BW Cassette Player - Portable Tape to PC Cassette-to-MP3 CD USB Converter Capture Digital Audio Music Player, USB Cassette Player and Tape-to-MP3 Converter

I will begin with a couple of caveats: firstly, in order to really use this product effectively, it is useful to have prior knowledge of digital audio, and/or be prepared to do some reading. You will also want to ensure that you have time on your hands.The software supplied with this package - 'Audacity' - is pretty good, and if you're even halfway familiar with GoldWave, you should be okay because they're reasonably similar; however, please make sure to check the version number (found in the Audacity menu under 'About") against the latest release version on the website: mine came with a version a couple of iterations out of date. I just uninstalled it, downloaded the installer direct from Audacity's creators, and installed that instead.After installing Audacity, you may also need LAME for your operating system, but even then Audacity may not immediately pick up your playback when you connect the device, pop in a cassette and press the Play button. Even the software writers have no idea why this is, but if Audacity doesn't show you a sort of waveform when your cassette is playing, look for the Audio Setup button (in the current version it's almost in the middle, in a toolbar right above the playback window), select the Audio Host submenu, and change it from whatever it's already set to, to whichever option detects the playback. It took me a bit of digging and a lot of frustration to uncover that gem, and like the majority I'm no audio technician, so I thought I'd pass it on to help save other buyers the aggro.Once you have the waveform registering on the screen, you can begin recording. This is a fairly easy process, but it isn't a quick one, given the record speed of one second recorded per one second of playback (it really is just capturing the audio during playback). However, if like me you have unique recordings of your own - mix tapes etc - which you want to convert, preserve and hear again (and if like me you have no other cassette player), this package will do it, and do it well. You'll want to practice a little and explore the software before you record for real, because there are a number of options you can pick when it comes to saving your recordings (and do please be aware that for saving as MP3, you'll want the Export Audio option under the File menu, as with Audacity the Save option stores the raw recording as a "Project" with its own file format). Here's where the reading will come in useful, because it will be necessary to have at least some understanding of audio file formats and bit rates (the higher this number, which is usually followed by 'kbps', the better the audio quality but the more obvious any flaws (i.e from an old, tired recording), and the bigger the file size.What's in the box:1 x EzCap MP3 Walkman1 x USB connector lead1 x software install CD (if your machine has no CD drive, as many modern ones don't, the installer can be downloaded from EzCap's website)1 x earphonesWhat do you do?Well, install the software as detailed above, pop the normal USB end of the connector cable in a USB port on your computer and the other (custom) end in the EzCap, set the audio host so that you get a graphical representation of your playback, and you're good to go. Then, plug the earphones in and have a listen (in my case, for the first time in 25 years; and no, it doesn't affect the recording) as your EzCap and computer create digital editions of your cassettes. You can even add metadata (ID3 tags) before you export to MP3 or another standard audio file type.What's it like to use?The EzCap itself seems to be a well-made, solid object. The buttons don't feel in the least bit flimsy; they *clunk* nicely when operated. Unlike many Walkmen of old (even the cheaper-than-chips one I bought back in 1993), this one does not have an auto stop feature, whereby it automatically switches off the rewind or fast forward when you reach the beginning or end of a side; you will need to keep an eye on it if that's the case, because leaving it in rewind or fast forward mode after it reaches the start/end of a side, will stretch the tape, damage it, and possibly even snap it. Unusually, at least for someone who grew up with the originals, the cassette bay door opens in the manner of a farm gate, hinged from one side instead of the bottom, with a spring-back slide lever as the release control. The cassette slot itself has all the usual pins etc, which act as guides to correctly position the tape in the unit. I approve of this development: I'm no expert, but I feel this particular design, as opposed to the top-opening, slot-in setup of the original Walkmen, may help reduce tape 'chewing'.Overall, I would say, as long as you pay attention to the caveats above, this is a great option, and well worth the money to convery analogue cassette recordings to digital files in order to preserve them.

I didn't have much hope of this working as I've been round the houses trying to find a good way of ripping all my old cassettes and the possibility of this cheap, easily attainable device actually working seemed too good to be true. But 'lo and behold - it works a treat!I'd been trying to connect an old cassette player via the line-in, but experienced issues with drivers. There were no driver issues here. As soon as it was connected for the first time via USB the necessary drivers automatically downloaded and installed themselves. It is worth noting, however, that I am running Windows 7 and that I could not get this device to work with a second computer running Windows 8.The quality of the ripped audio probably isn't exemplary. I initially used the function that allows the cassette to automatically turn over, meaning you can leave a C90 ripping both sides without having to return to flip it over. However, I noticed that the audio suffered greatly after the end of side one and never improved (slow and wobbly). So, I tried ripping just the second side on its own and it sounded fine. So, I'd say the machine can be somewhat erratic. After that I only ripped one side at a time, manually turning over every cassette, and I went on to successfully rip around 20 cassettes with no further issues.Basically, if you are an audiophile - look elsewhere. If you just want to convert a stack of tapes for the memories and nostalgia contained therein I think this will do the job nicely if you are willing to put a bit of care and attention into monitoring what's being output! This device is definitely the most straightforward way I've found to rip cassettes and really cheap, too.

Good quality cassette player , comes with ear phones and USB to mini USB for transfer of recordings to lap top or pc. Audacity software comes as a mini cd for the recordings. If your pc or laptop doesn't have a cd drive , I'm sure you could download the software.Whole process is easy to set up, but instructions aren't easy to follow, I would suggest a you tube search to help you, I found this way really helpful. Sound quality is only as good as the source tape recordings. However, you can use the software menu to help to amplify or even out the sound quality, again watch you tube videos to help you.All in all its a good piece of kit for people who want to keep old treasured tape recordings, but do your research on how to use it.

Easy enough to use and the (freeware) software is good. Flimsy quality, but that wouldn't have mattered if the sound quality was OK. However the player I received generated loud background noise (rumbling and regular pattering) which varied depending on its position (placed on the side / front / back etc.) but was never absent. Just about acceptable for spoken word recordings, with noise removal by Audacity, but not for most music. A further issue was the slight variation of play speed, producing a quavering effect on musical notes. I wanted to try a replacement player but the supplier offered only a refund.

Note that while it says stereo on the front of the unit and the USB device appears in Windows as a stereo microphone, in fact it is only mono - through the headphone socket too. It picks up a bit of motor noise and as other reviews have said is quite susceptible to interference from other devices nearby such as mobile phones and monitors. For a cheap solution to digitising old speech tapes it's perfectly fine though and sound quality is reasonable for the price.

SOUND TINNY...ITEM LIKE A CHEAP WALKMAN

Era una pena deshacerse de las cintas de casete. Con este convertidor a mp3 a través del ordenador resulta facilísimo bajar las canciones y luego guardarlas como archivos mp3 y pasarlas a CD. Buena calidad. Facil uso. Excelente relación calidad precio.

Cercavo da tempo un walkman e finalmente su Amazon l'ho trovato. Che bello poter riascoltare le cassette degli anni 90! Certo, oggi ci sono gli mp3, computer, smartphone ecc. ma le musicassette hanno un altro fascino.La cosa bella di questo walkman è che, collegandolo al pc tramite il cavo usb presente nella scatola, ti permette di trasferire le canzoni, gli audio, ecc. sul computer trasformandoli in vari formati, tra cui gli mp3. Nella confezione è presente anche il cd con il programma Audacity, necessario per il trasferimento delle canzoni sul pc.Io sono molto soddisfatto, quindi lo consiglio! A questo prezzo poi...Grazie Amazon!

J'ai commandé le 24.11.14 reçu le 7.1.15 (par avion, j'ai cru que c'était à la nage) ce DracoTek UCP218...ou le Igking supply lecteur...?(que j'ai aussi commandé en méme temps. l'un n'est pas arrivé . Lequel ?) car en fait ce méme produit prend des tarifs et noms différents de 14,99 à 38,6€ avec des noms de vendeurs trés anglo saxon mais ...expédié de Chine et il m'est impossible de l'identifier : DracoTek où Igking ? aucune trace sur la doc , l'enveloppe, le Cd , l'appareil ..; à part "SUPER USB CASSETTE CAPTURE".Sur W7 j'ai branché l'outil et suivi la doc anglaise compréhensible aussi par ses prises d'écran en anglais, méme si tout n'est pas conforme avec la version d'audacity que j'avais déja auparavant ( audacity v.2.0.3 fournie sur CD avec pdf d'emploi pour la manip du branchement) .C'est mon premier enregistrement avec audacity donc je ne maitrise pas l'outil et ces dossiers pas reconnus par Wmédia.A voir si je ne vais pas me replier sur une appli audio Magix déja utilisée avec succés pour Wav ou MP3 .. (via audio out) Tous mes anciens K7 players sont HS , les courroies d'entrainement séchent et c'est foutu. D'où l'achat.Sinon aspect sobre bien et fonctionnement correcte, livré avec cordon USB et mini-écouteurs + CDFaut que je tripote encore un peu.

Lecteur en plastique très fragile. La qualité du son est vraiment déplorable.