Sony CFDS01 CD Radio Cassette Recorder - Silver Review

I am a teenager who insists on records for home use, cassettes for portability.That being said, upon finding this boombox and using it for a day, and it looks promising.I bought it at Target to replace a Sony CFD-E75 from the late 1990s (admittedly a more upscale boombox) and this one holds its own.I have never had trouble with a Sony.Responding to another reviewer, the STEREO/MONO function does have a purpose; stereo FM reception is more sensitive than mono, so when a station is distorted, setting it to MONO can completely eliminate the fuzz, or at least improve it significantly.Trust me, this button IS useful.I took off a star mainly because of a few minor details, but it does a good job.The bass is a little lacking, but it is by no means intolerable.Just be sure the MegaBass is on.Perhaps hooking it up to PC speakers or a stereo amplifier would make it sound a little fuller.A good use would be on a desk, a medium-sized room, or in the kitchen/garage.The CD player works fine, as does the cassette player and radio.One area to note is that the cassette does NOT automatically stop when fast-forwarding or rewinding, although it does play to a stop.Unlike the CFD-E75, it does not automatically switch functions (for example, you must press to listen to a CD, whereas some will automatically switch to the CD player whenis pressed) and does not have a remote, although you lazy people know you really don't need one.The cassette records wonderfully.It gives a good clear sound, and my full-size tape deck shows that its recording levels are set at a good maximum level for best quality.It also comes with a replaceable cord, so if you either damage it or lose it, just get a new one at RadioShack.A good boombox for a good price.

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Product Description:
All New Chassis Design - represents high quality and power with a new look in portable entertainment with an updated front panel.

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TAPE2USB Cassette To PC Recorder Review

I ordered this tape player from Amazon about three months ago and it's been on back order since then. It finally came in this week. This unit is going to replace an old Realistic SCT-17 cassette tape deck that bit the dust earlier this year. Not sure how old the Realistic deck was, but I bought it sometime back in the 80's. I've been looking for a new deck to replace it, but nowadays there isn't a whole lot to choose from. At least not something that doesn't cost more than I was willing to spend. Looked on Craigslist and found a number of old used decks - but was concerned that anything used would probably be prone to the same problems all my old tape decks did - old belts and/or dried out capacitors. So I wanted something new. This Tape2USB seemed to fit the bill. Like the Realistic deck I was using, it is a table top top-loading unit with a small footprint. And I like that you can connect it to a computer via a USB cable.

Ok, now for the meat of the review. This is just my initial thoughts and observations. I might come back and add to it later as I haven't spent a whole lot of time using the unit.

Number One: What is in the Box?

*Cassette Player / Recorder
*Power Adaptor (standard transformer)
*Stereo audio RCA cable
*Stereo audio RCA to mini-phone plug cable
*Two standard USB to USB "D" cables (same as what most printers today use)
*35 page manual
*Software CD

Not sure why there were two USB cables, you only need one. Think the second one might have been a mistake.

First impressions: The main unit itself is about the same size as a regular box of tissues. The first thing I noticed is that the quality of the materials is a bit inconsistent. The case of the unit seems to be of fairly good quality heavy duty plastic - similar to the materials in the tape deck that I'm replacing. What seems to be of slightly lesser quality are the knobs and switches. My impression of them is that they would look more at home on a cheap toy than on this unit. Maybe it's just the way they are shaped or the plastic they are made out of - but that is my impression. Over all I like the look of the unit - just not the knobs. The unit has slots on both ends of the case - I thought this was for ventilation, but when I first tried playing a tape in the unit I discovered that it has built-in speakers. The volume control knob for the speakers is on back of the unit, which I thought was a bit inconvenient, but once I set the volume level I pretty much left it there. Also on the back of the unit are RCA inputs / outputs for connecting the unit to regular stereo systems. On top of the unit are all the controls. There are the standard cassette tape player controls (rec, play, rew, f.fwd, stop/eject, and pause), plus there is a power button, cassette out / line in selector switch, and buttons to switch between normal & CrO2 tapes. There is also a REC Level knob. You also have a basic rec level indicator in the form of a light bar as well as a mechanical counter for tape length. Basically the same or similar setup to what I had on my previous tape desk.

Now for my thoughts on my experience of hooking this up to my computer. You really don't need to do anything special - like installing any drivers. Just connect the power transformer and the USB cable. The unit does come with the free audio software "Audacity" - which is pretty easy to install. About half of the manual details installing the software. I didn't need to as I already have it installed and have been using it for years. The version that ships with the unit is up-to-date, it's that same as the version I'm currently using. This is where I started having some problems. My off-the-shelf PC (which is running XP) came with just the basic audio circuit that comes on most mother boards and my system is running the basic OEM version of RealTek audio utilities. While the system recognized the USB connection, for some reason I couldn't get the audio from the cassette player to play on my computer's speakers. I can record the input in Audacity, just not monitor it while it was recording. Which makes the unit's built in speakers very useful. The problem I have seems to be with my system and not with the unit as I tried connecting to my laptop and didn't have the problem.

So far I'm happy with the operation of this tape deck and the quality of the output I'm getting from using a computer to record my old tape collection to MP3s.


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Product Description:
Record your cassette tapes directly to your PC or Mac with the TAPE2USB.Fully functional cassette deck with counter function and built-in 2.5" speaker. The volume adjustable speaker allows you to listen to your cassettes or simply monitor the music as you download it. Plug & play USB audio interface. No drivers required! Audacity software for PC and Mac included to edit recordings.
After you download your music to your PC or Mac you can listen to your songs via any media player (including iTunes or Windows media player), upload them to your iPod or even burn your music to a CD.
The TAPE2USB even includes RCA stereo connections and cable if you desire to listen to your cassettes through your home stereo system.

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COBY CX-CD250 Portable CD Cassette Recorder with AM/FM Radio & Remote Control Review

I purcahsed this radio for my office at work . The reception is excellent , the sound is great , and the remote control for the CD player is very convenient! Only down side of the remote control is you cannot control the volume.


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Product Description:
Portable Cassette Recorder with AM/FM Radio and Remote Control

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Jwin JXR36 Full Size Cassette Recorder With Two Speed Operation Review

I still use cassettes, obviously, and I like the small player/recorders,which also have their own speaker. This product is well built and durable. It plays well and has auto-shutoff in play mode, though, as would be expected, not in rewind or fast forward modes. As another reviewer stated, recording using the condenser microphone produces a sound that isn't very good, even if recording close to the microphone (I have not tried recording from a distance). I tried recording using a regular microphone, because the unit has a microphone jack, and the improvement of the recording was noticeable. Because the unit has the microphone jack, it is also possible to record from another device into the microphone jack (keep the input volume down, since microphone jacks are much more sensitive than regular jacks). This also worked well. I also tried out the slower speed mode, which doubles recording time, and it worked well.

For what you can buy this unit for, not the list price, it is a very good value.

P.S. After I wrote this review, and had 4/4 positive votes, I was playing with this player some more. I mistakenly plugged an A/C adaptor into the place you can do that, and the polarity was reversed, and now the player will only run on A/C, it no longer works with batteries. This is not the manufacturer's fault. Also, the normal polarity for these kinds of players is the correct polarity for this player. I have a digital recorder that uses reverse polarity with the A/C adaptor, and that was the adaptor I used! Sometimes these things happen...

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Product Description:
Full size cassette . Two speed recording with voice activation . Adjustable volume control and built-in speaker . Record LED indicator . 3.5mm headphone jack

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Panasonic RQ-L31 Portable Cassette Recorder with Slide Microphone Review

It's kind of inappropriate that so many people complain that recorders _intended_ for speech (e.g. lectures, interviews, notes, etc.) are bad for recording music.Kind of goes without saying.If you want to record music, if you want stereo sound, if require audio quality, then don't buy _any_ cassette recorder in this price range.(The bare minimum for these needs is possibly the Panasonic RQ-A220.)

There's also lots of confusion about the term "mini."The term mini is about the player size, not the tape's.This recorder, like all "mini" recorders, takes normal sized tapes.If you want the really small tapes then you want what they call "micro."

I purchased the RQ-31 to replace an older GE model I was using for notes and interviews.One thing stood out immediately - the microphone was far more powerful.If you speak directly into the machine it will cause some distortion.This is good, actually, because it allows you to record people speaking without pushing the machine in their face.Combined with the voice activation feature this will allow you to easily record your thoughts and conversations without wasting tape.I thought this would be especially handy to record while driving - just leave it in the passenger's seat and it will record only when you speak.

The most basic model on the market at this time is the Sony TCM-150 which is at least ten bucks less.Here's some of what you get by paying more:Voice activation, external microphone jack, extended record, and a tape counter.For most people these features are necessary which makes 150 model a poor choice.The Sony's TCM-200DV, however, offers all of that for about five bucks less than this Panasonic - except it doesn't have the counter which I thought I needed.The next model up, the Panasonic RQ-L51, is identical to the L31 except it comes with an AC adapter and rechargeable batteries.I'm not so sure that the extra cost is worth it, but some might find the adapter necessary.

The recorder feels cheap for some reason.It's too light and there's too much plastic.(The Sony's TCM-200DV has the same weight.)Perhaps the manufacturers are putting all their effort into MP3 and digital recorders.In any case, use it for what it is.If you need an inexpensive recorder for interviews or lectures the Sony 220 or this Panasonic will likely do the job.If you require something a little more tough with better audio you'll definitely need to spend more - or pick up an older machine from the days when they made these things to last.

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Product Description:
The Panasonic RQ-L31 Portable Cassette Player with Slide Microphone is a compact, handheld microcassette recorder. You'll be able to achieve up to 25 hours of recording with just two AA batteries. This recorder features a valuable voice activation system that helps conserve tape space -- recording begins as soon as sound is detected and stops when there is a lull in conversation so you'll never waste valuable tape. The built-in front speaker makes for easy listening so you can review recordings without headphones.
There are two selectable recording speeds -- the faster speed makes clearer recordings for reproduction, while the slower speed is perfect for voice memos and audio note taking.The slower speed triples the recording time of the microcassette, which is great for those meetings or lectures that never seem to end on time. The slide microphone is designed with improved sensitivity for even clearer recordings.

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Sony TCWE475 Dual Cassette Player / Recorder Review

This cassette deck does have some really good features like HX Pro, Dolby B & C, music search (AMS, which looks for blank spaces to guess where the next song is), and full dubbing capabilities. I have it connected to my Onkyo A/V receiver via both output and input, since all of my components operate through the receiver. It works well this way and i can record from all sources with no problem.
I have a problem with the sound. It's not as good as the specs would have you believe. I've compared it with an Onkyo tape recorder and, although the numbers are similar (as far as wow & flutter and dynamic range), the Onkyo is much better (it was too expensive and had less features, but now i see why it cost more). The big thing is the lack of a remote. Sony has this funky A1II communication bus system, which is only truly useful if you buy all Sony components. I don't so it's useless to me. The excuse for not including the remote is that you can buy a Sony 300-CD Changer that can control this tape deck. I don't like it when companies use this method to obtain sales, so chances are i'll eventually resell this deck and get one with its own remote and better sound.
I paid $150 + tax at Circuit City. Same price as from J&R/Amazon and with shipping costs the price is almost equal. I'd say buy it if the price is $110 or less. That's all it's worth to me personally.

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Product Description:
Sony's TC-WE475 Cassette Player/ Recorder is packed with features that enable a great listening and recording experience. Utilize our Dual auto reverse feature as you listen, and hear the difference that Dolby B and C noise reduction makes as it suppresses high frequency noise. Also featuring Dolby HX Pro circuitry, Auto Record Level, Multi-AMS track search, Relay Play, and Full-logic feather-touch transport controls, the TC-WE475 is a treasure.

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Sony TCM-929 Pressman Desktop Cassette Recorder with Automatic Shut-Off Review

I've had one of these since 1993. It's perfect. It's a tape player and recorder, and that's it.
It never jams on a good tape. It's perfect at what it does.

Being an audiobook lover I use it to listen to my books around the house and it has had a lot of use!
Unlike units that have CD players, the tape is the focus, not an afterthought.
Also, it's far superior to tape units that switch sides for you, because they often switch sides at the least resistance, not necessarily the end of the tape.
In summation, this is the tape audiobook listener's friend for reliable, no trouble, listening for hours and hours and years to come..

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Product Description:
This Sony TCM-929 Desktop Cassette Recorder is a modern, detailed and feature-rich cassette recorder for the home or office. With a built-in microphone and speaker, the recorder is ready to record your thoughts, exam reviews, important reminders and novel ideas. The retractable handle is a plus for those carting the recorder around school, or from meeting to meeting. The three-digit tape counter, one touch recording and pause control all ensure that you have all the features necessary to make editing and recording an easy and fruitful process. The TCM-929 comes with a microphone jack should you need to attach a more dynamic microphone. There is also a headphone jack for those studying in the library or coffee shop. The recorder runs on the included AC adaptor or with four, AA batteries. When using Sony's Alkaline batteries, you can expect up to eight and a half hours of operation. To help you save battery life, Sony has installed a full automatic shut-off in this recorder. This feature operates all the major buttons, including play, fast forward, record and rewind. Should these buttons remain pressed for a certain amount of time, the recorder will automatically shut-off them off, saving not only valuable battery life, but also critical mechanical wear. The TCM-929 is an efficient and feature-filled cassette recorder.
What's in the Box
Sony TCM-929 Desktop Cassette Recorder, AC adaptor, user's manual and a ninety day warranty.

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Panasonic RQ2102 Shoe Box Recorder Review

I would give this product a 5 simply for existing! I had a hard time finding a similar product in stores. When I would stumble onto one, the price was often ... more than what I could get it for here. I don't know if this review praises ... or the product more. Nevertheless, I'm very happy with it. Sure, it's a bit antiquated in this era of digital gimmickry. But for what I need it for, it works great. Easy to use controls, big speaker for playback and it doesn't eat tapes! What more do you want?

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Product Description:
One-touch recording combined with standard controls such as cue, review, and pause make the Panasonic RQ-2102 a complete portable cassette recorder. The built-in condenser mic allows for easy, automatic recording, and a three-digit counter lets you keep your place. There is a 3-inch dynamic speaker for quality playback. The Panasonic RQ-2102 runs on four C batteries or AC power. An AC adapter is included.

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Sony TCM-200DV Standard Cassette Voice Recorder Review

Wouldn't you think a product whose title reads "with Dual Power Source" would actually include the AC adapter? Not in this case, although I can order one separately.

If you in fact want the AC adapter to arrive in the same package as your cassette recorder, be sure you order the Sony TCM-210DV, which I now understand is the model I should have ordered. The TCM-210DV appears to be identical to the TCM-200DV but includes the AC adapter.

Although I don't have the AC adapter I wanted as insurance for the occasions on which I record on tape, the recorder performs just fine on battery. I use it primarily to play audiobooks from the public library, because a Walkman or other play-only motor is not powerful enough for old, worn cassettes.

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Product Description:
Sony's TCM-200DV cassette recorder offers a multitude of features which make it an excellent choice for a cassette voice recorder. The two channel, one track recorder promises accurate recording. For recording ease, Sony has installed double recording time and voice operated recording. The double recording time gives you the option of recording at a standard speed, or at half the standard speed, essentially giving you double the recording space. With voice operated record, you no longer have to worry about constantly shutting off and switching on the record button; with the first hint of sound, the TCM-200DV will begin recording. Sony's Sony-Matic automatic recording level control will keep your recordings at one constant level. Play-back editing or transcribing becomes more useful with this feature. If the internal microphone doesn't support your recording needs, simply plug in an external mic into the mic jack.
An essential playback feature is the playback speed control. With this adjustment, you can adjust the speed between thirty percent of normal and negative fifteen percent of normal. This is a great tool for those transferring interviews or lectures. If you find yourself fighting to hear the cassette player via the built-in speaker, plug earphones into the recorder and your troubles will be lessened. In fact, Sony has installed a L/R monaural earphone jack for clear and unobstructed hearing.
There are two options in powering this recorder. The first is an optional AC adaptor. If batteries are more useful, use the required two AA batteries; these batteries will run for up to twenty-five hours. With the LED battery level indicator you can be watchful of remaining battery time. With automatic shut-off, you can be assured that you will not be wasting batteries needlessly.
Other features include: clear voice recording system, cue and review, pause switch, stop/pause release function. The recorder's color is silver.
What's in the Box
Sony TCM-200DV cassette recorder and user's manual.

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Coby CX-R60 Voice Activated Cassette Recorder Review

This is a great little recorder for general purposes.Easy to understand text in playback and simple to use.For the money, you can't go wrong here.The fact it records on a full size tape is a plus for listening to cassettes in a car.

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Product Description:
Coby Voice-Activated Cassette Recorder with Adjustable Sensitivity Control

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Sony TCM-210DV Standard Cassette Voice Recorder Review

This is pretty much the perfect tape recorder for interviews, whether live or phone -- sturdy but light for carrying, with plenty of bells and whistles but a snap to learn to use. (However, inserting tapes isslightly harder than in some other machines.) You can choose slow-speed recording to double the length of your tape (e.g., get two hours of talk on a 60-minute tape), which minimizes interrupting the flow of the interview to change sides or tapes. On playback, a speed-control dial lets you control speed and tone of speech -- you can slow down a fast jabberer to transcribe, or speed up to chipmonk-voices past the less useful chatter without missing anything. Plugging in the adapter spares the batteries when transcribing, i.e. when hitting the "pause" button instead of "stop" for interruptions that last longer than anticipated. Sound quality is fine for talk. Not much machine-hiss, and even less on slow speed than on regular speed. Much easier to change batteries than on my previous tape recorder(another Sony which finally died after 25 years of service). Haven't tried this machine for music.

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Product Description:
Record and review with ease... Sony's TCM-210DV Standard Cassette Recorder includes an AC adaptor and cassette to conserve batteries and provide virtually unlimited recording and playback time when an AC power source is available. In addition, features like Double recording time, Voice operated recording, Playback speed control, 25 hour battery life with 2 "AA" batteries, Automatic shut-off (at tape end), One touch recording and playback, Sony-Matic automatic recording level control, and the Clear Voice recording system help you get it all on tape. Utilize the Built-in microphone, LED battery level indicator, External microphone jack, Stop/Pause release function, and the Cue and review function as you enjoy improved sound from the large playback speaker.

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RCA Cassette Voice Recorder-Slim Shoebox design Review

I'll preface my review by stating that if I were searching for a high quality voice recorder I would have gone with a brand other than RCA.However, I needed an inexpensive unit which my two young children could operate without much difficulty, and one that played music cassettes. This one does the trick.It is light, compact and easy to use, the sound is decent, the microphone keeps them entertained since they can record their own voices on tape, and the unit operates on both battery or A/C which means I can tote it along in the car to keep them busy. I searched all over for the actual toddler tough versions of these tape recorders which were sold a few years back, Fisher Price or Playskool I believe, but it seems that technology caught up to even the little kids' toys and the units are all CD or MP3 now, which my children don't yet use.This cassette recorder suits our needs just fine for now, and at an affordable price.

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Product Description:
The RP3503 cassette voice recorder by RCA is the perfect tool for taking notes.It can be used at lectures and seminars or it can be used to simply record important day-to-day notes.This compact classic shoebox recorder has all the features of a full-size cassette recorder, housed in a convenient slim package.Enjoy a constant recording level on each of your recordings with the automatic level control (ACL) mode.The automatic level control mode provides a consistent recording level regardless of the volume control setting.The 3-digit tape counter makes it easy to keep your place and keep a record of where the beginning or end of various recordings are located.Cassette recorder has 6-button functions, mounted on the top for easy visibility and easy access to all the functions you want.Recorder has a retractable carry handle that easily pulls out when you need it for carrying and conveniently slides out of sight when you aren-t using it.Voice recorder has external microphone jack that is conveniently located making it easy to attach microphone for recording.When recorder reaches the end of the tape, it will automatically shut off which saves energy and helps prevent any unnecessary wear.Included with recorder is an external stand-up microphone and AC/DC adapter.

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Sony TCM-150 Cassette Recorder with Automatic Recording Level Control Review

The Sony TCM-150 is about the cheapest cassette recorder on the market at this time.For five to ten bucks more you get voice activation, an external microphone jack, a tape counter, and extended play/record.The models with these features are the Sony TCM-200DV (without the tape counter) and the Panasonic RQ-L31.Of course, in all these cases, you're getting a cheaply made recorder intended for lectures, notes and inteviews.If you want something for music or that's built to take some punishment you'll have to pay more.

Last word on the 150: The odds are you're going to need at least one of those extra features - especially voice activation.Pass on this one and pay just a tiny bit more for something better.

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Product Description:
Sony's TCM-150 cassette recorder offers one button recording for quick play/record operations. The required two AA batteries will run for up to twenty-five hours. With the LED battery level indicator you can be watchful of remaining battery time. Other features include: clear voice recording system, cue and review, pause switch, stop/pause release function, built-in microphone and automatic shut-off.The Sony-Matic automatic recording level control will help you with recording, while the L/R monaural earphone jack will further enhance your recording experience.
What's in the Box
Cassette player, user's manual and one year warranty.

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