Review on Cassette Deck Bluetooth Adapter: ION Audio Cassette Adapter with Bluetooth Music Receiver by David Hashman

I've read various reviews and experimented with the Ion because it doesn't come with very helpful instructions. Here are the steps that, when followed in the order presented, will result in GREAT sound. I was using an iPhone 6, so below I'll use the term "phone" as my music source. You may want to fully charge it first (at least two hours), but the device was partially charged at the time of delivery.1. Carefully peel the invisible plastic sheet off the metal head of the ion cartridge. You can swear it's not there at first, and then it's very difficult to remove without scratching your head. It took over 5 minutes and I had to use a toothpick and tweezers. With plastic, the sound quality was pretty bad. Without it, it sounded as good as a real high-quality cassette.2. Thoroughly clean the metal head with a cotton swab and alcohol. Dampen and dry the cotton swab several times until all glue residue is gone.3. Turn on the switch (small switch on the side of the cassette) and watch the blue light flash.4. Go to your phone's "Settings", select Ion and pair it for the first time5. Turn off the small ion switch. Never turn the switch back on except to pair with a new device.6. Insert a cassette into the player. You'll hear the plastic wheels turning, which is annoying, but when the music is playing, you won't hear it. Turning the wheels will turn the device on automatically after a few seconds. (or turns off the ion cartridge if it's already turned on with the little switch!) 7. Wait at least five seconds after the wheels start spinning, then open your phone's settings and select the bluetooth device " BT Cassette". It should connect within a few seconds. I wouldn't have automatic pairing if I didn't go into the phone's Bluetooth settings every time. If no connection is made or a connection is made but no sound is produced, remove the cassette and reinsert it with the opposite side facing up. The auto-reverse button (if your player has one) did NOT work, but physically flipping the Ion cartridge worked.9. To find the best sound quality (and avoid distortion), experiment with changing your phone's volume setting. With some music sources (iTunes Music app on iPhone) the sound was best when the phone volume was set to 7/8 of the maximum. On others (Rhapsody streaming) it sounded best when the phone volume was set to a low level, around ¼ volume, and above ½ volume the distortion was terrible10. After adjusting the phone volume, change the playback volume once using the tape player volume control, NOT the phone.11. Use a cotton swab and alcohol to clean the metal playhead from time to time (especially if you accidentally touch it). This makes a noticeable difference in sound quality.