Popular in the last decade of the 20th century, portable cassette players gradually faded away as they were replaced by more advanced technological devices and solutions. Today, however, they are making a comeback, becoming a small trend - certainly not comparable to the vinyl boom, but homemade mixtapes were definitely the forerunners of Spotify playlists to share with friends, partners and potential partners.

The electronics company FiiO, known for its high-fidelity digital music players, is giving analogue nostalgics a chance to take a trip back in time with the CP13: a rechargeable portable cassette player that, although it looks very similar to classic players, offers some technological improvements.

Robust and lightweight, it is characterised by a simple design that recalls the first Sony Walkman, launched 45 years ago: it has a two-tone aluminium alloy casing with no mounting screws and a front window that allows you to see the cassette moving during playback. Playback is controlled by four oval buttons on the top, which have undergone a hard oxidation treatment to make them more resistant to corrosion and wear, while the knurled knob on the side can be used to turn the unit on and adjust the volume.

Inside, the mechanics are built from high quality materials, with a high-voltage 4.2V drive motor - more powerful than the 1.8V and 3V motors usually found in portable cassette players - chosen to maintain an extremely low wow and flutter rate for consistently stable audio. The 3.5mm output accepts standard headphones and earphones, and the built-in battery, rechargeable via USB-C, offers up to 13 hours of listening time. A few features are missing: a recorder, which to be honest was quite rare in this type of device, and auto-reverse, the function that allows the tape to be automatically reversed for playback without having to pull out and turn over the cassette.

All images courtesy FiiO