Decent player, but don't buy simply for the Sony name
Written: Mar 06 '03
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Pros: MP3 Capability and great skip resistance
Cons: Poor sound quality, slow MP3 response
The Bottom Line: Unless this is your only option, I'd seriously consider another player -- you're almost guaranteed to get a better
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| mrblod's Full Review: Sony Walkman D-CJ500 Personal CD Player |
When my old portable CD player (a Sony Discman from around 1994 or 1995) and the portable MiniDisc player that I used at the gym both died on me within a two-week period, I decided to get a single new player that would replace both broken ones.
I decided on the Sony CD Walkman D-CJ500 mainly because it would play MP3 discs and that it had a fantastic skip resistance (I currently run 2-3 miles with it!)
Ok, first the good stuff: the player does a great job of reading MP3 files (even VBR encoded ones) and utilizes ID3 information. In addition (like most Sony products), it displays CD-Text information. With its MP3 navigation interface, it's pretty easy to organize your MP3s and find what you're looking for. I fit all 13 of my R.E.M. CDs onto one disc and can easily find any song that I'm looking for! And like I eluded to earlier, you would have to beat this player with a baseball bat to make it skip. Perfect for placing on a treadmill and running. It also does a fine job with the various CD-Rs I have. Battery life is phenomenal! I'm on just my second set of AAs and I've had the player for about 7 months!
That being said, there are several negatives to this player.
Unfortunately, I hadn't bothered to check anyone's opinions/reviews on this player since I had previously been happy with Sony's performance. The first thing I noticed was that the sound quality was jarringly inferior to the two previous Sony portables I was replacing. Not just the headphones, but the sound quality in general. I used the same headphones from my old players and even bought a new set and was still disappointed with the way the D-CJ500 sounded.
In addition, the player is pretty bulky -- slightly bigger even than the 7 year old player it was replacing. Also, the player didn't have a pause button. I realize what Sony was trying to do by eliminating it, but it's kind of inconvenient to have to completely stop the disc from spinning and a few seconds later have to start spinning it again for something as simple as, for example, a flight attendant asking if you'd like a soda. The play button is also combined with the forward track button, but that hasn't been a big deal.
Also, when playing MP3 discs, the response time from file to file was annoyingly long -- the same disc in a 7 year old CD-ROM drive using Winamp didn't take any time at all to move from track to track. I don't know maybe Winamp cues the tracks up in memory or something, but I doubt it.
All in all, an OK player, but I really wish I had researched and looked at a few more of the players out on the market. I think for the $100 I paid, I could have gotten a much, much better player.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 100
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Epinions.com ID:
mrblod
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Reviews written: 2
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