Exactly, nobody is making new players with the quality of the old stalwarts (Sony, Aiwa, Sanyo), everything new on the market is Chinese garbage that's not fit

Exactly, nobody is making new players with the quality of the old stalwarts (Sony, Aiwa, Sanyo), everything new on the market is Chinese garbage that's not fit to reproduce simple voice recordings, nevermind music. So one has to hunt down used equipment which comes with its own set of issues (besides exorbitant prices) as there is wear and tear to account for and components that need to be replaced.