Sony Walkman D-844K Personal CD Player
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Sony D-844K - Not as sturdy as it's presented to be
Pros
Good sound, nice programmable features
Cons
Not much true vibration control, had major audio jack problems, too expensive for its problems
Recommended it?
No
I purchased the Sony Car Discman D-844K exclusively for the portability of the product in and out of the vehicle. I searched around for the most sturdy model I could find because I knew that the environment it would be used in would be fairly harsh, and this model appeared to have the strongest features in its class for vibration & shock control.
I first used it in my truck as the only source of music on long distance trips. Within 2 weeks of use, CDs began to skip when I traveled over train tracks or mild potholes. I knew then it wouldn't withstand longer, more rugged trips, but I continued to use it anyway. I got into the habit of placing my hand on the unit to stabilize it if I saw that I was approaching a rough spot in the road, and eventually even that no longer kept it from skipping.
I took the Discman with me on a trip to the beach, to be able to bicycle while listening to music. Again I was extremely disappointed in its performance, despite the fact that the unit was placed inside a folded towel inside my backpack, and the terrain was the hardsand portion of the beach.
In less than a year, I was forced to place the unit on a pillow on the seat beside me, and that failed most of the time to absorb any shock from the mere vibration of a flat road. It became so bad that even the tilt of the unit had an impact on its performance. If it was not ABSOLUTELY flat and still, it wouldn't even play. This is tricky to achieve when you use a pillow to help with shock absorption.
Regarding the in-ear headphones, I went through 5 or 6 pairs of headphones because the left channel always faded out within a month or so of using it with this CD player. I can't say whether the player itself is to blame for this, but to have this same problem repeated through several different brands of headphones, I'm inclined to blame the Sony itself.
Since I drive a regular Nissan pickup truck with a normal isolation and suspension system (standard motor, nothing souped-up about the vehicle), I can't bring myself to believe it is only intended for use in Cadillacs and Coupe D'Villes.
I have trusted Sony products for their superior quality, and want to say that this was a good portable CD player, but either I got a lemon or it simply isn't truly designed for use in average vehicles.
I first used it in my truck as the only source of music on long distance trips. Within 2 weeks of use, CDs began to skip when I traveled over train tracks or mild potholes. I knew then it wouldn't withstand longer, more rugged trips, but I continued to use it anyway. I got into the habit of placing my hand on the unit to stabilize it if I saw that I was approaching a rough spot in the road, and eventually even that no longer kept it from skipping.
I took the Discman with me on a trip to the beach, to be able to bicycle while listening to music. Again I was extremely disappointed in its performance, despite the fact that the unit was placed inside a folded towel inside my backpack, and the terrain was the hardsand portion of the beach.
In less than a year, I was forced to place the unit on a pillow on the seat beside me, and that failed most of the time to absorb any shock from the mere vibration of a flat road. It became so bad that even the tilt of the unit had an impact on its performance. If it was not ABSOLUTELY flat and still, it wouldn't even play. This is tricky to achieve when you use a pillow to help with shock absorption.
Regarding the in-ear headphones, I went through 5 or 6 pairs of headphones because the left channel always faded out within a month or so of using it with this CD player. I can't say whether the player itself is to blame for this, but to have this same problem repeated through several different brands of headphones, I'm inclined to blame the Sony itself.
Since I drive a regular Nissan pickup truck with a normal isolation and suspension system (standard motor, nothing souped-up about the vehicle), I can't bring myself to believe it is only intended for use in Cadillacs and Coupe D'Villes.
I have trusted Sony products for their superior quality, and want to say that this was a good portable CD player, but either I got a lemon or it simply isn't truly designed for use in average vehicles.
