I didn’t have a CD player. To tell the truth, I never needed it since I listened to my CDs either on a Hi-Fi system, or on a PlayStation (yes, the first), or finally on my PC. However, I’ve bought several online video games on CD and was content to listen to them on my computer before stopping when I no longer installed a CD player on my configuration. Suddenly, I found myself with records I no longer listen to.
While browsing YouTube, I came across a channel that talks about CD players, cassettes, or even minidiscs. I was curious and went to see on eBay if there was a Discman available and I came across this ad for the Sony D-NE1, which caught my eye just as the looks are great and the condition is clean (almost new). After several searches, I realized that not only was it a very good device, but also the price was still affordable (it was an auction). After I set a limit (the amount I can see everywhere on the internet), I ended up winning the sale and finally got to test this product.
So here’s a little tour of the Sony D-NE1, a high-end, sophisticated and, in my opinion, a visually stunning CD player.
Miniature gem
The first thing that immediately pleased me when I saw this disc was its appearance. It is really small (one of the smallest there is), and looks very high quality: toys of transparency, chrome, plastic that is certainly light but of quality … In short, everything pleases me. Admittedly at first I thought the casing would be completely transparent to show the disk’s rotation, but that’s not the case: only the edges were transparent, and indeed you could see the disk through.
I really like the perfectly round shape (I find it timeless and understated), and its low thickness makes it a true gem of a miniaturization. With a thickness of only 1.5-1.6 cm, Sony managed to fit all the electronics needed to play CDs and even CD-R discs. This was made possible in part by very flat batteries, famous “gum batteries” because they looked like large discs of chewing gum: the famous NH-14WM.
The only thing that can be scary when you take D-NE1 in your hands is the feeling of fragility and fear of damaging it. It’s true that we’re a far cry from Discman with more powerful appearances at times. But today, there is little chance of using it on the go. Because yes, the advantage of this player is that you can plug it all into your speakers and use it in silent mode, to enjoy your CD collection, like before streaming services came along. musical.
Perfect for playing CDs at home
The Sony D-NE1 has everything a premium product has. Not only can it accompany us on trips since it is a portable product, but it is sold with a charging stand that allows it to be placed in an elegant way (it’s strange to say it but hey) to recharge it or listen to music.
In fact, there is an output (optical) port to plug directly into your audio installation. However, if you do this, you will not be able to use the volume control via the wired remote control (because the amplification is not present on the optical line output).
By leaving it plugged in, the Pirate doesn’t need its batteries. Which is very useful if, like me, you’re only going to use it as a supplement to your home audio system. And the timeless look of the product helps it blend in perfectly with such an environment.
High technological quality
I will not detail all the technical characteristics you can anyway find herebut I will focus on a few of them that I think deserve attention.
We were talking about the looks, it goes hand in hand with the weight: 179g battery included. Autonomy is declared at 150 hours on MP3 thanks to the combination of internal batteries and external batteries that can be added using the included accessory. Adorable.
The Sony D-NE1 is also compatible with the Atrac3, and the Sony codec is supposed to encode more powerful MP3 without losing quality. Today, these items don’t make much of an impact anymore because the overall quality of the audio files available for streaming is very good and pretty much enough for the average mortal (i.e., non-audio enthusiast), but at the time, it was a real selling point.
In short, I could give full details but it’s really not the subject of this article.
Nice collector’s item
I was able to find the Sony D-NE1 on Ebay after watching some videos talking about the Discman. I was fortunate enough to come across a running auction of this almost complete product, but above all in perfect condition! I managed to get it at a relatively affordable price for such a case: 100€ + customs and postage = 180€. It’s hard to find cheaper for this model, anyway. And although the product wasn’t complete (no box, no batteries, no bag, and the AC adapter didn’t fit), I don’t regret my purchase.
Not only is it beautiful, but it also makes me go back to my little collection of video game OSTs. It is a pleasure that I forgot with time, that I tended to give up vinyl, which is certainly a very nice piece of art to enjoy, but less practical to listen to, often speeding up delays due to factory traffic jams, and above all, cost much higher.