Audio Reviews

I purchased this item as a gift for a friend. I admit, it has great features, namely, it's portable, It has TV / Weather broadcast capabilities, and its a Sony. For the most part it is a great item, w/ great sound....BUT....it is not very user friendly. The buttons are too close together. The display is way too dark when you are trying to tune in a station, but even more importantly, the display letters are so flippin' small, you need a magnifying glass to see what it says. (which mode you are in) Not one of Sony's well thought out products. Definitely not up to their name. If you don't have 20/20 Vision--Don't buy this item!

I received this walkman for Christmas, and so far I am really enjoying it. The reception is very good, and the sound is clear. The bass boost is strong. The TV band goes from Channel 2 to 13. I've never had a TV walkman before, and it was fun to listen to PBS or a soap opera while taking my lunchtime walk. :) The last portable stereo I had had a very loose, floppy type belt clip, which I hated. The belt clip on this one works well.

The reason that I gave this product 4 stars instead of 5 is that when the batteries are low, the unit just turns off. I would prefer to have it give me crummy reception until I get new batteries, but maybe that is just my own personal preference.

The play button is much too sensitive and is in an odd position. It will shut off if you just slightly touch it by moving it in you pocket or purse. The sound is ok but my old, beat up Aiwa runs circles around it. I purchased it because of the auto reverse feature and the price but I am now looking for something better.

I bought this item at Wal Mart over a year ago and I have loved it ever since. I listen to book on tapes all the time and it has been perfect with it. I jump on trampolines all the time and this thing has flown off more than once, and it survives! It can deal with negative g's along with many posotives. It survives smashing into the cement ground and keeps on going. I've been using this thing forever! I HIGHLY recomend it.

The autoreverse is great when I mow and can't afford to stop and flip the tape and the sound is aweasome. For anyone who is rough on your tape player but wants a not so expensive one, this is perfect for you!

I am disappointed with this walkman. When playing cassettes, it makes a loud whirring noise that can be heard over the music. This has been a problem since the day I got it. Additionally, after I accidentally dropped it once from a height of about three feet onto a soft carpet, the sound plays only through one ear. I realize I shouldn't have dropped it, but clearly this walkman is not a very sturdy or durable product. I expect better from SONY.

I bought this product at a longs drugstore for .... It gets great reception(and i live in a valley) and the tape player is adequate.It comes with a protective plastic "case" that i find helpful to keep your tapes from falling out on large bumps.As far as the TV and Weather band goes,I have not gotten any Weatherband reception(probably due to location)but I do find TV useful(especially in cars).The headphones are quality and large enough and comfortable for the average head.The 25 FM presets are more than enough for me.If you need a good AM/FM Cassette player that will last you a while,this is a good buy.Also, they make a weather resistant sports version with the same features.

This receiver runs very hot, regardless of where it is set up. There is a cooling fan attached to the back, but it has never kicked on and will supposedly do so only under heavy loads. I called Panasonic Customer Service and was told that the fan should come on and that I need to take it in for repairs. I would have been much better off buying something else. Soundwise it is very good and the built in tuner is a nice change from my old set up of having a separate tuner and amplifier. It is an affordable home theater component, but the heat issue is a real drawback.

This Receiver is great since it's both a recieve and amp in one cuts down on the necessary space for my sound system plus it's really cheap in comparison to the other recievers.

I bought one which is on its way, but I cannot help pointing out that the image shown is not consistent with an ARCH stand. Could someone please comment on this? Personally I believe such a dedicated piece of equipment should come with the TV, but that is a separate issue.

This is just what I needed for my auto adapter. This is packaged in the white "iPod" line, but the cable is not white. I was disappointed in that.

However, appearances aside, it works well.

For Aiwa, they've made some decent electronics over the past couple of years. Still, it is just a shame that I really don't see their devices anymore, in favor of companies like Sony and Panasonic. With Aiwa's HS-TX516, it has a good display of playback within the cassette, and a good quality of use when you're outside. Still, since they've been introduced, Aiwa's neckband headphones are just truly uncomfortable around the ears. I suggest if you get this, try getting another set of headphones. Sadly, I recommend the HS-TX716 over this, because it has a TV Tuner and a Weather Band added on to the features this walkman has. If you can't find this one, you might as well try and get a Sony Walkman instead.

The sound quality is good and looks good on the computer table. But it has no bass control and so many a times the bass is much higher than what you require and drowns the actual music.

As a turntable enthusiast (yes, there are plenty of us around who have an affinity to vinyl still) over the years I have owned a gamut of different brand name cartridges. It is through trial and error and experimentation that you begin to see or rather hear what all the fuss, differences, and nuances are about each individual cartridge. Not to mention some of their shortcomings as well. I have owned Audio Technica cartridges, Shure cartridges, and my favorite, Grado cartridges over the years.

The first striking characteristic about the Audio Technica 1001(common with the Audio Technica cartridges) will be the way high frequencies are slightly exaggerated. Bass response is firm but not boomy or too tight. There is a lack of midrange punch. This cartridge/stylus is very similar to the conical Audio Technica 90 cartridge in quality, sound and value. Sibilances (when the letter s is pronounced by the vocalist/s) will sound a bit harsh or grainy and not have the normal and warm nature associated with higher end cartridges (Grado Prestige series).The overall tonal playback response will be light and airy. Another unnecessary characteristic of Audio Technica cartridges is that they pick up a lot of surface noise from the record regardless how clean the lp may be. This particular cartridge is not very neutral sounding nor does it put out a "warm" or "natural" musical feel as higher end cartridges do. This one is purely for listening to a small meager collection of pop-rock lps and not classical or jazz or any style of music where there are rapid or difficult musical passages with classical instruments (strings in particular).

Since this is a p-mount, not much stylus pressure can be applied if you own a turntable with separate counterbalance weight or antiskating mechanisms. In fact, most P-mount cartridges will only allow stylus pressure weight settings from 1.5g to 1.7g setting.

In sum, this is a quick plug and play stylus for someone who just wants to hear pop music on a casual basis.For the audiophile or audio perfectionist the AT P-mount 1001 just won't cut it !... Audio Technica does produce a high end cartridge that uses a linear cut diamond, the AT 440 ML. The advantage of a linear stylus is that it will accurately and more faithfully reproduce the music. It has been cut in such a way that the linear needle actually mimics the way the record was cut by the record company's equipment. However, it will set you back triple the amount of what the AT 1001 is priced at. Plus, you must own a turntable that will accept standard mount. You can always connect a standard mount cartridge and even a p-mount (with the proper adaptor kit) to a standard headshell. However, you cannot connect a standard mounting cartridge to a P-mount only tonearm...

The Audio Technica 3003 cartridge is something of a surprise. You actually get remarkable clarity and sound from this low budget priced setup. The first thing you will notice is that with this cartridge(as with most Audio Technica cartridges) is its capability of accenting the highs (cymbals or high hat especially); this means that it yields or reproduces the high frequencies with an exaggerated quality which may or may not endear listeners. When this occurs, listening fatigue can set in unless you manually adjust the treble on your receiver or equalizer. Ouput sound level is remarkably acceptable so as to not have to crank your system up as is the case with some poorly manufactured cartridges of lesser known brand names. Bass response is also well produced and defined in a taut manner. Yet, you won't get anything that sounds too boomy or soft.

Now for the cons. You will notice a sort of grainy sound quality regardless if the record you are playing is spotless, dust free, and cleaned to the extreme. By grainy, I mean you can actually sonically feel a gritty audio characteristic that is inherent of the design of Audio Technica cartridges. The sound quality is still bright, but slightly grainy and not as smooth. Therefore, you won't find much warmth as in other high-end audiophile name brands (Grado, Sumiko,etc.). This will be evident in the sibilance in the vocals. Take for example; when a singer pronounces the letter s, the s or s's should sound soft and pleasing to the ear. But with the 3003 the s's will sound slightly harsh or static-like, even crackle a bit.

I was able to compare this cartridge against a Grado Prestige Blue cartridge. While the Grado is just under the $100 range, you get what you pay for. The Grado was warm,clear, and almost precise. No grain in sound whatsoever. Nothing colored or enhanced (almost neutral). The letter s pronounced by any singer on almost any vinyl lp I used sounded natural and smooth (no static harshness). Comparing the Audio Technica to the Grado was like comparing Ford (though I drive one) to Lexus in the car/sedan category.

Overall, I highly recommend the AT-3003 as a casual cartridge intended to listen to pop or rock albums. But, if you are an audiophile, such as myself, and listen to an eclectic collection of music genres, then you will hear this cartridge's shortcomings. Otherwise, it's a bargain for someone with a small pop or rock record collection...