FIIO CP13 Portable Cassette Player Review (2) – Rewind And Unwind

FIIO CP13 portable cassette player oozes cool, brings new life to tapes while sounding powerfully bright with a top notch volume knob, while leaving some opportunities on the table that would make it top dog.

INTRO

Sometimes I wonder if we are traveling through a wormhole and we have arrived at 1985 just as FIIO launches their CP13 Portable Cassette player. Its not uncommon for old technology to disappear as demands drops. So when these companies such as FIIo take a gamble and produce new old gear, that is a feat in itself.

I had to dig out my old Sony WM-F2015 budget model and replace the gooey dead belts in order to have a comparison besides the full size decks. The FIIO CP13 priced between $99-$109 comes in 4 colors if you count clear as a color, and just as their TT13 turntable adds modern touches to revived technology from the scrap heap, so does the CP13.

I had never been so excited to dig out my old cassettes again. My experience with the CP13 transforms my idea of a portable cassette player to rather a transportable cassette player which I will explain later.

In my own industry I am actually employed in, we are seeing product lines shifting as electronic parts reach End-of Life status becoming obsolete, and support ends as it is no longer cost feasible to continue producing products not in high enough demand to cover overhead and turn a profit. This is where companies such as FIIO have to start from scratch.

FEATURE COMMENTARY

Taking a quick cruise through the features of the FIIO CP13, its a metal housing with plastic window and a screen protector. Buttons on the red and blue models have smartly colored the play button, while the silver gray and clear are all black. It would have followed suit to have those use a silver or white play button.

Volume knob is robust and awesome, although I understand the concept of wheels on the Walkmans of yesteryear. Battery is a non-removable rechargeable lithium. I think it would have been cool if they adopted what Sony did in some Discmans, a rechargeable pack that could also be swapped with standard AA batteries. While the battery pack is not “easily” accessible, a handy user or service technician could in theory replace it down the road if replacement battery packs become available. More on that later.

Jurgen was upset about a missing belt clip, however I was glad to have the bulk gone (in fairness my ancient Sony had a removable belt clip). Perhaps they should consider some open loops recessed in the rear of the case where someone could put a silicone band through it, that is if they come out with the typical “Pro” version second model that tends to address user concerns with first generation products.

So there are two hidden features that I found while googling, an Azimuth head adjustment screw, and a speed adjustment. My unit came with two issues, and it seems other users might have had the same problem. Speed was clearly too fast. I used a very crude method of playing a song from my PC and timing it with the same song on the CP13. I would make small adjustments and retest. There are other methods, but it required the least amount of tools.

Azimuth and Speed Adjustment Video

I should mention there is a video posted about the teardown of the CP13, and it only takes minimal effort to remove the door. Carefully grip the door while open and sort of pull towards the direction of the buttons to “unhook” it. The springs usually pop off at the same time. While both the azimuth screw and speed adjustment can be reached without the door off, I found it easier to tweak. Totally understand if you do not want to attempt this. Probably better to watch the video than go purely by my explanation.

Tear Down Video Download available.

The FiiO CP13 seems very sensitive to azimuth variations, my basic Sony WM-F2015 and even a worn out budget Aiwa TA117 had better azimuth tracking. The CP13 seems very sensitive to the position of the tape, and this leads me to my other finding. Both the Sony and Aiwa have a metal spring clip the tape rests on.

The CP13 has a plastic tab, but the tape does not even make contact with it until the play button is pushed. FIIO should improve this, as more pressure seemed to further improve my azimuth tracking problems, even after making adjustments. Its sort of funny the case is metal where plastic would suffice, but where metal should exist is plastic.

My temporary fix to improve azimuth tracking uses ¼” weather stripping found at the home improvement stores. I cut small one inch strips and installed them in the bottom of the tape tray. It helps but it’s not 100% fool proof. I would love to see if something slipped over the plastic spring tab would do a better job, but so far I have not come up with a better fix. Really I implore FIIO to come up with a better solution, and did pass this along to them as a suggestion to improve the spring clip.

So the high frequency goes in and out and it sounds muffled as if the tape is not tracking straight, but it’s tape dependent. Speaking of tape type, there is no normal, high bias, CrO2 metal tape selector, no Dolby noise reduction- gone is the day of licensing any type of this tech. If the CP13 is not stationary, the tracking suffers too. Might be my own experience, but putting it out there. The Sony WM-F2015 does not suffer from this truly earning the “Walkman” title, so I attribute to either a better mechanism or perhaps the tape is more secure inside. This is why I would rather refer to the FIIO CP13 as a “transportable” cassette player and not necessarily a portable cassette player.

SOUND

The FIIO’s C13 sounds like a modern analog player, but leans bright and has less powerful bass compared to the Sony. The Aiwa TA117 wasn’t even in the same league, it sounds bloated, muddy, and was just ugly to listen to. Funny thing is that I probably owned the Sony first, and bought the Aiwa later for more bass.

Depth and high frequency reproduction is improved on the CP13 over the Sony. The Sony delivers better bass performance, but only by a thin margin. I would say the top selling point of the FIIO is clearly the brighter nature of the CP13 and the modern sound it brings forth.

Volume output is not as strong on the FIIO CP13 compared to the WM-F2015, the Sony could drive even a pair of Philips Fidelio X2HR, but gets distorted as I reach max output level. The CP13 was a little anemic for higher impedance and/or low sensitivity headphones. It also did not distort with the Fidelios, and even with higher sensitive IEMs distortion at ear deafening levels is on the low side. I think FIIO was aiming for clean sound vs shear brute output levels. 

As Jürgen stated there is no motor noise, but hiss is normal. A stroll through internet forums, some people have bought refurbished 80s/90s style Walkmans that had replaced motors that suffer DC motor noise. So rest assured FIIO wins this battle and is why it makes sense to buy brand new vs fighting with worn out devices.

TAPE END

I think FIIO CP13 is positioned well to be the top choice for a new portable cassette player, especially considering the premium refurbished 80’s 90’s models Walkmans are fetching. If they can get better control of calibrating Azimuth and speed, they will capture a new market of those wanting to experience what is old again.

I will have to compare with the We Are Rewind cassette player to see if they managed the same mechanism better. I am thankful FIIO at least offers adjustment of those two features, so if in the future they drift there is an adjustment. The CP13 is a well built unit with room for improvement unless mine is a one off, definitely cool in my book.

DISCLAIMER: FIIO provided these free of charge for a unbiased review. We are grateful for the opportunity.

Available from FIIO Aliexpress or Amazon.

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About my measurements.