Philips AZ7594 Portable CD Player

Philips AZ7594 Portable CD Player
Manufacturer: Philips
Product Type: CE

Editorial Review:
Product Description
Some people want a portable CD player to do more than just play CDs. The AZ7594 compact disc digital audio player is just for them. It combines superb digital sound quality with the convenience of random track access and CD functions like CD program, shuffle play and repeat. CD Music Search searches the CD at high speed while producing audible "bits" so you know exactly when to stop. Its Electronic Shock Absorption protects against vertical and horizontal shocks for stable playback storing 45 seconds of music to prevent music interruptions caused by shocks. And the dynamic bass boost enhances bass tone frequencies to give deep, rich sounds.
Amazon.com Review
With its brushed-aluminum lid, shiny silver faceplate, and blue backlit display, the Philips AZ7594 looks like one of those secret-agent gadgets that saves the day as James Bond drives off in his bulletproof sports car. Although this portable CD player won't annihilate any villains, it did blow us away with its technically advanced features and excellent digital-to-analog converter.

The AZ7594 plays rewritable CDs, which is great if you've got a CD-RW recorder and you like to make compilation discs. The player runs on both rechargeable nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries and standard alkaline batteries. For AA batteries, a detachable "box" connects to the back with contact pins. Playing time is rated at an impressive 45 hours with the NiMHs and 40 hours with AA batteries.

The AZ7594 has a 45-second memory buffer and includes a car adapter kit. In addition, the player comes with a remote extension that plugs into the headphone jack and allows you to adjust volume, as well as pause, stop, play, and skip tracks. Philips wisely opted not to build the remote control into the headphone cord. Instead, it comes as a separate 2-foot adapter, which allows you to upgrade to a high-quality pair of headphones and still use the volume control and CD function switches. Either way, the remote extension adds 2 feet to the length of your headphone cord.

To test the player's sonic capabilities, we listened to a wide variety of CDs, from electric blues to progressive rock to contemporary female vocals. Thanks to the player's digital-to-analog converter (DAC)--which provides excellent channel separation--the headphones were well balanced, delivering smooth stereo transitions from one speaker to another.

Although the headphones demonstrated decent bass, they had a tendency to distort the upper midrange at high volumes. Philips does offer a three-stage bass boost, but we found level three to be a bit bloated and artificial sounding. In short, the player's built-in DAC is superb, but the headphones are only slightly above average. If rock is your passion, we recommend upgrading to a better pair.

No matter what kind of music suits your fancy, the Philips AZ7594 is an excellent investment. Unlike many portable CD players, the AZ7594 is made to last. It's loaded with state-of-the-art features, and its polished design won't fade out of style. --Eric Gill

Pros:

Eye-pleasing, durable aluminum lid
Superb digital-to-analog converter
State-of-the-art features
Handy remote-control extension cord

Cons:

Average headphones

Amazon.com Product Description
Philips designed an ultracompact, sophisticated portable CD player with the AZ 7594. It features all the basics you've come to expect but also includes such features as introscan, which allows you to review a disc to find any desired track. The AZ 7594 is also CD-rewritable compatible so you can play CDs you've recorded yourself. To protect your listening experience from bumps or jumps the AZ 7594 delivers Electronic Shock Absorption technology. It stores digital music bits read from the disc in a memory chip with a memory buffer capacity of 45 seconds. This stored information is used to fill in gaps that may occur during playback.

The Powersave mode accommodates a long playing time of 45 hours. The power-saving measures include power off at the end of a CD to conserve battery power. It uses a standard NiMH rechargeable battery with a built-in system that recharges when you plug the player in with the AC adapter. To make operation more convenient, the AZ 7594 has a three-key remote that includes a volume control dial. Other features include 99-track programming, shuffle, repeat for one or all tracks, next/previous track, and forward/reverse search with sound.

The six-digit LCD screen is a stylish blue with backlighting. It indicates track in play, playing time, selected CD functions, Dynamic Bass Boost setting, battery condition, and antishock on/off. This model includes ergonomically designed headphones, an AC adapter, rechargeable batteries, and a carrying pouch.