Review on Sony D NE718CK ATRAC3 MP3 Walkman by Travis Filippi

I bought this player for use in the car. I have a '03 Honda Accord LX that only has a factory CD player. Luckily it has an AUX input which I plugged into a special box sold at Crutchfield. It's called HON03 or something like that. I can connect anything that has a 3.5mm audio output. I used to connect my iPod like an MP3 player but it didn't work because I had to keep looking at the display to change songs etc. Also, I had to manually toggle and bookmark each stop on and off each time. After the MP3 player died, I started looking for something: 1) with a remote control; 2) something that could be hidden in the armrest and preferably not touched for days; 3) something that could be powered from a 12V car outlet; 4) something that remembers its position in the song when the ignition is turned off; I was surprised that there was no solution other than this Sony 718CK MP3/CD player (besides being able to install a $300-$400 factory in-dash MP3 player or some other non-genuine MP3 players). About sound quality, G-Shock, comfort, reliability, etc. I will not write. The Sony name speaks for itself, which means all of this is the very best for a portable device, made by the company with the longest history of Walkmans. I want to write about these nice features that you will start to love right away: 1) I installed the remote control to the left of the dashboard behind the wiper handle. It is easily accessible while driving and is not disturbed by anything. I had to thread the remote cord into the dash to hide it and then it went into the forearm compartment. 12VDC, 110VAC and an RCA AUX input were already there. All I had to do was put the player there and plug it in. Now I only see and use the remote control, I don't have to touch anything else except when changing MP3 discs. Given that each MP3 disc is played for >10-15 hours, you don't do it every 10 minutes. as is the case with normal audio CDs. Only wish is that the remote control is wireless. 2) To turn on the player and start playing, all I have to do is press the play button on the remote control. I don't need to turn it off or bookmark it - the player starts up with the same song in the same position when you turn the ignition off and on again. All you have to do after starting the car is press the play button on the remote control and you're done! It couldn't be easier! My only wish is for the player to be able to start by itself after backing up, like a regular dash mounted CD player. 3) This turntable has a 3.5mm output which I plugged directly into my car's AUX port. 99% of other CD/MP3 players only have a 3.5mm output and this is usually on the remote control. This really creates a web of cords in your car. Now a few bad things about the player and how to overcome them: 1) The player must have batteries to remember the last song and position. I think it also remembers the whole song as it starts playing 2-3 seconds after turning it on! It's a good thing that when connected to an external power source, the batteries are charged DIRECTLY IN THE player when you press the "Charge" button. ! That way you don't have to take them out often (maybe charge them once a month and replace them once a year or so), especially considering the player runs on 12V DC car power all the time. It only takes batteries used to store the player's bookmarks in memory when it is turned off. 2) Now it's really bad: When connecting to AUX and 12V DC port via Sony 12V adapter, the player makes loud hissing noise. Starting the engine makes the noise unbearable. I think it has to do with the car's 12 volt electrical system. Although it is direct DC, there can be slight modulations that interfere with the audio cables. However, when headphones are connected, everything is fine. Only bad when connected to the car's AUX. Disconnecting the 12V DC also eliminates the problem. However, the player therefore only needs to be powered by batteries, which is not very good. My solution was to use a 12V -> 110V boost inverter ($20 at Walmart for 100W) and then use the Sony power supply that came with the player. Now everything was perfect. Somehow the inverter and adapter filtered out all the bad noise and the audio was clear. In general, I highly recommend this player if you need a portable MP3 player in your car. This is indeed a very elegant solution, thanks to Sony engineers!