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Sony CD Walkman D-CJ01
by mattcustom
If you are considering this model there are already reviews out there on the amazon and audio review websites, the main reason for me writing this review is that the price has recently come down to the hundred pound mark, so I had to buy one! I am testing it using Sennheiser HD25 headphones. The sound from CD is very clean and ... accurate. The sound from MP3 is slightly quieter than CD, and strangely the quality is more euphonic and 'analogue'! The main problem with MP3 on this unit is no rewind or fast forward through the file - a snag if the file is more than a 3 minute pop song. Also, MPA/MP2 files will not play even if you rename them to MP3.
Sony seems to excel in ergonomics, and this is no exception. The clear Perspex reveals the CD (interesting to see this stop and start as it buffers the mp3 file). Its not exactly small but the design and build quality make this a very desirable object.
The dot matrix display (on the unit and on the remote lead) is one feature that the new cheaper CD/MP3 players don't have. This one can display quite long file names and also scrolls if longer. Having this adds to the intuitive control and navigation experience.
The only real cheapskate thing is the 700mah Ni-Cads supplied - trading standards should be called here because the box states 32hr playback but this is only when you buy the optional NiMh batteries!
Conclusion - this model has been around for about 18 months, and now there are quality brands making similar products for 60% of the price, but I feel that this one has that ?X? factor. A potential future classic and the designer's choice.
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Pioneer DCP 100
by PeterStuyvesant
I was looking for an MP3 player on the net when I stumbled across this new type of CD/MP3 player. Its called the Dioneer Muliti Codec CD player and it has the ability to play different formats of music. It can play normal CDs of all formats which means it can play Packet-write, Multi-session, Enhanced, Joilet and Mixed CDs (If you ... don't know what these different formats are I guess it really doesn't matter - what will matter is you can play your favourite Kylie CD that you bought from HMV).
Now, what makes this baby groovy and what attracted me to it is you can also play other formats of music. For examples MP3 and WMA files provided they're on a CD. What this really means is you can copy your MP3s (legally saved, of course!) onto a CD in their compressed format - therefore fitting about 150 songs onto a normal 650mb CD - and this CD player can play them.
So its kinda like a MP3 player but you have to store your MP3s onto a CD instead of a memory stick, but then you can also play all your normal CDs too. Also memory sticks tend to be more expensive than blank recordable CDs.
Now most of my music is on CD but I do have quite a few MP3s that I keep stored on my computer - singles mainly. With the use of this CD player I can quickly store my MP3s onto a CD and use them outside of my computer. It also means I can create long play lists for different occasions using either my MP3s I already have or by creating new MP3s from my CDs. For example, I go to the gym quite a lot and Kiss FM isn't always my favourite choice of radio station. I can put a CD together that will last around 2 hours (though it could perceivable last over 6 hours) of high-energy tunes.
The CD player also has a pretty cool file management system. You can search for tracks manually by scrolling though the names that are displayed on the small screen, that have been sorted alphabetically. This is quite useful if you looking for a particular track yo
u want to play. Its also made easier by having the option to jump forward 10 tracks at a time or individually.
You can also bookmark tracks and they can form a separate playlist. Its pretty easy to bookmark them you just scroll through the main list and press a bookmark button when you want to bookmark the selected track.
The other functions are similar to those you'll find on a pretty decent stereo. An advanced 'repeat-mode' allows you to repeat individual tracks or groups of tracks. A choice of set sound modes - Normal, Classic, Rock and Jazz (I've never got to grips with these though - how do they decide what Jazz should sound like?) gives you different soundcapes to play with along with a graphic equaliser.
The graphical display screen is a little cluttered but with so much information I guess it's hard not to be. But, once you get used to it, its OK. You can see the track, next track, time, track number, graphic equaliser, file type, position in the playback and well loads more stuff.
The batteries are rechargeable but the plug I got was a European two-pin model.
The headphones are adequate and have a multi function remote control on them that allows you to skip tracks, adjust volume and scroll.
As if all this weren't enough, I thought I'd check out the website which has a list of FAQ's. I noticed a download section that I found confusing because there was no line in socket. No worries; what you do is download the software upgrades - in this case an enhanced sound and improved bass sound ? and record them onto a blank CD. Then you play the CD in the players, it recognises the software and uploads it.
How good is that? Well, I thought it was clever.
So far I have no complaints at about my new toy. Well recommended.
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Pine SM-200C+
by faizamansoor
This mp3/cd player was worth every penny I paid for it (£123 from www.a2zcomputers.com). It comes with a carry case, a lead to connect it to your hi fi, very good headphones & a battery charger. The player uses built in rechargeable batteries, like a mobile phone, you just plug in the charger to recharge it. I also got 1 CD of mp3s & ... some software to make mp3s using my computer. The antishock for mp3s is 50 sec, which is good. When I shake it hard, it still plays smoothly. Audio is 10 sec so when I shake it, it does jitter. Audio quality is just as good as mp3 quality sound wise. When you switch it on, it scans through all the directories on your mp3 cd, tells you how many songs there are then starts playing the 1st song in the 1st directory. In the LCD display it shows the name of the song playing using it’s ID3 tag. There’s a button to skip to the next directory. It plays CDRW too which is great because if you have a writer then you can change what you listen to as many times as you want without waisting CDs & since a CD holds about 100 mp3s, this is a great feature. This is a very good value mp3 player & especially at the price I got it at, about £60 cheaper than the average shop price.
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