In the 1980s and 1990s, cassettes were very popular, and portable cassette players were popular across all generations. Today, however, the supply chain for cassette players is almost non-existent, which made the initial phase of the FiiO CP13 project extremely difficult and almost led FiiO to abandon the project. Fortunately, after investing a lot of time and effort and working closely with the supply chain, FiiO was able to continue working on the FiiO CP13.
After much trial and error, FiiO has carefully selected between the scarce materials in the supply chain, and finally developed a technology that represents what is currently feasible in this field. The recording and auto-reverse functions were deliberately omitted. The main focus during development was on maximising sound quality.
The FiiO CP13 features an oversized flywheel made of pure copper with a diameter of 30.4 mm and a thickness of 4 mm. The size of the flywheel helps to ensure that the reel moves as smoothly as possible during playback, thus minimising jitter. This results in synchronisation at the highest level. This results in a more authentic and better sound of the cassette being played, just as we remember it.
The motor of the FiiO CP13 is supplied with a high voltage of 4.2 V, i.e. more than the 1.8 V or 3 V that is usual in today's cassette players. This power supply works in conjunction with a motor speed stabilisation circuit that increases the resistance of the motor as required to ensure stable movement speeds - reducing unwanted pitch changes and allowing the FiiO CP13 to handle more cartridge types.