[Duncan]

So... how many of us are there?

Sure the D311 gets lots of richly deserved praise, quite a lot of that probably due to my review... but after grabbing a D211 on ebay the other day, it has to be said that this is highly likely going to replace the D311 as my top Discman choice (pending me moving from the brilliant headphone out, to see what the line out is like... for all I know the D211 line out could be a right lemon)

This unit is totally under-rated, seeing that there is only half a dozen posts refereincing it throughout all the head-fi posts...

If you get chance, pick one of these up! - don't let the plastic build quality put you off... its sound quality that counts

...unless you want to wait until i've tested the line out anyway?!

Back to the point (sorry... I'm rambling, whilst listening to Linkin' Park on the D211

) - Are there any other D211 owners here?

Thanks

 

[Duncan]

I guess i'm all alone then...

...all i'll tell any PCDP 'collector' is, to grab one of these as soon as possible... still haven't checked out the line out, but to my ears the headphone out is the best i've ever heard from a Discman... period!

 

[Pappucho]

Damn you Duncan, just when I thought my collector days were slowing, you go and find another hidden wonder. How portable is the D211 as it doesn't appear to have any ESP? I am adding it to my list of must haves now, how about the D111, is this model considered below the D211 and D311? Looks like I may as well start searching for one of these as well now before all of the hoopla begins.....

 

[jaskin]

Duncan, you're a bad influence

and I thought I was finish with collecting cd players

 

[puppyslugg]

Thanks, Duncan!! That's another Discman who's cost just shot thru the roof!!! Don't you know how to keep a secret? Sheesh!

 

[Duncan]

The D211 is just as portable (or not as the case may be) as the D311... except that the D211 runs off of two AAs. As long as you're not preparing to run a marathon, this Discman should be more than competent enough to go walking with, in an inside pocket...

...Why do I like the D211? - All other Discmen in my collection apart from the D5 are very smooth, with not too much in the way of agression, whereas the D211 can either be placid, and restrained ~ or else, when warranted can really dig deep... I'll explain further in my review...

Pappucho...

...I'm currently bidding on a D111... It has bass-boost, but no DDS so i'm not expecting miracles, especially with it being a base model... but seeing that the x11 series seems to have been celebrating 10 years of CD... you never know, Sony could've pulled out the stops

(The D111 appears to be more of an aesthetically pleasing model, from a picture i've seen ~ rather than maybe a sonic great... it has a metallic brown [bronze?] color, the same as the MDR-A22L VITE earphones that were produced at the same time)

 

[Gojira]

I also have a D-211, Duncan. An NIB unit. I have come very close to putting it on Ebay, but have been thinking about saving it for a friend. Unfortunately, for no apparent reason, it just stopped working completely. I will be quite interested to read your review of it.

 

[Duncan]

Gojira...

What were the symptoms before the unit stopped working?

 

[Gojira]

What were the symptoms before the unit stopped working?

No symptoms that I recall. It just died of natural causes I guess. Let's see, that makes 2 D-321s and a D-211 all of which died within a week of ownership. I dropped one of the D-321s onto a concrete floor, but it certainly leads me to believe that these vintage players are a bit fragile. They seem far more fragile than my DAT walkmen for instance.

 

[Duncan]

I definetly wouldn't trust throwing around the D211 as much as the D311... the plastic build quality of the cheaper player is a little poor compared to the metal housing of its bigger brother....

That being said, I'm quite happily listening to the D211 with my RS1s...

 

[Gojira]

Well, my D-211 just re-animated itself for awhile so that I could compare it against the D-515, D-311, D-777, and my recently acquired D-E905. Now it won't even power up (like before), but it was working for about 15 minutes, although it seemed to have trouble acquiring the disk, locking onto tracks, and with skipping frequently.

This player really does sound great. A worthy member of the class of '92. The soundstage is ultra wide and the treble is quite crisp, if perhaps a bit excessive. On my first listen I thought it was a bit bright, but now I think I was wrong. The player does still sound a bit thinner to me than the D-311 and the D-515 headphone outputs, but it has its own beautiful sound. I like it very much. I am going to try to compare it to one of my D-321s if I can get one to play. They are also both broken. My recollection was that I preferred the D-321 to the D-211. Either way these two players are just incredible sonic bargains at the prices they are currently selling for.

 

[Duncan]

Thanks for the impressions Gorija

I will eventually update my review to include the D211... something cropped up that has put me behind a couple of days...

I'm surprised you find the D211 bright... although then again, I now find the D311 to be a little gray... so maybe your chalk is my cheese (or vice versa

)

The bass is what impresses me the most on the D211... it really can lay it low, and powerfully without resorting to bass boost... some serious grunt!

 

[Gojira]

I'm surprised you find the D211 bright

Actually I don't anymore. That was my impression a couple of weeks ago when I first got it, but now that I've listened to it again with all of my new players to compare it too I wouldn't describe it that way. My criticism has more to do with "thinness" than brightness. While still much better than most other players, it sounds a bit thinner than the D-311 or the D-515. These two players just sound richer/fuller, perhaps warmer, to me.

although then again, I now find the D311 to be a little gray...

Actually that's probably apt in some way. One of my reactions on first listening to the D-311 after the D-515 was that it sounded a bit plainer and less exciting than the D-515, but it also sounded a hell of lot more balanced than D-515, with its over-emphasized treble. The D-311 is more listenable with my etys.

The D-211, while not as shrill sounding as the D-515, also seems a bit trebly to me. It seems to lack something as compared to its more expensive brothers. Something having to do with fullness or richness. The first level of bass boost does help alleviate this to some degree, but unlike both the D-311 and the D-515, the bass boost settings on the D-211 sound a bit boomy to me. Setting 1 is just on the edge of boomy sounding, depending somewhat on the particular song.

It's really a shame that you don't yet have a D-321 to compare it to. I think the sound is comparable, but with 3 sec. ESP and a metal case.

BTW, my D-211 seems to be working again! God knows why. I'm sure it's only temporary. I'm a bit afraid to turn it off now.

 

[Shinobee]

Hi there
I'm a proud New owner of a D211. It has some issues but glad i could pick it up in my neighborhood for cheap.
Any owners have serviced this unit before ?