Sony Discman - Works for Me
Written: May 11 '04 (Updated Oct 14 '04)
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Pros: Comfortable grip, good sound, doubles as a battery charger
Cons: None that I can think of
The Bottom Line: I'm happy with it.
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| lyagushka's Full Review: Sony Walkman D-NS921F Personal CD Player |
I've owned this discman for a little over six months now and have used it as a hookup to car and home stereo systems, while exercising and on long-haul flights. I certainly wouldn't call myself an audiophile or gadgetry guru, but overall I've been quite pleased with its performance and quality.
There are a number of features that make this discman very good for workouts or travel. Firstly, it has a very comfortable grip that fits snugly into the hand, with a sturdy adjustable strap. Secondly, it doesn't burn through batteries too quickly, so it works well as something to lug around because I get a lot of use out of it. Thirdly, I've been unable to make this thing skip while jostling around on a tread mill or even while driving over rough cobblestone streets. Lastly, the machine closes with a substantial latch, making it nearly impossible for a cd to pop out accidentally during exercise.
As for sound quality, I'd say it's very good for a small, moderately priced machine and certainly good enough for my plebian ears. I've never noticed any scratching or hissing, and the volume is well balanced between the two sides. I've found that it also has fairly good radio tuning capacity, even while walking around. One can also apparently listen in on favorite TV channels with this device, but since I'm not a TV watcher, I'm certainly not going to start listening to the shows as though over a radio. So I can't comment much on the quality of that function.
I like the fact that a beep sounds every few seconds when I've hit the pause button. This helps me auditorily distinguish between a battery-draining state and a battery-conserving state. Since the cd keeps spinning during the pause, the batteries are being drained in this mode. It's much more convenient to stop the play entirely and then resume it later. The play will begin from the point at which the music was stopped, so I'm spared the frustration of losing my place on the disc. I also like the way the top stays open when I lift it to change cds. With one hand inevitably holding the cd I'm removing or loading, it would be an annoyance if the lid fell shut during changeover. It only shuts when I want it to, which is very nice.
The main functions of the cd player have also been combined into one button that flexes in four different directions. This little button sits in an oval recess that is positioned just near the thumb when one grips the discman with the hand through the strap. The recessed positioning ensures that the button won't be jostled inadvertently. With this one button one can advance or regress through the tracks, start, stop and pause the play. The volume control is separate but also positioned near the thumb. I find that the main controls are very easy to use while gripping the discman and positioned intuitively. In fact, the function of the entire discman is so obvious that I've never needed to consult the owner's manual - something I usually do only at great need. The volume control's position makes it a little more awkward to use, but it can be done.
The earphones that come with this discman are very lightweight and small. Audiophiles may want to upgrade to something better and presumably more expensive, but these are fine for me. They are the sort of earphones that are directional - you have to put them on the right way and get each phone in the correct ear. I've found them to be very comfortable, so much so that I really can't feel them at all, yet they stay put very well. I've never had them fall off while exercising unless they get knocked off by coming into contact with something else.
There's an especially nice feature about this Walkman that took me a while to discover. It actually works as a battery charger. When the unit has rechargeable batteries loaded and is plugged in but not playing a disc, it will charge batteries when the button is flexed towards the stop function. A little icon appears on the LCD showing a battery and the word "charging." When the battery is fully charged the screen displays the word "full" for a short time and then goes blank. This is an extremely convenient feature while traveling.
One minor complaint is that I could wish for a few extra inches of cord for the earphones. The cord is just barely long enough to reach my ears when I set it down on most exercise machines. I've never actually found a piece of exercise equipment on which I can't use this discman, but often the cord is pulled a little tauter than I'd like.
As I mentioned, I've only owned this discman for about six months, so I can't say for sure how it will hold up over the long run. But the construction seems very solid even though it's a very light weight machine.
We paid $159 for this discman at a retail store. From what I've seen, this is a fair price. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this model to someone else who is looking for a discman to use while exercising or traveling. Connoisseurs of acoustics may be in the market for something with a little more oomph in the sound department but for my purposes it's just fine. I have no real complaints about this model at this time.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 159
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