andrew@orca.UUCP (12/19/84)
A few weeks ago I asked this forum for recommendations for a WalkClone
that could play Dolby-C (tm) encoded tapes with metal/CrO2
equalization. I got some helpful mail, checked over some catalogs, and
wound up buying the Sony "Walkman DC2", an entry in their
"Professional" product line.
The sound is wonderful, especially in comparison with my previous unit,
an Aiwa HS-TO2. Better definition, better response at very low and
very high frequencies, and the lack of tape hiss is a blessing. It has
a "line out" jack as well as a "phones" jack, like its sister, the Sony
portable CD player. No auto-reverse, no AM or FM. Controls are FF,
REW, PLAY, STOP; volume (no balance); and two switches, one to select
DOLBY C/B/OFF, the other to select NORM or CrO2/METAL equalization.
I'm not an audio purist, and I like fiddling with tone controls. I
bought the Sony "Walkman EQ", a five band non-parametric graphic
equalizer. The bands are 100Hz, 300Hz, 1KHz, 3kHz, and 10kHz. I like
to touch up the bass, and this unit does the job admirably. And it's a
lot of fun to play with. It connects in between the headphones and the
player; it has a headphone plug on a two foot cord, and two headphone
jacks.
The DC2 lists at about $250. It's said to be available at good
discounts (I heard $125 in NYC), but doesn't seem to be in Portland.
For another $100 you can get a unit that records; my correspondents
couldn't agree on the model number but it might be DC6 or D6C. The EQ
lists at $50.
Now, two more questions for the net:
One respondent told me to throw away the headphones that come with the
DC2. They are Sony's model MDR-40. I think they sound pretty good,
but maybe I just haven't been exposed to excellence. Are there
recommendations for better headphones?
Now that I have a tape player only (I gave away the Aiwa), I need a
radio. FM stereo of course, AM would be nice when big news stories are
abuzz (like when KAL-007 was shot down). Sensitivity is important, as
I work inside a concrete-and-steel structure. I really need a separate
antenna; using the headphone cord as an antenna is not satisfactory
when there's an equalizer pretending to be headphones. And I really
need the ability to power the radio externally; I don't like changing
batteries. Any ideas here?
As usual, mail to me, etc., and I'll summarize if there's interest,
etc. etc. ...
-- Andrew Klossner (decvax!tektronix!orca!andrew) [UUCP]
(orca!andrew.tektronix@csnet-relay) [ARPA]