Philips EXP2581 Portable MP3-CD Player

I use my CD players to listen to audio books when I go to bed. I am loving the remote control -- really easy to use. I would not be happy, however, if it only had the touch screen. I have gone through several CD players and so far this is the best (have been using for 10 days).

Unfortunately I didn't keep the wrapping or this player would have been returned. It never worked properly and makes me very wary of buying electronic over the net. I certainly have learned to keep the wrapping for a long time. buyer beware. don't buy this item. even if it did work it's not easy to use. I think it's a factory defect. I would give it no stars if that were possible.

purcased this product after making several mistakes with other similar players.
reviews are so helpful
good quality, small size,well packaged for shipment
very pleased, would buy this one again
Philips means quality

kathy
Saba Island, Netherlands Antilles

A good product, I guess, but the touch screen is a pretty pointless addition to a product that works fine with regular buttons. I've ripped it apart to compare with the competitive products (don't ask why, for work) and the Philips stacks up well.

I've owned this player for a week and I like it. It has a simple, uncluttered design and I found the touch interface responsive. Philips is a co-inventor of the CD format, so I thought sound wise they might have done something special under the hood, but the sound is only average - still better than 256kbps AAC Plus files from iTunes. The build quality (made in China) is pretty good with clean seams and the plastic on the bottom has a kind of rubbery feel which looks good. The top has a clear plastic overlay with a reflective undercoating that changes its design when moved around. Using 2 AA rechargeable batteries, I get about 15-20 hours of CD playback, less than the 30 hours advertised but that's because the spec is for MP3/WMA playback. There is a Resume function which allows you to shut off the player to conserve battery life yet, when turned back on the player starts from where you left off and it worked as advertised. The included remote is a bit larger than the pencil type designs and has larger buttons to press. The FM function is very limited and there's no way to visibly know what station you're on, but it can be used separate from the CD player and there is an elastic armband case that is included for this purpose.

Pros:

- simple design with above average build quality for the price
- cool touch interface with or without audible feedback
- higher quality sound than compressed lossy files

Cons:

- FM function is very limited
- no backlit display
- physically larger than many other players, especially the height