Customer Reviews

GE 35364 Mini Cassette Recorder (Silver)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I just recently bought my second one of these. I've been very happy with the performance of the 3-5364B Cassette Recorder.

What I like about the recorder is that it takes full-sized cassettes that can be played in your car cassette player. This is good if you're weird like me and read to yourself and want to hear your own homemade audiobook in the car while you're driving. I also use it to tape my phone messages before I erase them, because I may like the sound of their voice, and because maybe future kids will want to know what their grandmother sounded like. I also liked the fact that it fit so well in my hand.

It has a headphone jack, so that if you wanted to listen to an audio book and had a PROPER AC adapter (3V) you could go to bed with your favorite book. Don't expect Dolby noise reduction and stereo sound with this guy. It's very basic.

My first one was VERY good on batteries. I had it over a year, and I hadn't changed the batteries since I bought it. I used Duracell Alkaline AAs. These same batteries are now in my new one and doing fine.

The variable speed playback seems a useless feature since it does have a fast forward button which works better. The mic has two sensitivities low and high...it's got a pause, which I suppose works better than the STOP button. Again, my uses for the recorder are fairly straight forward so I rarely use these features.

There is one design flaw, in my opinion. When you load the tape, realize that the side that you can see through the window is the side you are playing. Looking at the device that way the buttons are below the window facing you. You're fine if you go strictly by the symbols on the buttons for rewind, play, fast forward, etc. However, you quickly notice that if you use it that way, the lettering that goes with the buttons is upside-down! This could be disastrous if you didn't realize this and flipped the recorder over, rewinding instead of forwarding! They really need to fix this if they make a new model.

I mentioned that this is the second one I've bought...I'll explain what happened to the first one.

The first one died by accident...I fried it using the AC adapter to my desktop paper shredder. Potential buyers should know this little recorder doesn't come with its own AC adapter. In and of itself, that wasn't a big deal to me, since I used mine for over a year without ever needing one. It's just this ONE TIME I wanted to not drain the batteries by going to bed with a new relaxation tape a friend sent me, and I thought I could use one the myriad adapters from portable CD players I have lying around to fit it, but the shape of the adapter fittings on all of them were just different enough to not work. Except one. The one to my shredder WAS the right shape, but, alas, wrong voltage! OOPS! Lesson learned: make sure the adapter is set for 3 volts and not higher! Not knowing whether I could revive the old one, I just bought another one since it was my fault it was no longer working.

But, all in all, I liked the device enough to buy another one, so there you go. It might also be noted that both recorders cost about a twenty percent less than what they're selling it for at Amazon.com. I hope this is helpful.

I have had this recorder for a few years for business purposes. I mainly record notes with this as a full sized cassettte b/c it has a better sound quality than the micro cassettes and can play the audi back on my home stereo system.

For standard voice recording - the microphone works well - and the sound quality is decent never had a problem with extra distortion. For the price - I am quite satisfied with that aspect. The reason I lowered the rating was b/c the buttons on this recorder are cheaply made. The rewind button popped off after a year of use - I've been using it anyway with the inconvenience of having to use a pen to press rewind - but I've always been a little disappointed with the design of how they fasten the buttons to mechanism - especially since fast those buttons get a good amount of use for players such as this.

I'm looking to replace this player right now - but the few I've seen at radio shack unfortunately have similar buttons on them. Hopefully I can find one on Amazon that is made a little nicer.

Jake

Please never ever buy this one...A lot of background noice, you can barely hear the voice you wanted to record.

This is NOT a "mini" cassette recorder/player. It uses standard size audiocassettes, not the true minicassettes, which are slightly larger than a microcassette. Please call it what it really is! I have already ordered and received a so-called minicassette recorder and have had to send it back.

Mark A. Bauer

I should have listened to the reviewer who said the motor was noisy. I'm very disappointed with this cassette player. I like to listen to relaxation tapes at night, and I need to move the unit far away from me just to use it, because otherwise the motor sound is too distracting.

This recorder has a problem of having too much tape motor noise in the the recordings; especially on high setting for microphone. Low setting of mic, causes it to not hear the sounds as well; though tape motor noise is reduced. It can record Church concerts, although it will not be pick up distant voices that well. It will drain batteries if used about 45 min 5 days a week. As far as voting buttons; no one has ever told be how to insert them; not even Amazon.com will tell me. So I don't have any voting buttons. I don't recomend this unit, if tape motor noise, background noise, and inability to pick up faint sounds bothers you. I have one, and use it mainly to playback tapes of Church concerts, or radio recordings(using the mic) that I have made. Sound quality is ok through speaker, but you can connect it to cheap, amplified computer speakers for better sound. It can vary playback speed from normal to very fast with a speed knob. It can be set for voice activation recording, but you will hear a pop everytime it goes on/off in the recording. It can be bought for only $19.99 at most stores; and uses 2 AA batteries. It can accept an AC adapter, but adapters add a soft hum to your recordings/playback. This recorder can be fun for the kids, with the variable speed playback. For serious recording, pick another recorder other than this one.

I bought this tape recorder and was very disapppointed. The sound quality is just horrible. Don't buy.

The recorder works well, but would be much better if the size were a little smaller with the same features. I will give it a 3 star review.