loud, haha. The build quality is immaculate too; all-metal build, though I got the model with the transparent door, so that bit is plastic. (But, a very sturdy feeling plastic, not some cheap junk.) Buttons ka-chunk nicely just like you remember, the door opens and it loads tapes easily, everything just works, and works well. (I will say I wish it had auto-stop on FFW/RW, but can't complain too much.) Size-wise, yeah, there's been much smaller vintage players, but I wouldn't say this is obnoxiously large. There's certainly bigger ones out there. I will say this though; FiiO, where's the freakin' belt clip!? They even sell a separate case for it... which also doesn't have a belt clip! The heck?! Finally, for value, I'd say easily this is the only modern cassette player worth spending your money on. Yeah, vintage may be better, but some of us don't want 40+ year old electronics that could fail at any second, and want something that's guaranteed to work out of the box for some time.

The quality and durability is top notch! back in the day we didn’t really concern ourselves with how clear or muffled a tape sounded. just as long as it wasn’t playing the cassettes too fast or too slow. we just popped them in and started listening to the music we loved and songs we identified and would sing to! But in todays world we are wanting to go back in time and enjoy the primitive technology but with mp3 or streaming quality. the facts are is that cassettes aren’t going to sound that good back then and now. it will solely depend are you equipment for that! but this cassette player is by far the king of new age cassette playing! it’s either this one or the WE ARE REWIND cassette player. But remember less is more! this one is only a basic mechanism with an on board chip that has a high quality preamp for volume. WE ARE REWIND HAS THAT TOO BUT WITH OTHER FEATURES THAT CAN INTERFERE WITH PLAYBACK DUE TO ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION. Like Bluetooth and a mic in port. Those features need power constantly fed to them to be operational so you may hear a hum or a buzz while listening to cassette’s while the FiiO cp13 has non of that so there won’t be any electrical interference! The build is great! With an all metal body that feels very sleek and sturdy and gives it a good weight! And it has a built in 18650 cell battery so no need to go out and buy expensive cells any longer. I’m a repair guy on cassette players as well and I think I can disassemble these to get to the battery and belts to do my own repairs to the battery and belt situation! Cons- you will more and likely have to adjust the azimuth to get a clearer sound. Mine came a bit muffled sounding but I adjusted it and it sounds good! Overall I give the FiiO cp13 4/5!

As you can read I'm The title, I consider this to be the walkman style device out there nowdays. It's Great if you are like me and don't want to bother fixing a vintage walkman. While I absolutely love this device, there are some flaws I have to point out: 1. The speed was off from the start (I had to buy a tape to fix it by myself) 2. The wow & flutter readings are not really good, if you listen to music with a Lot of piano you are probably gonna notice some wobbly sound. 3. The lack of a recording function. 4.Lack of proper EQ for Chrome (Type II) and Metal (Type IV) tapes. Other than that the Unit Is pretty solid, it has a good battery life, maintaince (cleaning) can be easily done, and most importantly, sound quality Is good. I would recommend this if you're starting in your cassette journey and want something simple to start off. P.D. Fiio has a new cassette player in development, so if you are planning to buy this one, you might want to wait a little bit to have some more options.

I have had this cassette player for a little over a month and it has exceeded my expectations. As soon as I took it out of the box, I knew it was quality. I was a little nervous after reading some of the negative reviews but all I can say is either, they received defective versions or they don’t know how to use a cassette player. The volume is perfect. I’ve used different headphones; over the ear, ear buds and IEMs and the sound is always consistent. I have never had to put the volume past 40% and generally keep it around 25%. I’ve listened to all sorts of tapes on this thing. Paul Simon - Graceland, Terror - Live by the Code, MF Doom - Mm..Food, R.E.M - Murmur, etc. All types of genres as well as old to brand new tapes and this player performs. I only listen to about two full tapes a day but I’ve only had to charge it once, which was super easy because it has a rechargeable battery with a C charging port. The only thing I haven’t used is the aux port. One thing to note. The sound quality only differs based on the grade of the tape. I bought a beat up version of Michael Jackson’s Dangerous album that sounds awful but that is due to the condition of the tape, not the player. The eq on this thing is straight across. If you’re listening to a hip-hop tape and want more bass than you’re going to have to plug in headphones that have a bass boost option. I am beyond satisfied with my purchase. I almost went with a $30 player and I’m glad I didn’t go cheap. I carry this thing on the train daily, in my pocket and it is strong. Just like any players, before digital music, if you move it around a lot while you’re listening, it will effect the sound. This is best used while being stationary. The hype is real. If you’re looking to get into the cassette tape world, this is a great player for beginners. It has all the features you need and it is the perfect size to fit into your pocket.

Update April 2026. I got the clear one in December 2025 since I had sold the blue one to help pay for vet bills. I love seeing the tape while it’s playing. I have had the We Are Rewind player and it’s fine, but a bit too bulky. This Fiio player is the best modern era player out there IMO when paired with Retrospekt Koss headphones, also sold on Amazon. Can’t wait for the CP15 rumored to be coming out soon. I own many old school Walkmans that are breaking down. So I got this one because I like supporting companies that are putting out cassettes and cassette players. I have a Retrospekt and Aurex, both sound great but love this one as well. I love the rechargeable battery and it seems to play cassettes better that the other two new ones I have. Meaning, I had a tape play fine in the Fiio and slow in my other ones. This is also old school in that there is no Bluetooth, keeping it simple. It stops automatically when the tape ends but please note that it does not stop automatically when FF or RW. Not a problem because my old school players are the same way. This is built well and is very sturdy. Very cool design and high quality sound in my opinion. I use the Retrospekt Koss over ear headphones that sound great. Got those on Amazon too. I know there are people who swear by older Sonys but mine require constant maintenance that I’m getting tired off. Most everything is made in China these days, gone are the Japanese made Walkmans 😃. This player sounds great! Also getting a We Are Rewind player soon (yes I have a problem 🤓). I also really love the volume wheel on this Fiio Walkman, super cool and easy to turn the volume up or down.

As someone who's gotten into cassette culture recently, I'm honestly not sure *why* you'd want something like this. Maybe it's just because a lot of my tapes are used and old, or because I got a "bad" unit, but tapes in pretty much anything besides a direct drive deck are always, ALWAYS going to have perceptible wow and flutter. Even with brand new tapes or tapes that have very little playtime, unless you're listening to... god, I dunno, some crazy high tier audiophile tape.. (.. and even then, I can't help but feel you're missing the point of the medium. :) ) Compared to my thrift store find 80s Panasonic tape-deck (isn't even a hifi-spec model) the CP13 picks up pretty much all of that, and then some- thanks to its high powered amp and sensitive head. In-ears, over-ears, on-ears, whatever you use, you'll notice it. Not to mention the large amount of static the thing picks up in general, playing anything. For a medium like this, I'd figure the average person or even "beginner audiophile" would want something that *doesn't* do that. Which, if you're comfortable picking up three-to-four precision screwdrivers, a pair of tweezers and a pry tool- go grab an old Walkman or a different brand's take on it and just fix that when the old belt inevitably gives out. On the topic of Walkmans, if you're buying this for *that* purpose- don't bother. This doesn't fit in a standard jean pocket all too well. Its weight can also be a bit of an issue in that aspect, and it doesn't like being moved around that much while it's playing. Not to mention the thing doesn't feature a metal button, meaning that any type II or above tape won't sound right in this thing. It's built "well", sure.. feels quality, the buttons are nice, the load door feels good. But (and apparently it's a common problem) the aux port is mounted so poorly on the board that it can tend to break if you plug in something a *little* too hard. That's what happened to mine, and it turned to mono only four days after I got it because of it. I guess if you want to listen to tapes hi-fi around the house, this is for you..? Otherwise, steer clear, and spend your money on a Walkman (refurbished or otherwise) or a new gen tape player. There's plenty of options, but always look up what you're about to buy..

Finally, they got rid of the motor noise in the modern tape mechanism! Tapes aren't amazingly clear to begin with but that's part of the allure, an audio "aesthetic" if you will. They also don't sound bad either, and this cassette player has FINALLY addressed the one major problem holding these new ones back. It now sounds as good as my old walkmans used to. Now of course there's going to be hiss, no dolby, maybe some wow and flutter. It doesn't sound broken or bad in any way, just very "tapey" which is the reason you come back to these in this day and age. People are expecting the level of quality of a top-of-the-line 90's deck in a $100 portable device created with what's basically a dead technology in a dead market. That's not realistic in the slightest! Such a device wouldn't be anywhere near $100 even in those days. Furthermore, anyone looking to cassettes for hifi quality or portability (for say, jogging) is being a little silly in my honest opinion. In 2024 you have extremely cheap options for much higher fidelity than a cassette based device can ever give you. Plus, you're not seriously considering going on a jog with a semi-fragile device that can literally only hold one album at a time, right? If not, then you don't need to worry that it doesn't have an anti-rollback mechanism. It sounds just fine when laying right-side up. Also, fast forward and rewind have always had to be stopped manually. It might be new if you've never had one but that's normal, you just gotta pay attention to it. The lithium battery + type C makes it SUPER convenient to use. However, if you need a really good digital audio player go for the Surfans F-28. I can recommend that little dude. Expensive but quality. Back to business. If you're still hooked on cassettes in 2024 it's because you're a nerd, you gawk at those Bandcamp cassette releases and you like the warm fuzzy vibe of old technology but aren't dedicated enough to really get into 90's hifi and "proper" cassette machines. If you're one of the old tape heads, that's a no go. But if you're just like me, and want a cassette experience that's not total crap and like cheap cassettes for what they are, and aren't asking them to be hifi, then this device is for us. Don't let the negative reviews scare you away! But wait, how does it compare to the We Are Rewind cassette player (which I also have)? Aside from some missing functionality (Stereo recording, Bluetooth) the Fiio wins. As much as I like that device, it still has the horrendous motor noise during playback due to lack of proper electrical interference shielding (?). The recording would be good for a lofi musician or good enough for us average joes, and the Bluetooth of the We Are Rewind is awesome but not really needed. It's also about $70 more expensive, and it's poorly laid out. None of the buttons are oriented correctly for you to see what you're doing from a casual glance. I don't regret buying it but if you're on the fence get the FIIO. It's just so much better audio wise because that motor isn't screeching in all the quiet parts. One thing both players don't do great is the lack of rubber stops to keep the aluminum from getting scratched up. I added some generic sticky ones from this site all over the We Are Rewind so it can set on a desk. I might not for the FIIO because design wise it is so much prettier. Plus these guys need a case, preferably with an arm sling like they used to come with. Other than that, that's my clunky review. Full 5 stars and I hope we continue to iterate on these cassette players and give them back the popularity they deserve, even if it's an evolution of what they are now rather than what they once were. As for me this is a modest dream come true. It isn't my first FIIO product either, check out more of their stuff. Not paid to say any of this. I just buy a lot of their stuff.

The first impressions were good – quality materials, some weight, no gaps, no flimsiness of any kind. But then I started using it, and here is a summary. Good: (1) Tested how long it runs on a single charge – yes, about 13 hours, just as stated in the specs. (2) Signal to noise is stated at 55, and while I did not measure it, this player is definitely the least electrically noisy player out of the modern ones that I tried. (3) As already stated – quality build, makes a good first impression. (4) Seems to sound better with higher impedance headsets, at least to my ears, and can easily drive them, as it has a powerful amp. Bad: (1) Unnecessary tight door – hard to open due to very tight springs and a small opening notch on one side only. (2) Loud mechanical noise during playback. Frankly, even cheap players of 90s did not produce it so loud. (3) When a tape finishes fast forwarding or rewinding, the reels start making a load squealing noise, really unpleasant. I realize it does not auto-stop while in fast forward or rewind, but that alone should not warrant that type or level of noise, it should idle more or less silently. Not acceptable. (4) The speed was set too fast at factory, and after a few hours of playing it increased even further. I realize that there is a pot to adjust it, but the pot is located under the loading side of the player, so there is no way to play a calibration tape while adjusting. A question is how they adjust the speed at the factory, cause they would face the same issue. (5) Measured wow and flutter – 0.26% WRMS/0.46% Peak, tolerable, but not impressive. A cheaper auto-reverse USB tape converter I recently tried measured similarly. (6) I have to assume that they set azimuth at factory with the door open, or when the mechanism is not even installed in the player’s body, as there is no way to adjust that azimuth screw when the door is closed. When measuring with an azimuth tape inserted without using the door, with the door open, the player actually shows a well-adjusted azimuth, even at 12.5 kHz. However, once the tape is inserted properly, into the door, and the door is closed – azimuth goes into anti-phase, literally, 180 degree off, so the highs go muddy. Seems like the door’s geometry, its construction, takes the player out of alignment. Not acceptable. Again, kudos to FiiO for trying, but the result is disappointing.