Sony D-NS921F Atrac3/MP3 CD Sports Walkman
[Archived in $100 - $200, MP3-CD Players und Discman, Products, Sony]
Manufacturer: Sony
Price at amazon.com:
Used & new from $61.96List price $199.99
- Stylish, ultraslim portable CD player compatible with MP3 files and Sony's ATRAC3plus compression technology
- Includes SonicStage CD Simple Burner software to facilitate ATRAC3plus CD burning from MP3 files and from other CDs
- Skip-free G-Protection technology eliminates or reduces skipping during many active uses
- Bookmark playback function for easy programming--recalls designated favorites from multiple discs
- 75 hours long playback with 2 AA batteries (not included) with ATRAC3 audio files
Product Description:
Get durable, high-tech, Sony Sports style and hours of digital music listening with Sony's D-NS921F portable CD player. The ultraslim player includes SonicStage CD Simple Burner software so you can take advantage of ATRAC3plus, Sony's proprietary music-compression technology when making custom MP3 CDs on a computer. And, though it's not designed for immersion, the Walkman offers a water-resistant design with rubber gaskets, bushings, and water-resistant seals that help keep out water, moisture, and dirt. A three-way control on the player's grip gives you access to Active Control playback operation during active uses. The D-NS921F puts the best of the broadcast world at your fingertips, too, with FM/AM/TV/weather-band digital tuning. Using its 54-station preset memory (30 FM, 10 AM, four weather-band, seven TV, and three favorites), favorite stations are never more than a button away. The player also offers a three-line dot-matrix display, 14 playback modes for the ultimate in music management (repeat, shuffle, and others), and delivers up to 75 hours of continuous playback on two "AA" type batteries (not included) using ATRAC3 files (48 hours of CD audio). ATRAC3plus is a high-quality audio-compression technology that reduces the size of digital audio files while preserving much of a track's original sound quality (similar in concept to MP3 or Dolby Digital sound formats). With ATRAC3plus, music can be burned and compressed at 132, 105, 66, 64, or even 48 kbps (kilobits per second), letting you select the right balance between fidelity and storage space (you'll get around 490 songs per disc at 48 kbps). The player comes bundled with Sony's SonicStage CD Simple Burner software. Compatible with ID3 tagging and most CD burners, this application transfers songs from CDs or MP3 music files from your PC's hard drive and burns them to a CD using ATRAC3plus compression. CD Text and ID3 tag support gives you easy access to CD Text information as well as details like song title, album title, and artist name. Skip-Free G-Protection technology boosts the laser pickup's shock protection to minimize read errors that would otherwise interrupt your music, providing quick recovery from both horizontal and vertical shocks. Bookmark playback lets you program your favorite songs from multiple CDs and play them back at the touch of a button, and CD Text support displays artist and title information with compatible commercial audio CDs. Sony's two-position automatic volume limiter system (AVLS) conserves batteries and guards your hearing by capping your listening level. Finally, the unit's Walkman-logo headphones are Sony MDR (Micro Dynamic Receiver) type for wide dynamic range and excellent sound. What's in the Box CD player, MDR-A448L/A110LP stereo headphones, user's manual, warranty information, SonicStage Simple Burner Software.
From the Manufacturer Feeling restless? Push yourself to the limit with this sporty portable. Sony's D-NS921F S2 Sports ATRAC3/ MP3 CD Walkman with AM/FM/TV/Weather Ddigital tuner allows you to listen to Over 75 hours of continuous playback with 2 "AA" batteries (not included) for ATRAC3Plus playback and 48 hours for CD audio playback. Combining slick style and resilient durability, this player's features include a built-in AM/FM digital tuner with TV/Weather bands, a 54 station preset memory, ATRAC3plus, ATRAC3, and... read more
The D-NS921F puts the best of the broadcast world at your fingertips, too, with FM/AM/TV/weather-band digital tuning. Using its 54-station preset memory (30 FM, 10 AM, four weather-band, seven TV, and three favorites), favorite stations are never more than a button away. The player also offers a three-line dot-matrix display, 14 playback modes for the ultimate in music management (repeat, shuffle, and others), and delivers up to 75 hours of continuous playback on two "AA" type batteries (not included) using ATRAC3 files (48 hours of CD audio).
ATRAC3plus is a high-quality audio-compression technology that reduces the size of digital audio files while preserving much of a track's original sound quality (similar in concept to MP3 or Dolby Digital sound formats). With ATRAC3plus, music can be burned and compressed at 132, 105, 66, 64, or even 48 kbps (kilobits per second), letting you select the right balance between fidelity and storage space (you'll get around 490 songs per disc at 48 kbps).
The player comes bundled with Sony's SonicStage CD Simple Burner software. Compatible with ID3 tagging and most CD burners, this application transfers songs from CDs or MP3 music files from your PC's hard drive and burns them to a CD using ATRAC3plus compression. CD Text and ID3 tag support gives you easy access to CD Text information as well as details like song title, album title, and artist name.
Skip-Free G-Protection technology boosts the laser pickup's shock protection to minimize read errors that would otherwise interrupt your music, providing quick recovery from both horizontal and vertical shocks. Bookmark playback lets you program your favorite songs from multiple CDs and play them back at the touch of a button, and CD Text support displays artist and title information with compatible commercial audio CDs.
Sony's two-position automatic volume limiter system (AVLS) conserves batteries and guards your hearing by capping your listening level. Finally, the unit's Walkman-logo headphones are Sony MDR (Micro Dynamic Receiver) type for wide dynamic range and excellent sound.
What's in the Box
CD player, MDR-A448L/A110LP stereo headphones, user's manual, warranty information, SonicStage Simple Burner Software.Average Customer Rating: 
Comment: Sony D-NS921F Rating:
This is the first time that I have bought myself a CD walkman. Being from Sony, this player lives up to its name and the sound quality is amazing. My main considerations before buying this player was that it plays MP3s too. Surprisingly though they do not mention the fact that this unit can also be used as a recharger unit for the NiMH batteries (Batteries are not supplied with the unit though). An AC adapter is also supplied although the sonystyle website does not indicate that. The radio part (AM/FM/TV/Weather band) all works great. The unit is great to handle and the design is pretty ergonomic. I just tried out some sample ATRAC tracks on a CD-RW disc and the quality is decent. All in all this unit rocks! I'd definitely recommend it.
Comment: Chirp! Chirp! Chirp! Rating:
That's the sound you'll hear about every fifteen seconds when listening to an audio CD in this player with the G-Protection set to position "1" and running off of two AA batteries. Switch to house current using the 4.5V AC adaptor and the chirps are less frequent because the CD drive motor no longer continually spins up and down (an energy saving feature when using batteries), but they still do occur. Although the interval of annoying chirps is longer with the G-Protection set to "2", sound quality may suffer. For some odd reason, there is no way to turn off this audio artifact of the antiskip algorithm. This regular electronic chirping is quite obvious on quieter pieces of music, and it can even sound like a badly played note. It totally interferes with the listening experience. If you have access to an audio test CD, play a track with all output bits set to zero, and you'll notice that the chirping is gone, suggesting that this audible artifact is the result of an engineering defect in the anti-skip implementation. Note that the chirp seems to occur when the G-Protection circuitry is buffering content, such as periodically or when the motor spins up and down, rather than due to DC motor noise or any disc surface defects such as scratches, dust, or fingerprints.
This unit's cheaper cousin, the D-NF610, suffers from a similar G-Protection artifact, although in that case the problem is continuous (albeit relatively subtle) noisy cackling primarily in the left channel that significantly reduces the sound quality of the material being played. Both units were promptly returned, as neither unit's unique antiskip circuitry artifact is something that the listener should have to endure. A four-year-old Sony Discman D-T405 sounds MUCH better than either unit and has no such CD playback problem, whether the Electronic Skip Protection is on or off.
The headphones used to test this unit were the rather nice sounding Sony MDR-E888 earbuds, which have a rather wide frequency response. Other headphones also allowed the chirping problem to be heard, although cheaper ones with less frequency response might not reveal the problem quite as well.
Pros:
-The specs on paper are GREAT! This _should_ have been one awesome piece of hardware!
-Includes AM/FM/TV/WB tuner, which is highly desirable to avoid having to carry two separate units
-Above average sound quality for the tuner; even the CD player sounds good when it's NOT chirping!
-Seems quite sturdy, although heavy
-Option to use rechargeable batteries, with recharging through the included AC adaptor
Cons:
-Free annoying electronic chirping bird included at no extra cost! :-(
-Although the specs state that MP3 files up to 320Kbps can be played, in practice this is very much hit and miss. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't. 256Kbps is better, but also very unreliable. Presumably that's why the manual highly recommends that MP3 files be recorded at 128Kbps. Yes, the lower bit rate seems to work fine, but the sound quality is obviously compromised, although not as badly as one might think.
-The included wrist strap is totally impractical for many activities, not to mention this unit is rather heavy at 12.2 oz (w/o batteries). A belt strap is badly needed, but with this player's bulk and unique button location, you may be best off fashioning your own with a nylon luggage strap.
-No backlit display
-Most definitely not for audiophiles who expect decent quality sound
Other: At the time of this writing, if you call the toll-free Sony Network Portable Audio Support Line and enter the model number for this unit, your call will be disconnected. In order to speak to an agent, answer "I don't know" when prompted for the model number by the automated voice response system. Neither Tier I nor II technical support were aware of the sound quality problems of this unit, but that may be because of its recent arrival on the market.
Sony - Please fix this antiskip audio artifacting, and you'll have a very sweet product indeed!
Comment: Definitely the best CD-player around(good price/quality) Rating:
I bought this CD-player about 2 months ago and Im really happy with it.Sony Mexico doesnt have this product for selling in Mexico, and i dont know why, thats why i bought it via deremate.com(like ebay.com) because I liked all the features of it.
Now, I havent realized of that "chirping" until today i read these reviews.So, I put my dns921f on test: I put a MP3-full CD with songs at different constant bitrate.There I have a 3:59 duration classical guitar song recorded @ 192kbps and 44.1Khz, so I played it at the medium , and I realized that there were strange sounds (not exactly chirping, its like a quiet "ffsss" sound of 0.7 secs aprox., like the sound when you change the frequency on a radio when looking for a radio station) The sounds appeared 3 times:
@ G-protection 1:
1:13
2:17
3:21
@G-protection 2:
1:14
2:17
3:22
But then I heard the entire album of that song while surfing the web and I didnt realize the sounds were there...
that's the only "but" i found for this anyway GREAT CDplayer!
i have even walked outdoor with it under heavy rain, dropped it when i was driving and I braked hard and the player flew away due to the centrifuge, hit the dashboard and fell to the floor, but the music didn't have any skip!!!!.
Posted at November 11, 2003 07:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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