"Why are cassette and CD players so bulky today?"

Sales of cassette tapes have reached their highest point in 20 years, while the vinyl market continues its 17-year growth streak. Additionally, CDs are gaining the attention of Generation Z. This resurgence of retro physical media has prompted tech companies to develop new devices that allow playback of these formats. Companies like We Are Rewind and Fiio have launched revamped designs of cassette and CD players, incorporating additional features such as USB-C charging and Bluetooth connectivity.

However, when analyzing these modern devices, it appears that they do not seem as advanced as some of their vintage counterparts. For example, the Bluetooth cassette player from We Are Rewind has dimensions similar to Sony's first Walkman from 1979. In contrast, during the peak of the cassette era, around the early 2000s, players had been reduced to almost the size of the tapes themselves. Fiio's DM-13 Bluetooth CD player has a square design reminiscent of a Sony Discman from the late 80s, while by 2001, we already had much slimmer CD players from brands like iRiver, Panasonic, and Sony, which offered sufficient anti-skip protection to enjoy a full album without interruptions.

So, what happened to the compact designs that we used to take for granted in the early 2000s? A YouTube channel conducted interviews with representatives from these companies, We Are Rewind and Fiio, to understand why cassette and CD players cannot be replicated as they once were. A practical comparison of these gadgets with the cutting-edge cassette and CD players can be observed.