Tough and Practical
Written: Apr 04 '00 (Updated Apr 04 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Rugged, practical, and with all sorts of clever features
Cons: Expensive, a little heavy
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| Ali_Wildgoose's Full Review: Sony Walkman D-ES51 Personal CD Player |
After my last Discman died on me, I decided something a little more rugged was in order. Though very nice to look at and fine for use on long bus rides, the previous model had several important flaws that led to its early retirement. I'm a college student in the city, and my stuff routinely gets lugged around in book bags, thrown into piles next to my bed, and stuffed into coat pockets for those long, cold walks to the dining hall.
The old player couldn't take the abuse. But not this puppy...OH no...
Lemme start with my favorite feature - the "lock" button. A neat trick that Sony came up with was to have the "play" key double as an on switch, so that to play a CD you only have to press one button. Which is nice, and all...unless the easily-disturbed little bugger gets bumped when it's in your bag. (You don't know how many times I reached for my old discman, only to discover the batteries had been used up overnight) The lock function puts an end to this sort of nonsense. When activated, it disables all the other buttons on your player, so that no amount of accidental bumping will make it skip a track while you're walking, or turn on when you kick it under the bed.
This sort of practical design sense applies to every aspect of the sport discman. A handy buckle (the silver thing in the picture above) snaps into place and keeps the cover closed; there are volume buttons instead of the usual dial, much easier to find and control when you're reaching into a bag or pocket; the water-tight design makes it impervious to any weather you might be caught in; and the rugged design helps it stand up to the worst of abuses, from being dropped onto the sidewalk to being stepped on by an oblivious roommate.
I'm absolutely in love with this thing. Yes, it's a little heavy side. Yes, it's a bit pricey. But if you're looking for a portable CD player than can take whatever life throws at it, this is the way to go.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID: Ali_Wildgoose
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Member: Ali Wilgus
Location: Boston, MA or NY, NY, depending
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 10 members
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