Factory Cassette deck?

[Matthew Currie]

My son's 96 came with a cassette player, and he still prefers cassettes to CD's in the car. Unfortunately the transport died, and to make a long story short, if it wasn't hopelessly broken before it is now that I've had at it. But it occurs to me that someone here might happen to have one of these left over after an upgrade, so I though I'd ask if anyone has one available, cheap or free, before I head off to the junkyard.

 

[Rick Anderson]

Does you computer have a CD Burner?

Most of the new aftermarket CD Player Headsets, even the cheap ones, will play CD-R's and CD-R's with MP3 or other forms of compressed music files.

Believe me, if you have CD Burner, using CD-R is far superior to cassette tapes. As well, if you can use the MP3, you can put 10 albums on a single CD-R and use it in your CD-Player. You can get these features in a $130 headset if you buy online. You can get a CD Burner for $30, even less for you computer.

There is even software to convert all your cassettes over to CD format with your computer. Heck you don't even need software, just do a Google search, there is plenty of sites that explain exactly how to record you cassettes on your computer and burn them on a CD. The software, usually $30-$60 makes it easier and helps clean up the noise from the older cassettes to make it more CD quality.

Instead of pulling your hair out trying to find a discontinued Cassette Player, consider transitioning into the 21st century.

 

[BIgDaddyChia]

ur son likes cassettes. They stopped making cassettes years ago. How can he like them still when he cant get em

 

[rebeltruce]

Uh blank cassette's are still available. Perhaps the young man has allot of vinyl he has recorded, or maybe just maybe he records his CD's onto cassette's.

I agree though that with the new software out there it makes sense to simply record the stuff onto the PC and burn the CD-r disc's.

But lets not knock anyone who may have enjoy the old school process of making and listening to his own cassette's!!!.....LOL

 

[Rick Anderson]

I've also recorded Vinyl LP's on my PC and turned them into CD's. If the Vinyl is in good shape you can't tell a difference, you can even edit out skips and scratches and remove a lot of static with the filtering. But if the vinyl is really bad, you can improve the sound but you can't work miracles.

The problem with recording Vinyl on PC is that you need a turntable with a pre-amp built in or buy a pre-amp to put into the signal before the PC. Sound Cards don't have pre-amp like most stereo amplifiers do. Many new turntables have a pre-amp built into them, because turntables are so out of date the new amps don't have inputs or pre-amps for turntables.

It takes a little more time than making a tape, because you have to fiddle with the files when your all done and split up the songs, then filter out the noise and pops, etc. But once you do it and have a CD, then its much easier to make mixed CD's.

Eventually, you'll have to transition over, if you need a new stereo, might as well do it now. Of course, it will probably cost more than finding a used cassette player, and converting your old cassettes. But, this course of action can't be continued forever, eventually you'll have to convert over, and then you'll have to spend all the money all over again.

If your son wants the cassette just because he mixes his own tapes from CD's, and his collection is on CD. Then its a no brainer, its easier to make mixed recordings with a PC and CD Burner than it is with CD to cassettes.

Plus, having a CD player that can play MP3 from the CD-R is like having a juke box. One CD you can put 110 songs on it, you can play hours of music without changing the disc.

 

[anodyne33]

PM Comin'

 

[Rick Anderson]

BTW, we got carried away trying to convince you to update into the present instead of sticking in the past, BUT TO ANSWER YOUR ORIGINAL QUESTION:

eBay, the best and cheapest way to get a factory radio real cheap. Just bare in mind, a lot of people selling there have no idea about what they are selling, so sometimes they list the years/models that the radio or part will fit wrong.

How many times have I've seen something like an instrument panel listed that I know will only work with '91-'96 Cherokees and they list that it will work with '84-'2001 Cherokees. So buyer beware, make sure you know exactly what will work before you bid.

 

[Ecomike]

ur son likes cassettes. They stopped making cassettes years ago. How can he like them still when he cant get em

I still like and have an 85 and 87 Jeep, even though they no longer make them! LOL.:twak: So why can't we still use cassettes too?

I want my 8 Track tapes & player!!!!! (Actually I here 5-90 still has and uses 8-tracks!)

Anyway, I have one new and one old style here. I think the newer style (it is taller than the older style) fits the 96 and newer Jeeps. Need to varify that. I bought it by mistake here in the for sale forum, but it won't fit 85 or 87 renix Jeeps, so it is for sale again. I paid $25.00 for it, and the seller said everything on it still works. Send a PM if you are still looking. As I recall (I will check) it came out of a 97 Jeep.

 

[Rick Anderson]

8-Track and Cassette is like VHS and BetaMax, and I guess, today it would BlueRay or HD-DVD and DVD+R or DVD-R. One had to win as the standard, and Cassettes did, probably because they were smaller and more compact.

I've heard lots of audiophiles argue the 8-Track was better. The bandwidth was greater, so the fidelity was actually better, having 4 tracks and continuous loop meant you never had to rewind, and finding a particular song was far easier, because you just jumped to the track you wanted and then it was only a song or two at most to ff or rewind.

Problem was they were too big and bulky, you could carry easily 4-5 cassettes in the same space as an 8-Track.

My family had a used car in high school with an underdash 8-track player in it. We all laughed at it, but we found some 8-track tapes for cheap, since it was dying out at the time, and started using it and I was surprised, it seemed like a good format and system. It was just a problem dealing with how bulky the tapes were.

 

[CartsXJ]

PM'ed ya

 

[SS01XJ]

Check your local thrift stores like Goodwill or Salvation Army. I've seen cassette only radios many times for a buck or two. Chances are that the radio was replaced only to get one that plays CDs. Flea markets are also a good source.

Also, I consider a cassette radio a good anti-break in device. If a local junkie is cruising a parking lot looking to steal a radio, he isn't going bother a car with a cassette only radio, because it has little value at a pawn shop.

 

[artsifrtsi]

The problem with recording Vinyl on PC is that you need a turntable with a pre-amp built in or buy a pre-amp to put into the signal before the PC. Sound Cards don't have pre-amp like most stereo amplifiers do.

It takes a little more time than making a tape...

There is a really nice turntable that connects to a computer via USB, and there is a cassette drive that installs in a desktop 5 1/4 inch slot... they both have software for converting the media into MP3 format and cleaning up noise.

Here is the tape deck: http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/audio/7a8d/
And the record player: http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/audio/8be8/

 

[Jim Mesthene]

If you listen to books while driving, cassettes are still the best. They start exactly where you left off and your local library is full of Books-on-Tape for free.

 

[Matthew Currie]

thanks to all for replies, espectially Carts and Anodyne (PM's follow).

I have two kids who prefer cassettes in the car,I guess because they're more robust and they already have a bunch of them which they don't use in the house, so they can leave them in the car. In fact my other son, who has a Jetta that came with a nice new CD player, asked me to put the cassette deck from his old car into it, and that's why I posted another question about DIN adapters to put a new CD player in my 99, because he gave me the CD player.

I gave up on car cassettes years ago, and much prefer CD's, but you can't tell kids anything!

 

[XJ Samo]

I have aa factory cassette radio out of my 88.
Free just pay shipping.
Sam

 

[Blaine B.]

If you do get a CD player with aux. input you can hook up a walkman to it or whatever..then he can still do tape's.

Alot better than buying an old tape deck for the Jeep.

 

[mcnamaag]

PM sent

 

[RichP]

There is a really nice turntable that connects to a computer via USB, and there is a cassette drive that installs in a desktop 5 1/4 inch slot... they both have software for converting the media into MP3 format and cleaning up noise.

Here is the tape deck: http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/audio/7a8d/
And the record player: http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/audio/8be8/

Thanks for the turntable link....:laugh3: thats going to work out fine...

 

[Rick Anderson]

I got a turntable from Best Buy a couple of years ago for about $50, it had the built in pre-amp so it plugged right into the "AUX" in of the Sound Card. Don't know if they still sell it.

USB makes it a little easier, don't know how high-fidelity its converting the sound over, since its USB, the digitizing of the sound must be taking place in the turntable and not the sound card in your computer, as well it looks like you might get some software with it. So it might be worth the higher prices tag.

My point, just do a little comparison shopping.

Some pointers on how to do it.
http://www.delback.co.uk/lp-cdr.htm#record_hum

NERO6 or NERO7 is an awesome set of software tools for multi-media and cd/dvd burning, it usually goes for $69.

I used Cakewalk Pryo first, about $30, then I got the NERO 6 when I started to get into DVD's. The NERO could probably do everything the Cakewalk Pryo could, plus a whole lot more, especially with DVD, movies and video files, BUT, the Cakewalk Pryo is cheaper and easier to use than the NERO that gets kinda complex with so many features.

 

[90XJay]

one free in Mass if you want it.