This modern cassette player with Bluetooth (and matching retro wireless headphones) might have been my favorite music experience at CES 2025

At a time when even casual music fans know how measly streaming services can relate to artists’ paythe return of physical media was perhaps inevitable. Just last year, Vinyl record sales grew by 10.5% with 6.7 million discs sold thanks to artists such as Taylor Swift and Fleetwood Mac. Although CD sales remained constant, sales of cassette tapes have also made a strong comeback.

From 81,000 units in 2015 to 436,400 in 2022, the revival is driven by Generation Z’s embrace of nostalgic formats and affordability. Artists release albums on tape for as little as $10, which is a fraction of newly released vinyl records, which are significantly more expensive. So it makes sense that French brand We Are Rewind aims to deliver a sleek yet incredibly functional cassette player inspired by the original Sony Walkman. During my time with the device at CES 2025, it delivered on its promise.

Available in four colorways for around $160, there’s so much to love about this audio device. We Are Rewind’s cassette player works with all versions of tapes, from I (which only have write protection notches) to IV (which has a third notch near the center of the top of the cassette casing). When it comes to playback, the device supports two-track stereo with a stated frequency response of 30 Hz to 12,500 Hz, a signal-to-noise ratio of 50 dB and minimal distortion.

The player uses Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity to connect to the best wireless headphones and the best Bluetooth speakers. We Are Rewind also has a $52 pair of retro-style EQ-001 headphones, which come with three interchangeable ear pads. These have a 12-hour battery life and three equalizer modes for customized audio experiences. The headphones also work on smartphones and offer support for voice assistants.

If you want to keep it old school, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack for the best wired headphones, and an additional 3.5mm jack for recording on Type I tapes, which I absolutely love. Recording quality is reasonably high, with a frequency response of 30 Hz to 10,000 Hz, a signal-to-noise ratio of 45 dB and a typical distortion of 1%. The We Are Rewind cassette player is powered by a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery that provides an estimated 10 to 12 hours of extended use.

During my time with the device, there were a handful of cassette tapes to use, including The Weeknd, Linkin Park, and The Saints, among others. Thanks to the technical internals of the cassette player, I enjoyed the warm and smooth audio quality, but the faint hissing sound is skipped. I guess the best way to explain it is a cross between the gutsy sounds of vinyl and the clarity of a compact disc.

Add the headphones to the situation and it becomes a unique retro listening experience and combo, and it was a great time. Users will have to be conscious of the tapes they carry, whether it’s an album or their own mixtape, but that’s all part of the fun.