Sony D-NF340 CD Walkman & MP3 Player w/FM Tuner
From Sony
Plays Back CD-R/RW Discs(plays discs burned on your PC or home recording deck).--- For customers who already have extensive music libraries, use the included software and hardware to manage, burn and playback their collection of MP3s.
- Amazon Sales Rank: #629 in Consumer Electronics
- Color: Silver
- Brand: Sony
- Model: DNF340
- Dimensions: .75 pounds
The best portable CD player left?
After searching the net for a day, this was the best CD player I could find. I bought the unit as a backup for my (still functioning well) Sony DNF-430, a unit I'm in love with but I am concerned that when it eventually dies (as we all must), there will no longer be a decent standard CD player at all.
This unit seems to be the successor to the 430. Several improvements have been made over the 430:
It uses 2 batteries instead of 1 for longer play between battery swaps
The controls are much better -- transport function controls that were twitchy on the 430 are larger and better laid out
The remote is easier to use, and the controls are laid out identically to those on the top of the player
It "remembers" where you left off playing a CD and starts from there after being stopped OR (new) even after the door has been opened
The display is much easier to read, especially from an angle
The case seems more solid
The price has been substantially reduced
On the downside vs 430:
Maximum volume not quite as loud as the 430, and very high or very low frequencies are not rendered quite as well
The weather, AM radio, and analog TV receivers have been dropped (doubt many used these functions)
The LCD readout of song titles and artists on regular CDs is gone
No ATRACS (Sony's old compression scheme that had no real advantage over MP3s)
The parametric equalizer is gone (really only useful with low quality headphones)
The body is noticably heavier and larger both in thickness and diameter
The transport buttons are much easier to accidentally press when carrying it about as a portable (use the "hold" button underneath to prevent this).
The remote connector has changed, so only the remote that comes with the unit may be used
Cheezy earbuds and a car cassette adaptor are no longer included
Like the DNF430, the transport mechanism is a bit noisy, although no louder than the sound leakage you would get with good open-air headphones (recommended). No AC power adaptor is included, but there is provision for plugging in separately purchased 4.5 volt AC or car DC adaptor. And opening the lid to change CDs is still a bit awkward. The anti-skip mechanism still works flawlessly.
The important thing, the reason for the five stars, is the sound quality. While sonically not quite up to the DNF430, you still can plug in a pair of good headphones like the Grado SR80 and you've got yourself a personal sound system that rivals a good home theater setup. Other reviewers have spoken of "muddy sound" and "hiss"; I can detect none such. The low distortion and high frequency range does reveal flaws in source material that are not evident when that material is played on a lesser unit. On the other hand, I have heard distinct background playing (eg., a trumpet way down in the mix of a Grateful Dead song, the sound of a pick against guitar strings) I'd never heard on lesser players. When playing big band or orchestra CDs, it individuates instruments so you hear each distinctly instead of a single smear of orchesteral sound. This all refers to standard CD's. I do not use the FM or MP3 features. If you care about good sound, you realize that MP3 compression degrades sound.
Bottom line: for car or personal listening of standard or burned CDs while not too active, this is a wonderful device. While the size, weight, and easily triggered controls make it less than ideal for physically active listening (I still listen to my hearty old Panasonic while working in the garden), it is still quite serviceable in that mode.
I think Sony made a lot of sensible design decisions here, and I hope they sell enough of these to make it worthwhile to keep manufacturing them.
Excessive noise overshadows feature set
As another reviewer mentioned this is not an Atrac player. This did not affect my score, however.
The motor noise is the loudest I've heard from any Panasonic/Sony portable player; when the unit starts up or tracks a song, the noise can be loud enough to disturb my (sleeping) partner. When listening to quiet classical passages one can hear noise/hiss in the background which is not on the source CD. (And yes, I did turn off G-protection but that did not help much.) For pop/rock/electronic music this is not really noticeable. Sound quality is better than MP3 but not as good as CD players from 5 or 10 years ago. Highs seem clipped and bass is muddled.
Be sure to read the instruction on how to change the optional settings. (Press display and play when nothing is going on.)
Alas, the audio CD player continues to get pushed aside by the army of iPods and MP3 players and what should be a mature product has declined in quality but not in price.
Update: With my Sony V6 headphones, I compared this player to my 11-year old Panasonic SL-SW404. Wish I hadn't. The DNF340 sounds so muddy by comparison, especially in the bass but even the highs sound clipped. (Both units were set to a "flat" sound.) Interestingly, the DNF340's sound quality was on par with my iPod 8gb Nano - we're comparing a commercial music CD to an MP3 - so maybe Sony really is consciously cheaping out components to the level of other electronics in hopes that people don't notice.
No interruptions!!
I like to listen to books on disk while I clean, which means I'm moving around. This CD-player is great. I can move around freely without it interrupting the playback. This is a HUGE improvement over the CD-player I owned previously.
Additionally, the sound is good and the interface is intuitive. I am very happy with my purchase.
