Lack of an iPod made this thing indispensable...
Written: Sep 04 '06 (Updated Sep 05 '06)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
|
|
| Durability: |
|
|
| Portability: |
|
|
| Battery Life: |
 |
|
|
Pros: recharges Ni-MH batteries, inline remote control, sound quality, headphones
Cons: volume buttons a little small, no AC adapter included
The Bottom Line: This is one of the best $40 I've ever spent. Although I now have an iPod, I can't even bear to sell this. It's just that fabulous!
|
|
|
| collegegrrl's Full Review: Aiwa XP-EV501R Personal CD Player |
I've just recently found this product listed in Epinions, so my review is a little late in coming. I normally wouldn't review such an old product, but my love for this portable CD player supersedes any doubt I may have.
I bought this discman (I call it such in this review because "CD player" is more cumbersome to repeatedly write) on semi-impulse while on a family vacation. My Koss player had lasted through two years of extreme abuse, and it completely died on me on a long car trip through southern Indiana. It was time for a replacement. I was only a sophomore in college, so an iPod was completely out of the the question, and other MP3 players had usability and quality issues that in no way could justify the price.
I was at Wal-Mart, about to spend $20 on a Durabrand (Wal-Mart's own brand) discman, when I saw this thing. It's been awhile, but I believe I paid $40 for it.
I don't typically spend a lot on portable electronics. They get knocked around, and I can't justify $100 for a cd player just because it says "Sony" on it. That being said, $40 was a fairly substantial financial commitment for me.
Now that you know the background, let me tell you the rest of the story...
In the packaging (one of those lethally sharp-edged plastic bubble packs) you'll find the typical user's guide booklet, warranty registration card, and federally-mandated warning cards about excess volume levels, batteries, etc. Also included is a pair of neckband-style headphones and a wired remote control.
The player itself is shaped like a CD - perfectly round. The controls are well-laid out, with the primary buttons similar to an iPod - a circle with backward/forward skip on the sides, play/pause at the top, and stop at the bottom. The discman is also equipped with buttons to change play mode (repeat and shuffle), sound (bass boost), hold (lock the buttons), and volume. The volume buttons could be a little bigger, but the included remote nullifies this issue. There is also a 4.5V DC input jack at the rear, as well as a plastic cutout to attach a wrist strap.
What about the functionality? A discman is just a discman if all it does is play CDs, right?
Like, so, like, untrue. Like, you know?
The bass boost on this CD player is not like others. Instead of "on" or "off", there are two boost options. If your music is a little bass-heavy already, you can activate the first bass boost level, while treble-heavy tracks might better benefit from the second boost level.
Play modes are standard to most CD players - repeat one or repeat all, shuffle, and program, which allows you to select the order the tracks are played.
The included remote control is very intuitive and easy to use. It's long and narrow with a plastic clip on the back, making it easy to attach to a backpack strap. The remote has its own hold button, as well as back/forward skip buttons, volume slider, and sound (bass boost) button. Having never had a discman with an inline remote, I found this to be one of my favorite features of this model.
Most consumers have come to expect portable audio devices to come with very low-end headphones. Aiwa exceeds all and any expectations. The included neckband-style headphones carry remarkable bass for stock headphones, even with the bass boost activated, and they wear very comfortably - this coming from someone who wears glasses! I'm not saying you couldn't drop $50 on a pair of Sennheiser PX-200s and get better sound, but you get the whole package for $40 with this Aiwa player.
My absolute favorite feature of this player, though, is its ability to recharge Ni-MH rechargeable AA batteries. I happened to have a 4.5v AC adapter that fit this player's power jack, but you can always try RadioShack or eBay if you don't have the right one handy. You simply plug in the player and press and hold the "stop" button until the battery icon on the display starts flashing, showing that the batteries are charging. In addition to outstanding battery life, the convenience of never having to actually remove the batteries to charge them sold me on this product. Many portable devices get mediocre battery life with rechargeable AAs, but this is really made for them.
My final say? This is the best portable CD player I have ever owned, used, or seen. While many discmans play MP3-CDs or other compressed audio formats, I'd still rather use my Aiwa EV501R any day. If you need MP3 capability, you're better off buying a portable music player, like a Creative Zen or Apple iPod.
As I mentioned before, the volume buttons could be a little more ergonomic, but other than that, there's nothing to dislike about this thing.
If you happen to run into one of these on clearance somewhere, pick it up. You won't regret it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 40
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
collegegrrl
|
|
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Reviews written: 22
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
I'm a tech head. So sue me.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2010 Shopping.com, Inc.