I got into this hobby from the typical retro medium craze, which so happened to be cassettes when I got into them. My first stereo was a Sony WM-EX102, and I still use it a lot as a daily driver, as opposed to a Discman or phone, surprisingly enough.
Welcome to the forum, there's something about the high-tech mechanical players of the old days, plus you tended to listen to a full album instead of singles.