Pyle PL5CSUB Cassette Tape Archiver and Digital Media Converter

• Record cassette tracks or external music to your computer via USB - Dimensions:10.2''(W)x5.1''(H)x5.5''(D)
• Play back through built-in 25W speaker - Weight:3.1Lbs
• Run the line level outputs to an external amplifier
• Use is as a component cassette deck; AC 110V 60HZ

This started out well, but unfortunately didn't end that way. It made some good quality digital stereo recordings before cassettes started to jam in the drive. The final straw was when I had to unscrew part of the top and pull the cassette out with pliers. I was fortunately able to save the cassette, but I was worried.

The instructions were written by a non-native English speaker, and are worthless, but it's obvious how the device works. The drive mechanism looks funky though. You insert a cassette vertically into a slot on the top, but the cassette has to go in at an angle. There's one large knob on top that you push in to engage or fast forward the cassette. There's no reverse, and you can't see the tape when it's playing, so there's no way to see how much tape is left to play.

You have to know how to use the Audacity software, which I fortunately did. The instructions don't help, and there's a tiny CD that came with the device that was too small for my computer's disc drive; I've never seen one like it before. I downloaded the Audacity software from the web site and used their tutorials to figure out how the conversion process works. Audacity is amazing.

The case is solidly constructed, and has a cool blue ring around the volume control that lights up when you turn it on. The speakers aren't that good, but they're good enough to listen to the music while you're converting cassettes. By the way, you don't need a converter to convert cassettes to digital music on your computer; you just need a cassette player with a stereo output and the Audacity software, which you can download free from Audacity's site. This is the second brand of converter I have tried, however (I also tried the one made by Ion, which was useless,) because I assumed the cassette drive mechanism would be of high quality and would give me the best quality sound. I was wrong in both cases, but Amazon has been great about accepting them back for a refund. Now I have to decide which cassette player to buy so I can finish converting my cassette collection; I'm really, really hoping the third time's a charm.

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I'm very happy with the product. It's the instructions that leave a lot to be desired. The instructions are not up to date with the program you use in your computer. After 3 days I gave up and a friend came over and managed to figure out what was next from the point I kept getting stuck at. One thing I reccomend is to keep a written time log for each song as sometimes they are hard to divide as one song ends and the next begins since some fade into the beginning of the next song. Otherwise the player performs flawlessly and produces quality recordings.

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This item came quickly. The instructions are very short and written in poor english. The instructions even say that no extra driver is required.

Well, the mini cd won't run in my drives. I looked on line for 'Audacity'. Found it and read that only a beta version is available for Win7. I downloaded it. It was able to record the audio file in a propriatary format which requires another program to convert to a usable mp3. I could not find a converter to work.

I wrote to support at Pyle explaining these issues. No Response.

This machine will not provide mp3 to my computer without a large amount of special software work. It does play cassettes, much like any everyday cheap cassette player would do. The audio leads work into my realteck sound inputs.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT!

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Very cheaply made product. Unit only turned on twice and then stopped working altogether. Was not able to get software provided to recognize the device at all. Instructions are either missing or in broken English.

I had been in the market for a device like this for a long time. This has been a great tool to save my old cassette recordings on my computer. Many of the cassettes I own are next to impossible to replace, and I am so happy that this product works so well. It produces high quality recordings, a really great product. recommended