This contemporary cassette participant with Bluetooth (and matching retro wi-fi headphones) would possibly’ve been my favourite music expertise at CES 2025

In an age the place even informal music followers understand how measly streaming companies might be relating to artist pay, the return of bodily media was maybe inevitable. Simply final yr, vinyl report gross sales grew by 10.5% with 6.7 million discs bought because of artists together with Taylor Swift and Fleetwood Mac. Although CD gross sales remained fixed, cassette tape gross sales have additionally been making a robust comeback as nicely.

From 81,000 models in 2015 to 436,400 in 2022, the resurgence has been pushed by Gen Z’s embrace of nostalgic codecs and affordability. Artists are releasing albums on tape for as little as $10, which is a fraction of newly launched vinyls, that are considerably costlier. So it is sensible for French model We Are Rewind to have a objective of delivering a glossy but extremely practical cassette tape participant, impressed by the unique Sony Walkman. Throughout my time with the machine at CES 2025, it delivered on its promise.

Out there in 4 colorways for round $160, there’s a lot to understand about this audio machine. We Are Rewind’s cassette tape participant works with all variations of tapes, from I (which have solely write-protect notches) to IV (which has a 3rd notch set close to the center of the highest of the cassette shell). In terms of playback, the machine helps two-track stereo with a quoted frequency response of 30Hz to 12,500Hz, signal-to-noise ratio of 50dB, and minimal distortion.

The participant makes use of Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity to hook up with the finest wi-fi headphones and finest Bluetooth audio system. We Are Rewind additionally has $52 retro-styled EQ-001 over-the-ear headphones that include three interchangeable ear cushions. These function a 12-hour battery life and three equalizer modes for tailor-made audio experiences. The headphones additionally work on smartphones, alongside providing voice assistant assist.

If you wish to hold it old skool, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack for the finest wired headphones, and a further 3.5mm jack for recording onto Kind I tapes, which I completely love. Recording high quality is pretty excessive, that includes a frequency response of 30Hz to 10,000Hz, a signal-to-noise ratio of 45dB, and 1% typical distortion. The We Are Rewind cassette participant is powered by a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery that gives an estimated 10 to 12 hours of prolonged use.

Throughout my time with the machine, there have been a handful of cassette tapes to make use of together with The Weeknd, Linkin Park and The Saints amongst others. Due to the tech within the cassette participant, I loved the nice and cozy and smooth audio high quality, nevertheless it skips the fuzzy hiss sound. I feel one of the best ways to elucidate it’s a cross of the gutsy sonics of vinyl with the readability of a compact disc.

Add the headphones into the state of affairs and it does develop into a uniquely retro listening expertise and combo, and had a good time. Customers are going to should be intentional with what tapes they’ve with them, whether or not it’s an album or a mixtape of their very own, however that is all a part of the enjoyable.