Car stereos have evolved with technology just as home stereo equipment has--from 8-track tapes to cassettes to CD's and now MP3 players. For older car stereos with only a cassette deck, cassette adapters are available to insert and connect to a portable CD player or other auxiliary device. But, these adapters may not always work the way you want them to, especially after a long period of use.
Cassette Player
Though the cassette adapter is shaped like and performs like a regular cassette, some car stereos do not want to accept certain adapters. Whether the adapter doesn't have enough weight or has other issues, some stereos will keep automatically ejecting it or reversing the playback side back and forth as it attempts to read the adapter as a normal cassette.
Cords
Cassette adapter cords have a tendency to develop problems over time, especially if the cord becomes twisted or if the ends get bent or stretched, which can happen when the cord is wrapped around the adapter for storage. When this happens, static can be heard, one side of the stereo sound may cut out or it can loose the connection altogether.
Broken Tape
The adapter can also stop working if the tape itself gets twisted, broken or caught in the heads of the player, just as with a regular cassette. This will mean replacing the adapter unless you can repair the tape by taping the broken ends together in a manner that will still allow it to be run through the stereo's tape heads.
Sound Quality
Because the adapter is taking sound from a digital source (CD, DVD or MP3 player) and converting it to the analog medium of a cassette player, the sound quality will suffer some loss and not sound as dynamic as when played directly from the source. This will be the case regardless of the brand or price of the adapter.
Availability
Car stereos with cassette decks have become more scarce each year for the past decade, to where now only older models will have one. Therefore, finding new adapters to replace old or broken ones can be harder than it used to be, with fewer stores carrying them.
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