21 hours? Yeah, right.
Written: Jan 06 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lightweight, takes a lot of jostling to skip, three skip-protection settings, plays pretty much any CD (Recordable, normal, NOT ReWriteable), two high bass settings, Program and random (even programs that play randomly!), HOLD button for those violent car
Cons: Slow seek time, occasionally stops playing songs (totally randomly), VERY short battery life, bass setting (DSL) makes certain songs sound crummy, won't play CD-RWs, Hold button is more loose than other players, bland gray color, changing skip-protection l
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| hoborocks's Full Review: Aiwa XP-V70 Personal CD Player |
Well, there I was. Happy with my old, heavy, easily broken, 8-year old CD player. This early Sony model skipped very easily, and was very bulky and non-portable. Then one day, IT STOPPED WORKING! I took it apart and it was a great learning experience. However, I was then out a CD player.
A few years passed and I didn't have a huge need for a CD player, because whenever I exercised, I had a radio. But I really wanted a portable solution that would last for a few years then I would buy a new one. I needed a good way to listen to cool music and exercise at the same time. I bought the Aiwa XP-V70 two years ago, and have had it since!
Battery Life
After buying this product, I did a little testing. I used the CD player for as long as possible, in normal circumstances. It lasted (give or take half an hour) about 7 or 8 hours. Though they advertise 21 hours on the highest skip setting (which I would tend to disbelieve), they may be implying that it is on standby, or maybe without moving the unit at all.
Sound
The sound on this device is great. However, when the batteries enter their final stages of life, the sound becomes VERY fuzzy. So be prepared and have a few extra AA batteries on hand - as I said before, the batteries die quickly.
Extras
With this CD player, you don't get headphones. This irritated me but gave me a chance to buy some new ones. You do get an AC adapter, however, for those days when you need music but you also need space. This would be good if it had a car kit...oh wait, it does. It has a Cigarette lighter adapter and a tape adapter. These extras seem small but are very useful for making the whole family quiet.
CDs and the DSL feature
There is only one type of CD that you cannot use with this device, a CD-ReWriteable disc. This isn't a huge surprise, the player is kind of old. But all CD-Rs I have used have worked so far. Sometimes, the player will randomly stop while playing and sit there, sort of paused but YOU CAN'T HIT PAUSE TO PLAY again. Then you have to turn off hold and hit stop, then restart the song. I've only had this problem with the hold button being on.
The DSL feature brings out some great bass in songs. Some groups, not surprisingly, sound good while others sound terrible. There are three settings: off, 1, and 2. Off is normal, unmodified sound. 1 is some bass while still maintaining some level of decency. 2 is full bass and makes some songs sound horrible. Here is a list of groups (that I listen to) that sound good (or bad) with DSL:
DSL good!
Rammstein
Metallica
System of a Down
Most metal and rock groups, even oldies
DSL bad
Megaherz - too heavy sounding.
Oomph! - WAY too heavy sounding.
Durability
This machine is very durable. I've dropped it from about three feet, while playing, and nothing bad really happened. The disc didn't even skip! However, I found today that a screw of some sort seems to be missing from the unit. The right hinge just pulls off now. I haven't called Aiwa yet, they aren't supposed to be very helpful. Perhaps I'll just get an MP3 player.
I tried putting in a nail, some pins, etc., but nothing would fit in the slot; it's VERY thin. It doesn't impede my ability to use the unit, just another way for the disc to stop without my request.
Ease of Use
This device is very easy to use: it has the simple buttons Play, Stop, etc. However, to achieve some of the more useful functions (Program and random) one must initialize the disc, wait for the first song to begin, hit stop, then hit "Display/Enter" for program and "Play Mode" for random play. The nice thing is is that you can combine the two (e.g.: a program that plays random parts of the program).
This is a lovely little unit, provided the screw doesn't get loose. If you're looking for a good CD player that can play the newer formats, however, try a newer Aiwa player. This won't play CD-RWs and it sometimes stops playing. Just don't disassemble this player...it is a durable one and will last for a long time.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
hoborocks
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Reviews written: 60
Trusted by: 24 members
About Me:
I am un-addicted.
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