Coby CX49 Personal AM/FM Stereo Cassette Player

• Stereo cassette player
• AM/FM tuner
• Auto stop at tape end
• No-frills stereo cassette player includes headphones and earbuds
• Listen to your favorite stations with an analog AM/FM tuner
• Auto-stop feature at tape end preserves batteries
• Built-in belt clip for hands-free enjoyment
• Power with two AA batteries or optional 3V adapter

My Sony Walkman finally stopped playing tapes, although the radio still works, after many months of books on tape and radio that gets me through housework, gardening and other chores. But, the only cassette recorder I could find when I went to replace it was this Coby CX-49. Halfway through a book and desperate to keep going, I bought it. The radio never gets in my favorite station without static (the old half-dead Sony is about a billion times clearer) and after owning the Coby for six days, I was sitting still in a chair when suddenly the tape starts distorting turns out that, despite fresh batteries, one of the spindles has stopped turning. And it never started again. Don't waste your money like I wasted mine. I am now scouring the web for a stash of Sony Walkman cassette players I can buy up and hoard, because Coby is no substitute.

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This super-cheapy machine is sold under at least two brands that I know of: Coby and Craig. I purchased some old audio books only available on cassette and it had been years since I had had a Walkman, so I purchased one of these. The device plays AM, FM and cassettes.

The indicator for the radio tuner is virtually invisible, but possibly it's an assembly variation. Reception on the two broadcast bands is average, nothing exceptional.

Cassette performance is quite poor. First, there is an electrical buzz in the background. I switched headsets and it remains. Worse, the speed at which the cassette turns varies quite dramatically, even with the same tape. Part of the time, turning the tape on and off will correct the problem, usually not. The music and audio tapes that have exhibited this problem have run well on other cassette units. At least for audio work, it's only irritating. It would be maddening with music tapes.

Battery life appears average.

For this price, of course it's Chinese-made. It is a minimal machine and performs to its price.

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I wasn't even going to give this one star but have to select something. I've been though a lot of personal cassette players, from the most expensive to low end. None of them survive being dropped without some problems. I decided to buy this one because it was so inexpensive, figuring it was a throw-away once it was dropped. However, the sound quality is terrible, plus the speed varies, even when I switch batteries. Luckily, I purchased it locally and I'm returning it. Save your sanity and $$... this is JUNK.

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for a portable radio cassette, it passes muster. had it about a month. gets decent reception of those harder to get stations, say npr from over the hill for example. craftsmanship is what you'd expect from a player of this cost. my last portable radio cassette lasted 10 years for half the price, a "york" product. this works if you don't want to shell out hundreds for a portable fm mp3.

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On the plus side, it plays cassettes. The negatives: no rewind feature; seriously poor sound quality with lots of background noise; frequently won't play a tape until it has been removed and replaced a few times; loose belt clip doesn't stay fixed to pockets well. All in all, not worth the five bucks.