Portable CD player reviews
There are a lot of reasons why you might need a new portable CD player. If you’re of a certain age, your music collection might span the gap from when CDs were the most popular medium for music to when digital took over. You were left with a difficult decision. Should you buy the digital versions all the CDs you already paid for? Of course not! Why should you have to pay for something twice?
That’s why a good portable CD player is still such a commodity. If you still own CDs, you still need one. Plus, vinyl has recently made a comeback and you never know when people will decide that CDs are the best way to listen to music.
Portable CD players these days aren’t all the same as they used to be. Some of them are still a little basic while providing great sound, but other offer some pretty cool features. We rounded up some of the best portable CD players for you, including one that also plays DVD movies and a boombox that you can also use with your smartphone!
1. SYNAGY Portable DVD Player with Screen Portable CD Player (Link)
This isn’t just a portable CD player. It actually plays both CDs and DVDs and has a LCD screen that’s about 10 inches. If you’re looking for something to keep the kids entertained on long car rides or you want something to watch on a flight or long commute, this is a device worth taking a closer look at. It folds flat into a tablet to make it easier to hold or use a Synagy holder to attach it to the back of the headrest so everyone in the backseat can watch together. And you don’t have to worry about pushing play or turning up the volume while you’re driving. It comes with a fully functioning remote.
If you need to watch your movie or listen to songs in private, it has a stereo headphone jack. There are built in stereo speakers, too, for the times when you’re using it in the car or anywhere else multiple people will need to hear what’s going on. The anti-shock feature keeps the CD or DVD from skipping when you go over bumpy roads. If you have to stop listening or watching before you’re done, the break-point memory function automatically restarts right where you left off. That’s not all. One of the most important things about this is the multiple power options. You use the AC adapter when you have access to an outlet, a car charger if you need to power up while on the road, or the rechargeable lithium battery if you need to be completely cord free.
2. Sony Stereo CD/Cassette Boombox (Link)
If you’re looking for a small stereo you can use to listen to cassettes and CDs while you’re cleaning around the house, working in your office, or sitting outside by the pool, this Sony Boombox is just the right size. It’s compact while still providing impressive sound and even has bass enhancement that can amp things up at the touch of a button. Tune into your favorite radio station using the 30 presets if you prefer. Or, you can use the auxiliary audio input to hook up your digital music device and listen to your personal library.
This boombox uses either AC power or 6 size C batteries. It’s pretty efficient, too, and can get up to 19 hours of battery life. There are shuffle and program buttons, too, so you can play your songs in the order you want to hear them. The tape deck also records. If you get nostalgic, you can make a brand new mix tape or listen to any old ones you haven’t been able to let go of.
3. Insignia Portable CD Player with Skip Protection (Link)
For a cost effective personal CD player, you can’t do much better than this one from Insignia. It’s a simple, easy-to-use CD player with a really effective skip protection. Another nice thing about this one is it plays CD-R discs. That means you can burn a collection of your favorite songs on a CD or two and take them with you instead of having to bring along a stack of CDs.
The fact that this one has effective skip protection and lets you play CDs that you’ve burned makes it ideal for travel. It comes with an AC adapter you can use to save some of the battery life. You also get a pair of back of the head headphones and a 1-year warranty.
One downside to this product is that it won’t work with any set of headphones. Some newer sets won’t give you the same volume as others. It also doesn’t have a memory that starts where you left off when you come back to it so you have to start over every time.
4. GPX Portable CD Player (Link)
Another choice for a personal CD player is this one from GPX. It has a lot of standard features, including a program mode. You can easily skip the songs you don’t want to hear using the easy to use LCD display and control buttons. The headphone jack lets you plug in your favorite pair of headphones and zone out to your favorite band or mix CD. You can even walk around with it thanks to the 60 second anti-skip protection.
You won’t have to worry about running out of juice because there’s a low battery indicator that will let you know when it’s time to change the 2 AAs so you won’t have to interrupt your music. You can also buy a separate power adapter so you don’t have to worry about batteries at all.
One thing about this that’s more than a little inconvenient is that it doesn’t include batteries or an AC power cord. Not that it’s a big deal to have to get batteries or order a cord but it would be nice if it came with everything you need right out of the box. The included headphones will get the job done but they’re not the best quality and won’t last very long.