Home > Consumer Reviews > Philips EXP 401 MP3 CD Player

This machine is an ideal compromise for anybody who doesn't want the bulk of a traditional CD/MP3 Walkman, but is prepared to accept something a little bulkier than the latest MP3 players. The 8cm CD format is not great for audio recordings (about 20 minutes max), but superb for MP3 files (180Mb, or over 2 hours of music). CDRs are cheap enough to create a permanent collection, and purchasing even one rewritable CD gives access to more storage than most entry-level MP3 machines. A further advantage is that tracks can be grouped within albums (actually folders in Windows) so you can skip either from track to track or album to album.

The supplied headphones are excellent, and the in-line remote a nice touch (as is the inclusion of a mains adaptor). I haven't had mine long, but initial impressions are that the unit is sturdy and well-made.

On the negative side, it is quite thick (28.5mm), so if you're concerned about the sharp line of that suit, do check first!

I purchased this product because I was looking for a nice small mp3 player that wasnt one of those really poor 64mb or 128mb stick things. The size is perfect for fitting in a pocket. Its got good bass and a handy controller on the headphone wire.

If you are looking for something compact that will allow you to buy media for it at a reasonable price (normally around 75p - £1 an 8cm cd) then its ideal. The cds are also small so perfect to carry around.

I am something of a geriatric so can't comment too much about the spec but as someone who has been into MP3 for some time, what a little treasure this is...
Although owning several MP3 players it didn't take long to convince myself this was a 'must have' at the price.
I wasn't expecting too much but I find it superb. Sound quality is excellent, the ESP gives shock proof listening and I did try very hard to beat it. You can turn off the ESP which substantially saves on battery life and I love the fact you can switch to 'resume', stop the player and it will start from where it was stopped when next turned on. Especially useful for car use when you are stopping and starting the engine.
Great little remote control but as I am long past the jogging stage I doubt I'll use it.
I agree with a previous reviewer about the headphones being inclined to fall out but I am perservering and like the machine, they appear to be excellent quality.
The supplied disc failed to close when burnt on XP but the ones I purchased subsequently have been fine...
In my humble opinion this is a great addition or introduction to the wonderful world of MP3 for less than the price of a night on the pop.

This does exactly what it claims to do; it plays 8cm CD/MP3 disks with no hassle. The 8cm size player really is pocketable compared with a conventional sized player.

It will read both CD-R and CD-RW discs, but I suggest that you buy a few CD-RWs to start. The extra cost will be repayed by not wasting a bunch of CD-R disks as you work out the best way to burn the files.

My CD-RWs formatted by Roxio Direct-CD for drag and drop have a capacity of 169Mb which gives about 2 hr recording time with 'CD quality' MP3s. This is a lot less than the 210Mb unformatted capacity that claims 3hr playback. Maybe other formatting options will give a greater capacity, or reducing the MP3 quality.

With vigorous shaking, the player hardly skips at all even without using the electronic skip protection. Not using ESP will extend the battery life.

Mains adaptor + one CD-R disk are included.

It's amazing how 128mb and 64mb mp3 players have kept their value over the years, which keeps the larger hard drive based mp3 players squarely out of my price range.

After waiting for such a long time i decided that mp3 cd players were the way to go as they offer a greater mb to ££ ratio and because skip protection has gotten much better over the years.

This player, at the price it was in the 'sale' was a bargain, and suits my needs perfectly. As with the other reviews the quality of the headphones is debatable but i've been meaning to buy some new ones anyway. My one other tiny niggle is the 8cm cd's (at the moment) can only be burnt at 4x speed, hopefully that will improve in the future, and there's always the possibility of their capacity increasing as well...