Everyone knows that vinyl LPs have experienced a resurgence in recent years, but it seems that the humble analog cassette tape may also be due for a comeback. With that in mind, a French entrepreneur is now offering a portable cassette player that’s designed for modern times.
Romain Boudruche and his business partners were first inspired to create the We Are Rewind device after watching 80s-nostalgic movies and TV shows such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Stranger Things.
It’s about the same size and shape as an old-school Sony Walkman, featuring physical push-button controls on top. And yes, it does indeed play back existing audio cassettes, in stereo.
Some of its 21st Century features, however, include an all-aluminum body and Bluetooth functionality – the latter allows users to play their music back through a third-party Bluetooth speaker or set of headphones (it also works with hard-wired headphones).
Additionally unlike most 80s cassette players, it can also be used to record music onto a blank cassette. Users simply run a line from a smartphone or computer into the We Are Rewind’s 3.5-mm stereo line-in port, press its Record button, then play the song off the source device. So yeah, you could use it to make mix tapes.
Finally, instead of removable AA batteries, it’s powered by an integrated lithium battery. One charge should reportedly be good for about 10 hours of use.
“Analog sound quality is not as bad as most people think. It’s actually ‘warmer’,” Boudruche tells us. “But the most important thing is that you can actually touch it, feel it. Just like vinyl. You hold something in your hands that is something you’ve known when you were young … It’s romantic and nostalgic.”
Should you be interested, the We Are Rewind player is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. A pledge of €89 (about US$100) will get you one, when and if they reach production. The planned retail price is €129 ($145).
And for a couple of other examples of modern-day high-tech portable cassette players, check out the Mystik and the It’s OK.
We Are Rewind gives the portable cassette player a modern makeover [New Atlas]