Full Review

PORTABLE MEDIA has took of a storm over the last few years, ever since Personal CD players came out, everyone wanted to listen to their favourite albums on the move. By today’s standards CD personals are the largest of the available mediums you can have in your pocket. MP3 and MiniDisc personal units both have benefits in terms of physical size over CD personals, where MP3 personals can come in sizes as small as a pack of matches. However, CD personals are still around and it comes down to the fact that they are firstly, the cheapest option, and secondly, don’t need any extra hardware. You can just plop in your CD’s in and you’re away. With MP3’s you’d have to connect it up to a PC, downgrade your CD’s from your CD-ROM drive to MP3 files, upload the MP3 files to the personal and then figure how to rename the files – since you won’t have file names when you convert WAV to MP3 in the first place. With MiniDisc it’s a similar but speedier method – simply connect it to the Digital output of a CD player and record the songs – still you will need to name the files. Whether that ease-of-use is lost to size and bulk with CD personals, is up to your taste. In my opinion CD personals are the best for all purposes.

You may think that battery life is an expensive option with the CD option, but this Sony D-FJ401 has you covered with a maximum of 47 hours from the 2 AA batteries, that is in comparison to a maximum MP3 player lifespan of 31 hours from a Panasonic SV-SD50. Almost all the CD personals have battery lives that are higher than the MiniDisc unit. What really lets you down, though, is the weight of the units, from an average MiniDisc weight of 120g and a MP3 player average of just 30g, the CD personal is heavier at around 200g – about the weight of a couple of remotes.

The Sony D-FJ401 comes in at 210g and has a built in tuner featuring enough memory to hold 40 preset stations compatible with AM and FM. Other features are the G-Protection system to stop unwanted skipping while on the move – once known as Jog Proof, but Philips stole the name with JogProof and Sony changed their name so to not sound the same system. The G-Protection works like regular shock protection, by buffering the sound feed for a short amount of time; but it also has an advanced transport which allows the disc speed to be corrected quickly, a fast focus lens and laser assembly which equates to what you can call a Jog Proof personal.

The circular design cuts down on bulk at 13.6cm in diameter and 3cm deep; it’s one of the smallest personals on the market. The lid holds all the buttons and controls, but sadly there is no inline remote (optional-see later). The headphone 3.5mm socket is located on the right hand side of the unitnext to a rotary volume control – that ensures you can find it easily. The top side of the lid holds a number of grouped buttons for all the functions.

The top left of the lid holds a run of seven buttons that control five presets for the tuner and AM and FM buttons. Beneath these buttons is a figure 8 grouping of buttons and the 1.5” LCD screen. Tuning and Sound mode buttons are among a few other buttons which ring the figure 8 chrome effect, and the Joystick type control interfaces you will track selection, other Preset Stations and the stop button. The pause button is situated on the outskirts to assist you when you need a sound cut-off. The LCD display is not illuminated, and it shows the typical CD information like track position, and the Sound mode. The sound modes let you adjust a three stage Bass Boost – off to level 2. The Tuning buttons also can be used to set a Play mode – for Program and Shuffle, and also setting a Repeat mode. Since the most used buttons are laid out of the way, there is not confusion over which button to press when it’s in a pocket, say. Also switching between CD and Tuner modes is easy, you just need to press the Preset number and it will automatically stop and tune in. Tuning is automatically seeking to speed it up.

Surprisingly the AM module is not a weak one, even though you technically need a large antenna the D-FJ401 is remarkably clean with the low wavelength AM signals. Although the radio works best outside, and since there is not an external Antenna hook-up you won’t want to try it indoors too much since it becomes somewhat noisy. The DC input socket is located around the other side of the unit where the battery bay is, this allows you to save your batteries or hook it up to a Car adaptor. You don’t get rechargeable batteries and Lithium batteries are frowned upon by the manual: even so, with 47 hours, how many days of use will it last on the included ones?

The chassis is light and well made, the covers and panels of the D-FJ401 are strong and robust. Build quality is excellent; down to the smooth finish on the buttons, or the chrome effect on the joypad. You get what you pay for, and at £95 it shows; the Sony is competing with other brands in the like of Philips, Panasonic and many more. With the lack of MP3 playback which is becoming popular, and no included in-line remote, it could be difficult to split it. What it will come down to is reputation; Sony are best in this market, keeping their famous name Walkman.

Sound quality is a key area, and the D-FJ401 is no slouch when it comes to realising speed and rhythm. The Bass Boost isn’t necessarily needed; even so the sound neve gets distorted even on max volume. The included Sony In-Ear headphones have not changed in design – whereas other brands have made all sorts of advances, Sony have kept their reliable design, black ABS plastic. The In-Ear effect is comfortable, and they include some little foam padding for those with bigger lugs. With almost all CD’s the sound is smooth and detailed; By The Way (Red Hot Chilli Peppers) sounds full and punchy, bass comes across with plenty of power and the unit shakes out some intense treble details with ease. As for Radio reception it produces ample bass and has a nice balance in the midrange. The In-Ear headphones are more than capable, I tried them on a Headphone amplifier, and they sound very competent. The length of the headphone cable is only a metre – plenty for the pocket-up-jacket route, but perhaps not enough when in a car or outside.

I wasn’t disappointed to not see MP3 playback, even if you could fit so many more songs on the CD; it wouldn’t cut it in terms of what the unit is made for. It’s made for sound quality and finesse – evident in its styling and striking build quality. An in-line remote would have been nice, but it is only optional for UK based buyers, although the design of the main unit makes it easy to switch tracks from within a concealed pocket. Indeed the G-Protection system is flawless, not only can you play it which/whatever way up, it will also take any bumps and knocks with grace.

Conclusion

Build quality and styling are exceptional; the Sony D-FJ401 is a stunningly affordable CD personal. It comes complete with plenty of features that include a tuner and CD-RW playback, and packs it all into a solidly made piece of hardware which is both easy to use and exciting to listen to. Highly Recommended.