( 50 reviews )
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Posted: Aug 12 2009
A good little player but it didn't last me as long as any of my previous portables. The batteries are inconveniently located and, worse, this machine doesn't play mp3 cds. Shouldn't that be standard now?
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( 1 of 3 found this review helpful ) Posted: Aug 4 2009
My brother is a 74 year old Korean war vet that paid cash for this unit at a Circuit City store which is no longer in business. And of course, he can't find his receipt. He has vision problems, so he was going to use it for "audio books." After logging no more than 4 hours on the machine over less than a year, the unit succumbed to the dreaded "no disc" error message. When he came by my place with the unit a couple days ago, I tried everything I could to revive it, but to no avail. After Goggling the unit by model number, I found numerous complaints about the "no disc" error and motor failure. I've owned Sony equipment before, and can't remember anything failing so prematurely. And be forewarned....... you've only got a 90 day warranty on parts and labor. After that, I believe it's parts for one year. But with a minimum labor rate of $29, it becomes a throw-away. From a design standpoint, the very, very small digital readout is super hard to see. The buttons are along the edge of the unit; hard to easily read. (Sure, after awhile, if the unit doesn't die, and continues to operate, you can learn their position and function.) The battery case is located under the levered top, and under the CD. Most players have it on the underside of the unit for easy access. I wasn't very impressed with the design at all. Unfortunately, this unit did fail after less than 4 hours of use since its purchase. Because it was out of warranty, and my brother didn't have his receipt, all I could do was call Sony and ask for "special dispensation", so to speak. Long story short.... I tried one hour of on-line text chat, which was a total waste. I'm afraid I was texting someone in a boiler room in Bombay. This AM, I called Sony customer support, thinking I'd get a domestic supervisor. What I got was the Phillipines. Bottom line, Sony doesn't have anyone to hear "your story." So if you don't have a receipt, and you feel you still have a case...... you better take them to small claims court, because their customer service reads out of a script. My recommendation on this poorly engineered unit is DON'T BUY IT. I'd rather go with a Chinese knockoff at a third of the price. At least if it breaks, you can buy a new one for less than the Sony labor rate of $29 to get this unit fixed! That's right...... they offered me $29 billing for labor if I wanted to send it back.. but the rep again said that I'd need the receipt. Hell, you can buy this unit new for $35 on Amazon.... not that I'd do that, but the labor exceeds the value of a new unit. Welcome to CATCH-22 by Sony........ UGHH!!!
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Posted: Jun 27 2009
I've had several portable cd players over the years, and this one is by far my favorite. The skip protection is wonderful--I've had so much trouble trying to find another player that doesn't skip. The one I had like this just broke, and I'm going to buy another one here, because I can't find them anywhere else. I saw that another reviewer had trouble with the sound quality. My reccomendation would be to get a pair of simple sony earbuds in the winding hold case. But be sure to put the pads on, because they make all the difference. I now keep at least two pairs of these earbuds in my house, in case one breaks. These earbuds produce the best sound quality that I've been able to find in earphones or headphones, and I've been through more than my fair share looking for good sound quality. If you have the right earphones, you won't need to disable the skip protection. Can I say enough about the skip protection on this player? And full skip protection, not just 60 or 120 seconds. FULL skip protection, which is good for me cause I'm incredibly clumsy, even just sitting somewhere; I'm constantly bumping tables and books and such, and the skipping on most players is just atrocious. Anyway, I'll shut up because I'm sure you get the idea of how much I love this player. I'm going to go buy one right now. Finally.
