Cassette tapes, those chunky ‘80s and ‘90s throwbacks, are sneaking back into the spotlight. Riding the wave of vinyl’s comeback and the allure of tangible media, Maxell’s MXCP-P100 portable cassette player is an interesting blend of old-school aesthetics and new-school tech. This $90 gadget plays your long-forgotten mixtapes and beams their fuzzy charm to Bluetooth headphones, feeling like a time machine you can juice up with a USB-C cable.
Maxell, a name that screams cassette nostalgia from the days of big hair and bigger shoulder pads, has built a device that’s as practical as it is sentimental. At 122 x 91 x 38 mm and a featherlight 210 grams (without a tape), the MXCP-P100 slides into your pocket, though it’s a tad bulkier than the slickest Walkmans of the past. Available in black or white, its no-nonsense design sports a see-through cassette door that lets you watch the reels spin—pure visual candy for anyone who’s ever rewound a tape with a pencil. Up top, you’ve got satisfyingly clicky buttons for play, stop, fast-forward, and rewind, while a side panel packs a volume dial, 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C port, and a Bluetooth pairing button.
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What sets this player apart from retro cash-grabs is its modern edge. Bluetooth 5.4 delivers a solid connection to your earbuds or speakers. Maxell says the built-in battery gives nine hours of wired playback or seven via Bluetooth, recharging in about two hours with a 5V/1.5A USB-C adapter. “It’s the best of both worlds,” Maxell boasts.
Sound quality? That’s where purists might smirk. The MXCP-P100 offers stereo playback and a brass flywheel to keep things steady, which Maxell claims delivers “high sound quality.” But let’s be real—this isn’t an audiophile’s dream. Built on a Tanashin cassette mechanism, it’s reliable but not the stuff of vintage Sony lore. There’s no Dolby noise reduction, so you’ll get that classic tape hiss and crackle—flaws that, for many, are the whole point. “The brass flywheel keeps rotations smooth for great sound,” Maxell says, but it’s more about charm than crystal-clear fidelity.
It’s all about simplicity here. This player’s strictly for spinning tapes—no recording, no auto-reverse, no fancy extras like the high-end decks of the ‘80s. It handles Type 1 cassettes up to C90 (45 minutes per side), perfect for most of your old collection. No recording option might bum out mixtape diehards, but it keeps the focus tight. The non-swappable battery means you’ll need a charger for marathon sessions.
At ¥13,000 (about $90) in Japan, the MXCP-P100 is a niche treat exclusive to that market for now, with no global release confirmed. Import services like Zenmarket could get it to you, but it’ll cost a bit more. Compared to pricier rivals like the $159 We Are Rewind or the no-Bluetooth FiiO CP13, Maxell’s player hits a sweet spot of price, portability, and modern flair.
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