Coby CX49 Personal AM/FM Stereo Cassette Player (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

I will not return this product, but I am very disappointed in this radio. I had one in the past and it was a lot better. Not worth the money, since this is what I had paid for the original one that I purchased and that was new. Cannot find how to shut off the radio when I am not using it. In the original review, I am sure that it Coby CX49 Personal AM/FM Stereo Cassette Player (Discontinued by manufacturer)Visit the Coby Store3.8 out of 5 stars 377 ratings | 6 answered questionsBrand CobyColor SilverHardware Interface 3.5mm AudioItem Weight 0.62 PoundsItem Dimensions LxWxH 4.5 x 1.5 x 3.8 inchesVoltage 1.5 VoltsAbout this itemStereo cassette playerAM/FM tunerAuto stop at tape endNo-frills stereo cassette player includes headphones and earbudsListen to your favorite stations with an analog AM/FM tunerAuto-stop feature at tape end preserves batteriesBuilt-in belt clip for hands-free enjoymentPower with two AA batteries or optional 3V adaptersaid that it had head phones, but this one had NONE. Should review the add more carefully. NEVER AGAIN

While I am not grading the longevity or hardiness of the item, so far it has played fine and consistently with tapes with my NiMh batteries. While the sound could be better (as is almost always true with anything other than high-end equipment) it's fine, especially considering it's under $10. Does it sound like an $80 portable player or a $150 cassette deck? No, of course not.The radio portion is about what you'd expect also, and the batteries last longer with radio at low volumes versus tapes or high volumes also as you'd expect.I gave it three stars on sound because that's about what you should expect from it, and also the included headphones and earbuds are just about what you'd expect with something included with a $9 item. Pretty much junk. The left earbud was lower in sound and there was a humming noise and they're uncomfortable. The headphones had no humming but don't have much bass and don't fit well.There's also not much bass to it either when plugging it into an aux input and playing it through something else, although that's what they make bass controls for on most other equipment. Perhaps that sound rating should be 5 stars, considering what it is and how much it costs. Comparatively though, it's not what anyone would consider "five star sound".I'll update this if it breaks down or starts acting oddly.

ASIN B00008VF5W - The space in the store that used to hold portable cassette players has been given over to portable CD and MP3 players, so shopping online made great sense. Until I got the player, anyway. Then it started to look like a very stupid idea.There's no rewind button on this player. (I wasn't expecting it, but in case you are, it also has no recording capability.) You can fast forward, play and stop. If you want to rewind, you have to stop the tape, flip it over, fast forward, stop, flip it over and play. If you've not gone far enough, repeat. This is tedious and annoying and, worse, not mentioned in the product description.This is a cheaply made player, which is a negative; it weighs next to nothing, which is something of a positive! Another plus is that it comes with both earbuds and headphones - which I promptly threw away because earbuds hurt my ears and headphones and baseball hats just don't work together. I use  Philips HS430 Lightweight Clip-On Headphones . But it was still nice that the player came with both and you'll probably appreciate them more than I did. The radio function works fine for me, but only because I only use it for baseball games that are all on AM. I flipped through the FM stations and got more static than music.If you're looking for a cheap player that doesn't need to last long, this one is fine, really. The greatest negative in my mind is that there are going to be piles of these things in landfills - recycle yours when it dies! On the other hand, if you're thinking of keeping it around for a while, take a look at  Sony TCM-150 Cassette Recorder with Automatic Recording Level Control . It's bulkier and heavier but it's also sturdier, lasts longer and takes the same headphones - it even rewinds! (and records)- AnnaLovesBooks Philips HS430 Lightweight Clip-On HeadphonesSony TCM-150 Cassette Recorder with Automatic Recording Level Control

Not a great portable cassette player....but an okay one. But after having VERY BAD LUCK trying to purchase one of these units from retailers in my area....(compared to that experience), I am very happy with this item. I have bought 3 tape players from retailers in my city. The quality with these things are HORRIBLE! (The sound is bad....and/or they fall apart within a week....or they don't play at all!) But even worse....it's next to impossible to find retailers who sell these things now. I'm 'old school' with a huge cassette collection that is over 20 years old--so, finding a player--and finding one with halfway decent quality is a real challenge. I guess the saying "you get what you pay for" is true. I didn't want to shell out the big bucks for the expensive "Sony Walkman" (which I'm assuming is superior quality)....but for what I paid for the cheaper COLBY CX49 CASSETTE PLAYER...I feel that, (so far), it is pretty good quality and serves my needs. It's much better than the crap I was buying in retail stores (when I could find it)Again....NOT A GREAT PLAYER....BUT AN OKAY PLAYER!

I bought this item for the radio side, which is pretty good. Obviously, it is basically impossible to get AM, but that is with all radios. FM is pretty good, and has nice, static free sound when you get a good reception. However, the headphone cord (and this is really odd) the FM antenna. So, when you turn around or bump the cord, it will go out for a second. Not really a big deal unless you lean against a wall with the side you have the cord on. Something I didn't notice until I got it (:P) was that it played cassettes. So, I broke out the tapes and at first I was shocked that the tapes played slower. I took out the tape, rewound it and now it plays at normal speed again. The tape-playing quality is also really good, only a tiny bit of static. I would say it's pretty good!