JVC XLPM20 Portable MP3/CD Player

Rating:
Summary: Really good, really simple, really sturdy
Review: The reviewer from Santa Rosa said just about everything, but I have a couple things to add.

The display is large and clear, and even I, with my bad eyesight, can see everything without problems.

Even though there appears to be no resume function, the forward and reverse buttons work so rapidly that it's easy to get back where you left off.

The only equalization available is "Hyper bass", but this one doesn't seem to need any; the sound is loud and clear through a set of high-quality headphones.

Mention of the aluminum lid doesn't do this thing enough justice; I've looked at and tried a *lot* of these MP3 CD players, and this one feels sturdier than all the others. The IRiver SlimX 350 may be just as sturdy, but the JVC has a really hefty, army-tank feel to it.

I was looking for something to replace my dying TDK Mojo 620. These MP3 CD players all have different features and different trade-offs, but if I had to start over again, I'd pick the JVC XLPM20 as the overall best replacement for the MOJO.

Rating:
Summary: Very good product
Review: While others have complained about the upgraded (30) model of this player skipping, I have never had such a problem with this player skipping in mp3s even after dropping it on concrete and using it in my partially leaf-sprung truck for weeks.
What this player does do is DISPLAY ID3 TAGS and play very loudly out of the headphone jack (gets slightly distorted @ loudest possible setting). The headphones that came with it were no good at all, as are all "free" headphones. This is possibly the easiest to navigate player I've used; all the critical buttons are there and spaced and sized so as to feel different from one another in the dark.
The player features some worthless equalization modes and programming options, but goes through batteries as fast as the average mp3 Cd player. The top cover is actually made out of aluminum, which is a blessing and a curse since it will not snap like plastic, but can bend with abuse. The male portion of the hinge locking mechanism is entirely metal, and so likely much more robust than most tend to be.
The only problem I have ever had with this player is that it apparently does not have a resume feature.
While I have come to despise JVC home theater equipment (particularly their recievers), this product is one of the best of its type.