Introducing a product for those who still miss analog. This is a cassette player called IT’s REAL, made by Hong Kong audio brand NINM. Who would use this to recommend a cassette player in 2023? If you think so, how could you have thought so correctly? So this product supports Bluetooth connection (huh?).
On a different note, surprisingly, cassette players did not go extinct. It was said in 1979 that video would kill radio, but just as radio is still alive and well, cassette players are also alive and well… To say that, I was actually almost dead. However, isn’t the reason why products are being produced so quickly because of memories and design? When I look at a cassette player, I think of the fresh and fuzzy moments of my childhood, and the analog design of the cassette player is aesthetically satisfying. Even though this product is an audio product, its reason for existence is as an object. Since the function of an object is ‘existence itself’, the sound was not good, but it did not feel like a major drawback. Nevertheless, he told the representative that he would buy this for 1,180 Hong Kong dollars (about 200,000 Korean Won), so I used it a few times for a review.
The buttons consist of play, rewind, fast forward, stop, and pause. The manufacturing quality of the buttons is poor. It looks pretty, but if you press it roughly, it won’t stay in place and will bounce off, so you have to press it all the way to the bottom with all your strength. Especially the play button. Looking at the difficulty with the play button, it is clear that this product is not made for listening to music.
What I like the most is the transparent design that allows you to see the inside from the front and back. When the tape is played, the mainspring spins, but ironically, when the tape is inserted, it is blocked, making it impossible to turn. Ah, I realized once again that it wasn’t made to be used as tape.
The built-in speaker is located at the bottom of the product. Now let’s listen to the sound. I picked up a rolling cassette tape. Album containing Seo Taiji’s famous song ‘Ultramania’ [태지의 화]. The sound is monotonous and the resolution is poor. It’s just like the texture of the cassette tapes I used to listen to a long time ago. No, it might be worse than that.
Looking at the back of the product, there is a power source, USB-C charging port, volume control dial, and audio out terminal. And now it is time to talk about the advantages of this product. A Bluetooth speaker! The method of use is unique. Bluetooth transmission becomes possible by inserting the included music transmission tape.
When you combine the tape and push the button on the left up, the LED will blink. At this time, connect by pressing the Bluetooth device that says ‘REAL TAPE’ on your smartphone.
I played BB’s ‘Bam Yanggaeng’ on Spotify. The sound quality is not as bad as I thought. No, it’s not that bad. The music is not three-dimensional and sounds flat, but this feeling is better than I thought. It feels like listening to the latest music on tape.
When using it as a Bluetooth speaker, just like playing a cassette tape, you have to press the play button to play music and press stop to stop it. When you press the stop button, even though music is playing on your smartphone, no music comes out of the speaker. Please note that although this tape can be used in other cassette players, it cannot be guaranteed that it can be played on all devices.
IT’s REAL can be operated using 4 AA batteries or connected via USB-C.
It is not difficult to find a cassette player that supports Bluetooth speakers. The price is also much cheaper than IT’s REAL. So, buy this product based on its design alone. In addition to this product, NINM has many romantic products such as transparent CD players and portable cassette tape players, so if you are curious, [여기]Let’s go in and take a look.
