MP3 Player that Plays Like a Cassette?

[dj2fresh]

Has anyone tried these out? What are your thoughts about any additional wear and tear on the heads or motors?

This Mobilu looks pretty nice.

 

[Superduper]

Won’t be any wear on heads since it merely contacts, not brush past heads like tape, but the deck motor will run every time you press play though, so the motor wear get used just like as if you were playing a tape. Not sure if the reels are geared together or just freewheels but if they aren’t tethered, some autostop mechanisms might trip. Also depending on whether this unit is switched on by head pressure or rotation of reels, it would seem that a fully functioning deck might be necessary.

 

[goodman]

Yes, this Mobiblu looks pretty nice and have solid metal case, but is out of stock.
More info from year 2005 here: http://dansdata.com/dah220.htm

In these days you can buy only this plastic cheap chinese version:

In ebay you can find many items for sale - just search mp3 cassette sd

 

[dj2fresh]

Look at this one that started out on Kickstarter.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mixxtape/mixxtape-the-cassette-reinvented

Here is the clear version of it, any day now you can pre-order it. It has a magnetic tape head and bluetooth.

Not sure on the price yet, one interesting feature on Version B is you can stream music from say your phone to the tape which will then play through your BoomBox.

https://mixx.im

 

[Superduper]

Like I said, those two reels look like they are just floating in there. That means one reel can spin while the other remains stationary. If that’s the case Decks with autostop will perceive a end of tape condition & stop play. Only the cheapest decks don’t have autostop.

 

[caution]

The Mobiblu device was discontinued years ago. It only supports USB2 and doesn't support larger memory cards. The radio, recording, removable battery, and head alignments features are pretty cool, it's too bad they didn't refresh it.

I reviewed the Mixxtape last year here, it's an ok device but it has no remote, so you have to take it out of the deck every time you need to change anything. And it's not cheap. The tape goodman mentioned is the best one I've used so far - it's only $15-$40 depending on merchant, and has a remote. It accepts 8 gig cards and holds a charge for at least two hours. I reviewed this one here.
Hope that helps

 

[dj2fresh]

The Mobiblu device was discontinued years ago. It only supports USB2 and doesn't support larger memory cards. The radio, recording, removable battery, and head alignments features are pretty cool, it's too bad they didn't refresh it.

I reviewed the Mixxtape last year here, it's an ok device but it has no remote, so you have to take it out of the deck every time you need to change anything. And it's not cheap. The tape goodman mentioned is the best one I've used so far - it's only $15-$40 depending on merchant, and has a remote. It accepts 8 gig cards and holds a charge for at least two hours. I reviewed this one here.
Hope that helps

If you get Version B of the Mixxtape you can use your phone to change the tracks, since you can stream your music to the device which means the sky is the limit. I think that's why the Version B has less memory, if that's what you want to do you don't need any memory. I was curious about the new pricing which they didn't release yet. I guess with that said Version A is more of a portable walkman.

 

[dj2fresh]

Here are a couple less expensive bluetooth cassette adapters with some nice features where you can pair a mobile device to and stream music.

ION Version
https://www.ionaudio.com/cassette-adapter-bluetooth-cassettebtxca

This one has a few more features...

HEIBAIGE Version <--- Although I don't think you can tuck away the mic/wired remote inside the tape deck like the ION version and this may not be a good choice for Boomboxes.
https://www.amazon.com/HEIBAIGE-iTape-Cassette-Bluetooth-Receiver/dp/B079JPQJ4M/ref=asc_df_B079JPQJ4M/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=242015686760&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=58954858271570476&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021719&hvtargid=pla-491912795683&psc=1

 

[MesaAZGuy]

Regarding the tape motor running, an idea would be to insert a switch to cut off the motor when using these BT cassettes. I was looking at getting one for my radio but the reviews on them are dismal at best.