RCA RP3504 Cassette "Shoebox" Voice Recorder

• 6 button controls for record, play, pause, fast forward, rewind and stop/eject
• Top mounted speaker with built-in condensor microphone
• Automatic level control and end of tape stop
• Rotary volume control
• Features headphone jack and external microphone jack

I bought this at a local Walmart for casual use (recording my guitar practice sessions for later review). I paid $26.00 plus tax for it. What a ripoff. It's very cheaply made and doesn't work for squat. The play/record/rewind/ffwd buttons are sticky and hard to engage...you have to use one hand to hold the machine down in order to press the buttons with the other hand. You can't hold down the ffwd button while it's playing in order to audibly find your way on the tape (particulars annoying since there is no tape counter). The rewind and ffwd buttons don't stop automatically when the tape reaches the end. The unit does come with an AC adapter, but even when not running on battery power, the tape mechanism is so cheap that playback warbles noticeably. The frequency response is horrible (no bass at all), and unless you use the included plug-in microphone, anything you record is so faint it can't be heard above the tape noise. Oh yes, the included mic...the cable is so short (about 6") that you basically have to be sitting right on top of the recorder in order to use it. Since the cable is so short, the mechanical force of its physical connection to the recorder itself tends to knock the mic over.

Overall, this is the absolute worst tape recorder I've ever purchased (I've owned dozens...I grew up with these things). Based strictly on my experience with this steaming pile of plastic, I would probably never purchase another RCA electronics product. I would have given this thing negative 17 stars, but I couldn't figure out how to hack Amazon's site to let me do that.

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My wife bought me one of these and it has stopped working after less than playing 20 tapes. Do Not Buy!!! unless you like throwing your money away. I would be ashamed to put a quality name like RCA on the front.

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This looks like the old shoebox recorder from the past which was about one pound. It is in fact a piece of junk that weighs agout 3 oz. and records like a broken toy. Utterly unusable with the feel of something that would break in a day if not sooner. Now I waste my time returning it. Don't buy this if you want a tape recorder it is JUNK.

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I purchased a similar recorder 7 years ago for $40; that price today at Radio Shack is $50. The recorder is great IF you know its limitations. It is great for recording and playing treble; it is not designed for great bass recording or playback. Put differently, it is great for taking dictation (my use) or recording a talk radio program. It is not designed for, nor is it much good, for recording the latest tracks of your favorite group. The technology was perfected about 20 years ago; there is not much being invested in something so antiquated. So get it for the purposes stated, or look elsewhere.

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I listen to audio tapes (that I made in the 70's !!) of some of my favorite TV shows and was looking to replace the recorder/player I had for nearly 20 years and finally went belly-up. I chose this one (yeah, I know, I picked the CHEAP one) and was disappointed when -after about 4 months -the tapes began sounding like they were being played in slow motion. At first I thought it was just the tapes themselves finally giving up the ghost after all these years, but when ALL of them started doing it virtually overnight, I figured it was the recorder.

Well, I decided to get another one just like it just in case it was only that particular machine with the problem. But the second recorder started doing THE SAME THING after a much shorter time period (about 3 months) !

If that doesn't say something about the shoddy workmanship of this 'item,' I don't know what does ! It's to my shame to have been fooled twice by this piece of garbage, but at least you all reading this review (and the other negative ones) can be more confident that you should avoid getting this at all !

FWIW, as a replacement I did buy the slightly more expensive Panasonic RQ2102. I've been using it daily for the past few weeks (Nov.-Dec. 2011) and have not been disappointed yet !