johnedward - 2009-06-02 20:43
What was Sony thinking.. things they do to make something SMALLEST... well it is the ONLY ONE like it.
Note Unusual name on early Discman "COMPACT DISC COMPACT PLAYER" 
Wow! Very cool.
Here is a U TUBE video of one working ( NOT MINE)
D-88 VIDEO SONY PLANS CD PLAYER TO FIT IN YOUR POCKET
[SPORTS FINAL, C Edition]
Chicago Tribune (pre-1997 Fulltext) - Chicago, Ill.
Author: Christine Winter
Date: Mar 17, 1988
Start Page: 3
Section: BUSINESS
Text Word Count: 264
Abstract (Document Summary)
Sony Corp. said Wednesday that it is reducing digital sound equipment to pocket size with its 3-inch portable compact disc player, the newest addition to its Discman portable CD equipment.
Here is from our fellow member
www.walkmancentral.com“Discman” is a name that was used to describe Sony’s personal compact disc players. The first models did not use this name, but were referred to as “compact disc compact players”, a bulky term that did not endure. Later on, personal CD players would be called “CD Walkman” or just “Walkman”, though the Discman name did become accepted by the public to the extent that it too became a generic term.
Additional Discman web page
DISCMAN WEBPAGEGREAT JAPANESE SITE FOR CD PLAYERS pictures of many models
JAPANESE SITE CD PLAYERS24 Years of Discman
Contributed by Fuwen
Friday, 14 March 2008
Last Updated Monday, 31 March 2008
I was looking at old and vintage portable compact disc players (PCDP) in the year
2004. It started when I was reading posts from a group of audiophile
enthusiasts collecting vintage PCDPs and they all agreed that the audio performance of these old gadgets were much superior to the modern ones.
How old are these vintage portable players? Let’s look at the Sony D-5, which was
manufactured in 1984. So in the year 2008 it is already 24 years of age! Many who are into vintage players agree that these old players out perform those models made after 1995. In those years when I was hunting for these old PCDPs, a good condition Sony or Denon PCDP could cost around US$300 on ebay auction!
The more popular models collectors sort after are Sony D-5, D-25, D-35, D-88,
D-303, D-515, D-555; Denon DCP-100 and DCP-150; and Technics SL-XP series of
players.
So how good actually are these players? For me I connected theses old players to my
home speaker system and compared them with Musical Fidelity A-3 CD player and Marantz SA-14 SACD/CD player. Of course these vintage PCDPs are of no match to the full size audiophile grade CD players, but if you take into account the price of the equipment, these PCDPs do perform to a respectable standard.
Denon DCP-100
The vintage PCDPs do have their reasons of being superior in quality compared to
the modern counter parts. In those days manufacturing cost, size of the player
and battery life are of not top priority yet. The early Sony players are made of
solid metal chassis. A heavier chassis and higher power consumption allow these
vintage players to deliver more punchy sound.
The Sony D-5 probably is one of the first PCDP in the market. I do not own one of
this, but instead I have a similar D-14. D-14 is made of solid metal, heavy like a brick and runs on 4 size C batteries! The line-out power is astonishing, but the one I have run very hot during playing back of CDs.
The 1990 Sony D-35 is an interesting model. It is relatively slim compared to players
of the same generation. It has a large LCD display and numerous buttons on the top cover. The 1991 Sony D-303 is built like a tank, a very nice looking player.
)
The D-555 from Sony, manufactured in the year 1989, is probably the PCDP packed with
the most features: headphone out, line
out, 10 level digital bass boost, optical out, 5 band equaliser, DDS and surround sound control, and digital volume control.
D-555
Sony
D-88 (year 1988) is yet another interesting PCDP. It is the smallest in size in
that generation, and in fact even smaller in foot print than today’s PCDP. It
is designed for 8cm CD playback, but the 8cm CD is difficult to find today.
Although designed for 8cm CD, the D-88 can also play back the standard 12cm CD.
There is a button for user to adjust the laser pick up in order to play 12cm CD, but then when in this mode the player is no longer portable as the CD is exposed outside the player, like a tree cutter!
D-88 Sony
PCDPs are more innovative in design and of great variety. In comparison the Denon design is more down to earth, but equally well built. The Denon D-100 and D-150 are very sort after by collectors. The SL-XP series of Technics are
relatively slim and small compared to Sony and Denon, and use extensive plastic construction. One of the Technics model SL-XP 150 has a very special mid range performance, which makes vocal listening really pleasant. However, in terms of musical performance, personally I much prefer the Philips AZ 68XX series of layer. The sonic character of the Philips is full of punch, well balance all around performance, and can be powerful and delicate depending on the music.
However the Philips players are not as reliable as the rest, and the feel of the construction are not as good.
Few
years back I still get to see these new generation PCDPs on sale from brand
like Sony, Panasonic and Philips. But today in year 2008, or even in 2007, the
small and minute MP3 players have become the main stream portable music listening gadgets, the branded PCDPs are no longer selling in most shops.
Today I
still carrying a portable set up with vintage PCDP, a Sound Devices headphone
amplifier and a Sennheiser HD 25-1 closed headphone, for me listening to music
on the train. I don’t really care about the weight, but the music performance
is fantastic, and I still have lots of vintage PCDPs to last me for very very
long.
Fuwen's Web Site
http://www.fuwen.net Powered by Joomla! Generated: 3 June, 2009, 12:51
24
years of Discman: 1984-2008
Fuwen's Web Site
http://
i bet you can help me with this question. this past week i got both a 915 and a 925 sony cd players from around the year 2000. both are near mint and nobody seems to care as they cost under 35.00 total for both delivered from ebay. i even got 2 nice sony gumsticks in there little plastic cases. one is an aluminum case and the other is titanium. which is considered better and why are they different metals used ?
Well in reality I know little to nothing about CD players. Knew about this player been watching for one to buy because it was so unique. Actually do not even own a portable CD player until this one. Wish I could help out.
you may find some info here
HEAD-Fijohn, checkout for a CROWN CD-10 (app.1984) and you'll b surprised !!!
It seems to be quite hard to get spare BP-2 batteries.
John, that's a nice D-88, I have one it's nice but not boxed, I do have a boxed D-50(D-5)with extras the AC-D50 AC adaptor with phono out sockets and the EBP-9LC battery case which makes it portable lol with it's 6x "C" cells.
I have about 20 vintage Discman if anyone is interested I'll post some pictures.
Yes I have searched the net and forums seems they have been non existent the battery for many years now. When I try to charge mine the battery does not even get warm at all as if no power getting to it ? cleaned terminals and am using the orig. A/C charger /adapter that powers the player or charges battery. Works fine for player. Any ideas or are these type of batteries not to get warm at all during charge?
Autoreverser that Crown is wonderful.. I had NO IDEA another disc hang out player was ever made.
How does it sound compared to the Sony? Are they very easy to find and what do they usually sell for now?
MRPDAVE that is great example of early Discman glad you added pics to post.
thanks john,,,,looks like some very interesting forums there....
john, that CROWN is actually the same as the D-88 just without a plug for external DC. of course i also don't have a working rechargable for it, so i would have to try it on the D-88 docking-station, will have to look where i got that one stored...
GAMMELBEATi wonder how many people there are out there who became very angry 10-15 years ago. they just spent 2-3 hundred dollars and then left the player alone for a few while and then to find there battery is done for. they find they need to spend another 50.00 for a new battery. anybody out there with one of the "rare" aiwas care to make a comment on this situation. i remember buying a cheap sony cassette player and finding out the batteries were 30.00 ea. at the same time you could buy a rechargeable AA for 2-3 dollars. what a strange situation was my feeling. they couldn't be that much better and they weren't.
DAVE FANTASTIC ADDITION TO THIS TOPIC my thanks a GRAND CD player collection you have.
Here is my newest CD arrival one of the highest technology achievments Sony made in the portable Discman high end series the SONY D-EJ885. Note it is a ULTRA RARE BLUE top unit as most all were WHITE. Fellow boardmember Tim Jarman on
www.walkmancentral.com reviews this model but shows ONLY WHITE AVAILABLE AS COLOR ! Beautiful finishing touch a chrome ring around unit that is just barely larger than a CD. With Docking charging station, remote, A/C mains UK , 2 AA battery pack for 110 hrs use with rechargable or 50 rechargeable alone.. amazing stamina for a CD player as they usually EAT batteries.
Shows CHROME RING NICELY
About same thickness as a Cassette NOT BAD !
BLUE RING WHITE TOP found AUSTRALIA unknown color combo
Standard WHITE
FOUR COLORS AVAILABLE
Here is what Tim Jarman has to say about this model on his GREAT site
www.walkmancentral.comThis compact disc player represents the final generation of CD-only Discman models in the luxury class. By the following year, expensive models such as this would be fitted with decoders and file management systems to play discs made on home computers containing MP-3 files, a last attempt to popularize the personal CD player whose natural bulk and susceptibility to shock made it increasingly unattractive as a portable music source. Within a short time, the personal CD player would be relegated to a level where only budget models were available, something that had happened to cassette players about ten years previously. Against this backdrop, the D-EJ885 can be regarded as almost the height of development of the CD-only Discman series.
The D-EJ885 was certainly attractive. Its “full circle” case was barely larger than the compact discs it played, and was finished in white with polished chrome trim. The lid was covered with a layer of clear plastic, giving an impression of shine and depth. It was secured by a small but very effective catch at the front and hinged at the rear by a spring loaded die-cast hinge. Controls on the unit itself were kept to an absolute minimum, with a jog lever for play/track change, a stop button and a rocker for volume up/down being all that was visible. These controls could be disabled using a “hold” switch mounted on the underside. An LCD remote control was provided for full operation, and using this various programming and sound control options became accessible.
The designers had clearly worked hard to limit all the disadvantages that one would typically associate with portable CD players. As well as making the whole machine as small as was reasonably practical, the issue of skipping had been addressed using Sony’s “G Protection” system. This worked by taking the data from the disc far faster than was usually necessary and storing it in a large memory. This memory was large enough to contain enough music for the mechanical system to recover from any interruption in time to ensure that the data never ran out, resulting in a continuous flow of music. Two levels of “G Protection” were available. The more effective of the two worked by compressing the music data first before storing it in the memory, allowing a greater amount to be stored. This of course compromised the sound slightly, so for normal use a more moderate level of protection could be selected. The switch for this, along with that for the AVLS volume limiter, were mounted under the CD, so it was difficult to compare the sound of the two modes directly.
The other drawback of personal CD players was that the battery life was usually quite short, certainly much shorter that what a cassette Walkman could offer. By careful design, the D-EJ885 could run for 110 hours , using a combination of the two internal nickel metal hydride rechargeable cells and two alkaline “AA” cells contained in an external holder. Even without the extra power, a playing time of over fifty hours was possible using internal batteries only. The rechargeable battery was charged in situp position using the charging stand. A red light in the stop button indicated when charging was complete.
As well as being a useful portable machine, the D-EJ885 could be used with a hi if system, tape recorder or home computer. The line out connector had connections for both a standard 3.5mm stereo jack plug (analogue) and for a fibre optic cable (digital). As a concession to evolving technology, both CD-R and CD-RW type discs could be played if recorded with suitable material. Text copyright © Walkman Central. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.
I use my 985 discman alot.. optical out a handy little transport to test gear with..
btw this series had a product recall (in au at least) on the external battery case as it was prone to melting..
Dave, an impressive collection. I have been looking for a D 50 for a long time, but the prices on ebay make problems when living in Norway (everything with a value higher than 20 GBP get an extra 25 % of the total price) and I have lost tghe bid last minute. Local fleemarkets can be a good solution. The prices are normally 1 GBP,but you never know if it is working till you get home.
in the last month i have picked up 2 d-ej915's and 1 d-ej925. i can't believe how inexpensive they are on ebay. i got them for far less then the cost of one single gumstick battery at retail. in the 3 deals i ended up with 4 sony gumsticks with lots of life left in them. all 4 even had the little plastic holders to store the batteries in. one difference between cassette players and cd players is they sound. they sound almost the same between models to me. cassette players have many different tonal qualities. they all seem to be a bit different i guess partly due to the aging process of there electrical components.
AND YES THE PRICE TAG $ 349.95
