Mixtape Memories Reborn: FiiO CP13 Brings the Walkman Vibe into 2024!
4,3 / 5,0 | 
Ah, the days of mixtapes, one-track recordings, and the first time you went for a run and took the music with you! Sony’s Walkman was genuinely revolutionary in the early Eighties. And since we all can’t seem to stop that giant nostalgia wave, here comes a new but very retro Walkman-like device: the FiiO CP13! It lacks features from the original; it does not offer any way to record audio or digitize tapes – but you get to play your old mixtapes. Let’s take a look.
Sony Walkman – Portable audio legend
When the Sony TPS-L2 came out in 1979, it became a giant hit. For the first time, walking around with your favorite songs did not require a giant boombox that angered the neighbors, ate batteries like candy, and was too heavy. Sony wasn’t the first company to introduce a portable cassette player, but they made the right choices.
The original Sony Walkman
One of the best features of the original Sony Walkman was the two headphone jacks. So, you could listen to your favorite mixtape with your friend! Walking around with headphones very soon changed from being very unusual to the norm.
The company has been updating its Walkman line in recent years, with two audiophile models in 2022 and another one with integrated storage and a touchscreen in 2023 with no way to play cassette tapes. The FiiO CP13 returns to the OG Walkman.
Sony Walkman NW-WM1AM2 Front View
FiiO CP13: Cassette Player with a very retro flair
To be fair, the FiiO CP13 looks pretty damn nice. And it plays cassette tapes. In addition, it offers a Li-ion battery with 15 hours of playtime that you can charge through the USB-C port. Like the original Sony Walkman, the CP13 has an aluminum casing and a silver-blue finish.
The black-and-white edition of the FiiO CP13
In terms of usability, it offers rather big playback buttons, a 3.5mm headphone port, and a volume knob. It also mentions “Auto-reverse” on the case, which just means that a tape is automatically rewound once its end is reached.
But when it comes to more contemporary features, this CP13 is rather old-school: no Bluetooth connectivity, no way to digitize tapes to MP3s, and no internal storage. But FiiO might be on to something, as cassette sales have been rising almost as much as Vinyl sales in recent years.
What does the FiiO CP13 cost, and when is it available?
The FiiO CP13 will be available in March 2024. FiiO says the price will be £129 (around $160 or €150). This puts it at a much lower price compared to the $400+ range of Sony’s current Walkman line (that can’t play cassettes!).
More in the company and on Walkman
- All about FiiO
- Forum discussion at head-fi.org with FiiO staff answering questions on the CP13
- Company website
- The original Sony Walkman: Sony
- The black-and-white edition of the FiiO CP13: FiiO
This might also interest you
3 responses to “Mixtape Memories Reborn: FiiO CP13 Brings the Walkman Vibe into 2024!”
Well… if they made a new tape head etc but every tape player out there being released all use the same poor quality tape system from the same and only chinese manufacturer. Send one to Techmoan so he can ramble on about how bad this is! As such it’s not tape that is dead but decent playback options !
If they used a Tanashin, but one from reliable source and binned to pick out the best ones, and if they replaced the moror with a brushless motor controlled by an actual feedback loop (doesn’t need to be quartz, but in 2023 there is no excuse not to), then I’d consider buying it. But for this price and without Dolby? It still sucks.
“Auto Reverse” actually means that the playback head can play either side of the tape, so when you get to the end of one side, you can immediately start playing the other side. No need to take out the tape and flip it.