When Shawn Mendes unveiled his new single last week, he encouraged fans to download the track online, but also offered up the song on a format his young fans might not have been as familiar with: a cassette tape.
While cassettes were a staple of the 80s and 90s, they eventually gave way to CDs, which have now seemingly given way to streaming. But the novelty of a cassette tape remains, and everyone from Mendes to sites like Urban Outfitters are banking on nostalgia for a wave of cassette-related merch.
Only one question remains: how do you actually play a cassette tape these days? While Walkmans still fetch a pretty penny on eBay, they’ve been out of production for years. Fortunately, we’ve found five retro-tinged boomboxes that deliver modern conveniences (read: Bluetooth capabilities) while keeping a slot open for your cassette comeback.
1. SuperSonic Retro Collection Boom Box
Courtesy of Amazon
Convert your analog music to digital and your cassettes to MP3s with this throwback boombox. All the modern conveniences come in this cool, retro-looking radio, which delivers decent sound for its compact size (just over 13 inches wide). Slip in a cassette tape, or connect the boombox to your phone or laptop using a USB cable. An SD card slot also lets you play music from an SD card. Totally rad.
What we like: the faux woodgrain finish, which adds to the retro appeal, and the LED lights that indicate power and volume. The boombox runs on four, D-cell batteries (not included). Purchase: $39.95 on Amazon.com.
2. Victrola Bluetooth Boombox
Courtesy of Amazon
Wirelessly stream music from your Bluetooth-enabled device to this 80s-style boombox, manufactured by leading audio brand, Victrola. The silver set features a cassette deck, a 3.5 aux-in, USB and SD card slots and a headphone jack.
What we like: the sleek silver styling and the sporty speaker grills. Customers also rave about the Bluetooth connectivity, which works up to 33 feet away. The boombox runs on an AC plug or eight, D-cell batteries. Purchase: $99.99 on Amazon.com.
3. Auna Roadie Portable Boombox
Courtesy of Amazon
With the Auna Roadie you get a boombox flush with old styling details along with all the modern gadgets you need. You get AM/FM radio, a CD player, Bluetooth capabilities, and an MP3 player. Plus, you can play back from portable media devices. And, your beats will be even sweeter with the flashing, multi-colored speaker lights. Perfect for the office, kid’s room or kitchen. Take your music to go by unplugging the boombox and swapping the cord for six, C-type batteries. Purchase: $56.99 on Amazon.com.
4. Riptunes Cassette Boombox
Courtesy of Amazon
There were the bulky boomboxes, and then there were these narrow rectangular models, which were used at everything from rehearsal studios to school dances to mixtape parties in the basement. This boombox features Bluetooth connectivity for easy wireless music streaming with a connectivity range of up to 30 feet. It also features a USB connection and SD card slot for more music playing options.
Users like the “bass boost” feature, which was a staple on many old-school boomboxes to really turn up the beats. Reviewers say the sound is also surprisingly robust for such a small package. This boombox runs on four, class D batteries. It’s available in black, red or silver. Purchase: $45.99 on Amazon.com.
5. Sykik Boombox
Courtesy Amazon
For something a little different, consider this Sykik Boombox, which gives the shoulder-carry music player a 21st century makeover.
The Sykik Boombox is full of modern tech wrapped in a retro boombox design. The giant, easy-carry handle and twin loudspeakers remain, but gone are the central tape decks. These have been replaced by LED lights which change to display a unique light show. Inside this modern system, you’ll find Bluetooth technology that allows the boombox to wirelessly connect to any enabled device, including smartphones and iPads. In addition, the aux port and SD/MMC/USB slots mean that you can also choose to also connect to your devices manually.
Think of this less as a traditional boombox and more of a boombox-themed portable speaker. The built-in 1200mha battery for get you a couple hours of wireless play, though you can also use AA batteries or just connect the unit to an AC outlet. Makes a great gift idea too. Purchase: $26.49 on Amazon.com.
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