[Jimothy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by seeberg I thought that way when I had my old RioVolt SP90, boy that WAS a POS... good thing iRiver made the best CD players I had seen to date, but damnit iRiver, don't jump the shark on CD players yet!

Just for the record, all of the RioVolts were rebadged iRivers.

 

[seeberg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimothy Just for the record, all of the RioVolts were rebadged iRivers.

I know, but that particular one was so fussy and ate batteries like a stingy mofo. It also was VERY picky about what kind of burned CD it would play. It had no firmware upgrades and its build quality sucks in comparison.
My SlimX350 has none of those problems. The only thing I ever bought for it was a new set of Sanyo twicells, because after two years the originals couldn't hold a lengthy charge.

,
Abe

 

[D-EJ915]

Quote:

Originally Posted by seeberg I know, but that particular one was so fussy and ate batteries like a stingy mofo. It also was VERY picky about what kind of burned CD it would play. It had no firmware upgrades and its build quality sucks in comparison. My SlimX350 has none of those problems. The only thing I ever bought for it was a new set of Sanyo twicells, because after two years the originals couldn't hold a lengthy charge. , Abe

AAAH, NOOO!!! I remember that foul beat which defiled my headphones for a while. It took like 2 minutes to load up a cd. The volume was pathetic and its equalizer was poo, also I went through two of them before I was like..no more.

 

[seeberg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-EJ915 AAAH, NOOO!!! I remember that foul beat which defiled my headphones for a while. It took like 2 minutes to load up a cd. The volume was pathetic and its equalizer was poo, also I went through two of them before I was like..no more.

! Same here! It was not quality like iRiver is now, not by a longshot--I'm still on my first one, 2 years after I bought it, and no replaced parts, warranty service or anything. The warranty expired last month, and it still goes strong- it's practically good as new since I got my new batteries.

I can only imagine how killer the digital out on the 550 and 900(?) would have been..

,
Abe

 

[waltchan]

Which one has a better sound quality, Bose PM-1 or Sony D-211?

 

[D-EJ915]

Quote:

Originally Posted by waltchan Which one has a better sound quality, Bose PM-1 or Sony D-211?

I've never even used the 211 but I can blatantly say that it sounds WAY better than the bose one.

 

[kevinsinnott]

I haven't heard the D211, but I own the D555 and use it extensively, and I'd say the two are quite close and, at this moment, using my Beyer DT990s, I prefer the Bose. It has an openness and lack of any hardness that is superior to the D555. The D555 has a now-old chipset. I do not hear the bloatedness others report, but I'm comparing it to my Wheatfiled HA1, which has a tube sound. I also have other tube electronics so I may find "bloatedness" an attribute

. I know I've been quite happy with its sound. I haven't really answered your question of course, as you asked about the D211. But, I also caution against taking anyone's advice too seriously unless they use headphones identical to yours, and have similar tastes, as fun as it is to compare notes.

 

[D-EJ915]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevinsinnott I also caution against taking anyone's advice too seriously unless they use headphones identical to yours, and have similar tastes, as fun as it is to compare notes.

YES YES YES!!

I'd say my D-12 is just plain much clearer and has a better soundstage...and it's way louder

 

[kevinsinnott]

I sure agree with louder, if the D12 is anything like the D555. I've never been able to take all it can give. I even purchased a Radio Shack inline volume control because I could not bring the volume down low enough to protect my ears!
My biggest concern was an earlier post where you indicated you'd tried the Bose with only one set of headphones, possibly the supplied one and, that might have caused a less-than-full analysis.

Bose seems to get knocked a lot, and, although I've never even heard an in-home Bose system, I am open minded, particularly since I assume the unit is built by a third party company and simply branded Bose, or does anyone else know otherwise?

 

[seeberg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevinsinnott Bose seems to get knocked a lot, and, although I've never even heard an in-home Bose system, I am open minded, particularly since I assume the unit is built by a third party company and simply branded Bose, or does anyone else know otherwise?

I'm pretty sure this is built in Mexico or China(Bose no longer imports their reference Westborough line from Japan, unfortunately) and built specifically for Bose. The primary eason being, I've never seen that huge of an LCD screen on any other CD player, ever. Not even the Rio players out there (SP250?) had screens that big.

,
Abe

 

[Onix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by seeberg I'm pretty sure this is built in Mexico or China(Bose no longer imports their reference Westborough line from Japan, unfortunately) and built specifically for Bose. The primary eason being, I've never seen that huge of an LCD screen on any other CD player, ever. Not even the Rio players out there (SP250?) had screens that big. , Abe

Where in Mexico???

I don´t really think so. Anyway, I would bet for China instead.

 

[seeberg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Onix Where in Mexico??? I don´t really think so. Anyway, I would bet for China instead.

If you look at the packaging of Bose products, you can verify where their stuff is made. My former HT system by Bose was made pretty much entirely in Mexico, and I'm under the impression that that manufacturing source has not changed(neither has Bose quality) since then. More sources may have been added, but I should check into that. I have no clue where specifically in Mexico their stuff was made though. The only company with an absolue location I can figure out is Grado. Brooklyn, NY- and they have a street address for manufacture, service, support, pretty much the whole deal. Everything Grado is handled through Grado Labs.

,
Abe

 

[kevinsinnott]

Yes, I note on the machine's bottom a Made in China label. So that settles the origin. But does Bose actually design it, or rather does someone at Bose design it? Or is it just a work-for-hire? I know in some cases it is either in manufacturing. I've heard Sony is very hands-on in their broadcast division, but not necessarily so when it comes to boom boxes. Meanwhile, I'm very fond of this unit. I think it plays very well and I learned of it through Head-Fi, although the best accolades came from a Chinese fan. I can't measure all the parameters, but so far, I'd sure buy it again. Has anyone else had extensive listening use with this or know anything about it's electronics that could explain it's impression? Or am I just taking an active placebo, as they say in medicine?

 

[dkm24]

I read the reviews here about the Bose cd player and decided to buy one. Seems that a lot of people are buying the Triports and putting the cd player up on e-bay. This is where I bought mine($37). I see a lot of people are asking for current PCDP's that sound very well and I must admit this sounds good. They have really good detail and a nice soundstage. There is plenty of air around the instruments. In fact it seems to have more air than my old Sony's(D-25,D-303). The Sony's are warmer in sound, almost tube like at times but for a new PCDP and THE PRICE it is pretty hard to beat the Bose. They can be had for 30 to 50 bucks. Compare that to some of the asinine prices payed for the old Sony's and you have a PCDP that can't be beat. I would not compare this with the rest of the Bose line of products. Remember Optimus had one superstar

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkm24 I read the reviews here about the Bose cd player and decided to buy one. Seems that a lot of people are buying the Triports and putting the cd player up on e-bay. This is where I bought mine($37). I see a lot of people are asking for current PCDP's that sound very well and I must admit this sounds good. They have really good detail and a nice soundstage. There is plenty of air around the instruments. In fact it seems to have more air than my old Sony's(D-25,D-303). The Sony's are warmer in sound, almost tube like at times but for a new PCDP and THE PRICE it is pretty hard to beat the Bose. They can be had for 30 to 50 bucks. Compare that to some of the asinine prices payed for the old Sony's and you have a PCDP that can't be beat. I would not compare this with the rest of the Bose line of products. Remember Optimus had one superstar

does it have a line output?