Panasonic RQ-L51 Cassette Recorder

This small recorder-player of standard cassettes will NOT fill a huge room with ear-shaking sound....unless you add speakers. However, it is definitely more than adequate for the purposes for which it was obvbiously intended....to get GREAT VALUE, more than adequate sound, (unless you want to fill the aforesaid huge room with audiophile-quality sound), be easy to carry, and have a host of features not usually found in cassette recorders of this size or price!

To begin with, of course, it has TWO SPEEDS! Now....most people use standard-size cassettes for the value they give, (I know I do)....and 120 minutes (two hours) for a cassette IS a great value. But--suppose one could (magically?) increase the number of hours on a 120 minute cassette to 360 minutes....a full SIX HOURS? Thats JUST what this nifty little machine does....as it has a "1/3", (or 3x) speed built right in. True, when using the slower speed, one should definitely use the higher-priced "deluxe" standard...Read more

I recently tried out one of the Panasonic RQ-L31 models, which looks exactly like the RQ-L51. It recorded clearly, voice, birds, and music; but was lacking in volume output. The two position mic(built-in) can be set to normal or high sensative position. These units do not have sufficient audio volume. You can turn the volume control all the way up, and it will only be as loud as 70% level of a $20.00 cassette recorder. The battery light indicator is a neat feature, but the lights dim when the volume is turned up. The speaker can't reproduce music very well, and lacks volume output. Also, listening through ear phones lacks volume output. The cassette door is awkward to load the tape and close. I don't recommend this recorder model RQ-L51 or RQ-L31 model at all. Buy a $20.00, voice-activated recorder, and it will do what you want, with decent volume. Panasonic is a disappointment. The RQ-L31 and RQ-L51 models look sharp, but feel cheap, and operate only fair. Better choices out...Read more

This is a great product. It has clear voice and very little back ground
hiss. It is perfect for what I needed it for. Being able to extend the
tape to 3X times the length of the cassette. I record church classes and
sermons. Later I record from the tape to a CD to sell to others who want the material. I looked at other recorders and even purchased one from
another source on the internet. I was glad I was able to return it as it
had sever back ground hiss and nobody was going to purchase anything from that recorder. I am very happy with this recorder and would recommend it
to others.