Sony WM-FX290 Stereo Cassette Player with FM/AM/TV/Weather Tuning by Sony
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List Price: Our Price: $39.90 You Save: $5.09 (11%) Availability: Usually ships in 4-5 business days Buy Used: from $24.98 (click here) Category: Network Media Player See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Sony WM-FX290 Stereo Cassette Player with FM/AM/TV/Weather Tuning
Digital camera Review: Great Walkman for on the road usage
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this tape Walkman about a year ago (after my previous Sony Model was stolen). I use this unit very heavily when I go on walks, to the Gym, or just am on the road and away from a computer. I listen to Christian Radio, News, Sports and other uses that an iPod will not give me. IPods are cute, but the lack of a built in radio is not attractive. Sure I got plenty of tapes, and recently purchased a 10 pack at Best Buy's. I do a bit of radio recording, so these are nice. Sure it would be more economical to have an iPod in some ways, but they cost an arm and a leg, and not all broadcasts I listen to have Podcasts, and besides I sometimes want a LIVE feed (i.e. sports, weather, traffic). For these uses I'd never dump this unit for an iPod. The battery life on this unit is great and I like the fact that this unit only requires one AA.
The downside to the unit and why I give it 4 stars is because of the TV/WB features which almost never can pick up anything. Why include the features if they are that pathetic? No this is not a unit problem, but a Sony problem. My previous model also had these issues with TV/WB pickup.
But overall a great device, and as tape players and tapes get more rare, it may be wise to stock-up. I may buy a backup unit, just encase my current unit gets destroyed or stolen. Tapes will never die in my life.
Digital camera Review: Great for books on tape
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this product to listen to books on tape. The last mini cassette plaer I had would go through two batteries about every 6 hours, while this one goes through one battery about every 20 hours. The sound is good, but the radio reception is quite poor ( have to have a strong signal ). The only problem I have had with the tapes is once in a while the tape isn't aligned correctly resulting in only one side of the headphones working. Reinserting the tape works sometimes and squeezing the tape player usually works to straighten this out.Digital camera Review: Great for me
Summary: 4 Stars
This product works great for me. I use it to listen to radio and books on tape. It's lightweight and the battery does last as long as they claim. I do agree that setting the stations to memory was a little difficult, but I did figure it out without reading the manual. I'm no expert on sound quality or electronics. I'm pleased with the quality and reliability of the Sony WM-FX290.Digital camera Review: Great little partner
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had several of these Sony Walkman cassette players. I usually wear them out or drop and break them while running for the bus home. I like the TV sound because I can catch the evening news while riding the bus home. I also listen to a lot of talk radio so it's good for that as well. I use it to listen to the morning DJ's (Steve Harvey, Tom Joyner, etc.) and the reception is pretty good. Unlike a lot of folks, I like the fuzzy headphones. I'd much rather have the earphones on top of my ears than the ones that stick inside - so these are perfect for me. I like the fact that you can program several stations on AM/FM or TV. It's a pretty durable little cassette player - although I have broken several over the years, it's usually been my fault. They are, however, getting hard to find - so it was good to be able to get one on Amazon because the stores don't seem to be selling them anymore. The stores only want to sell CD players now and the sale of cassette players seems to be phasing out. It's a great companion during my morning walk to work and on my weekend power walks - I would recommend it to anyone who likes to listen to music, talk radio, TV or who still has a few cassettes lying around.Digital camera Review: Great product but for this price...maybe
Summary: 4 Stars
I like this sony walkman. I use it while working out, on the job, and while I study and I must say this is a great product. The radio reception is great (and much better than cheap digital tuner walkmans), weighs next to nothing and comes with a convenient plastic proective case. What I really like about the product is though it has 40 presets - it doesn't demand you visit all of the presets before returning to the first one. What I mean is if you have 12 FM presets - you don't go to 13, 14, 15, etc before returning to the first one. That's a feature you don't find on too many tuners these days. I have said nothing but good things about the product but why i only gave it four stars is the price. 30 dollars is quite steep for this product. I think 20-25 dollars is a fairer price but when comparing the prices of this walkman versus those with the other ones on the market today, this is not a bad deal at 30-35 dollars. It certainly is not a steal but if you are looking for quality sound, great reception, and a great overall design go with this walkman.
**Just a couple additional notes. Scrap the headphones and get yourself the phillips sbc-hs500 pair. They are only 15 dollars and are much more comfortable and the sound reception is great.
Second, ignore those who say setting presets are difficult. You probably will have to read the directions to learn how to set them but after 5 minutes (maybe only 3 minutes) you get the hang of it. Plus - how often do you set your presets? If you set them every five minutes, fine, the preset setting is a bit cumbersome, but if you are like me and only change a station every couple of months or so, you can live with the preset settings.