Clean bass (though not that powerful / authoritative) Very good instruments separation - and even good voices separation Exquisite treble, very delicate, silky – its strongest point I hear more sounds (and instruments!) than on my Denon, incl. the singer’s or flautist’s breathing, fingers moving on guitar strings

Tinny earphones, lacking bass and they hurt the ears (usual package with portable players but this a ‘flagship’ player); I mean physically, not the sound The treble is so strong that it is slightly exaggerated, hence the presence of some sibilance (like an irritating ‘sssssss’) I do not like high volume as it hurts my ears but even I can push the player to the highest volume. This means good sound with low distortion but also that the volume set at ‘max’ will not be enough outdoors for some. It was OK on a plane though. When only one instrument is playing (say a flute or piano), there is some noise which is quite irritating - when the instrument is being played only, ie. not between 2 notes

0. Preface - This review will mostly be about the sound of the D-NE10. 1. WOW! Top of the range, nothing less. You just cannot beat that style. An ipod looks like a brick next to it. So thin! In your hands, it is a design masterpiece. No words can translate this beauty. The Ferrari (or McLaren) of personal CDs. You get more than design though. The case is half magnesium. Not bad, and remember, this is half the price of an ipod. Also, audiophiles hate the iPod because the sound is ‘compressed’. I never use the controls (situated underneath!) as the cool green backlit remote is great, esp. the dot matrix display! But as an ‘amateur audiophile’, let me now focus on the sound. 2. With the supplied ‘cheap’ earphones; in a silent environment at home; mostly Chesky, Linn, Naim and Tag McLaren well-recorded CDs but also some other good ones - I just love that detailed and crystal clear sound. Better than my award-winning Denon DM mini. It is an unfair comparison both ways (a mini-system in a room is not as neutral an environment as earphones direct into your ears; a wooden loudspeaker will pump out more bass; then again, a portable CD outside – where it should be - will be in an even more polluted environment!) but I hope it provides a sort of ‘benchmarking'. 3. If you do not upgrade your phones, it means you have bought a Ferrari and are trying to save money with Ford Fiesta tyres. I ordered the Sennheiser PX200 mini-headphone for only £30 more and the result was … much worse. The sound was muddier than the cheap free earphones with the Sony! I sent them back straightaway. I will now have to buy the Etymotics ER-4P. Very expensive. As they look unimpressive, I will tell my wife they cost £20! Also, it is very, very dangerous (illegal in some countries, and rightly so) to drive or ride (or even walk/jog as you will not hear incoming vehicles) with passive noise-cancellation earphones – which the Etymotics are. 4. Warning - a golden rule in hi-fi: this is my subjective assessment. You would need to compare with other players and headphones (esp. if you are buying expensive ones) to see what suits your needs in terms of sound preference and functionality. And remember, your ears are unique to you. 5. Conclusion – CD players are the best-kept secret of portable audio: prices and weight have come down and quality and design are up. Battery life has nothing to do with the usual 1-hr of 80’s walkman! Now it is almost 40 hours (with the rechargeable stick and one alkaline). The D-NE10 is more useful than what I thought as I use it even at home: I cannot buy an expensive system right now (moving soon) and anyway we have an 8-month old baby, so I cannot listen to music at even normal level all the time. The D-NE10 is excellent. Better sound detail than what I was expecting - though the bass is a bit light. Great bass would complement the exquisite treble ideally! ‘Better’ than an ipod, at half the price, in terms of pure sound quality. Good earphones would bring it close to ‘high fidelity’. Not cheap but great value. So it gets a 4-star rating, which is excellent as I was very demanding on the sound. 5-star with high quality but expensive earphones (Etymotics ER-4P, my next buy) but that would also double the price.

Similar Products Used:

Quick listen of some other products An entry-level hi-fi set up (Rotel, Denon)