Digitech GE-4102

Too many hiccoughs – I thought I'd attempt using this device as I'd used DIGITECH gear previously. It appears though DIGITECH.com no longer lists the product. I persevered big time with this device as have a swag of audio/cassettes I'd like to salvage. Didn't have AA batteries so used USB port power. Attempt 1: Device came up in windows as two logical devices… Read more

simultaneously - couldn't record to USB at all - no surprise there. Attempt 2: Signed-in locally as windows admin and re-installed (i.e. plugged in USB again). Didn't give duplicated logical drives this time and was able to record simple test 5 mins to a MP3. Played back OK. Attempt 3 : Try second copy longer time. I noted that when recording I could also hear the previous MP3 playing in background. mmm! Played back test 2 and noted Windows said USB drive was corrupt. WMP could not do a thing. I had to reformat the USB to unravel. Fortunately this had been a clean device with no files previously. I will be taking this product back to the retailer - have spent half a day going nowhere. Potential is there though. Shame as it is much more involved to use a PC and Audacity software to achieve the same end result.

Not capable of doing what it says – Bought this on Monday 7th March 2022. Appears the device has buffering issues. Mp3 recording skips portions of the tapes every 30 seconds or so. Tried both manual and auto functions. Same problems. Tried to connect direct to my laptop with audio editing software. The hum of the device drowns out the audio. Decided the recordings are too precious to mess around with. Getting a high quality tape deck.

This is a load of rubbish – Used the machine as per the instructions but could not get the machine to convert. Tried it several times but got nowhere. Its a load of rubbish and it should never even be on the market!

Paperweight – The concept is terrific. You have priceless old sound cassette tapes. You want to be able to reinvigorate these so you can listen to them again ... and as every cassette player out there is pretty well either busted or in a museum, you decide to go it alone and have a go at converting these tapes to digital. Right, seems like a common scenario.… Read more

My advice is to look elsewhere, rather than Digitech.

The product under review reads up well. It can be used as a stand alone tape player, with headset input, and capacity for 2 X AA batteries. OR ... you can do as most would and run it through your PC via a nifty two way USB lead that allows the unit to draw power from the PC, yet still act as a monitor for tapes you may be (attempting to) convert to digital.

All sounds nice and straightforward ... yes??

Now reality kicks in ... the "instruction manual" is the usual low quality translation from probably Chinese to English - probably managed by one of the primates in a zoo over there somewhere. It could be reasonably said that it provides more questions than answers.

On the very first use it mercilessly ate the tape that was being converted. My most cherished ... of course. When I angrily returned it and the dead tape to Jaycar the bloke said it was the tape's fault (naturally!!) ... because I hadn't loosened it up by first fast-forwarding and rewinding it several times., Silly me!!

There seems to be a bit of a lapse on the takeup of the machine, so that a few micro seconds at the start of song one on each side are lost, despite activating it to begin ... and seeing it begin ... well before the audio commences.

But the real deal buster for me is the appalling output quality. Some songs are reproduced at an apparently faster rate than the original, and to be honest I'd rather not listen to my long lost fav music, than listen to butchered renditions.

I guess we still have a way to go before there is a decent consumer converter out there ... at Jaycar at least.

Unless you're into nouveau art, I'd suggest you steer clear of this little monster!!