Classic Way to Listen | Modern Presentation
During the 1980’s and 1990’s, cassette tapes were popular, and cassette players accordingly were popular among multiple generations.
Today, however, the supply chain for cassette players is nearly non-existent, making the initial stages of the CP13 project extremely difficulty – nearly leading us to cancel the project.
But after investing much time, effort, and deep cooperation with the supply chain, FiiO were able to slowly continue working on the CP13 leading to its current release. FiiO may be nostalgic for the classics, but they are always looking for new ways to present the music. FiiO want to be able to relive those days of familiar and comfortable pure analogue sound.
Custom Movement
FiiO made sure to carefully choose among scarce materials in the supply chain after much trial and error, to finally end up with a movement design that is more stable than many other mass-produced designs. FiiO also chose to make the movement as simple as possible, removing the recording and auto-reverse functions, in order to focus on bringing max playback sound quality.
Oversize Pure Copper Flywheel
The CP13 utilizes a custom oversized pure copper flywheel 30.4mm in diameter and 4mm thick. This flywheel is made of higher quality materials and is larger than those typically used in cassette players. This helps to ensure the tape reel moves as smoothly as possible during playback and thus keeps Wow and Flutter ultra-low, ultimately resulting in more stable and better-quality sound.
High Voltage Motor Supply
The CP13’s motor is powered by a high voltage 4.2V power supply, more than the 1.8V or 3V typically found in today’s cassette players. This power supply works in tandem with a motor speed stabilization circuit, which increases the drag on the motor as necessary to ensure stable movement speeds – which mitigates unwanted pitch changes and also allows the CP13 to be able to handle more cassette tape types.
Superior Choice Custom Balanced Amplification Head
Regardless of how much it would cost, FiiO negotiated with their supplier to only select heads of high enough quality, which ends up being less than 40% of what is produced. Furthermore, FiiO strictly control how the CP13 is made to ensure minimal differences in output between the left and right channels, far less than what is found in typical current cassette players. The magnetic head also uses a thickened head cover, which better shields the head from external interference. This also greatly reduces the wear of the magnetic head during playback, allowing it to last longer.
Unlike the single-ended signal acquisition typically found in current cassette players, the CP13 employs a differential circuit for balanced acquisition of signals from the head, ensuring more stable signal transmission, higher signal-to-noise ratio, and lower distortion.
Fully Analogue Circuit 100% Pure Analogue Sound
For truly analogue playback, the entirety of the CP13’s audiocicuit uses analogue devices – from the magnetic tape head all the way to the signal amplification. The result is a classic, unmistakably analogue sound.
A Classic's Cameo | Audiophile op-amp JRC5532
The CP13 employs the renowned JRC5532, known to some as the classic “King of pop-amps.” This op-amp is deployed in a fully analogue audio circuit that provides a familiar, pleasant sound that will surely leave an impression.
Fusion of Squares and Curves | Dual Colour All-Aluminium Alloy
The CP13 features a carefully crafted dual-colour all-aluminium chassis. The clearly visible “0” screws that act as a perfect complement to the square, yet round design mean the CP13 is an example of beauty coexisting in harmony with ergonomics. The buttons of the CP13 undergo hard oxidation, making them more wear and corrosion- resistant. Behind the aluminium alloy volume knob is a large analogue volume potentiometer, which compared to the flat potentiometers used in cassette players is not only more reliable and provides more stable sound, but also simply feels better when used.
Long Battery Life 13 hours of Capable Lithium Battery
The CP13 employs an 1800mAh lithium cobalt oxide battery, chosen for its ability to provide robust power for longer periods of time than ordinary batteries. In fact, the CP13’s battery allows it to achieve 13 hours of battery life and 268 days of standby time.
Dual-mode Power Supply Continuous Great Sound
The CP13 is powered by a lithium battery, which can be recharged through the USB Type-C port when connected to a 5V power adapter. And FIIO’s vast experience in designing safe charging circuits with protection mechanisms ensures you can use the CP13 while charging worry-free.
Making it Count | Every Last Inch
Though ultimately restricted by the size of the cassette player’s movement, FIIO engineers paid much attention to making the CP13 as compact as possible. Through the integration of manufacturing and structural design ingenuity, the CP13 ended up only being 31.8mm thick, making it thinner and more compact than most currently produced cassette players.
