with Bluetooth and USB-C. And it comes at the best time

The physical format is immortal (unless ask PlayStation, of course) and what we have been seeing for some time is that not only are the formats that never really ended up coming back, but there is also the trend of retro hardware to play those formats.

We are talking about digicams to take photos without the algorithms of a current mobile phone, but also about vinyl players. In video games, retro consoles have been a fantastic way to enjoy video games for years (and even more so now how the current generation is getting), there is nostalgia for VHS and it was another format that seemed forgotten: that of tapes or cassettes.

Because it’s not just that you can find tapes at a good price, but there are a lot of players (misnamed ‘Walkmans’) that have adapted to the new times with lithium batteries and Bluetooth connection.

And the most important thing is that, despite all the limitations of listening to music on CD, tape or vinyl, this is something that makes perfect sense if we want to disconnect from the algorithm and actively listen to music.

Retro is back (and perhaps at the best time)

The Walkman is today a collector’s item. I am referring to the legendary Sony TPS-L2 that hit the market in 1979. Since then, the Japanese brand’s player became a standard on which they were iterated both inside and outside of Sony itself.

Improvements soon came with miniaturization and the WM-2, as well as the production of similar devices by other brands such as Aiwa or Sanyo.

However, the CDs did not take long to arrive and Sony had to reinvent itself with the Discman. In fact, he had to reinvent the Walkmann itself and, already in the digital age, launched a line of devices to play MP3 and uncompressed files under the Walkman brand. It is much more convenient to have an entire library in your pocket and not need to change batteries, where does it end up. But it’s much better to have all the world’s music within reach of a data connection.

With platforms like Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music and othersit seems that an MP3 music player does not make sense, much less a device as limited as a tape or cassette player. However, Starting in 2018, things began to change..

That year we began to see a rrise in sales of music on cassettesbut also companies that turned their blank tape production plants back on so that users could do the reverse digitization process: from their MP3 music to the cassette. The idea is clear: in front of the algorithm and having music as a mere companion, as if it were white noise, recover control and experience, active listening.

I recently started collecting vinyl and, although I still I have to decide on a playerYes, I have started listening to most of my music on an MP3 that I bought. It’s a SnowSky Echo Mini from the FiiO brand, a company that is focusing on audio devices and that not only allows you to read high-quality files, but also takes up very little space, the battery lasts a long time and there is no algorithm controlling my listening: only my music.

I have been thinking for some time about taking another step and take that portable experience to an even more physical plane: that of the aforementioned cassettes. FiiO has a player and, really, it is not a lonely animal in this market. You just have to go to Amazon to see that there are many ‘walkmans’ to choose from and that also have modern features.

It all depends on how much you want to spend, since you have models like the ones my colleagues point out, which range from those that for 20 euros allow you to play and convert to MP3, to one of Energy System very basic, but with a retro design, passing through much more expensive models like the We Are Rewind made of aluminum or those mentioned from FiiO.

As with any device, it all depends on what you want to spend. And yes, you can always go to the second-hand market for a real Walkman, but there you will still have to dig deep and you won’t have features like a battery or Bluetooth. Be careful, I’m one of those who thinks that since you’re here, it’s better without Bluetooth, but having it doesn’t hurt.

In the end, it is clear that there is an interest in this and, in fact, we have companies like Medion bringing out ‘parrots’ with a lot of functions. My recommendation, if you are even remotely interested in getting into the possession of music, not depending on an algorithm or that tomorrow the company on duty will take away songs from your face (which happens), take a look at second-hand stores because the tapes can still be found at a fair price.

My partner Tones, of course, He is very cool with this topic.

Image | We Are Rewind

In Xataka | Special defeated technologies: Laserdisc