I didn't buy it, but I wouldn't be disappointed if I had
Written: Oct 23 '01 (Updated Dec 15 '01)
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Pros: Great rugged case, *UNSKIPPABLE*, Waterproof, Analogue Volume control
Cons: TOO MUCH BASS, Sony's infamous "noise minimiser", buttons placed badly
The Bottom Line: Buy it, keep the reciept, but use it to the max and make a decision accordingly.
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| JDooty1234's Full Review: Sony Walkman D-SJ15 Personal CD Player |
Ok, ok, I know that my last review on a Sony product (Vaio FX215) said that I would never buy another Sony product, but I recieved the Sony S-DJ15 Discman for my birthday on the 20th of October, and I must say that overall I am pleasantly suprised. Read on.
First of all, rundown of features: Waterproof "sport" casing made to take beatings, hand strap, G-Protection skip protection, 64 Track RMS programming, Two bass levels, AC adapter, CD-R compatible (not CD-RW).
Next, individual points:
Casing: I love the snap design. Yesterday I took the CD player out for a "shock test", by strapping it with the supplied hand strap to the fork on the handlebars of my mountain bike. The hand strap held tight, the CD player got nary a scratch, the case never popped open due to rough shock. I must say, the snap door is impressively sturdy, made of a metal, not some cheap flimsy plastic. The edges of the top are lined with about 2mm of plastic that creates a kind of suction, ensuring no dust or water gets inside once the snap is locked. Once you open the door, a metal swivel arm at the back locks the door open when you fully open it, and it stays there.
All the buttons on the front of the player are recessed into the actual plastic, and you almost have to be looking at the player to press them, the method of "feel the button through the pants pocket material" doesn't work as the buttons are located in weird places and they're all oblong, the play button feels like the rounded window in front of the time display.
All in all, it won't fall apart anytime soon.
Skip Protection: Like I said, I strapped this bad boy to the handlebars of my mountain bike, and then I rode for two hours over smooth and rough terrain alike, and the player *NEVER SKIPPED ONCE*!! I have never been able to honestly say without exception that a portable CD player has not skipped during one of my torture tests (besides the obvious "take the CD off the pivot and count the seconds till music stops" tests I do) until this day. This factor here has singlehandedly renewed some of my trust in Sony. The problem with this player compared to others is the fact that the error correction is not as good as the Panasonics I have owned. Sony is fairly incapable of surpassing Panasonic here, and I expected that opening the package.
Sound: Again, Sony has disappointed me. I thought that the analogue volume control, Sony had given up the fight against hearing loss. I was wrong, this player has the same problem with butchering sound in spades. I think that perhaps the method they use to encode the music on to a chip (perhaps a bad compression algorithm) has trouble, as MP3 at 64 KB or lower does, with some frequencies. The first CD I popped into the player was Creed's "Human Clay". The fourth track, "Say I", starts out heavy on the hi-hat of the drum set, and the sound, especially with the bass up all the way, sounds like a tape that has been crunched fairly badly by a player. I don't remember any other player butchering sound this badly, and I must subtract some major points for this oversight.
Other: The only other problem I have with this player is that it is too large to fit in the pocket of most of my pairs of pants, which is where all my CD players rest while riding my bike. I didn't subtract any points for this, because it's not supposed to ride in the comfort of your pocket, it's meant to be shaken and beaten. It just kinda annoyed me. :)
Summary: I will update this periodically, but as of 10-23-2001, I'd say go for it, but keep the reciept, and get a warranty if possible. I have posted rave reviews for Sony CD players before that have turned into pieces of crap within months, but right now, this beats the Panasonic for the best skip-protection out there. If you are an audiophile, as I am, I warn you: prepare to be disgusted by poor sound. If you are an athlete (runner/biker) as I somewhat am, prepare to be dazzled by the unskippableness (is that a word?) of this player. If you are someone who can't afford this player, go for the Panasonic I reviewed a couple months ago.
*****UPDATE*****
It's now 11-4-2001, and I have not had any major problems. I have noticed the skip protection wig out a couple times, but those times were once when I was full out running (and that happened once, but another time it played right on through while I ran, keep in mind this is in the pocket of my pants), and another time when I think the batteries were dying. Like I said, this thing is made to take pain, and it sure does. Battery life remains acceptable too. Stay tuned for further updates.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): jack (B-day)
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Epinions.com ID:
JDooty1234
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Member: John Wallace
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 1 member
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