Let's Play the RATE THE CD PORTABLE Game
Jul 8, 2003 at 7:18 AM Post #16 of 40
For another thing...I just thought of this - you talked earlier about wanting the player to have plenty of power at high volumes, especially for subway travel. Have you ever thought about whether playing at such volumes would be damaging to your ears? Just checking. ^_^ You may want to invest in some isolating headphones in the long run.

I find it interesting, looking in the archives, that Eagle_Driver posted a very similar thread almost a year ago...things never change.
biggrin.gif


I'm going to have to go with Duncan at this point and recommend that you try to get an older one. Searches regarding your short list players are turning up nothing but mixed reviews. Among those you have left, I can only possibly (hesitantly) recommend the D-FJ401, which sells for $30-50 and is relatively easy to find. Take a look at this page (http://www.fixup.net/tips/PCDP/index.htm) for more info (this guy is known on this board for his Supermini headphone amplifiers). This may be the best you're going to get for your price range and criteria if you eliminate the higher end, older Sony models.

Maybe you could sell your two craptastic players for $40ish on eBay and use that plus the rest you were thinking of spending to get a D-777 or D-E905. Really, those two fit your needs.

If you're still opposed to this, here's what you do: buy a used D-FJ401 on eBay. "Audition" it, and if you don't like it, list it on eBay again. If you do like it, then your search is over. I'd say it's worth a try.
 
Jul 8, 2003 at 8:45 AM Post #17 of 40
Quote:

Originally posted by ismschism

CATEGORY 1
============
Sony:
-------
DE-J50


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3335001575

Quote:

Originally posted by ismschism

CATEGORY 2:
===========

Sony:
------
D-2
D-211
D-303
D-308
D-321
D-335
D-350
D-33
D-35
D-515
D-465
D-900
D-E905


I know the D-33, D-35/350 (they're absolutely identical, D-35 was the designation for the US market) and the D-303. They all can operate on AAs. The D-33 has an internal compartment for 4 batteries, the D-35 uses an internal BP-5 battery pack which is no longer available or an external battery case taking 2 AAs. The 303 uses an internal BP-2EX battery which is still available (same as the D-25). The internal compartment features a quite ingenious slider which converts it to take 2AAs. Don't expect miracles in battery life from either, about 4hours should be realistic. The 303 sounds great but has a rather wimpy 5mW/16 Ohm headphone output. The D-33 has a very strong headphone out, sounds quite good and can be found for quite cheap (although we're working on it, first auctions have been reported to break the 40$ barrier). The D-35 has a somewhat weaker headphone amp, but is still strong enough to drive HD600s quite effortlesslsy. From the headphone out this is the best of the three, much more compact than the D-33, lot of features, very solidly built. Usually goes for maybe 50-70$ on ebay. None of these features antishock, but if they're properly adjusted (which however may very well be out of whack after more than a decade) could be carried around without skipping (quite ironically the D-5 is the least skippy I've seen so far. It wouldn't even notice any blow I've had the heart to give it).

Or in short:
D-35>D-33>D-303 (from the headphone out)

Edit:
Look out for the D-99 as well. Good sound (about on par with the 33), headphone amp seems to be the same as the D-35, takes 2 internal AAs. A little larger than the 35, but still quite compact, build quality is excellent.
 
Jul 8, 2003 at 9:01 AM Post #18 of 40
> For another thing...I just thought of this - you talked earlier about wanting the player to have plenty of power at > high volumes, especially for subway travel. Have you ever thought about whether playing at such volumes
> would be damaging to your ears? Just checking. ^_^

Have I ever balked at whether paying such doll plumes repeat "I'm a Gene" to my peers? Damn, that doesn't even make any sense?? Oh. You mean about the VOLUME? Yeah, I've thought about it. And in my thoughts, I'm killing all the executives responsible at Sony for foisting this useless, unwanted AVLS crap on all consumers of CD portables; and those at all the other PCDP companies that followed suit. Slowly and painfully. If I'm supposed to be worried about damage from listening to headphones at what Sony et al. considers loud volumes, then let's just say I like to live dangerously. I've listened to headphones all my life at what the patriarchs at Sony, Panasonic et al. would consider dangerously loud volumes (so nice of them to watch out for my personal welfare.... I'm sure it isn't motivated by their blind greed or anything), and yet I'm still able to discern the sonic differences between one DAE software and another. Among other things. So no, I'm not worried about that. The ringing usually stops anyway after a few weeks, so that's just overblown.

> I'm going to have to go with Duncan at this point and recommend that you try to get an older one. Searches > regarding your short list players are turning up nothing but mixed reviews.

Surely the portable audio enthusiasts in these forums must have found *something* decent to listen to in the portable CD field that was released since the invention of the transistor radio?! I can fully understand the fact that "they don't make 'em like they used to", but I'll still be okay with myself if I don't have the absolute best cd walkman ever made in the history of the world. So long as it trounces what I already have, can play all my CD's and doesn't wimp out on the volume output. I always thought that the Pana SX-320 I bought would not be bad at all if it could only be tweaked in a couple of ways (a little more volume and musicality).

>Among those you have left, I can only possibly (hesitantly) recommend the D-FJ401, which sells for $30-50 >and is relatively easy to find.

Why hesitantly? Is it the volume or sound quality? I've read a lot about it, and the D-FJ401 has a lot of appealing characteristics to me so I was always very keen on it. But if it sounds worse than any of the Panasonic models or is as weak in volume as my Sony PSYC, then I can live without its features.

>Take a look at this page (http://www.fixup.net/tips/PCDP/index.htm) for more info (this guy is known on this >board for his Supermini headphone amplifiers). This may be the best you're going to get for your price range >and criteria if you eliminate the higher end, older Sony models.

Actually, this page was what initially started me considering the D-FJ401 (before I wandered into HeadFi and learned about how many other good sounding models existed, which really sent my "shortlist" into a tailspin)

>Maybe you could sell your two craptastic players for $40ish on eBay and use that plus the rest you were >thinking of spending to get a D-777 or D-E905. Really, those two fit your needs.

I know they're the two best loved players here, and the ones that keep getting recommended, but its just not a practical choice for me. They're both rare and in high demand. Which means it'll be a long time before I find one of those, and when I do, 50 other people will also want it (thanks to the guys at Head-Fi for continuing to insist that they're the only real options for serious audiophiles on a portability kick!). And I'm afraid my competition will have deeper pockets than I do. Particulary if they haven't already wasted $200 on craptastic PCDP's. There's a time factor here too (complicated reasons), so I really need something that's, as you say, relatively easy to find. This is why I didn't put anything too esoteric on my short shortlist.

>If you're still opposed to this, here's what you do: buy a used D-FJ401 on eBay. "Audition" it, and if you don't >like it, list it on eBay again. If you do like it, then your search is over. I'd say it's worth a try.

I know I could always sell what I buy on ebay (usually at a loss), but for this third try, I really want to try to get it right the first time. That's why I'm doing such intense research. Otherwise, I find it just ends up to be a rather expensive way to audition cd players. I know what I want, it's just a matter of trying to determine in advance of actually hearing the unit, whether it is what I want. BTW, thanks for all your comments. I'm taking it all in, and more!
 
Jul 8, 2003 at 2:42 PM Post #19 of 40
Quote:

Originally posted by ismschism
If there was one thing I thought I could be sure of from my research, it's that the Panasonic CT-470 was unanimously regarded as one of, if not the best sounding player of recent vintage (since the old Sony D-series). (I'm just not sure if the 570 is supposed to sound better). The 470 was in fact looking to me like the winning choice, possibly alongside Sony's D-FJ401. Yet you say the 470 sounds like hammered crap next to the newer ultra-long battery PCDP's, and I've never heard anything but bad things about the newer players in these circles, re: sound quality.

Which models are better than the 470? Which is the best sounding recent model to you? Did you have the blue cover 470 or silver cover? It sounds strange that it would be distorted at -any- volume; is it possible the batteries were dying when you heard this?


My batteries were NOT dying when I heard grainy, distorted, sh@tty sound out of the headphone jack of my SL-CT470, even at low volume settings. And mine is the silver model. Could it be that mine has become broken? Because just a few months into ownership, it sometimes stopped playing for no reason - and had to manually press Play just to coax it back to playing.

ismschism,
No wonder why both of your low-end PCDPs are craptacular: Both of them are made in China. Sony's low-end PCDPs have been like that for the past several years. But that Panasonic SL-SX320 (and its car-kit-equipped sibling) is the first Panasonic PCDP that is made in China - in fact, it is the first made somewhere other than Japan. So, that plant in China will always have some quality-control problems at the start.
 
Jul 8, 2003 at 4:48 PM Post #20 of 40
I have an original (black) TDK Mojo along with a newly acquired Sony D-E905 player.

It wasn't until I got the D-E905 that I finally found a player I was truly satisfied with as delivering damn good sounding audio. I'm running it as a deskbound along with a Headroom Little amp. It sounds terrific.

The Mojo, while good sounding compared to some recent models, doesn't have the detail of the D-E905 (muddy) and it is a bit thin in the midrange.

You're expecting a bit too much with the CD-RW and 90 minute overburn requirements, however for the most part the D-E905 or D-777 are probably your best bets.

The D-E905 plays CD-Rs fine.
 
Jul 8, 2003 at 5:40 PM Post #21 of 40
i dont think you should exclude the Iriver IMP-400 or 550 from your list. Ive got the 400 and with my grado sr125's it sounds very good. I have a good 2 channel stereo so i DO know what good sound sounds like (no supermega bass boomboxes here!) And the iriver puts out clean powerfull sound, i believe its rated at 8mw but it drives the grado's louder than i need at half volume. If you listend to mostly regular cds i think you can fit the battery stick in the case that comes with the cdp.
 
Jul 8, 2003 at 5:46 PM Post #22 of 40
Gratner...

It was me that mentioned the 90min CDs... just saying that on the CD players that i've tried, that the 99min CDs seemed to work with no problems...

...my bad for the confusion
frown.gif
 
Jul 8, 2003 at 6:43 PM Post #23 of 40
Quote:

Originally posted by Eagle_Driver
My batteries were NOT dying when I heard grainy, distorted, sh@tty sound out of the headphone jack of my SL-CT470, even at low volume settings. And mine is the silver model. Could it be that mine has become broken? Because just a few months into ownership, it sometimes stopped playing for no reason - and had to manually press Play just to coax it back to playing.


If you ALWAYS heard grainy distorted sound from your CT470, and you bought it new, then that might discount the idea that it "became" craptacular. Unless it was somehow a defective model. Otherwise, if it wasn't always poor sounding, then I consider its possible that as it broke down, so did the sound quality. Because I'm not getting similar remarks about distortion at low volumes on the CT470 from others who've heard it. And from all that I've read, it's the Sony's that suffer from graininess, not so much the Pana's.

Quote:


ismschism,
No wonder why both of your low-end PCDPs are craptacular: Both of them are made in China. Sony's low-end PCDPs have been like that for the past several years. But that Panasonic SL-SX320 (and its car-kit-equipped sibling) is the first Panasonic PCDP that is made in China - in fact, it is the first made somewhere other than Japan. So, that plant in China will always have some quality-control problems at the start.


I find it hard to believe my SX-320 is the first such Pana model made in China, since *everything* is being made in China these days! (Including American flags, no doubt). But in any event, it sounds the way it sounds (which really is quite impressive for the price), not because of its Chinese heritage or quality control problems. The demo model in the store sounded just like the one I brought home. Which sounded a lot better than the SX-420 MP3 model that cost more (in fact, it sounded better than anything I demo'ed in its price range in the store).
 
Jul 8, 2003 at 7:10 PM Post #24 of 40
Quote:

Originally posted by gratner
I have an original (black) TDK Mojo along with a newly acquired Sony D-E905 player.

It wasn't until I got the D-E905 that I finally found a player I was truly satisfied with as delivering damn good sounding audio. I'm running it as a deskbound along with a Headroom Little amp. It sounds terrific.

The Mojo, while good sounding compared to some recent models, doesn't have the detail of the D-E905 (muddy) and it is a bit thin in the midrange.

You're expecting a bit too much with the CD-RW and 90 minute overburn requirements, however for the most part the D-E905 or D-777 are probably your best bets.

The D-E905 plays CD-Rs fine.


As I mentioned in a previous messge, while I'm sure I would find the D-E905 and D-777's to be fine-sounding players, they're not a practical choice for me, even if they could play CDRW and overburned CD-R's. They're very rare and in high demand, and will no doubt be quite expensive to obtain. I need to get something within the next two weeks. Maybe down the road, if I get some decent scratch for all my current players, I'll be on the lookout for some of the older classic Sony's, now that I know more about them.

Even for now, I am thinking of also getting a cheap but good older player (that will not play CDRW's), for whatever benefits it might bring that a newer player won't; perhaps an older Kenwood. But I find it hard to believe that there's nothing that sounds good that was made since the D-777, and can play CD-RW's (apparently from what I'm hearing here, 90 minute CD-R's may not be that difficult to play, even on older machines). If it doesn't have the last word in detail, okay, so long as the player is -musical- with a good strong headphone amp (built-in!), and at least reminiscent of the term "audiophile quality". I'm not so sure I'd be crazy about the old Sony PCDP's anyway. After all, I never cared for their home CD players of that (or any) period; the Japanese always seem to have an analytical bent when it comes to sound quality.

OTOH, a number of people are recommending the iRiver SlimX 550 (or 350?). I know it can play CD-RW's and a whole bunch of other things, so it doesn't seem like it would have trouble with 90m CD-R's either. Its rather pricey I imagine, because of all the bells and whistles (that I don't really need), but I might be able to find one cheap enough used. It never came up though in my pre-HeadFi research as a great sounding player, so I'm wondering how it would stack up to some of the older models; ie.

Sony D-FJ401
Panasonic Anything (ie. SL-CT570/470, SX-500)
iRiver SlimX imp550
TDK Mojo 620

(n.b. I'm guessing the TDK isn't good enough to compare to these others, but from what I've read, the early black Mojo's aren't as good as the blue Mojo 620's in any way).
 
Jul 9, 2003 at 6:40 PM Post #26 of 40
Jul 9, 2003 at 7:22 PM Post #27 of 40
The day I'll have won that D-J50 auction and find out the seller forgot to mention an "E" in the model number, you'll see somebody go berserk...
 
Jul 9, 2003 at 7:34 PM Post #28 of 40
Just my two cents. I wouldn't cross the 470 off the list completely. I have had two of them, and they both sounded fine. It seems however, that there is variation in quality depending on the unit you get. If you can still find the 460 anywhere, I really loved that unit.
 
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