Review on Studebaker Portable Cassette Recorder Speakers by Kyle Costello

This is a cute little radio and cassette player. Below is a summary of what we found. Advantages: * High quality plastic housing. This radio feels more durable than comparable cassette players in this price range. The carrying handle is also in one piece, for example it is not hollow at the back.* Good radio reception in the AM and FM bands. Although, like many modern radios, the tuner uses a radial knob to change stations, the internal tuner uses a digital receiver to tune into stations.* The design is very attractive. The controls are reminiscent of the radios I used in the late '60s and early '70s. * Can be quite loud and still produce a clear sound. I played the tape at full volume and there was no tearing or distortion. You could actually feel the air moving in front of the speaker.* The tape playback EQ appears to be designed to eliminate tape hiss. I tested a high offset tape that contained Dolby B NR and it sounded very good; absolutely blurry and without tape noise. * Ribbon controls feel solid. * Autostop enabled for play mode. * Auxiliary input is convenient for portable media players. * At around $30, this is a good value. Cons: * The first two cassettes I used were blurry and kept jamming. The 3rd tape used worked flawlessly. The tape recorder's performance is only sufficient to play a high-quality tape that is not prone to interference. When a high quality tape was used, the playback speed was accurate, clear and stable.* Auto-stop does not work with FF or RW tapes. I deducted a point for possible performance issues playing some tapes. This seems typical of today's budget recorders so I'm still considering buying this unit as the overall quality and style seems good for the money. Only time will tell how well it holds up.