Cassettes possess a unique and warm sound quality—once you develop a liking for a slight hiss, you may find cleaner formats lacking in comparison. The inherent challenge of skipping tracks grants the album format an unmatched relevance; you might end up appreciating songs you would have otherwise skipped. (While composing this review, I came to realize that Liz Phair’s “Crater Lake” is an absolute gem.)
For avid collectors, cassettes remain reasonably priced in a market where a vinyl edition of Billy Joel’s rather unremarkable 1980 album Glass Houses sells for $25. Plus, they have a vintage appeal and feel satisfying to hold. In essence, starting a cassette collection is logical since they are widely available, while only a small percentage of fans can realistically collect MiniDiscs.
Be Kind, Rewind
The Rewind boasts a robust aluminum case and features a built-in battery that recharges via USB-C. It weighs 14 ounces, which is only a tad lighter than two iPhone 15 Pro Max devices. Besides having a headphone audio output, it includes a 3.5mm audio input for recording your own tapes—you might enjoy the fun of crafting a homemade mixtape for someone special.
Photograph: Martin Cizmar
A Touch of Hiss
The only downside is the absence of an auto-stop feature that halts playback when the cassette runs out during rewinding or fast-forwarding. The little motor keeps churning with an unappealing squeal, which could also lead to tape stress. The player doesn’t come with headphones. I paired it with an affordable set of transparent Koss headphones, but I was also provided with Rewind’s Bluetooth headphones, which I found quite underwhelming—the vintage design is appealing, but they feel fragile and the sound quality is lackluster for $50.
Nonetheless, these issues are relatively minor, especially when considering all the advantages the Rewind offers over its competitors. This French cassette player is poised to be the top choice in 2025, and depending on future collecting trends, it may well become the ultimate cassette player available.
