Philips EXP401 Pocket eXpanium CD-MP3 Player

Philips's EXP401 8 cm CD player is indeed small, measuring a mere 3.5 by 4.5 inches (though it does seem a little thick at 1.25 inches). Since the trays or spindles in most standard CD and DVD players accommodate 3-inchers, and since few commercial baby CDs have seen release outside Japan (where the format continues to thrive), the incentive for investing in a dedicated 8 cm CD player surely isn't prerecorded music. And that's OK, because Philips just might be onto something here.

Using recordable 8 cm CDs and MP3 or AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) compression, one disc can hold more than three hours of music (compared with only 21 or so minutes of CD-quality PCM audio). No encoding software comes with the player, and, of course, you'll need a CD burner to take full advantage of the portability and extended playback. But, properly equipped, the EXP401 is a fun and worthy entry in the MP3-CD field, excelling both ergonomically and sonically.

The player lets you access digital-music files individually or in user-designated folders (called "albums"), simplifying the process of sorting through the 30 to 50 tracks you might end up with on each of your discs. It'll also play "mixed-mode" CDs--that is, discs bearing both linear PCM (CD) and MP3/AAC audio data--but doing so requires manual switching between PCM and MP3 modes.

Philips boasts nearly two minutes of "Magic" electronic skip protection (ESP), and, supernatural or not, we were unable to induce interruptions in our tunes shy of stopping playback or skipping to another track.

In our tests, we were impressed with the player's sound quality (through good headphones), with the player exhibiting ample amplifier power and pleasing, effortless sound from known CD sources. Compressed-audio files vary in their fidelity, of course, but Philips seems to have nailed the analog end of things with a quality headphone jack and volume control. The digital dynamic bass boost is actually useful, with level 1 offering a refreshing boost in the bass only and level 2 jacking the low end even further and introducing a little extra treble as well.

We strongly recommend using a better-sounding, more comfortable set of headphones than the included ear buds. As long as you stick with .125-inch minijack headphones, compatibility with the handy clip-on remote control won't be an issue.

Included in the box are the EXP401, a user's manual, one blank 8 cm CD-R, a limited-function clip-on wired remote control, a pair of ear-bud headphones, and an AC adapter. The EXP401 runs on a single AA battery (not included), from which it derives about three hours of playing time for an MP3-CD with electronic shock protection on (five hours with ESP off), and six hours for standard CD audio (with EPS on or off).

Supported bit rates: MP3: 32 to 320 kbps; AAC: less than or equal to 160 kbps. Total number of music files and albums: around 350 (with a typical file name length of 20 characters). The number of music files that can be played depends on the length of the names, but given the relatively limited storage capacity of the 8 cm discs, this shouldn't pose a problem. --Michael Mikesell

Pros:

• Small size, large storage capacity
• Easy navigability
• Good sound quality
• Hold and resume features
• Supports AAC compression
• Strong anti-skip protection
• Lightweight
• AC adapter included

Cons:

• No ID3 tag support (for artist and song titles)
• Limited battery life with MP3 playback
• Limited non-MP3/AAC applications
• Slightly flimsy build quality