Sony Walkman D-EJ815 Personal CD Player
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A worthy player by Sony
Pros
nice looks, very useful accessories
Cons
MSRP too expensive
Recommended it?
Yes
I decided it was time to buy a portable CD player because whenever I step out of the record store with some new CDs, I find myself wishing that I could listen to them right away as I walk around the city instead of waiting till I get home to have a listen. Plus, I just got a CD burner and wanted to be able to listen to my homemade CDs while travelling. For these purposes, I wanted something that would be small and sleek, yet non-conspicuous and reliable. And the Sony D-EJ815 CD Walkman turned out to be a good choice.
I originally planned to buy another model -- the Sony D-EJ825 because it was just released and had the newest design. But when I got to the store and had a look at all the players side-by-side, the D-EJ815 actually looked more appealing. It has a certain, understated style. I originally didn't want a silver metallic colored CD player because it seemed gimmicky to me. Silver CD players were cool when they first came out, but now EVERYONE does it and it just seems cheesy. But the silver D-EJ815 turned out to be pretty classy looking. It's got clean lines, and I can imagine it still looking cool after two years, which I can't say for the purple D-EJ825, which looks a bit too trendy and amorphous.
I also want to mention why I chose the D-EJ815 over the D-EJ915, which is just above the 815 in Sony's model line. The D-EJ915's main selling point is its super slim case. But in order to achieve such a small size (and presumably, a minimalist look), there is no LED display on the CD player unit itself, only on the remote. I don't want to have to rely on the remote all the time, so I prefer the D-EJ815, which has the display on the main unit.
The layout of the buttons seems to be okay. Not too intuitive at first, but you get used to them. My main gripe with the design of the case is that the battery compartment is right at the top edge where you are most likely to grip the player. So when you are pulling the player out of a bag or something, it's easy to accidentally open the battery door.
The list price of this model was $190, and I paid $125 at The Good Guys, presumably because Sony is about to roll out newer models. While it's a good price reduction, the original price was way too expensive. Please keep in mind that this following complaint is directed at ALL portable CD player companies and not just Sony. The manufacturers obviously use increasingly cheaper parts and labor for these CD players. Because CD technology is old and not hot like the current MD players and MP3 players, companies can skimp on the build quality of CD players. I mean, the aluminum cover on the D-EJ815 is pretty nice, but the buttons and LED display are noticeably made of cheap plastic. To be fair, it's still at least as well built as players from other brands. The unit was made in Malaysia, which is not to criticize Malaysian-made goods, but for once I would like to see a product in the U.S. from a Japanese company actually MADE IN JAPAN. And why do all portable CD players come in those cheap plastic hang-tag packages? If a CD player costs around $200, like the new D-EJ925 model which I also saw in the store, it should at least come in a cardboard box like other consumer electronics. All I ask for is a box...
Okay, maybe I should get on to the benefits of this player. The best thing about the D-EJ815 as well as all of Sony's higher-end models is that it comes with a host of very useful accessories. One thing is the optical out port to link to an MD recorder. I don't have an MD recorder, but it's nice to know that my CD player is compatible with other technology. Speaking of which, it also seems to play CD-Rs just fine. The battery options of the D-EJ815 is also one of its strong points. You can either use the included rechargeable nickel cadmium batteries, or opt for plain old AA's, and you can add on the extra battery pack for additional hours of usage. There is also an AC pack that doubles as a battery charger. Plus, the LED has a little icon to indicate how much battery is left. This ensures that battery life is pretty much a non-issue with this player. The remote is also useful and a definite bonus, and it seems to convince us that the portable CD player is not all that far removed from its cousin the MD player, which popularized the use of remotes. And of course, the Sony CD Walkman's most touted feature, "G-Protection", really does work. No skips whatsoever so far.
In the sound quality department, the D-EJ815 seemed only so-so. That is, until I ditched the stock headphones and connected a pair of the famous Grado SR-60's. Then the CD player sounded just great. The headphones that came with the player not only sound bad, but are uncomfortable. After a while, they started to pinch a certain part of my earlobes and were quite painful to wear. But I don't need to convince you to ditch those factory headphones because you were going to do it anyway, right? It seems like some sort of tradition to replace the headphones that came with your discman. Companies are pretty much expected to cut costs in this area, which is fine by me because headphones are such a personal preference.
Okay, time to wrap this up. All in all, the D-EJ815 was a good purchase for me. Despite my complaints, I still consider this model to be much better than the competition.
12/26 Okay, I've had this player for a couple days now and wanted to mention a few things I left out before.
One: as letitrut reminded me in the comments section, the remote accepts any kind of headphone with a standard mini plug, as opposed to using a proprietary plug size, or worse, being attached permanently with the factory headphones. This is a major plus because aftermarket headphones are a necessity to get good sound quality out of the D-EJ815. I'm always using the Grado SR-60's from now on...
Two: the player doesn't turn on unless you press 'play', so you can't, say, press forward first to select a track and start playing from there because it won't accept any commands until you start playing the first track. A small annoyance.
Three: when you press the 'open' button, the lid opens only a tiny bit and you have to manually open it all the way until you hear a 'click'. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I actually like this mechanism. It has a solid and precise feel. It feels better than those lids that fly open.
Finally: I'm really liking the D-EJ815 more and more each day. It's a joy to use and listen to (that is, with the Grados).
I originally planned to buy another model -- the Sony D-EJ825 because it was just released and had the newest design. But when I got to the store and had a look at all the players side-by-side, the D-EJ815 actually looked more appealing. It has a certain, understated style. I originally didn't want a silver metallic colored CD player because it seemed gimmicky to me. Silver CD players were cool when they first came out, but now EVERYONE does it and it just seems cheesy. But the silver D-EJ815 turned out to be pretty classy looking. It's got clean lines, and I can imagine it still looking cool after two years, which I can't say for the purple D-EJ825, which looks a bit too trendy and amorphous.
I also want to mention why I chose the D-EJ815 over the D-EJ915, which is just above the 815 in Sony's model line. The D-EJ915's main selling point is its super slim case. But in order to achieve such a small size (and presumably, a minimalist look), there is no LED display on the CD player unit itself, only on the remote. I don't want to have to rely on the remote all the time, so I prefer the D-EJ815, which has the display on the main unit.
The layout of the buttons seems to be okay. Not too intuitive at first, but you get used to them. My main gripe with the design of the case is that the battery compartment is right at the top edge where you are most likely to grip the player. So when you are pulling the player out of a bag or something, it's easy to accidentally open the battery door.
The list price of this model was $190, and I paid $125 at The Good Guys, presumably because Sony is about to roll out newer models. While it's a good price reduction, the original price was way too expensive. Please keep in mind that this following complaint is directed at ALL portable CD player companies and not just Sony. The manufacturers obviously use increasingly cheaper parts and labor for these CD players. Because CD technology is old and not hot like the current MD players and MP3 players, companies can skimp on the build quality of CD players. I mean, the aluminum cover on the D-EJ815 is pretty nice, but the buttons and LED display are noticeably made of cheap plastic. To be fair, it's still at least as well built as players from other brands. The unit was made in Malaysia, which is not to criticize Malaysian-made goods, but for once I would like to see a product in the U.S. from a Japanese company actually MADE IN JAPAN. And why do all portable CD players come in those cheap plastic hang-tag packages? If a CD player costs around $200, like the new D-EJ925 model which I also saw in the store, it should at least come in a cardboard box like other consumer electronics. All I ask for is a box...
Okay, maybe I should get on to the benefits of this player. The best thing about the D-EJ815 as well as all of Sony's higher-end models is that it comes with a host of very useful accessories. One thing is the optical out port to link to an MD recorder. I don't have an MD recorder, but it's nice to know that my CD player is compatible with other technology. Speaking of which, it also seems to play CD-Rs just fine. The battery options of the D-EJ815 is also one of its strong points. You can either use the included rechargeable nickel cadmium batteries, or opt for plain old AA's, and you can add on the extra battery pack for additional hours of usage. There is also an AC pack that doubles as a battery charger. Plus, the LED has a little icon to indicate how much battery is left. This ensures that battery life is pretty much a non-issue with this player. The remote is also useful and a definite bonus, and it seems to convince us that the portable CD player is not all that far removed from its cousin the MD player, which popularized the use of remotes. And of course, the Sony CD Walkman's most touted feature, "G-Protection", really does work. No skips whatsoever so far.
In the sound quality department, the D-EJ815 seemed only so-so. That is, until I ditched the stock headphones and connected a pair of the famous Grado SR-60's. Then the CD player sounded just great. The headphones that came with the player not only sound bad, but are uncomfortable. After a while, they started to pinch a certain part of my earlobes and were quite painful to wear. But I don't need to convince you to ditch those factory headphones because you were going to do it anyway, right? It seems like some sort of tradition to replace the headphones that came with your discman. Companies are pretty much expected to cut costs in this area, which is fine by me because headphones are such a personal preference.
Okay, time to wrap this up. All in all, the D-EJ815 was a good purchase for me. Despite my complaints, I still consider this model to be much better than the competition.
12/26 Okay, I've had this player for a couple days now and wanted to mention a few things I left out before.
One: as letitrut reminded me in the comments section, the remote accepts any kind of headphone with a standard mini plug, as opposed to using a proprietary plug size, or worse, being attached permanently with the factory headphones. This is a major plus because aftermarket headphones are a necessity to get good sound quality out of the D-EJ815. I'm always using the Grado SR-60's from now on...
Two: the player doesn't turn on unless you press 'play', so you can't, say, press forward first to select a track and start playing from there because it won't accept any commands until you start playing the first track. A small annoyance.
Three: when you press the 'open' button, the lid opens only a tiny bit and you have to manually open it all the way until you hear a 'click'. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I actually like this mechanism. It has a solid and precise feel. It feels better than those lids that fly open.
Finally: I'm really liking the D-EJ815 more and more each day. It's a joy to use and listen to (that is, with the Grados).
