Califone International Cassette recorder

Advantages: Great sound quality, good set of features, three heads
Disadvantages: No remote control

...Many people seem to think that cassette tapes, and analogue audio in general, have had their day. For me though, I have so many cassettes that converting them to a digital format is impractical, and buying CD copies or paying to download them, too expensive. Unfortunately, the quality of cassette decks in most mini-hifi systems these days is very poor - the cynic in me wonders if this is a deliberate ploy to stimulate sales of CD recorders and other more "hi-tech" gadgetry. Hence, I bought this machine for the grand sum of £10 second hand. I believe it retailed for under £100 new, though I suspect it has been discontinued now. I will begin with the playback side of things. When I first started using this machine, I suddenly found myself listening to lots of old pre-recorded cassettes I had not dug out for years. OK, so they were... Read review

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Advantages: Location, breakfasts
Disadvantages: Poor rooms

...I recently went on a cultural girlie trip with a friend to Paris. I was left to do all the booking. I was looking for a reasonable hotel, near a metro stop, which included breakfast. I came across the Hotel International on various travel sites and it seemed fairly highly rated so I booked us in for three nights. LOCATION: The hotel is located 6 Rue Auguste Barbier in the 11th Arrondissement. The nearest Metro stop is Garcourt which was a two minute walk away and it was a five minute walk to Republique which gives good links to other lines. It's not really central enough to avoid the Metro and walk to the attractions but it was located so close to a stop that it seemed ideal. PRICE: Prices vary depending on size of room and season. There are singles, doubles and triples available. We paid Euro254 for the whole time... Read review

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Advantages: Takes regular sized audio cassettes, double-time recording, inexpensive model
Disadvantages: Needs to be used close to sound-source, a bit bulky for some tastes

...I always wanted a dictaphone as a child. Largely, I admit, for slightly dubious reasons (i.e. I wanted to plant it in my big sister's bedroom and find out if she was talking about me.) Many years on, as a student, I finally received one as a birthday gift so that I could record important lectures. This certainly did come in handy during those classes that, however hard I tried to stay alert, had me head down and drooling on the desk within minutes. The Sony TCM-200DV Cassette-Corder (or 'dictaphone' to you and me) is a fairly basic model compared to some products on the market - but it does what it says on the tin and it does it to a perfectly acceptable standard. The machine is silver (with a charcoal grey back panel and battery compartment) and weighs in at 171g - it's roughly the same size as a cassette-playing personal stereo... Read review

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