Review on 🎧 Sony DNS313F S2 Sports MP3/CD Walkman: AM/FM Tuner, White by Ben Daugherty

I chose this device mainly because it plays CDs and MP3s and it is waterproof. In addition, other Sony-branded CD players have generally been reliable. I bought it mainly to play CDs on my motorcycle. I recently tested this player on a trip from Texas to Montana. As a CD player, I would rate it as good to very good. As a radio, this topic is valued, but I don't give the radio as much importance as the CD player. CD Player: Plays audio CDs and MP3 files recorded on discs (you can use CD-R or CD-RW discs). ; CD-RW discs have not been tested). The sound quality is very good for CD and MP3 playback (tested with external speakers). Has a group playback mode for MP3 (a group is a folder on a disc). Superior G-Force impact protection. Has two tone settings; everyone just boosts the bass. Playback Modes: All Playback, Group Playback (only for MP3 discs), Individual Playback and Shuffle Playback. Can be repeated in any mode. Shuffle play shuffles all tracks on MP3 discs. It is not possible to play a group randomly. There is no program play mode. If you restart a disc after pressing the stop button, the player will resume playback from the last position unless the disc or battery is replaced. To restart the same disc from the beginning, the play button must be held down until playback begins. For MP3 discs this can take up to 20 seconds or more as the player appears to rescan the disc before starting. The display does not show file or folder names; only shows the current track number and time. Has a group button for selecting groups (folders) on MP3 discs. Pressing the Group button displays the current group number; it will return to the track number after a few seconds if no other button is pressed. While the group number is displayed, the Skip Track button will jump forward in the group. The player had a small feature: when playing an MP3 disc, the player sometimes stopped playing, mostly at the end of the track. The track number is displayed without the time. When this happened I had to press "Stop" and then restart the disc from the beginning (by holding the "Play" button). This has happened a couple of times on the trip but not anymore lately. It also stuttered when playing a CD on a very hot day (but later the same CD would play with no problem). The player's alkaline batteries ran out fairly quickly. A set of batteries lasted about 10-12 hours on the go. When the batteries were almost empty, the device did not respond to any keystroke. There was no indication on the display that the batteries needed to be replaced. The display was blank. Like a radio: FM sensitivity is good, but overload tolerance and selectivity are poor. Strong stations were received on several frequencies. Strong stations often suppressed weak stations. Some weak stations were not received at all. When I tried to turn on the weak NPR station in the motel room, it wouldn't turn on. The station worked fine on the other radio. I've had a similar experience with another Sony product, so this behavior wasn't entirely unexpected. However, I was hoping that they finally got it right. I didn't check the AM band. General Notes: All controls are on the top cover (except for the somewhat cumbersome Hold button on the bottom of the device). Some keys are very small. There are no dedicated buttons in the radio preset. Some keys have multiple functions. For example: One button selects play mode, repeat (CD or MP3) and preset stations or direct station search (radio mode). No line out. The headphone jack and power jack are close together on the right side. Rubber plugs should be placed in the sockets when not in use to prevent water ingress. The volume is controlled using the up/down buttons. The memory retains the preset stations when the batteries are changed. The supplied fontopids did not fit my ears well and the sound quality was satisfactory. I would recommend the best headphones. The radio tuner (FM band) searches in 10 kHz steps, which is less convenient than 20 kHz steps. The CD compartment is waterproof when closed. The instructions warn against opening the device when it is wet. The battery compartment is under the CD; presumably this placement makes the battery compartment waterproof. Uncovered controls can be affected by water. The D-NS313F is slightly larger and slightly heavier (364 grams with batteries) than my other Sony CD Walkman (247 grams with batteries). Basically I am satisfied with this device. Player. The ability to play MP3 discs comes in very handy on a long trip. Multiple CDs can be "ripped" onto a single MP3 disc. I get very good sound through my helmet speakers (played through the bike's audio system). I don't have to worry if the player gets wet - an obvious danger when riding a motorcycle. The quality of the radio is so-so, but the bike has its own radio and I have an extra radio for motel room use, so the radio isn't very important to me.