Great sound, great features, affordable
Written: Aug 09 '00 (Updated Aug 11 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great sound, great features (anti-skip, hold, car kit), low price, cool remote
Cons: cheap headphones, weak bass enhancement
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| nsadhal's Full Review: Aiwa XP-V716 Personal CD Player |
I bought this cd player recently because I was tired of my bulky yellow Sony Sport Walkman that I got 6 years ago. I was debating between an mp3 player and a cd player and finally decided on cd, because mp3 is such a new technology, and I'm still unimpressed with the players out there.
Why'd I pick this one?
After deciding on a cd player, I went around looking for one with the features I wanted for a price I could afford. I had listened to my friend's Aiwa XP-V70 portable player, and was impressed by the sound, so I naturally figured a higher model would have equal or better sound quality. What sold me was the battery life (30 hrs!), the skip protection (48 sec!) and the car kit (I have an '84 Volvo 240 DL, and there's no way I'm putting a fixed cd player in there.)
First impression:
When I brought this thing home, I tore open the package (that was really hard, because it's one of those stiff plastic need-to-get-the-big-scissors packages) and was surprised at all the stuff that came out. I popped in a CD immediately and began listening... wow, it sounded pretty good... the headphones it came with were the cheap headphones-for-the-sake-of-portable-music headphones, but they sounded fine. I then tried it with my Aiwa "pipe-bass" ear buds, and the bass was somewhat tighter and more enhanced.
Headphones:
The headphones it came with were not that great, but they DO do it justice, and that's all that matters. I would suggest getting a pair of earbuds with the cool carrying case (since this is a PORTABLE player).
Car Kit:
Well, what can I say? It's a pretty standard car kit with a 6v cigarette lighter adapter and a tape deck adapter. The translated sound is a little weaker than what comes straight from the line out, but it's nothing to worry about.
Remote:
Wow, the remote is cool, it's super thin and it's all one sheet on top, so the buttons are attached to the whole thing. It has all the controls that are on the actual unit, as well as a number pad so you can choose individual tracks. I don't really use it much, though, because I'm always taking it somewhere, not sitting at home listening to my portable.
On-player Features:
DSL bass enhancement: No it's not Digital Subscriber Line... the DSL system pumps the bass up a little, but I was a little disappointed in it. If you're listening to music that should thump, then it's useful, but beyond that it doesn't really serve much purpose. When the volume is at maximum, then the DSL causes distortion in the bass, which is a big downer.
Anti-skip: I like the anti-skip system with the three settings (off, 12 second, and 48 second) because each has it's application. I use the 12 second while I'm jogging because it saves battery compared to the 48 second, but still provides reasonable protection. I use the 48 second with the car adapter, as battery life is not a problem and my car's suspension sucks. I was a little concerned, however, when my cd player started to skip once while i was on the treadmill at 24-hour Fitness... but I've never seen that again.
Hold: The hold is a useful feature because it allows you to pickup where you left off. It remembers the position of the cd before you turned it off or stopped it, thus you don't have to go through the tracks looking for what you haven't yet heard.
The tracking/seeking systems are pretty standard, and I have no complaints
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
nsadhal
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Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 4 members
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