No one claims that cassette tapes sound better than, well, anything other than AM radio. Most of the plastic cartridges have about as much physical charm as a disposable lighter—they're kitschy collectibles more than archival artifacts. I didn’t anticipate that the classic boombox, with its central tape deck, would make a comeback, but here we are. At the forefront of this nostalgic new wave is We Are Rewind (or Rewind), a French startup that first came to our attention in 2023 with its stylish reboot of the Walkman: The $160 WE-001. It is confusingly also listed as its specific black color, which Rewind calls “Curtis.”Is a $579 fake boombox worth the money to you?