Cheap and cheerful yet very reliable. (Maxim MX 13-33)

Member Name: competition.man

Product:	Maxim MX 13-33
Date:	05/09/05 (524 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: a little too tinny sound , good radio receiver , built-in battery charger ( requires suitable atteri

Disadvantages: No belt clip .

-*- Background to purchase : -*-

It was Dec. 31st 2004 . and with some to spare time a visit to Plymouth city centre was deemed appropriate by the better half , so off we went in hope of finding a bargain or two.
One of the shops visited was W H Smith's and behind the till point was spotted this item , the Maxim Mx 13-33 personal cd player , retailing at £19.99 , but now reduced to a measly £9.99 . Always on the move , I thought why not and promptly parted with my cash ( ok that's a lie , the wife bought it for me with a little in-shop begging ) .

-*- Inside the box : -*-

1 * personal cd player with built-in am/fm radio
1 * in-ear headphones
1 * instruction manual
1 * mains charger .

-*- The cd player specs : -*-

Measurements : W 14 cm : L 16 cm : D 2.5 cm

Features :

Built-in am ( 540 - 1600 Khz) / fm ( 88 - 108 Mhz ) analogue receiver using a rotary tuning wheel .

60 second electronic shock protection .

Dymanic Bass boost .

Aux out / headphone out sockets .

Hold button .

Battery re-charge switch .

LCD display .

Programmable ( single / multiple / all , with repeat function ) .

Intro scan .

-*- Aesthetics : -*-

Shiny silver plastic with easy to read lettering for all function buttons / graphics . Very pleasing if nothing special . Ten years ago this would have been the bees knees must have personal cd player.

-*- In Use : -*-

Sound is a little tinny , although use of Base Boost made litening quite enjoyable.
The supplied in-ear headphones are a little disappointing and not being padded prove a little uncomfortable - will need to be replaced.
Programming is easy and no different to your standard hi-fi aperatus .
Volume control is via a side wheel and is very responsive .
The ESP is a useful addition , however its use and that of Base Boost will lower battery life. When in use it is shown on the LCD display as a single bar graph . It takes approx one minute for the read ahead function to gather enough information to allow the full 60 second protection , and this function will continally adjust itself if the skipping of tracks takes place . ESP is automatically set to on when a disc is used , it can however be switched off manually via a front sited toggle button.
Power is via two AA batteries or the supplied DC power supply .
The LCD display is small but adequate and easy to read.
The built-in stereo radio receiver does a decent job , and tuning is easily obtained . A LED is provided and illuminated upon FM signal find.
The Hold switch is useful as it saves all current setting and when de-activates all buttons / functions thus eliminating the possiblity of accidentally pressing button and stopping the playing features . Strangely though it is located on the base of the unit - good job you have the ESP option ! Excepted from the above is the lid open button which will work as normal .
The re-charger option is also a welcome addition - note only use Ni-Cd batteries for this option . Charging ( using the supplied mains adapter ) takes approx 15 hours , but the player can be used as normal during re-charging. A front sited LED is illuminated when the function is used.
The player will play cd-r / cd-rw discs without a problem .

The instruction manual is more than ample, covering all the functions of the units and the usual do's and dont's .

Plus points for this item have to be the built-in radio / battery re-charge option , the inclusion of a DC power adapter and ESP .
Bad points are the slightly tinny sound , uncomfortable in-ear headphones , no batteries provided for initial use and no belt clip or carry strap feature . The unit is by the size of a CD limited to a nimum size and therefore cannot easily be placed in a pocket , thus meaning you have to carry it in your hands or in a bag .

-*- Overview : -*-

With the ever decreasing price in MP3 players , personal CD players will soon go the way of the video , being more bulky and unable to hold enough material without the need of carrying additional cd's .
At £9.99 it does however offer good value for money . Its main draw back is the exclusion of a belt clip and is worthwhile of consideration , especially if you can add a cheap external set of speakers .
Nine months on and after weekly use it is still going as strong as the day it was purchased - a testimony to its durability .
At £19.99 you are now at entry level MP3 players , which would provide a more worthwhile / futureproof investment.

Summary: Cheap and cheerful , durable and reliable - a well worth investing in .

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