Features cue and review controls, full auto stop, pause control and built in microphone. Uses standard cassettes. AC/DC operation. AC adapter included. Also runs on four C batteries, not included.
One-touch recording combined with standard controls such as cue, review, and pause make the Panasonic RQ-2102 a complete portable cassette recorder. The built-in condenser mic allows for easy, automatic recording, and a three-digit counter lets you keep your place. There is a 3-inch dynamic speaker for quality playback. The Panasonic RQ-2102 runs on four C batteries or AC power. An AC adapter is included.
1 works great
i bought this to read my little girls bedtime stories aloud and record them for when we aren't home. we've also had their grandparents from out of town read their favorite books onto tape. it works GREAT for this purpose...and the kids love playing with it too, in between. very sturdy.
2 Didn't Work! Don't waste your time!
I got this tape recorder and plugged it in, but the tape heads wouldn't even turn. It made some sort of noise and that was the end of that. I had to return it for a refund. It felt very light and cheaply made--too bad-- I liked the looks of it. I am going to try another shoe box recorder from a different company.
3 garage bands buy this
this is as good as the tape recorders they sell for over 50 dollars at radioshack and its only 20 i use it to record my rock band and it sounds almost as good as the 150 dollar tascam portastudios it doesnt eat tapes it has 1 button recording and i dont see were the other reviewer said he could barely hear it on playback he musta had a defected 1 cause the playbacks very loud and clear im very happy with this item i record my entire band on it every instrument can be heard clearly and the playbacks loud without static it even comes with the ac adapter and a handle to carry it this is a steal i might buy another at this price
4 horrible
I doubt that they are all this bad. Maybe I just got "lucky". The first time I put the tape in, the motor could hardly pull the tape. When I tried to record, it played back all shaky, like a playing a record off-center on a turntable. I returned it.
5 A big disappointment
I bought this tape recorder after I read a good review here. If the review was truethful, I must have gotten one from a bad production batch. With the volume set at the mid-range, I could hardly reproduce any audible sound. The volume has to be at maximum before I could hear discernible voices without putting my ear right above the speaker. It also records a lot of anoying background noise. I had bought recently an Aiwa micro-cassette tape recorder which turned out to be nearly useless. I was hoping this one, using a full size cassette and with a large speaker, would not have the problem of smaller one. But that was not the case.
6 Nice recorder
I just bought it and am very happy with it. Like a previous reviewer, I use mine for song ideas and also for singing practice. I prefer the larger speaker of a shoebox recorder because it provides better fidelity and more volume than you get with hand-helds. And although I don't move my recorder around much, I wanted both portability and a direct AC connection.
Before buying the Panasonic shoebox recorder, I compared it to the GE 3-5027. I chose the Panasonic because the Panasonic comes with a removable power cord that plugs directly into the wall and the recorder. The GE recorder uses an AC adapter with a transformer that plugs into the wall and has a thin wire that plugs into the recorder. I always use AC, not batteries (because as batteries weaken, the music changes pitch), and I've had bad luck with adapters where the wire goes bad or the little connector that plugs into the recorder doesn't fit snugly causing intermittent power losses. I prefer a connection that's more substantial and durable.
The GE recorder is also 3 inches shorter (7.38") than the standard shoebox recorder (which is approx. 10.38") and appears to have smaller buttons. Since I have large hands, I prefer the full sized buttons of the Panasonic. (I didn't actually measure the buttons or compare the two recorders side-by-side, so this may be just my perception.)
If you plan to primarily use batteries, have limited space, and want a shoebox style recorder, the GE 35027 may be right for you.
The Panasonic is approximately 10.25 inches long and comes with an AC power cord, tape counter, mic jack, and 8 ohm monitor jack. I primarily use the built-in condenser microphone for recording. The recording sound quality is incredibly accurate. My only negative comment is that, at least with my recorder, the biasing is high, meaning that the pronunciation of an 's', as in "eyes", occasionally hisses or splats.
I also looked into buying one of the PoGo! RipFlash MP3/WMA hand-held recorders instead, but decided that the cost difference wasn't worth it since I can already convert my cassette recordings to audio CDs for a more permanent backup by connecting a cable from the monitor jack of the recorder to the input jack of my computer's sound card.
7 Great little Recorder
Great little recording tool, almost perfect sound recording for
the price definitively the best all-around simple tape recorder,
much better than Radio Shack's $49 and even higher priced. The
standard recorder. Great for seminars, school, I use it for
phone recording and song composition. I have a recording studio
and this is a very valuable piece vs. the costly equipment.
8 No holes for jacks
I was disappointed with this product because it didn't has the jack holes that my old recorder had but since I discarded the box I didn't send it back for credit.
9 Just what I was looking for!
I had one of these as a child and did not think they even made them anymore. I have never seen one currently in stores. It is just what I needed to tape some of my college lectures and interviews for my genealogy research. It is better priced than the micro-recorders.
10 Thank goodness this exists!
I would give this product a 5 simply for existing! I had a hard time finding a similar product in stores. When I would stumble onto one, the price was often ... more than what I could get it for here. I don't know if this review praises ... or the product more. Nevertheless, I'm very happy with it. Sure, it's a bit antiquated in this era of digital gimmickry. But for what I need it for, it works great. Easy to use controls, big speaker for playback and it doesn't eat tapes! What more do you want?
11 sometimes size counts
The only inconvenience with this product is size but the purpose for which it was given to me did not require miniature size, as a matter of fact, for an older user, the controls are quite "user friendly" I recommend the product for stationary use.
