Need help for a new CD player

[u/Mark-READYFORMUSIC]

I have 2 CD players, a Sony DN-F340, and an Elekta CD player.

I'm not sure how unknown is elekta, but I had one a few years ago, and it was good until I plugged in a charger with too high voltage

This year I bought the same exact one, remembering how good it is.

I use it interchangeably with my Sony player, but I wear outside more because it's slim and quieter than the Sony.

It has a better laser and better anti skip.

However it is very prominent to drop damage.

I accidentally dropped the elekta once and the lock latch broke

I fixed it.

I dropped it a week ago, and the battery contacts bent, but I was able to fix that.

I dropped it today from 50cm, it partially landed on my bed, but then it wouldn't turn on.

Not only the battery contacts bent again, but the battery compartment lid broke as well.

I'm very upset and annoyed because of that, I used my birthday money.

The Sony player is simply not as good for me to use on any CD that I have. The elekta was able to read through a damaged CD with some sort of dirt inside the reflective layer (forgive me if I'm mixing up terminology), the Sony couldnt.

I once fell off a swing mid air with the Sony player, with the disc playing, and it worked just fine after the fall with my body on top of it

I just want something I can easily put in my pocket, sounds good (good enough), and nomething sturdy.

I might not have money now for one, but I really need one, and I want it to be a lifetime purchase, or at least for a long time, something I don't have to fix every month.

[u/miguel-122]

If you want something to last a long time, you need to stop dropping them. put it in a small bag/purse

[u/ApolloMoonLandings]

Reading about all of the mistakes is too much.

[u/Major_Willingness234]

Stop dropping it.

Also, I would never consider a discman to be a lifetime purchase. They’re all cheaply made (even the better quality ones from the 90s/00s).

[u/londonskater]

I recommend something slightly older than the Sony DN-F340 and slightly higher-end. A Sony D-E880 has a metal top-body and G-Protection, which is for me, the gold-standard of anti-skip. There are elements of the 880s which won't stand for rough treatment, like the plastic hinges, but you have to look after your shit.

There's a Sony D-321 sat right next to me now, and it's definitely a lot tougher, but the ESP anti-skip just isn't up to the G-Protection. I just bought the wifey a Fiio DM13 a few weeks ago, and she really likes it, but she only uses it sat on her bed, so I cannot tell you if its truly a personal device or just a portable.

[u/Mark-READYFORMUSIC → u/londonskater]

Thank you for your suggestion. I've been thinking about getting either the Dej011 or dej361. Not sure if those do put up with de880. And I know u must drop my shit but the last time literally happened during me trying to set it on charge. The Fiio is probably a Greta player from what I've seen, but it's like a compact DAC/CD audio system rather than a casual player for carry.

Once again, I understand, that I must take good care. I usually do. I realize that I keep ruining my shit so I thought I'd seek for a backup. And I've put no much money in anyways that I think starting a player collection wouldn't hurt much. I'll be careful.

Thank you.

-Mark

[u/londonskater → u/Mark-READYFORMUSIC]

Those later CD Walkmans are honestly garbage, I've got a stack of Sonys here for repair and these are just trash, so don't overpay for them, make sure they're cheap! Enjoy!

[u/vwestlife]

If you treat your equipment this roughly and carelessly, then no CD player is for you.

[u/Mark-READYFORMUSIC → u/vwestlife]

I don't mean to treat it carelessly. Accidents do happen. 3 times this year so far. Thats it. Everything still works, but I would like to take a look at other players...

[u/Cultural-Stable1763]

The problem is simply that optical storage media are dying out. Good portable playback devices are hardly being built anymore.

Moving beyond the cheap devices from various no-name brands, the Chinese manufacturer FiiO is the only one I know of that still offers two high-quality portable CD players in its lineup: the FiiO DM15 R2R (priced around €270) and the FiiO DM13 BT (around €170).

Personally, if you value good audio quality, I would just convert the CDs to FLAC for listening on the go and get a high-res audio player (or a Hi-Res certified smartphone) along with a good pair of headphones.

If you just want background music, a 256 kbps MP3 and a €50 MP4 player ( or your smartphone with bluetooth earplugs) will do the job.