I’ve been enjoying my FIIO CP-13. So much so, I wanted an actual working vintage personal cassette player. The Sony’s go for crazy money, so I bought a lower mid-end GE 3-5477, manufactured in 1989. I had terribly low expectations. By the late 80’s a lot of boomboxes and personal cassette players were crap. The difference in sound quality between the GE and the FIIO is night and day. The GE sounds full, rich, and punchy, with great separation and imaging. Sade recorded on a TDK type II tape was spectacular. As for the FIIO with the same audio cassette - the music was thin, recessed, and lacked clarity, separation and imaging. In a vacuum, I thought the FIIO sounded pretty good. After hearing the GE, I'm feeling a little deflated lol. In 1989 the GE cost about $40. In 2025 money, that’s about $100US. For comparison, I paid $90 for the FIIO. Anyone interested in a slightly used CP-13? [joking]
How you obtained the working and functional GE 3-5477 would be an interesting story in itself Just a random e-bay lucky draw? Buy a lotto ticket quickly! EDIT: Checking on the "bay" I see quite a few that are claimed to be working. Hmm. That indicates quite a robust build with no leaky smd electrolytic caps... and some kinda flat belt to last this long? Impressive...
I’m surprised myself. It was an eBay purchase. Rewind doesn’t work but the rest of the unit is fully functional. The cassette mechanism is quite impressive for a late 1980’s player. Very high quality and robustly built. didn’t even have to spray the controls. No scratchy pots or sliders. I have belts on order for a tune up. Maybe I’m being a little too hard on the FIIO. I actually do like it. It’s just the difference in sound quality was a little jarring because I wasn’t expecting that big of a difference.
Belts that lasted from 1989 to 2025 = 36 years. That is usually not the case but seems true based on the other e-bay ad descriptions. I am curious to see what the belt looks like. And what the replacement belts are, the part number? I am actually thinking of buying one of these GE 3-5477 to mess around with
Belts that last 40 years aren't unheard of. In contrast the belts in the Korean made Sony Walkmans seem to turn into goo after 20 years. My guess is that the life depends on the material used and how it was processed. p.s. Where was the GE made ?
As soon as they arrive, I’ll get them installed. Surprised the main belt isn’t flat! I can never leave well enough alone. Started tinkering with a prototype carry case with a strap. For now, it’s just laser-cut red felt. I like the red color…it’s snappy. I’m not sure I like the black “auto-reverse”. Finished product will use better quality materials. usually takes me a few rounds of proto before I get something I’m happy with.
Crazy part is, no perceivable wow and flutter w the old belt. Rewind is wonky though. Will replace both belts as a matter of maintenance. This GE model was made Malaysia.
That GE is a nice Walkman. The asymmetric view of the cassette is somehow appealing. The brick-like appearance is also nice. Also cool that it sounds good and has auto-reverse. I think the lifespan of Walkmans is quite random sometimes. I have several Sanyo M5550s, and they vary in different states. I have a new one in the box that still works fine with the original belts. I have a few that work again after replacing the belts. And I have a few that will never work again because leaking capacitors have even eaten the traces on the circuit board. I don't know why those differences exist. Maybe the temperatures or other environmental variables they've been exposed to or the amount of use? You've made a nice case for the GE. Great idea! I've also had fun laser cutting felt in the past. It works really well. The last project I did was a new seal for the sliders on top of the M70 boombox.
Hell no. Took one look and screwed the back cover on. Desoldering 17 solder joints and other nonsense to access the belts. Play works fine and rewind started working properly so I’m not going to try and fix what isn’t broken. Very disappointing that some of these units are so hard to service.
Isn't it as simple as just disconnecting the wires in the middle of the board and then flipping the board to the right? I'd say just take good pictures before you start disconnecting and trying things. But I do agree that fixing something that isn't broken isn't very helpful.
As I get older I find my patience thinning for boombox and Walkman repairs. I get cranky when they are not “reasonable” to service. 17 solder joints and a pile of screws feels like a PITA. Just serviced an RX-5010 and the belt swap took less than 15 minutes. That’s my kind of repair lol.
Haha, I also love the easy repairs. The problem is that the cool devices are often difficult to fix. The other day I spent hours on an Aiwa TP-S30. It was a truly annoying Walkman to replace the belt on. When I finally finished, it played two tapes, and then the belt broke again. I wisely stepped back and put it back in its storage box before I actually threw it out the window in frustration. I really understand that not every enthusiast is eager to fiddle with complex vintage players. So, kudos to manufacturers like FIIO who still make them new, so everyone can still enjoy cassettes
I have brutal ADHD and I have to stand on the brakes until they smoke to slow my head down to focus. It makes me short on patience when working with something fussy. I have five Panasonic RX-2700’s. It’s my favorite personal cassette player. None of the cassettes work. I ordered replacement belts but have put off the job indefinitely. The RX-2700 has to be disassembled into 16 million microscopic bits to get to the belts. It’s the most complex vintage player I have ever seen. Techmoan attempted a belt replacement and the whole thing ended up in the trash. Yes, in the end I’m grateful for the FIIO. It sounds decent and it’s 100% trouble free!
Basically none of these so called retro cassette players which boast Bluetooth connectivity are going to satisfy your ears once you've listened to something as rich as Sade's classic tracks from the 80's. They all seem to use the same generic cassette mechanism as do the repro boomboxes. I bought 2 of these boomboxes and they are disappointing. Recently moved my Sade collection onto DAT to listen on the TCD-D7 Walkman. Wow these studio recordings make you realise how good the industry used to be. Then there's Chick Corea's Light Years album....which I have as a pre recorded DAT tape. The musicianship on that and the studio production is superb.
Saw him play live a few years ago with Jean-Luc Ponty on electric violin in that line up. You might like some of his Return to Forever albums as well. Romantic Warrior has some unique fusion tracks on it and sold plenty. Unfortunately he's no longer with us.
