I recently had the opportunity to put my new Sony CD-changer to the ultimate field test - a multi-car pileup and vehicle roll-over. Now I grant you, this was not a planned experiment, but it's all the more valid for it's adherence to un-biased testing procedures.

I've owned a number of car cd players, including Kenwood and Alpine, with mixed results. Features no longer differentiate them - 8x oversampling and wireless remotes are as ubiquitous as the gum-chewing sales geeks trying to push them on me. What matters to me is one thing: When I hit the bumps, will I have to hear that chorus again... and again... and again...

The Sony product is one of the first to wow me! Not only is the design functional and compact, small enough to fit under the back seat of my Cherokee next to the tire jack, but its sturdy design even looks bulletproof. As for the performance, well, back to my story...

Having just dialed up a new Dave Grisman disc on the compact remote control, I glanced left to see an out-of-control beemer careening towards me from the outside lane. Though I tried to swerve from his path, the BMW broadsided me, throwing my Jeep first into a spin and then into a roll. When the dust cleared, I was hanging upside down in my seatbelt, no lights, no windows, stalled engine, but the sweet sounds of the Grisman Quintet still floating out of the speakers without so much as a nod to my new situation.

When they finally towed away my much-altered vehicle, all I recovered was my bike helmet and my new Sony CD Changer, which, I might add, is highly mobile and easy to install / de-install. Not a scratch, and still playing.



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 350