Sony D-CJ01: Pure Garbage

[gratner]

I just picked up this player tonight from Circuit City since I thought I'd read some good things about it.

I was looking to upgrade over my TDK Mojo CD/MP3 I currently have since it has a few problems (MP3 decoding is suspect, won't change tracks on regular CDs sometimes) and I think it's a bit thin in the midrange.

Boy was I wrong. I hooked up the line-out on the Sony D-CJ01 through my Headroom Little to my Beyerdynamic 770 Pros.

What came out of the headphones was extremely dissappointing. A muffled mess to say the least. This has got to be the worst sounding piece of garbage I've ever heard... at $129.99 no less!?!

This thing makes the TDK Mojo sound like a home unit.

The Sony does look impressive but that's ALL it has going for it. Luckily, Circuit City has a 30 day return policy so this baby is going back first thing Saturday.

I guess I'm stuck with the TDK Mojo for the time being, but I guess I can appreciate it a bit more. I think the Mojo does sound better (a bit fuller) with regular CDs than it does playing MP3s.

I could always drag my Toshiba DVD-Audio home unit into work, however I'm sure that will cause a few double takes. I'll do it if I have to though!

Glenn

 

[D-EJ915]

You should've gotten the iRiver slimX instead, it's really small (915 size...lol)

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Seems like Sony has been having quality-control problems with many of its portable CD units of late. And it looks as if Sony's factory in Malaysia - where the D-CJ01 was made - has resorted to choosing the cheapest (to Sony) circuits for even the line-out.

The result? Bloated lower mids, rolled-off bass AND treble, and a collapsed, semi-squashed soundstage and detail separation.

No wonder why even Panasonic's high-end portable CDPs are much more consistent from sample to sample than any of Sony's players.

 

[Leeco]

gratner,
The original (first) Exonion has some problems with latest LAME codecs, so try to avoid them. You can use others codecs, which should sound the same at highest settings I believe.
I know that LAME is all that now, but I don't hear the difference. If you want the highest quality, use redbook audio.

 

[jaskin]

Quote:

Originally posted by Eagle_Driver Seems like Sony has been having quality-control problems with many of its portable CD units of late. And it looks as if Sony's factory in Malaysia - where the D-CJ01 was made - has resorted to choosing the cheapest (to Sony) circuits for even the line-out.

Hi Eagle Driver,

Should Sony Corp have the final say and approval of which parts to use? I doubt you can blame the Factory based on region or location.

J

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Heh... my CJ01 does have a lower noise floor than the SlimX

I do instinctively find it sounding a bit worse than my D-EJ725 though

 

[gratner]

Maybe I just didn't have enough to compare it to, but my TDK Mojo actually sounds pretty good through the line-out.

It has a tendency to sound a bit thin in the midrange but that's often depending on the source.

I watched a Sony D-311 go for $293 on Ebay last night. Too rich for me right now anyhow.

I bet the guy who sold that on auction got a nice surprise when the bidding went from $71.00 to $293 in that last 3 minutes!

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally posted by jaskin Hi Eagle Driver, Should Sony Corp have the final say and approval of which parts to use? I doubt you can blame the Factory based on region or location. J

Actually, all of the D-CJ01s that I've ever seen were made in Malaysia.

 

[jaskin]

LOL, well I can't speak for the factory but shouldn't Sony be blamed for the lack of quality parts instead of the factory?