I'm choosing a different model
Written: Aug 12 '02
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Pros: cool backlit display, lots of menu-driven features, plenty of volume
Cons: problematic operation (see review); comparatively short battery life
The Bottom Line: I'm avoiding it. If it works for you, great... but make sure you can return it for a refund, if it doesn't.
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| HesRightUNo's Full Review: TDK MOJO Personal CD Player |
I purchased the Mojo, along with competing models from Samsung and Panasonic, with the idea in mind that I'd return two and keep my favorite. (None of the stores offer an in-store demo model - all three stores offered a 30-day money-back guarantee.)
Compared with the others, the Mojo is a bit on the large size. But I was attracted mostly by the promise of good volume. (One of my intended uses is for motorcycle riding, with Koss earplugs under the helmet. But only when I'm riding the wide open spaces; NEVER in traffic. I need volume. I also need good memory buffering, to avoid any "skipping" problem.) I was also impressed by the nice multi-line scrolling backlit display, and the numerous adjustments that can be made using menus. Wow! This model also has a wired remote (inline with the earphone jack).
JVC claims 10 hours of operation from a set of (2) AA batteries. That's about the same as Samsung claims; Panasonic, on the other hand, claims 32-40 hours. (The reality is - all three are a bargain - 10 or more hours of quality tunes for a buck's worth of batteries!)
The Mojo indeed had substantially higher volume than either the Panasonic or Samsung. (In the interest of objectivity, I used the same 'phones for all 3 - the Koss "Plugs," and also a nice set of Sony over-the-ear studio phones.)
But - the JVC is going back today. Why? Because it won't play my MP3 discs!
Again, I used the same, freshly-burned CD-R discs to compare all three players. Both other models work fine. The JVC will display all the ID3 information on its excellent backlit display, but I push the PLAY button, and it's a crap-shoot. Some tracks play, others never get "acquired." It just sits there spinning. (Huh?) I took the first one back, and described the problem. The "technician" (a pimple-faced kid who I'm confident knows much less about the product than I learned in a couple hours of fiddling with it) told me I was probably burning my CDs wrong. Which might be true, if the Panasonic and Samsung didn't play 'em flawlessly. Anyway, they gave me a replacement, and it's doing the same thing.
Another thing - on the tracks that DO play, some of them "skip" from place to place in the track, back to the beginning, etc. And if they DO take off and start playing, there is some irritating "popping" introduced into the sound from time to time, that is NOT heard with the other models.
(I didn't do much testing with standard audio CDs - although the MP3s don't sound nearly as good as CDAs, in my opinion, the trade-off is 10+ hours on a disc, instead of 74 minutes. Again, portability is a big issue on my upcoming motorcycle adventure that I'm gearing up for.)
Frankly, I'm quite disappointed I didn't have better success with this JVC. (The Samsung and Panasonic both offer a 1-year factory warranty, compared with 90 days for the JVC. I purchased a 3-year "exchange" warranty at my local retailer for $18 extra, but I guess it won't matter now.)
I'm going with the Panasonic. Not nearly as feature-rich as either this JVC or the Samsung (with its awesome DISPLAY remote control!), but it's bulletproof. Or so it seems. I've also got a Panasonic portable CD player that I bought new in '97 and it's still going strong.
Other hardware notes:
Motorcycle - 2000 Harley-Davidson FXDX (pretty loud, but quiet compared with wind noise at 60+ mph).
Phones - Koss "The Plug" - like earbuds, but with a soft rubber plug that goes further into the ear canal, and supposedly blocks ambient noise. $15-17, lifetime warranty.
(This is still an experiment, and may be a colossal failure. In my few miles of "testing," the ambient noise of motorcycle riding is still a major issue. And, I'll probably end up with permanent hearing damage. Huh? Huh? Maybe if I had a Honda Gold Wing with a big fairing...... NAH!)
CD-burning - I'm using an IOmega 12x CD burner, and the standard Adaptec Easy CD Creator, Version 4. I've never had a problem with an audio CD or an MP3 collection.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 100
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Epinions.com ID:
HesRightUNo
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Location: Boise, Idaho, U.S.A.
Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 0 members
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