This is the same item as the FX-290, now with a W added. Only difference is the absence of the TV audio band, which will be irrelevent next February. I ve had three of these walkmans in the past couple of years. One shattered upon impact to the ground. I didn't have the case on it, and with the other two the fast forward button, which I use quite a bit fell off.
That being said, this is probably the greatest walkman I ve owned. The radio cassette player is a dying breed and I m glad to see Sony put out a new version of an old favorite. With 35 hours on one AA battery, this is one of the great values. I still have hundreds of cassette tapes that I have taped from XM the last couple of years, and I still take my walks listening to those. Transferring to a CD is an option,but its too much of a bother. With the belt clip its so easy to just walk listening to a cassette, even though the sound quality is not as good as a CD,but it fits my purposes fine.
With AM and FM and all the presets, and a weather band this is a nice value for $30 and free shipping. I m glad I still have my other two units without the fast forward button. This is becoming a relic, and I want to make sure I have this walkman for some time to come. No MP3 for me. I m satisfied with this unit. Sony Walkman Digital Tuning Weather FM/AM Stereo Cassette Player (Silver)
My first prerecorded cassette was ELO's first album--that's how long I've been listening to them! We all know the day of cassette recording or playing is long gone; even CD's are considered done in this day of MP3's. However, that doesn't negate the millions, maybe billions, of cassettes that have been sold over the past 30+ years. Cassettes have their faults, but there are so many productions out there that aren't available on any other medium.
I've owned cassette players running $300 'way back in the 80's; these are gone also. The challenge now is to find a portable Walkman-type player that doesn't sound like crap, and that's last longer than a week or so. I came across a number of books on audio cassette at home and wanted to do a re-listen. Only a couple have been converted to CD.
I initially purchased a 'Craig' model for less than $20; it's also sold as a Jensen, a Coby, and various other names on Amazon. It was a piece of crap; see my review under the Coby name. Virtually useless radio because of tuner problems, and a cassette function that ran at whatever speed it felt like. Needless to say, an adventure for the book listener and worthless for music listening.
I came across this very inexpensive Walkman and didn't expect much for the $30 price. Have I been surprised! Now, the photo shown at the top isn't my model, as it has a TV band on it that mine doesn't have. Mine has AM/FM/Weather/cassette. It appears identical to the one shown.
Unlike virtually ever other cassette player I've owned, this one only uses 1 'AA' battery--not 'AAA' as other reviewers have stated. The great thing about this is that not only are 'AA' batteries ordinarily cheaper, but they last longer, too. I expected the battery life to be shorter as the result of only one battery, but I was wrong. Sony states they are using some new technology to extend battery life, and it's true. A decent 'AA' will last around 35-40 hours, and when running on cassette, around 30 hours. This will vary, of course, according to the quality of battery purchased.
Unlike the Coby/Jensen/Craig derivative, this machine uses digital tuning with an LCD readout. The tuner has functioned with complete band accuracy; none of that playing with a stiff little wheel trying to find the best signal. As stated in the item description, there are 33 presets for the radio. I live outside Houston and can't imagine needing 33 stations to store, but I guess it's good for someone. Additionally, the procedure for storing and revising stored stations seems unnecessarily complicated. Probably not for the younger, computer generation, but it does require a lot of steps. I will certainly be retaining the instructions! Actually, it seems equally easy just to set the thing on 'manual' and use the rocker switch to find stations. Regardless, through the included headsets, the sound is equal to those players I've had in the past costing 10 times as much.
The tape loads through the back, not visible on the photo above. It is a dark smoked plastic cover that flips open with a fingernail. The cover contains two little tabs that hold the cassette, then the cover and cassette flip closed to contact the tape heads. Again, much, much less fiddly than the Coby version.
Another advantage for this Walkman over some competitors is that it contains a 'rewind' button. Many players, compact and otherwise, have deleted it over the years. If one is listening to a book or music and needs to re-listen, those units require taking the tape out, flipping it, using the 'fast-forward' button, then reversing the procedure. The convenience of a 'rewind' button can't be overestimated.
I don't think there's any Dolby noise reduction on this machine, but I never liked using it anyway. I prefer a little hiss to the muddy sound of Dolby-B.
The tape mechanism has worked perfectly for me on a bunch of different cassettes, both well-used and new. Some players get touchy with used cassettes, and are weak with the power required. I have no doubt this Sony will weaken with age, but for now works great.
Headsets are an individual choice; I prefer earbuds. However, the included headsets give a fine sound, especially for their price.
One practical benefit of this machine is that there is an LCD battery life indicator included. For those of us who do a lot of listening it saves being stranded.
No doubt the market for these players will continue to contract. I'm thinking of buying another example of this little Walkman because I do have thousands of cassettes I still enjoy. Highly recommended for those shopping. - Sony Walkman - Cassette Player Portable - Walkman - Cassette Player'
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