Home > Consumer Reviews > SONY D-CS901 S2 Sports CD Walkman(R) / MP3 Player

PROS
1. EASY TO USE
2. HAS PLAYED ALL MP3 DISCS WITHOUT PROBLEMS
3. DON'T SKIP - EVER
4. LOADS MP3 DISCS IN ABOUT 20 SECS
5. FEELS UNBREAKABLE
6. WATER RESISTANT
7. GOOD SOUND GUALITY
8. BATTERIES ARE STILL GOING AFTER APPROX.18HRS OF PLAYING AND INDICATOR IS ONLY HALF WAY

CONS
1. 2SEC GAP BETWEEN MP3 TRACKS (CAN'T CHANGE THIS - OR NO INFO IN MANUAL HOW TO HAVE NO GAP)
2. NOT FIRMWARE UPGRADEABLE.. BUT IS IT REALLY REQUIRED?
3. A LITTLE BIT LARGE, BUT IT'S THE PAY OFF FOR A REALLY STURDY DESIGN

I just got this model and I love it. I must confess though, that until using the mp3 feature I was on the fence of hating it.

First thing that bugged me was this annoying "beep" every time you use a button. Second thing was the volume nob is in the most stupidest place ever. If you use the strap you will constantly raise and lover the volume inadvertantly. The third thing that annoyed the bejeebus out of me was the lack of back lit screen.

Now the good side ot those is that you can infact learn to avoid triggering the volume, and you can sut off the beeping noise, but unfortunately the screen is still not backlit. This is not major, but nonetheless a downside.

Also there is no "pause" feature, only stop and resume, so kinda, but not really, that makes sense in a few ways as it's a sports walkman.

Now to the good parts.

The mp3 capability is great! You can drag and drop ripped CDs as folders and literally put a whole catalog on one disc. I got every Beatle album (studio LPs) on one disc! This is a great feature! The only down side is the jump track function as about a one second delay between songs, but thisis only when you skip, not play an album, although I have to confess, unlike a CD segues don't do well in mp3, as there is a slight pause between tracks.

The construction is very sturdy and by far now outdoes [many] models.

The headphones that come with it are also a bit tinny sounding, but that is the natur of ear bud style. Fortunately...you can upgrade to the regular "sport" style headphones (mdr-g57) that sound far better and have cool reflectors on them.

So to summerize:

PROS:
Strudy
Great sound
MP3 Capability is supurb
Splash and rain proof
Great design (looks)
Long battery life as well as a battery meter.

CONS:
Volume control not placed well
No backlit screen
crudy headphones
no pause feature

I realize with all of those cons, five stars seems generous, but the fact of the matter is that in it's class it is best with the Phillips/Nike close behind.

Perhaps Sony should backlight the screen, get a remote control, and include better headphones...

If you are in the market for a high-end portable cd-player, this model is defintely for you. The sound quality and sampling is amazing, and it is easily the most durable portable player I've ever owned. I'd been looking for the "Sports" series for 3 years when mp3 portable players were just starting to come into the forefront, and at the time, the "Sports" model wasn't available for mp3 playback...until July. Sony has made tremendous improvements over the years, but I've always been biased towards their portable electronics since the 1980's.
The headphones are an extremely comfortable design...much improved from earlier models. Sony has outdone themselves, and hopefully Panasonic will be able to catch up to this unit, because, as of this writing, they have yet to come out with a "Shockwave" mp3 cd player. For now, if you don't mind paying a little extra money, you won't be disappointed.

Quick warning: when I first got this mp3 player, I thought it was great in theory. But when I started using it I found it skipped like crazy. After several months, I tried my fourth - yes, fourth - brand of CDR discs, and now it never skips. Seriously, it hasn't skipped once in months of heavy use. This thing is very picky about its media! The CDRs I am using now are Memorex 700MB.

I love this mp3 player. I use it when I am running to listen to audio books and sometimes for music. My audio mp3s tend to be very large/long files, so a good resume and the ability to fast forward/rewind quickly were important to me. The D-CS901's FF/Rewind are real, not just 2x speed like most mp3 players. You can zip through an hour long mp3 in a minute or two. And the resume is perfect - it ALWAYS starts where you left off - unless you take the CD out, then it forgets.

The thumb control is absolute perfection when running. Some reviewers have said their thumb bumps the volume by accident - I guess it's a hand shape issue because I do not have this prob at all.

The so-so sound quality overhead-ear-plug headphones are actually perfect for running. They don't mind getting sweaty like hphones with pads, and they are light as feathers. Plus, having the plugs pushed into your ears helps you hear even when near traffic.

The fact that the player is waterproof is pretty handy when it is raining. Rain? So what!

There are some minor negatives. The hand strap is a little narrow and I can't get it quite as snug as I'd like it to be. The narrowness of the strap causes some discomfort. The other negative is that I wish I could crank the volume up just a bit more. Even with a regular music CD it feels like Sony decided loudness is bad for you. Hey, can't I make that decision myself?

This is the nearly the most perfect MP3 CD player discman ever built. Music never skips, the sound is crisp, reads all tracks from your 140+ CD-R, won't open accidentaly, has a "block all buttons" device, the headphones are comfortable and has superb bass sound.
The only downside, which happens to be the only reason why this great product didn't reach perfection with 5 stars, is that speaking for myself, the perfect MP3 player (CD, Carstereo, memory card, etc) MUST have a search song function within a folder. Or at least a 10-track advance button or so.