In almost all of my audio reviews I have been complaining about the cassette players for their inherent noise and rewind-forward trouble. Buying a separate cassette player would not make a sense today because adding few bucks gives you a cool mini hi-fi system with everything from CD player, mp3 playback to radio and cassette players. Whatever are the reasons we just can’t put aside good old cassette players for its noise. I mean there is a lot to be made use of from them.
Walkmans have been in use long before its competitor Discmans. As we know we use Walkman for some entertainment during long, boring journeys or even in daily overcrowded local trains for a relief (temporary though). As I mentioned earlier the obvious alternative to Walkman is Discman. Now days CDs come at throughway price so there is no reason why you should stick to the old, outmoded cassettes. Well I only told you the half-truth. The complete fact is, CDs come by cheap but Discman don’t.
A good Walkman would cost around 800-1000 Rs. While a Discmans are priced around 3000 Rs. Also you can get a radio within the same 800 Rs. Walkman. Not everyone is music fanatic always thriving for more music and good music systems. Some just like to listen for passing time or getting peace of mind. Also for a small need of entertainment during travels spending 800 is not a bad deal.
Aiwa is a Walkman with a average sound playing capacity and cool radio. I was appearing for TOEFL exam in December last year. The exam preparation kit comes with 4 cassettes. Also in real exam there is a hearing and answering session. So these cassettes basically simulate the actual examination environment. I couldn’t play it loud on music system since it would have defeated the purpose of right preparation. That’s the main reason for the purchase of Walkman. I just wanted to buy a cheap Walkman, which could play those cassettes clearly for me. I gave the quality second preference.
Out of 5-6 models out there this was the second cheapest of all. Cheapest one was an unknown Chinese Company model (Always). I’m really amazed with the pace at which Chinese products are coming in the market. Lot of you must be aware of the 80 Rs. Radio we get on streets today. Amazing thing is they are outstandingly less priced and attractive. Reliability is the area to doubt but you wouldn’t mind it breaking down of 80 Rs. Radio after using it for say 6 months.
I went for Aiwa because it has some name in Audio Department and mainly it was cheap.
It is no way sensational in any sense. The sound quality is average. In fact it is bad as compared to other Aiwa models I have listened to. Sometime I wonder if it is duplicate or made in China. To add a feature the company has provided a bass boost button, which thickens the sound with distortion. The body is common flashy silver colored with a gray back. In spite of all these negatives I gave it a 3 star because of the radio it has.
The radio in it has FM and AM channels. What I most like about it is the clarity. It doesn’t have any external antenna still FM is played with a crystal clear sound. I think the earphone act as a kind of antenna. Whenever the earphone wire is jerked or moved the radio sound be disturbed. Instead of reviewing a cassette player I ended up reviewing a radio.
I have a Videocon music system to play any kind of music but still for journeys and small commutes I use my tiny little Walkman. Who cares about sound quality in the presence of already present loud train or bus noise? Discman would be a waste in such case. Buying a Walkman need not be a problem. To me there aren’t many choices in selection of Walkman because of less number of features. Either you choose Brand name or you choose price. Exceptions are those Hi-Fi feather touch button digital Walkmans. But remember have few bucks in your pocket.
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