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Jul 16 '01
The Bottom Line CD players are inexpensive, useful ways of listening to great sounding digital media. Picking one out can be a bit confusing if you don't know what to look for.
So, buying a portable CD player huh? Well, you COULD go read one of the several billion other opinions out there, or you could be nice and read mine! But never fear, I actually have some intelligent things to say!
Buying a portable CD player isn't as big a deal as everyone may think. Due to MP3 and Minidisk, CDs had a brief stint where the became pretty unpopular and useless. Until the introduction of CD Writables and Rewritables, CDs were too 'outdated' for our wonderful standards. Well guess what everybody? Now with the introduction of MP3-CDs, Minidisk and MP3s can take a hike.
I say it's not a big deal though, simply because CD players aren't expensive. You can get super CD players for 150 dollars. You can get decent ones anywhere from 30 to 100 dollars. MP3-CD players can be a bit pricey, but, as I shall explain, it will be worth it.
Now, to start off, you have your normal, run-of-the-mill CD player. It's got standard stuff, nothing big or fancy, average pricing with AC adapter and headphones; 50-60 dollars. Not bad at all. You have CD players with extra features, better sound, better processors, BUILT IN SPEAKERS (my recommendation), basically anything fancy. Average pricing for a fancy shmancy CD player; around 100 dollars. Then you got Sport CD players, excellent anti-skip features, awesome physical looks, and overall just a nice, perfectly working CD player. Average pricing I've seen; around 130-140 dollars. Then you get weird...
MP3-CDs are the latest rage. Storing a condensed song on a CD, taking up minimal room, allows for one CD to hold around 10 hours of music. With that advantage, comes disadvantage. Only certain players are MP3-CD equipped, only they can play these CDs. You need a computer, normal CDs don't require any computer, but you need one for MP3-CDs, this includes the computer itself, a CD burner, and, of course, MP3s. If you don't know what an MP3 is, stay away from these monsters, it's a confusing world out there.
Standard CD players (normal ones, fancy ones, and Sport players) offer... standard features. They all play factory CDs, anything you buy at Target or WalMart. Most play CD-R, personally, I have never come across a player that does not play CD-R, including my dad's 1986 five disc carousel player. And some very nice players play CD-RW. This is nice since you can make a CD to use for a few days, then erase it and start over. Most of these players will be marked quite obviously with a 'CD-RW Compatible'. Duh. Sport players are for... sporty people! They have physical designs that limit skipping in quick moving situations. For joggers especially. The anti-skip features are designed for longer battery life and better protection, this is how they jack it up to 150 dollars. I just want to say something now... people expect their normal CD players to be skip-free when they go jogging. Get a grip. There is no way to STOP a CD player from skipping. Technology can only do so much. If you want a skip-free experience, they make MP3 players. That's why I got mine. You can't expect your CD not to skip if you're a serious jogger, so stop bashing the companies who design these 'totally skippy CD players' that don't work. Start looking into MP3/Minidisk players. They don't skip, so leave the CDs alone. And despite common myth, MP3-CDs are NOT skip-free. It is still a CD that's being spun around while a laser reads it. A true skip-free MP3 player uses digital memory with no moving parts, make sure you know what you're buying.
Like I said, buying a CD player just isn't a big deal anymore. They're reasonably priced, downright cheap if you ask me, and they serve their purpose very, very well. But make sure you know what you want, then go buy one. Some people only need a cheap CD player, some people want ten hours of music. But make sure you understand what you're buying, why, and where. And if you don't understand, ask! People at stores like Best Buy are usually more than happy to explain all the techno stuff. Take it from me, I had a guy at Circuit City set me down and talk to me for 20 minutes to get me started on MP3 techniques and uses. They know the stuff, you should too!
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Epinions.com ID:
Biggs219
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Member: Brian
Location: St. Paul, MN
Reviews written: 24
Trusted by: 33 members
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