I ditched Spotify and bought a cheap cassette Walkman one month on I've fallen back in love with music and my tape stash is overtaking my vinyl collection

Date:
Sat, 13 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Description:
I used a cassette player for the first time, and it's become my favorite way to enjoy the albums I love the most.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Before the age where the best music streaming services redefined our listening habits, Ive been a collector of physical media.

Throughout my childhood the living room cabinets and car glove box were
packed with an endless roster of CDs which is where my love for music began, and I started vinyl collecting at the turn of my 17th birthday. But as far as cassette tapes go, Ive never touched them until the age of 26, when I got my hands on the Miko cassette player by Gadhouse .

Blending the classic analog music player with modern connectivity features, the Miko cassette player shows off the best of what 1980s Japanese audio tech was all about. But now that more people are beginning to ditch the algorithms and revert to traditional ways of listening and collecting, the cassette player as an entity is gaining currency again and I was sold from the first push of the play button. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: (Image credit: Future / Rowan Davies) For someone whos never listened to music via cassette tapes, the Miko cassette player was actually very easy to navigate right off the bat. It runs on two AA batteries, has an on/ off switch for Bluetooth connectivity, a headphone and aux jack, and volume wheel. Just like a traditional cassette player, there are five buttons on the top; play, stop, fast-forward, rewind, and one to record audio.

But one big difference with the Miko is fast-forwarding and rewinding tapes it doesnt speed up the playback or play it in reverse like a cassette player from back in the day. I can see why some users would miss this, it makes skipping through songs a lot easier, but I didnt run into any issues with it. You may like Cute name? Check. Plays cassettes? Yep. Aimed at the young 'digital detox' market? Oh yes Maxell Wireless Cassette Player review: a delightful analog blast from the past just don't rely on the Bluetooth Innioasis Y1 is the cheap iPod dupe you've been craving and it's good (Image credit: Future / Rowan Davies) That said, what would really take the Miko to
a 10 is the addition of a clip so you can attach it to your waistband, which
I would really take advantage of purely as a means of showing off to others. Like finding a new best friend Whitney Houston and Tina Turner are the first artists to make my growing cassette tape collection (Image credit: Future / Rowan Davies) Immediately after I finished listening to the first cassettes I bought (I snagged Whitney Houstons Whitney and Tina Turners Foreign Affair from my local music store), I knew an obsession was brewing. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Essentially, listening via cassette felt like an extension of vinyl. I love listening to vinyl records, and listening via cassette filled me with that same feeling I get when I put an album to spin on the turntable, but you cant exactly take your vinyl player on a commute. That's the beauty of cassettes theyre compact
and whipping out the Miko on my bus journeys and walks through the park made me feel like a modish 80s character in a 21st-century world.

Digital streaming has its perks, but as far as intentional listening goes,
its easy to get distracted. Miko forces you to sit with albums in their entirety the way it should always be. Skipping tracks is tedious, though not impossible, but that means youre more likely to listen to an artists deep
cuts as you make your way through the tape.

But one thing I completely forgot about until I picked up the cassette player was how fun compilation albums are something I havent listened to since I
was a child. In my youth it was all about Pop Party and Now Thats What I Call Music! CDs until they stopped evolving with growing music consumption habits, but oh how I missed indulging in the sonic summaries of summer 2006, or the top songs of 1993. What to read next This viral vinyl player combines nostalgic design with an Audio-Technica cartridge I just sold my CD
collection and it reminded me why iTunes is still king Apple Music's
Discovery Station helps users find new artists based on listening habits I used the Meze Audio Alba wired earbuds to get a kick out of my listening sessions (Image credit: Future / Rowan Davies) When it comes to modern revisions of classic analog devices, its inevitable that theyll also come fitted with digital ways of listening. In the case of Miko, its Bluetooth connectivity. While I think its handy having wired and wireless options, I spent 99% of my time with the Miko using wired earbuds it was the only way for me for a few reasons.

There's just something about plugging a good pair of the best wired earbuds
or top wired headphones into your cassette player that feels like some kind
of moral obligation, as if youre honoring the slightly crunchy way older generations had to enjoy music. And there are the aesthetics, of course. Who could deny how good it looks on you?

Aside from that, there were some Bluetooth connectivity issues that
persisted. Though I managed to connect my headphones to the Miko very
briefly, coming back to this proved to be a bit of a hassle. Id hear the static, but as soon as I pressed play it would disappear, and no music would follow. Besides, you dont get to listen to the satisfying crackling and warm, magnetic hiss of a cassette player using wireless headphones quite like wired connectivity. Its not a huge gripe, if anything it actually forced me to have to break from my Sony WH-1000XM5s .

For a first hands-on with a cassette player, its fair to say that it went swimmingly, but I do fear its unleashed an urge within me to harbor another physical media collection I know for a fact I dont have the space for. Saying that, given the price you can pay for a tape in good condition compared to a vinyl record, who could say no? Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/i-ditched-spotify-and-bought-a-cheap-cassette- walkman-one-month-on-ive-fallen-back-in-love-with-music-and-my-tape-stash-is-o vertaking-my-vinyl-collection


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