cd players with car kits

I bought this for two reasons, SONY QUALITY and it was made specifically for CAR USE! I wasn't disappointed!

The player has a high piano gloss black cover that resist smudges and has all metal control buttons. It also comes with two remote controls, one for the car and one for the player to carry around. It comes, of course, with everything else needed to play in a car and carry around. But the remotes was what I was really interested in.

I found that the car remote simply duplicates basic controls that Sony says can be controlled like a wiper knob in your car. You can use any remote control, however. The nice touch is that this acts more like a "car" knob for particular people, I suppose. They also include velcro attachments that work pretty good at resisting twisting movements or coming off.

The player has just about everything to play music the way you like it. I didn't find anything really lacking here for most basic of listening. One feature I liked is the "bookmark" feature. The amount of songs I tested was about 75 tracks with 3 groups or folders. I don't know what more you would need if you put 490 songs on.

The battery life must be noted, is for optimum conditons. That is; the player lying flat, ATRAC recorded at minimum bit rate and letting it just play right through without touching anything. If not, I estimate the battery life at somewhere between 9-16 or (more hours) of real play use depending on how much you "fiddle" with it.

My biggest gripe was with the SonicStooge software that comes with the player. It is obvious that the DRM of Sony is interfering with the ease and logicness of using it. For instance I couldn't figure out how to delete a group even when checking the option to do so, it just wouldn't delete the group! I ended up just reformatting the ATRAC CD. You can get use to SonicStooge, once you learn SonicStooge "sense". I was beginning to grasp some basic features after some fustrating moments, but it clearly needs some reworking. I also could not get it to work with their Connect online music site of all things!

There was some moments when songs would suddenly stop playing and then start playing again. I think this has to do with the G-Shock asorbing ability of the player (I hope :). I never turned on this feature.

SOUND? I played it through my car stereo and it sounded very good. (Recorded at 64kbs) I compared MP3 sound to ATRACPLUS sound, and my conclusion was that ATRAC sound sounded slightly better, especially in the bass department. A little more "oomph" and definiton. I am sold on the ATRACPLUS sound! I consider this proprietary method superior to MP3. The music also sounded very good with headphones that came with it. I never tested the sound on Grado or better headphones, but they sounded very clear and thorough with these headphones with very good bass! Another thing people might wonder is how loud can it get? Well, putting it on the highest volume seems to me like someone yelling at the top of their lungs maybe 10 feet away from you. How long can you take of that?

SUPPORT: Superb! I was able to get to a live rep with very mininum wait time. (Under 1 minute). For tougher problems with their software, I was given a another number to call and instantly got a knowledgeable rep! No menus or recordings! Try doing that with Iriver. They still have not returned an e-mail question after several weeks!!

There was really only one thing lacking (maybe) and why Iriver is beating them. It sounds silly, but there is no BACKLIGHT on this thing. To see the information on the 4 line LCD (which it has plenty) you must be in good light. Sony, take a hint and PUT A BACKLIGHT IN ALL YOUR PLAYERS. Thank you!!! Not only is it helpful, but COOOOL!!!!

Oh yeah, it has a little operating "on" lite. Small, but pretty neat! It changes color depending on program material. Naturally, green (for go or safe?) means ATRACPLUS mode. The other mode colors are red and orange for Audio CD and MP3.

UPLINE: Sony quality and features, no-wait tech support.
DOWNLINE: No backlight on LCD. Ill conceived software.