The 11 Best Retro Tape players (2023 reviews)
There are several advantages of having a retro tape player.
Let’s take you step by step, type by type, and find the best retro tape player for you.
Our review process:
Our Top Picks:
Best Overall: Buy: Jensen Retro Tape Player READ REVIEWBest For PC: Buy: Pyle Tape Deck READ REVIEWBest For Walkman: Buy: Byronstatics Retro Tape Player READ REVIEWBest With counter: Buy: Jensen Great Tape Recorder READ REVIEWBest For car: Buy: Tyler Retro Tape Player READ REVIEWBest With USB Port: Buy: Riptunes Retro Tape Player READ REVIEWBest For Christmas present: Buy: Gracioso Retro Tape Player READ REVIEWBest For Recording Audio notes: Buy: Jazmm Retro Tape Player READ REVIEWBest With Audio Output: Buy: Kedok Cassette Player READ REVIEWBest With Bluetooth: Buy: Pyle Retro Tape Player READ REVIEWBest style: Buy: Kedok Retro Tape Player READ REVIEWBest Overall: Jensen Retro Tape Player
Buy on Amazon If you are currently in the market searching for a most appropriate player for your daily usage, you cannot go wrong with the jensen retro tape player. The cassette section is not the last word in steadiness, but solo piano and guitar tapes play steadily enough so the listener won't get seasick. It works well and feels very solid and sturdy. It comes with a 5.5*2.1 plug end. It has the same size microphone input if you want to record. A built-in FM/am stereo tuner lets you choose from a wide variety of radio, talk and music programming. The radio is quite clear sounding and the tape player records with such clarity. It is ideal to carry in a purse, or a daypack. It comes with a 1/8" or 3.5 mm small headphone output.Why We Like This:
- Small portable cassette player with radio
- Has all the cool and simple features, and is easy to use
- Love the color and has a great sound
Best For PC: Pyle Tape Deck
Buy on Amazon The pyle tape deck is capable of outshining several other player featured in this list in overall features for the price point. This cassette deck is perfect for transfering your old cassettes in to your computer. The cassette player dual deck provides an rca output for connecting to an amplifier or receiver. It features recorder level control as well as gain control for adjusting audio signal from the unit to your computer. The noise reduction works great and the gain helps with recording levels. The quality is not high end, but it has a decent sound for the cost of the unit. This deck also has the RCA outputs and inputs in case you want to connect it to your old receiver. The high speed dubbing is great and the cr02 feature is just an added bonus.Why We Like This:
- Has usb output 649 only has the rca outputs
- Highly recommended for anyone who has hidden treasure on cassette
- Very nice feature is the usb input/output on rear
- Works really well and easy to install
Best For Walkman: Byronstatics Retro Tape Player
Buy on Amazon The byronstatics retro tape player should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. A lot of electromagnetic noise gets recorded to the tape and it’ll literally record the sound of the motor in the background of your music. It is a really cute player. It has ear plugs or there is a small speaker on the top. It comes with a carry case to clip to belt or head phones. It has a microphone on the side so you can listen without headphones, very cute color, and a clip perfect for 80s music. It is pretty good, there's no static, or cut off, no hissing. It is great for kids to learn about recording and convenient.Why We Like This:
- Perfect as a compact cassette player
- Good sound, easy to use, sturdy body
- Plastic case, easy to see and use
Best With counter: Jensen Great Tape Recorder
Buy on Amazon The jensen great tape recorder is suitable and reliable and fits well with your daily purpose. This machine does everything a retro, analog user needs for it to do. The unit includes a top loading cassette deck that both plays and records along with a retractable carrying handle for taking it with you. The recording quality is fairly low, it's very difficult to get the recording button to stay down, and the Auxiliary jack works once and won't work anymore. A headphone jack is included for private listening, and you can attach other players to the unit using the auxiliary line-in jack. It is very portable and works fine. It records music ok if you use an aux cord record from a phone or phone. It allows for lengthy taping to add to that it is a great little machine. This is a very nice recorder.Why We Like This:
- A bit shakey,kinda makes the tapes sound warped
- Touch record button, and an automatic voice level control
- New and hot release
Best For car: Tyler Retro Tape Player
Buy on Amazon If you often find yourself scrambling for appropriate and satisfactory player, tyler retro tape player is your end point. Bring out your precious collection of cassette tapes and take a trip down memory lane as you play them one by one on this portable cassette player and recorder. This shoebox-style, top-loading cassette player lets you listen to your favorite cassette tapes anytime, anywhere. It has a built in mic as well as the external. The unit includes a top loading cassette deck that both plays and records along with a retractable carrying handle for taking it with you. The sound is great. It is very easy to use and you can listen to your cassettes with or without heading. It is unplugged, you are using the internal mic. The remote jack is used for someone to speak and record their voice.Why We Like This:
- Perfect gift idea for music lovers and cassette tape collectors
- Features microphone, remote, headphone, and power jacks
- Worked perfectly, was ideal for application
Best With USB Port: Riptunes Retro Tape Player
Buy on Amazon We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate player. The riptunes retro tape player is exactly that - it's a simple player that hits all the right notes. This unit has a built in speaker and a headphone jack. It is made from data recorded on the riptunes cassette recording tape. It sounds better on a flash drive during playback. It has an internal microphone. There is a switch on the left side, slide it to USB. The tape recorder buttons are clearly labelled for intuitive use. It is compact and portable so it's easy to pack and take on the go. The device itself is well built. It is so lightweight yet very solid with a positive feel to all the controls.Why We Like This:
- Easily converts old cassette tapes to digital
- , works very well and sounds very good
- Great retro and can transcribe cassettes
- Works as described to transfer old tapes to digital usb
Best For Christmas present: Gracioso Retro Tape Player
Buy on Amazon Best part: gracioso retro tape player costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. This tape cassette recorder can record external sounds into the blank tape easily. It is good for when electricity goes off. It includes a power cord to add to that it is certainly worth the money. The friendly operation makes this cassette player an ideal gift choice. The weight of this cassette player with a battery is 683 g, gracioso is made in china and has been specializing in radio cassette player development for over 10 years. It is suitable for other 3.5mm jack headphones. The telescopic antenna makes the reception stable and clear, so you can easily locate any frequency. It is great for a christmas present too.Why We Like This:
- Good look compact cord included great
- Press the record button and keep your surroundings quiet while you are recording
- Plays cassette tapes beautiful, sounds great, use battery or plug in which is great
- Small easy easy to travel with
Best For Recording Audio notes: Jazmm Retro Tape Player
Buy on Amazon Not everyone likes to purchase player for their daily purpose, but the jazmm retro tape player would be an anomoly. This retro cassette player with a big speaker has great quality sounds, which a loud and clear sound can perfectly fill a room. It is a basic tape player with recording capabilities. It also has that classic feature where you can record songs and other sounds too. It is easy to use, there aren't many buttons or switches, and its buttons and switches are very big, so it's easy for the elderly to see. There is an earphone jack, so you can hardwire this to wired earbuds or run a line to an external speaker or your computer to digitize the sound, but you are on your own. This is a nice player for a desktop and small enough to take on vacation. This is a nice little gadget.Why We Like This:
- An added bonus is an am/fm radio with good reception
- Perfect for recording audio notes though
- You can listen on headphones (not included), and the power cord is plenty long
- Catching button marks and radio scale, accurately tuning, easy
Best With Audio Output: Kedok Cassette Player
Buy on Amazon The kedok cassette player should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. This retro-inspired music player takes you back in time to relive the classics in a variety of scenarios. It is not only an am/fm radio station, but also a recorder and mp3 converter to meet your various needs, this must be an ideal cassette player to record tapes to mp3 or record from pc/mac/cd to tape. It is used to play stereo audio over speakers or over a hi-fi system. The sound quality and volume control are very good and it's easy to use. The radio sounds excellent through the speaker, which is relatively large for a portable device. The Extended antenna enhances stable reception of am/fm signals, one-key conversion, allowing you to enjoy your favorite am/fm stations while traveling or relaxing at home/outdoors. It is more convenient to use the battery outdoors. It would make a perfect gift for anyone who needs to record or play tapes.Why We Like This:
- 3.5 mm aux jack to connect headphones or speakers for high quality sound
- Powered by 2 aa batteries and usb port
- Good investment for long term
Best With Bluetooth: Pyle Retro Tape Player
Buy on Amazon If you often find yourself confused about appropriate and satisfactory player, pyle retro tape player is your end point. This unit is very great for recording. It features recorder level control as well as a gain control for adjusting audio signal from the unit to your computer. It features a cro2 tape selector. The cassette player dual deck provides an rca output for connecting to an amplifier or receiver. It provides further control over the end result. It is used for playback but only deck b can be used for recording/dubbing.Why We Like This:
- Works on pc and mac computers
- Great job dubbing cassettes, one to the other, for making master mixtapes
- Delivers what they promise
Best style: Kedok Retro Tape Player
Buy on Amazon If you often find yourself confused about appropriate and satisfactory player, kedok retro tape player should be your first option for buying. This retro style music player takes you back to the past and relive the classics in various scenes. The classic retro buttons add a perfect nostalgic touch to bring you back to the 90s. This personal cassette player/radio you can take anywhere with a convenient belt clip to play cassettes or listen to radio stations anywhere. It has an auto rewind function, you can rewind quickly by the "dir" button, rewind once or unlimited times by the "revmooe" button on the left or right. The personal audio cassette reader is portable and light with a detachable belt clip, you can take it wherever you want to go. It is more convenient to use the battery outdoors.Why We Like This:
- Built-in mic and speaker and 35mm jack
- Powered by 2 aa batteries and dc port
- One-touch recording via built-in integrated microphone