Aiwa XP-SR311 Personal CD Player

I was looking into buying a CD player. One I could jog with, one that had at least decent sound quality, and one that would last a few years.
So the two major things I was looking for were excellent skip protection, from a good brand.
And, of course, it would be a definite plus if it looked nice.

I researched for a while, and soon came to the conclusion that a "sport" model would best suit my needs. Well, Aiwa was one of the few more rugged-looking possibilities that was under my budget of $100.
(Barely, as I paid $99.99 plus gas to drive to Circuit City)

You know the drill, you get home, try in vain to open up the evil, evil packaging but your fingers are so shaky it's hard to do, you finally take the blasted thing out of there, plug it in, pop in your favorite CD and immediately set out on the difficult task of figuring it out, instruction manual in hand. (How's that for a run-on sentence?)

I was so excited! This thing was perfect!

Not only did it look cool, but it also had an AM/FM Digital Tuner. Very cool. A little unfortunate, however, that to receive the best signal, the headphone cord (which doubles as an antenna) must be ramrod straight. Not very good for my jogging. But I put this thought out of my mind for now, as I would mostly be using its CD function.

Of course, at the time, I should have questioned why I would be willing to sacrifice this feature I had spent so much money on, but somehow this gripe only resurfaced a few months later.

The buttons are well-placed but kind of hard to press. They're made of a rubbery material, so it's more difficult than, say, plastic. This player features a nifty silver CD lock mechanism, which is attractive and functional. The CD player itself seems slightly on the large, bulky size. I guess that's what you get when you get the "sports" model. It has rubbery-type grip places so you can carry it and it'll provide some friction, this is a very nice feature.
It has a Hold switch, of course, which is extremely important, whatever your purchase. (This being the button that you press to disable other buttons from being pressed. It can be used so the CD player won't turn on in a bag or purse, thereby saving batteries. I found it can also be used while running so I don't have to worry about accidentally pressing other buttons or something like that.)
As soon as I first had a go with this little bugger on the treadmill, I knew it had admirable skip protection, but only on the highest (most battery consuming) setting. The EASS. On any other of the mediocre settings like the primitive 10 and 30 second skip protection (or something like that) it was laughably prone to skipping, unless the user is a very light breather.

It featured rechargeable batteries, which is great on the run.

Note: My new Sony that replaced this one requires some funky, obscure batteries, so this feature is nullified. But on the Aiwa, there was no such problem.

On the Aiwa, you just plug the AC adapter into the wall, pressed a button and there you have it.
I really miss this feature...
I cannot emphasize this enough:
If you're like me and don't want to spend obscene amounts of money on batteries these machines all require, I'd *highly* recommend investing in one that has recharging capabilities (with batteries you can find, that is.)

Something really cool about this CD player was that it came with a neoprene-ish carrying case. It's very functional and useful. It's comfortable on the go, and well thought out. Very cool.

Another big draw that had cinched my decision was its "Splash-Resistance" that was evident by the rubber things you plugged into the various outlets so water couldn't trickle in. Well, this was a bit of a problem for me, as the little rubber plugs refused to stay in their outlets, thereby providing no splash resistance at all.
I also gravitated toward their stylish, behind-the-head headphones. These headphones are obviously designed for people on the go, which pardons their slightly-more-than-slight degree of uncomfortableness. Instead of the usual foamy, comfy material next to your ears, it's just rubber. I suppose this attribute would be favorable, as sweaty foam would start to reek much sooner than the relatively easy to clean rubber. Another qualm I have about these headphones is the little plastic things that go in the space between your ears and your head are, over time, quite annoying. This attribute, I imagine, is to keep them on your head through whatever trials you would think to put this little Aiwa through. And in that, they absolutely succeed. Other than the physical discomfort, these headphones perform marginally well and I never had an issue with the quality of this machine. While it was working, that is.

So far, you have an idea of what this CD player is about, on the outside anyway.

I was expecting such great things from Aiwa. Actually, not much, I just wanted the dang thing to work. (Is that unreasonable??) But I thought they'd deliver a product that was above and beyond my expectations, as they have in the past. You can't *imagine* my shock and disappointment when, after 5 months of delicate treatment and use every 2-4 days, it just stopped working! Nothing. It was in a gradual, then rapid decline. First, it would shut off for no apparent reason. I'd think, "Hmmm, that's odd." But then I'd reboot it and it'd be fine. I dismissed it as something I had done. But then it started happening at alarming, exponentially increased increments until it just didn't work. So I call the company... Because, Hey! I have a One Year Warranty! I'm saved! All that money spent shall not go in vain! They'll ship me another one and my faith in humanity will be restored.

Three words.............

No. Such. Luck.

Apparently the warranty covers *parts* but not *labor.* AHHHHHH! It would cost twice as much to have a mechanic dink around with it than it would be to buy a whole other unit! So, let's see. I could pay to see if I could even fix this Aiwa junker, or I could go with a ~reliable~ unit.

Guess what decision I made.

I am now the proud owner of a Sony. A machine, I would like to point out, that at the same price I got all the major features I had with the Aiwa and more (minus the ALLEGED ruggedness... what a joke, oh and the convenience of recharging, but oh well.) *plus* something that might actually prove useful, it certainly would have for my poor, poor Aiwa: a 3-Year, everything included warranty. True, I see the light now, but I just wish this lesson hadn't been so spendy.

Oh well, I just like to think of it as getting a very, VERY, very expensive nifty carrying case for my new CD player. Too bad it has the Aiwa logo on it, as the machinery inside of it actually has a chance of making it through six months of careful use. I would not encourage anyone to patronize them after this experience. (At least for this particular model)

So, if you're willing to pay for sporty looks, go for it. Maybe this one was just a defective unit. And I must admit I enjoyed it prior to its death. But don't let anythings rugged image blind you about why you're actually spending all this money.

Now you know why I tell all the people I care about:
So much for Aiwa!