Finally, We Can All Listen to CD's Again!

My computer at work does not have a soundcard and I just picked up a CD by Klaus Schulze that I wanted to hear in CD format. MP3 players are great, but they tend to add noise during playback. The solution was simple, go to the nearest retailer and buy a portable CD player! I paid $45 and received this low key portable CD player. Back at the office, 10 minutes later, Timewind was accompanying me as I worked on my office PC.

The tiny CD player measures 5 5/8" x 5/16" x 5 5/8" and weighs in at 210 grams. A chrome menu and light metallic speckled, gray case lid are all that make this CD player standout, a plus if you have thieves in the workplace... no one will notice it on a desk filled with TPS Reports. For the evenings, you can easily tuck it under a desk or carry it in your laptop bag. The case is all plastic it seems sturdy enough to survive a two foot fall. I could not find any belt clip or strap attachment points, sorry walkers.

The burning question, how does the CD/MP3 player sound and behave? Beautifully.

I can turn the unit off and when turned back on it will auto locate your last position on the CD for you. Using the circular control pad and ID3 Display button to toggle text, you can quickly find MP3's for quick playback. A Hold slide button, under the CD player, will lock down the menu to keep falling books and flying red staplers from changing your playback settings.

The FM player would probably work just fine if you could place the unit out the window of your metal office building, but in reality we are not so lucky. Yes, the 40 presets do work, again you must be incredibly lucky to get 40 stations! Presets do not work in CD/MP3 playback mode.

The battery compartment is located inside the CD player on the deck. Luckily I only have to remove my batteries every 24 hours of playback or I would have bought another CD player! Children or those who may have trouble opening small latches should avoid this unit. I use NiMH 2500Mah batteries so with a fully charged set expect the same results.

To be honest, I only used the supplied Circle Remote once, just to tell you the viewer that yes it works and no it does not make my use of the CD player any easier.

Another feature useful in your office space is the AVLS. Automatic Volume Limiter System (AVLS) is an option, enabled through software or hardware, in music players such as, Cassette players, MP3 players and CD players, or other devices used with headphones that limits the maximum volume level. The aim of this is to stop the headphones drowning out all other noise, and to limit the noise from the headphones being heard by other people.

Features:
-Sound Settings; Normal, Bass Level 1, Bass Level 2 and AVLS (Automatic Volume Limiter System)
-MP3 Playback
-Circle Remote
-Earphones
-Skip Free G-Protection
-Digital FM Tuner
-Accepts 4.5VDC In
-Output Power = 5mW + 5mW @16ohms

Summary
Coupled with a good set of headphones this CD player has excellent sound reproduction and is easy to use. ID3 tag display is just icing on the cake. However, the poor FM reception leaves radio connoisseurs out in the cold. For this reason, I gave the player a lower rating.