Cassette decks are getting harder to find as interest in them wanes

Q: Your recommendations of CD players seem to only be for single-disc players. We have a five-disc changer, which is great when we want to have music playing for a longer time. What do you recommend for multi-disc players? What about a dual-cassette deck to play our collection of cassettes? We need one of those, too.

A: The $179 Onkyo DXC-390 six-disc CD changer (onkyousa.com) has been in production for years and is one of the best buys in audio. Though I have not written about CD changers recently, I have recommended this product for years and own one myself. You can change five of the six discs while it is playing, and the unit is attractive, easy to operate and uses premium-quality audio circuitry for excellent sound quality. It has a full set of outputs, including analog red/white connections and both coaxial and optical digital outputs, so you can use it with practically any receiver. The DXC-390 gets my highest endorsement for its quality and value.

Cassette decks are getting hard to come by, and good used ones seem to be selling for $300 because of their scarcity. I found a dual cassette deck you can buy new that looks to be a pretty good buy. (It also appears to be practically the only buy.) The Marantz Professional PMD-300CP (marantzpro.com) is $149 and has a USB output so you can connect it to your computer and digitize your cassettes. One caveat, however: Unlike vinyl, which is on the rise, cassettes are a legacy format in steep decline. Support is going away bit by bit, so digitizing your cassettes would be a good idea.

Please note that "Marantz Professional" is a brand of inMusic Brands and different from the high-end Marantz brand owned by D&M Holdings.

Q: I want a premium wireless speaker with really strong bass to be placed on my mantel, which is 5 inches deep. It will be used for music only; no TV is involved. I like the Axiom Air you recommended, but when I check the dimensions, I don't think it will fit. Price is not so much the issue, but sound quality is, and I want to feel the bass. What would you recommend?

A: Big bass and small boxes don't go hand in hand. You need to move air to make bass, and even with fancy acoustic tuning, there is only so much a small speaker can do. Your best bet is to place a matching subwoofer somewhere else in the room.

I would check out the $599 Mass Fidelity Core with the matching $299 Core Sub wireless subwoofer. The Core is one of the best wireless speakers available and has a very small footprint, and the Core Sub has a very low profile, so you can place it almost anywhere. The Core also works on battery power, so you can take it to different rooms if you want. There is much more to this system than I can go into here. To learn, more check out massfidelity.com.

Send questions to Don Lindich at donlindich@gmail.com. Get recommendations and read past columns at soundadvicenews.com.