FiiO CP13 Cassette Player

The FiiO CP13 is a modern portable stereo cassette player, made for listening to tapes the classic way with modern engineering. A fully analogue signal path from the tape head to the headphone output, built around the classic JRC5532 op-amp, gives a pure analogue sound, while a custom movement, an oversized copper flywheel and a high-voltage motor supply keep wow and flutter down to 0.2%. Its two-tone aluminium body has no visible screws, it plays all cassette types and its battery lasts 13 hours.

A player that nearly didn’t happen

Cassette players were everywhere in the 1980s and 1990s, but today the supply chain for them has almost disappeared, and FiiO says the early stages were so difficult the project was nearly cancelled. After a great deal of time, effort and close work with suppliers, the CP13 made it, so you can relive the familiar, comfortable sound of pure analogue playback.

Built for low wow and flutter

After much trial and error with scarce parts, FiiO arrived at a custom movement that is more stable than many mass-produced designs, and kept it as simple as possible, leaving out recording and auto-reverse to focus on playback quality. An oversized pure copper flywheel, 30.4mm across and 4mm thick, keeps the tape moving as smoothly as possible. The motor runs from a 4.2V supply, higher than the 1.8V or 3V typical in today’s players, with a speed stabilisation circuit that adjusts the drag to hold the speed steady, reducing pitch wobble and letting the CP13 handle more tape types. Wow and flutter is 0.2% or less.

A carefully selected tape head

FiiO only accepts the best tape heads from its supplier, fewer than 40% of production, and controls the build so that the left and right channels are far better matched than in typical players. The custom permalloy head has a thickened cover that shields it from interference and reduces wear for a longer life. Instead of the single-ended pickup most players use, the CP13 reads the head through a differential (balanced) circuit, for a more stable signal, a higher signal-to-noise ratio and lower distortion.

100% analogue, with a JRC5532

From the tape head to the amplifier, every part of the circuit is analogue, for an unmistakably classic sound. The JRC5532 op-amp, known to some as the “king of op-amps”, gives a familiar, pleasant sound that lingers.

Aluminium, inside and out

The two-tone all-aluminium chassis blends square and rounded lines with no visible screws. The buttons are hard-anodised to resist wear and corrosion. Large oval buttons for play, rewind, fast forward and pause sit on one side; the volume knob, USB-C charging port, 3.5mm headphone output and status light are on the other. Behind the aluminium knob is a large analogue volume potentiometer, which is more reliable, sounds more stable and simply feels better than the flat potentiometers in most cassette players. At 31.8mm, the CP13 is thinner than most players made today.

13 hours per charge

An 1,800mAh lithium battery gives 13 hours or more of playback and over 268 days on standby. Charge it over USB-C from a 5V adapter in about 3 hours; FiiO’s protected charging circuit means you can keep listening while it charges.

Good to know

• FiiO’s own advice: like any analogue player, the CP13 has more audible background hiss than a digital player (it is harmless), poorly recorded tapes add more, and tape playback can wear or damage tapes, so use good-quality, officially released tapes and handle older ones with care.
• The headphone output suits sensitive earphones and easy-to-drive headphones such as the FiiO SNOWSKY WIND, which also matches the retro look.
• In the box: CP13, USB cable, window protective film, manual and warranty card.