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You finally landed your dream car. It’s time to gas up, take off the T-top, and crank up some tunes. That is, until you realize you’re working with a cassette tape deck and failed to invest in any tapes.
Don’t freak out. You’re dealing with an issue that has been solved long ago. You don’t need to tear out the original unit and swap in an aftermarket piece that looks entirely out of place in your car. There’s a much easier, more affordable way. A cassette adapter is all you need to start enjoying music in your older car.
I searched for and came up with a solid list of the best cassette adapters. Look through these to find the one that works best for you. Just promise not to tell me what guilty-pleasure songs you’re killing the soul of that classic with.
Summary List
Best Overall: Arsvita Bluetooth 5.0 Cassette Aux Adapter
Best Value: Arsvita Car Audio Cassette to Aux Adapter
Honorable Mention: Aluratek Universal Bluetooth Audio Cassette Receiver
Best Bundle: Elook Cassette Aux Adapter Kit for Car
Best Aux Adapter: Monster Aux Cord Cassette Adapter
Our Methodology
Cassette adapters have been around for a long time now. I leaned on my experiences to provide insight on the basics of these devices. Since I have not tried them all, plenty of research was in order. I made sure to look into the current brands serving this segment as well as what features folks prefer and what to realistically expect from these devices when coming up with my top choices.
Best Cassette Adapter Reviews & Recommendations
Best Overall
Aluratek Universal Bluetooth Audio Cassette Receiver
Best Value
Arsvita Car Audio Cassette to Aux Adapter
See It
Honorable Mention
Arsvita Bluetooth 5.0 Cassette Aux Adapter
See It
Best Bundle
Elook Cassette Aux Adapter Kit
Best Aux Adapter
Monster Aux Cord Cassette Adapter
Our Verdict
The Aluratek Universal Bluetooth Audio Cassette Receiver is an obvious choice for the top pick. It gives your cassette player Bluetooth capabilities and provides decent sound quality. There’s no denying that some will prefer the low price of the Arsvita Car Audio Cassette to Aux Adapter, which also delivers in terms of performance.
Things to Consider Before Buying Cassette Adapters
Cassettes and Adapters Tips
Used Cassettes
You bought a classic car. Live the life. Hit the local flea markets and internet to scoop up some old cassette tapes. The chances are that they still work fine, and you can get them for great prices. Sometimes you can even find lots filled with tapes from the greatest bands of multiple eras going for what you’d pay for a really good cassette adapter. It’s also worth keeping note of the fact that some bands still release new albums on cassette today.
Keep It Clean
Cleaning and demagnetizing cassette play head regularly is key to getting the best sound and performance out of your system. Doing so in your car is much easier than you might think. Cleaning devices that slide into the head just like a cassette simplify the process. You just need to make sure to repeat the process every 40 hours of tape play.
Skip the Transmitter
FM transmitters are an alternative way to play music from your phone over the car’s stereo system. They get the job done, and a lot of people are happy with them, but many are junk. While the same is true about cassette adapters, it’s a lot easier to find models that deliver fantastic sound quality and performance. You also don’t need to go through the trouble of finding an unused frequency to listen to your music, which can make all the difference in the world on road trips or long commutes.
Pricing
A cassette adapter is one of the few upgrades you can make that doesn’t cost all that much. Most come in anywhere from about $10 to $30. Quality and the name attached to a particular cassette adapter do influence the price. How it functions, though, is the biggest determining factor in how much it costs. Typically, those that work with an aux cord dominate the lower half of that price range, while models that work with Bluetooth sit in the upper half.
FAQs
You’ve got questions. The Drive has answers.
A: Improving the sound quality of a cassette adapter may be as simple as cleaning and demagnetizing the cassette player itself. It’s a routine process many people overlook, impacting sound. Otherwise, it may be worth adjusting the sound system’s settings or replacing the adapter altogether.
A: As long as there’s a clean and functional cassette player, you shouldn’t have a problem. If you are having issues with the player ejecting the cassette adapter, it may be due to dirty internals or a faulty adapter.
A: There are multiple reasons the adapter keeps being ejected. The system may be dirty, there may be faulty parts inside the system, or the adapter may have an issue with the internal mechanism that keeps certain systems from automatically ejecting tapes.