Price, reliability, optical output, Disc Memo

slow disc change time

I have the 515, which is the 1997 model with a slightly different case. I have used it almost non-stop for over 2 years, and have yet to report any major problems with it. My model has played any CD-R I have put in it. CD-TEXT is a neat feature, but out of 300 CDs I only have one with it enabled.

I'm not too familiar with the analog outputs, but the digital sounds great. The remote and 'ex-change' [switch 4 discs while 1 is playing] are good as well as digital level control and fading.

4 stars because the display has had some dimness problems [solved by opening case and moving wires]

program memory is preserved when cd player off, nice remote

slow disc change time

I had a previous Sony Cd player that died on me..The best thing about it and this one is that the program memory is saved when the cd player is shut off..I.E. After programming 12 or 14 songs into the cd, you can shut it off use it the next day and the programming is still there...
That is a MAJOR reason while I bought this cd player on sale at Tweeter for 160$ to replace my 5 disc Kenwood that has a lousy remote, is infuriating to program, and loses the memory of what you programmed every time you shut the cd player off..I have had 2 sony receivers and 1 sony cd player die on me in the past 5 years, needless to say am not a fan of Sony..But their program memory on even their low end cd players is nice..I would have had to spend 350$
on a Yamaha to get the same feature..Their 1 year warranty is also not inspiring..If you buy any Sony products, opt for an extended warranty on them as well.Their products are
good for the prices but do not hold up over time..P.S. the
disc change time is the slowest I have ever seen in any cd player but tolerable in programmed play..haven't tried it in random mode..Its worth a 160 bucks for a casual listener,
but I would spend more if I planned to keep it for more than a couple of years or was an audiophile....Dave

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Kenwood

Overall, it's good cd player for the money. I had an older cdp-ce715 and it was an even better player but would tend to skip under HEAVY bass conditions. One thing I don't like about the 525 is the jog shuttle track knob, I really wish that Sony would do away with all these jog dials, they slow things up. I think it would be better with an added track "button". I play guitar and sometimes when I have a pick between my fingers and want to locate a song, the knob is a hassle to turn and would rather just have a button to push. But it has great specs on it, sounds great and best of all doesn't skip under HEAVY bass conditions. Nice player!

I got the 525 and while the quality is no worse than the older sony it replaced it is not all that great. Perhaps I have a defective product: when I play a CD through the DAC in my JE510 I find that the sound quality is definitely better; a lot crisper and spacious. I do like the Optical out and it does play scratched cd's fairly well.
If you have any suggestions on the difference in sound quality send me some mail.

The features on this unit are very good.The only digitial output is the inferior EIAJ optical.
This is unfortunate because this player needs all the help with sound quality that it can muster up.
It sounds average for the price, but with far better sounding CD players available for less then another $100 (like Onkyo), the sound is an issue unless this player is being used for backround music.
The soundstage is flat, imaging is difuse, and detail is missing.
The only virtue of the muddy sound is that it covers most of the grain in the highs.

I bought this unit for my brother about a month ago for $180. I have NEVER noticed this nor have I heard him say anything about it taking to long to read discs as others have posted. The sound quality of the unit is respectable, but the only real reason to buy this player over the other less expensive Sonys is the optical output, which yields a noticeable improvement in sound. Overall it garners four stars but I'm sure theres something better out ther for this price.
-Alex

5 disc changer, disc titling, CD-text, optical out

takes a while to start playing a disc, the front panel controls are kind of kind of confusing and the buttons are poorly labeled but the remote is good.

I've had this for a year now and I'm quite happy with it. I've had no problems with it at all. The best thing about it is the five disc changer and being able to change the other 4 discs while one is playing. The CD-text is cool but very few discs have this. Manual disc titling is also nice but since it takes so long to spin up a disc it's not a very fast way to figure out what's already in the player. The sound quality is fine but I'm not very discerning about that. Most CD players sound the same to me. I has done a good job playing dirty or slightly scratched CDs. Overall a good buy I think, but nothing stellar.

Similar Products Used:

none

I got this CD player about 3 weeks ago. The primary reason being the optical output so I could record on my Minidisc recorder. I never wanted to get a carousel, but this machine works quite well. having read reviews about how slow it was to track discs, I was hesitant. I tried it out and it worked fine. It also has a cool feature that reads CD information, (that is for CD's that have any information encoded on them!) of which most disc do not have any.For the price I paid and the features I got, I would have to rate it 5 stars!
Does anyone know how to transfer titling information from CD to minidisc? I've tried all possible wiring combinations!

Optical Digital output, CD-Text feature that automatically reads certain CD names, play exchange

I purchased this CD player for my girlfriend to go along with her Sony TA-1000 ESD receiver. The unit has proven to be very good and plays CDs from loading very quickly compared to my Onkyo or the Yamaha I bought for my dad. I have had problems with Sony CD players emitting a light (but just enough to be VERY annoying) "whirring" sound after significant use, however this player shows no such signs of doing so. On ebay it can be a great deal on a rock-solid unit.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo DX-C730, Yamaha ?, Sony CDP-235

Good features, randomn play on 1/all disk option, optical ouput.

Started skipping as soon as warranty expired.

Nice unit for all the same reasons. Both CD player and my MD unit went out as soon as warranties expired. DON'T BUY SONY WITHOUT EXTENDED SERVICE PLAN!!!

Similar Products Used:

Sony MDS-JE320 Mindisc Recorder