Koss CDP-1689CP Personal CD Player with Car Pack and 40 Seconds of Anti-Skip Protection

Koss CDP-1689CP Personal CD Player with Car Pack and 40 Seconds of Anti-Skip Protection
Manufacturer: Koss
Product Type: CE

Editorial Review:
Product Description
Koss has an easy and cost-effective way to upgrade your cassette-based car stereo to a full-featured, CD-quality sound system. This portable CD player comes packed with everything you need to enjoy CD sound wherever you go, including a cassette-to-CD adapter and power adapter that connects to your car's cigarette lighter. The Koss CDP1689CP portable CD player offers track skip, search, repeat, and random-play functions. You can program up to 24 tracks. Its controls and LCD screen are top mounted for easy access. It also comes with a built-in line-out jack. Headphones and an AC adapter are also supplied. For earth-shaking sound, you'll want to enable the optional Dynamic Bass Boost Sound System (DBBS) feature, which is extremely effective at increasing the output of bass. The built-in anti skip technology resists playback error due to excessive shaking. If you are tired of playing your aging cassette tapes in your car stereo, the Koss CDP1689CP is an outstanding choice for upgrading to CD sound quality. The price alone makes this a steal for both car and portable personal use.
Amazon.com Review
Koss has an easy and cost-effective way to upgrade your cassette-based car stereo to a full-featured, CD-quality sound system. This portable CD player comes packed with everything you need to enjoy CD sound wherever you go, including a cassette-to-CD adapter and power adapter that connects to your car's cigarette lighter.

For earth-shaking sound, you'll want to enable the optional Dynamic Bass Boost Sound System (DBBS) feature, which is extremely effective at increasing the output of bass. While we did find that the enhanced bass level caused some distortion at higher volumes, this is not likely to impact the majority of users.

We were particularly impressed with the high-quality Koss headphones. These lightweight and flexible headphones were the most comfortable pair that we've experienced in our tests, offering a secure fit without squeezing the head.

We also liked the built-in antiskip technology, which resists playback error due to excessive shaking. This feature is a must if you plan to use this CD player in a mobile environment such as your car. The manufacturer claims it has recently enhanced its antiskip technology to better prevent skipping, with a broader tolerance for horizontal shocks, as well as an enhanced laser focus. While we weren't able to access an earlier incarnation of Koss's antiskip technology to verify this improvement, we can report that our CD continued without skip or interruption after we deliberately knocked this player around both vertically and horizontally.

When the antiskip technology is first enabled, it takes a few seconds for the player to fully buffer 40 seconds of music. During this time, the LCD screen contains a graphical icon that shows the progress of the buffering activity. This was a useful feature that we had not seen in other personal CD players.

If you are tired of playing your aging cassette tapes in your car stereo, the Koss CDP1689CP is a reasonable choice for upgrading to CD sound quality. The price alone makes this a steal for both car and portable personal use.

Pros:

Effective antiskip technology for error-free CD playback
Comfortable, high-quality headphones
Good bass-enhancement option

Cons:

Some distortion at high volume when bass enhancement is enabled

Amazon.com Product Description
The Koss CDP-1689CP is a personal CD player which plays audio CDs, plus CD-R discs. The key feature to the CDP-1689CP is the included car kit. This kit comes with a cassette adaptor and a cigarette lighter DC adaptor, the two necessary accessories to make any personal CD player vehicle-ready. The forty-second anti-shock system is a huge plus when using the player either in the car or at the running/walking track. In fact, this sort of anti-shock system is good for any user who may encounter surprise jolts and vibrations while commuting, sitting in a coffee shop or studying in bed. The CDP-1689CP runs via the DC adaptor, the AC adaptor, or batteries. To help save battery life, Koss allows you to turn off the anti-skip system when you do not expect rough handling. With four play modes (normal, repeat, shuffle and twenty-four track program) there are many options to enjoy the CD listening experience. Other notable features include: hold, resume, hyper-bass sound and a one-bit D/A converter. The color is a sleek and modern silver. For added hip functionality, the included Koss stereo headphones are a flat black finish, complimenting nicely the CD player.

What's in the Box
Koss CDP-1689CP personal CD player, cassette adaptor, cigarette lighter DC adaptor, stereo headphones, AC adaptor, user's manual and a ninety day warranty.