A nice MP3/CD player entry into the market
Written: Apr 13 '02
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Pros: Nice Features, cool design, sturdy.
Cons: No ID3 song tags, slight problem with the car audio adapter.
The Bottom Line: A great player for a heavy-duty listener. Buy if you love music and are into mp3's.
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| WOW's Full Review: Philips eXpanium EXP103 Personal CD Player |
I got this cd player for Christmas a while back when MP3 cd players were first coming out. So of course, when new technology comes out, you must pay the price. I got this unit for $200 about 2 or so years ago.
I really don't regret the purchase, it is an exceptional unit for my everyday listening, and it also acts as my one and only cd player for my truck.
First, I will talk about the everyday listening of cds. It can read CD-RW's, real cd's (of course!) and it claims it can read every type of CD-R a person can throw at it. Well, so far that holds true for me. The sound quality is excellent coming from the unit and the volume gets plenty loud for my ears, (a problem that sometimes plagues some units).
Second, and maybe the most important is the ability to read and play MP3 discs. A large part in the instruction manual is how to burn these specialized cd's so that you can have your folders and songs divided up. You can have unlimited amount of folders and as many mp3's that you can fit on a 700 MB cd. For your information, those without cd burners, really shouldn't be considering an mp3 unit. I created a Metallica mp3 cd featuring every single Metallica album compacted onto one 700MB cd. Now for all you copyrighted conscious people out there, I own every Metallica cd, so nothing was pirated. It was actually divided into 11 albums, 8-14 songs a piece. One of the only problems with listening to mp3 cd's is the fact that you cannot "fast-forward" during a track in mp3 mode. So if you have a power ballad featuring Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana that is 25 minutes long, and your favorite part is in the last 2 minutes, well you are forced to listen to the entire song. When you hold down the "Fast-Forward" button, it is actually album skip, for fast album selection.
Now, for the car part. I drive a 1994 Chevrolet S-10 and perhaps it is something in my tape deck unit, but for some reason, I only get audio out of my left side speakers. I thought perhaps it was a defective tape unit but actually it wasn't because it worked in my friend's Toyota Camry. I'm guessing it is something in my truck, but a good check into that wouldn't hurt. Other than that, it plays absolutely beautifully in my car and I love listening to it over a regular "In-Dash" unit.
The expanium also features great ESP abilities and nice battery life. This product is definately a contender for a great mp3/CD player.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 200
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Epinions.com ID:
WOW
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Reviews written: 45
Trusted by: 2 members
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