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No bumps or bounces have affected it while in use. Sony DNS313F S2 Sports MP3/CD Walkman AM/FM. Excellent CD Player, so far shockproof. Very disappointed with the fidelity of the FM radio. Bass could not be adjusted.
I bought this Walkman for my wife, who has macular degeneration and reads books on CDs. This is her third CD player, and by far her favorite. The controls are easy for the seeing impaired, and she especially likes the memory feature, which allows her to turn the Walkman off and then resume at the place she stopped.
I boat with this Walkman, so it gets saltwater on it, but otherwise I've treated it pretty gently. The screen died within 3 weeks and now, 6 weeks in, it won't play at all.Also, although the case seems fairly water resistant, the headphone jack isn't protected.
When batteries were nearly depleted, the unit would not respond when any button was pressed. The track number would be displayed with no time. Rubber plugs must be inserted into jacks when not in use to keep water out. I did not test the AM band.General comments: All controls are on the top cover (except Hold button on underside of unit is slightly inconvenient). That happened several times on the trip but has not happened lately. As a radio, this item is judged only fair, but I don't give the radio as much significance as the CD player.CD Player: Plays audio CD's and MP3's burned onto disks (CD-R or CD-RW disks may be used; CD-RW disks not tested). Cannot shuffle-play one group.
Radio tuner (FM band) scans in 10-kHz steps, less convenient than 20-kHz steps.The CD compartment is water resistant when closed. Shuffle play shuffles all tracks on MP3 disks. Has Group button to select groups (folders) on MP3 disks. No line out jack. I would recommend a better pair of headphones. There was no indication in the display that the batteries needed replacing. Lacks program play mode.When restarting a disk after pressing Stop, the player resumes play from last position unless either the disk or the battery is exchanged. One set of batteries lasted only about 10-12 hours on the trip.
Still I had hoped that they might have finally got it right. This may take up to 20 seconds or more for MP3 disks, because the player apparently rescans the disk before starting. I get very good sound with my helmet speakers (played through the motorcycle audio system). Has Group Play mode for MP3's (a group is one folder on the disk). Sound quality is very good with CD's and good with MP3's (tested with external speakers).
Pressing Group button shows current group number; this reverts to track number after a few seconds if no other button is pressed. Display does not show file or folder names; shows current track number and time only. The radio performance is so-so, but the motorcycle has its own radio, and I have an extra radio to use in motel rooms, so the radio is not very important to me. Headphone jack and power input jack are close together on right side.
Some buttons have multiple functions. To restart the same disk from beginning, the Play button must be held down until play starts. I chose this unit mainly because it plays CD's and MP3's and it is water resistant. Water could affect the controls, which are not covered.The D-NS313F is a tad bulkier and somewhat heavier (364 grams, with batteries) than my other Sony CD Walkman (247 grams, with batteries).Overall, I am happy with this player.
Has two sound settings; each boosts bass only. Moreover, other Sony-brand CD players have generally been reliable. Can repeat in any mode. Volume control uses up/down buttons. For example: one button selects Play Mode, Repeat (CD or MP3), and preset stations or direct tuning (Radio mode).
Several CD's can be "ripped" onto one MP3 disk. Some buttons are very tiny. The display was blank.As a radio: FM sensitivity is good, but overload resistance and selectivity are poor. While group number is showing, Track Skip button advances group.The player had a slight quirk: When playing an MP3 disk, the player would occasionally stop playing, most often at the end of a track. G-Force shock protection excellent. Radio preset lacks dedicated buttons.
I tested the player on a recent road trip from Texas to Montana.As a CD player, I would rate this item good to very good. I'd had a similar experience with another Sony product, so this behaviour was not entirely unexpected. When that happened, I had to press Stop and then restart the disk from the beginning (by holding down the Play button). The battery compartment is under the CD; presumably, this placement makes the battery compartment water resistant also. On another radio, the station came in fine. I bought it chiefly to play CD's on my motorcycle.
Memory holds preset stations when batteries are replaced. The supplied fontopid earphones did not fit well in my ears and the sound quality was only fair. When I tried to play a weak NPR station in a motel room, it would not come in. Strong stations often overwhelmed weak stations. Some weak stations were not receivable at all. Play Modes: All play, Group play (MP3 disks only), single play, and shuffle play.
The ability to play MP3 disks is very convenient on a long trip. It also faltered playing one CD on a very hot day (but later it played the same CD perfectly).The player depleted alkaline batteries fairly rapidly. Strong stations were received at multiple frequencies. The instructions caution against opening the unit whilst wet. I don't have to worry if the player gets wet--an obvious hazard when riding a motorcycle.
There is an incredible amount of bleed-over from one station to another even though it has a digital tuner. The first CD player had such bad FM radio reception that I contacted Sony and was told to return it. I got another one, and the FM reception is almost as bad, so I've realized that it is the player itself. It is not just a matter of poor reception. The stations play fine on other portable devices; it's that the radio on this player is VERY POOR.
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