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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-07 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• WISCENT Retro Classic 80s — biggest strength: a full analog toolbox in one box — cassette play/record, AM/FM/SW1/SW2 radio, Bluetooth, USB/Micro SD playback, and 24W dual stereo speakers with separate bass and treble controls.
• WISCENT Retro Classic 80s — biggest trade-off: it is the larger, heavier, more old-school option at roughly 4 pounds and about 12.8 inches wide, and it wants either a wall outlet or six big UM-1 batteries you supply yourself.
• DESOBRY — biggest strength: a rechargeable, genuinely portable CD player with Bluetooth transmit and receive, a colorful TFT screen, FM radio, a remote, and five EQ presets.
• DESOBRY — biggest trade-off: no cassette deck, no recording, and its only path into a car stereo is a wired AUX cable.
• Buy the WISCENT if you have tapes and radio nostalgia to feed and want the loudest, most feature-stacked unit.
• Buy the DESOBRY if you want something light, rechargeable, remote-friendly, and easy to carry between rooms.
The WISCENT Retro Classic 80s is built around a simple idea: put every format a nostalgic listener might still own into one box. It handles cassettes, AM/FM/SW1/SW2 radio, Bluetooth streaming, and MP3/WMA files from a USB drive (up to 64GB, FAT32) or a Micro SD card. The 24 watts of output run through two full-range stereo speakers with bass reflex, and you get separate bass and treble knobs instead of a fixed sound signature. Radio playback is mono; tapes, USB, and Bluetooth come through in stereo.
The recording side is what separates it from almost anything else in this comparison. You can record radio onto a blank cassette, convert cassettes to MP3 files onto a USB drive, and even capture music playing over Bluetooth onto USB or tape. There's a built-in microphone too. On the connectivity front you get a headphone jack on the side panel and Auxiliary, Bluetooth, and USB inputs, which makes it a reasonable pick if you want one device that can take an audio feed from a computer and push it out loud.
Who should skip it? Anyone who wants to toss a player in a bag and go. It runs on AC with the included 120V cord, or on DC with a 9V adapter that isn't included, or on six UM-1 batteries you buy separately. If charging over USB-C and carrying something a quarter of the weight sounds better, this isn't your machine. And if you have no interest in cassettes or recording, you're paying in size and complexity for features you'll never touch. Check the current price on Amazon before deciding, since the value math changes a lot depending on how many of those formats you'll actually use.
DESOBRY: Who It's For
The DESOBRY is a different animal. Its core is a portable CD player that handles CD, CD-R, CD-RW, HDCD, and MP3 discs, plus USB playback (FAT32, up to 32GB), FM radio from 76MHz to 108MHz, AUX in, and Bluetooth both ways. That two-way Bluetooth is the standout: it can receive from your phone, laptop, or tablet and act as a Bluetooth speaker, and it can transmit so the player sends audio out to another Bluetooth device. Five modes total — CD, Bluetooth, USB, FM, AUX.
Convenience is clearly the design priority. It's rechargeable via the included Type-C to USB cable, so it works without being tethered to a wall, and it's light — about 0.25 kg. The included remote lets you switch modes, change radio stations, adjust volume, and run playback from across the room. A colorful TFT screen shows icons and functions so you can operate it more intuitively, and five brightness settings let you dim it at night. Sound shaping comes from five EQ presets — POP, JAZZ, ROCK, CLASS, FLAT — plus four playing modes, and there are dual stereo speakers with volume adjustable by buttons or remote.
So who is this for? The person who wants a best headset for computer-style companion that's simple to move between a desk, a kitchen counter, and a car. It pairs with laptops, tablets, phones, and MP3 players, and the Bluetooth transmit mode means it can feed audio to a separate speaker or soundbar. If you want a best neckband headphones alternative for casual, low-effort listening around the house, the light body and remote make it the easier daily driver.
Who should skip it? Anyone who needs a cassette deck or any kind of recording. There's none here. Also know the car limitation going in: the only way this connects to a car system is a wired AUX cable from the headphone jack to the car's AUX input — no Bluetooth into the car stereo. And if you want big, room-filling wattage with manual tone controls, the WISCENT's 24W and separate bass/treble knobs are the more flexible setup.
• Best for cassette playback and recording → WISCENT Retro Classic 80s. It's the only one of the two with a tape deck, tape-to-MP3 conversion, and radio-to-tape recording.
• Best for portability and travel → DESOBRY. Rechargeable, roughly 0.25 kg, and no cord required.
• Best for radio variety → WISCENT Retro Classic 80s. Four bands (AM/FM/SW1/SW2) versus the DESOBRY's FM-only 76–108MHz range.
• Best for remote-controlled convenience → DESOBRY. Remote plus intuitive TFT screen and five brightness levels.
• Best for loud, adjustable room sound → WISCENT Retro Classic 80s. 24 watts, dual full-range stereo speakers, separate bass and treble controls.
• Best for sending audio out wirelessly → DESOBRY. Bluetooth transmit and receive, which the WISCENT doesn't offer in transmit form.
• Best for disc collections → DESOBRY. CD, CD-R, CD-RW, HDCD, and MP3 disc support; the WISCENT has no CD drive at all.
• Best for a computer-adjacent desk setup → both, depending on priority. WISCENT for Auxiliary-in playback with big sound; DESOBRY for Bluetooth pairing with a laptop plus remote control.
If I had to pick one for a computer setup where I want to stream from a laptop, move the unit around, and control it from my chair, I'd buy the DESOBRY. Bluetooth receive plus transmit, rechargeable power, and the remote make it the more practical everyday companion. But if tapes, shortwave, and recording matter to you, the WISCENT Retro Classic 80s is the one that actually does those things — and it's the louder, more adjustable stereo of the two. Match the machine to the media you already own, then check the current price on Amazon.
how to connect bluetooth wireless headphones
You don't pair headphones to either of these as a source — both are speakers that output audio. The WISCENT has a headphone jack on its side panel and the DESOBRY has a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you plug wired headphones into either one to listen privately.
how to pair bluetooth wireless headphones
Pairing applies to the source device, not these units. The WISCENT receives Bluetooth from a phone or tablet for streaming, and the DESOBRY both receives and transmits Bluetooth, so it can send audio to another Bluetooth speaker or receive it from a laptop.
how to bluetooth wireless headphones
If your goal is wireless listening, note that neither product is itself a pair of Bluetooth headphones — they're boombox-style stereo speakers. Each offers a headphone jack for wired listening, and each supports Bluetooth streaming as a speaker.
how to bluetooth sony wireless headphones
That depends on the Sony headphones, not on these players. What matters here is that both units include a 3.5mm headphone jack, so any wired headphones connect directly; for true wireless, pair the headphones to your phone or laptop and let the boombox handle the speaker side.
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