Philips AZ5150 Deck
Philips offers the largest MP3 deck we've ever seen that can still be described as 'portable'When we decided to compile a feature on portable music players, we were excited to see the large number of tiny yet feature-packed MP3 players coming through the mailbox here at ZDNet. Surprisingly, we also received a much larger box containing the Philips AZ5150 deck.
Unless you suffer from extreme gigantism, the AZ5150 isn't going to fit in your pocket. Still, it can run on batteries and has a plastic handle at the top so by definition it is a portable music player, albeit only just. We haven't tested a boom box for some time, and it certainly gave us a nostalgic feeling having a cassette player in the office.
The AZ5150 has a sleek silver finish a grey covered top. This along with a top-loading, 20-track programmable CD player drags the player out of the 80s, as does its ability to playback VCD/MP3-CDs. In regards to MP3-CDs, the AZ5150 has some unusual limitations. The maximum number of tracks it'll read off a CD is 256, so if you have plenty of smaller files this isn't the player for you. Supported bit-rates are 96, 128, 192 and 256 kbps. Windows Media Audio (wma) and Advanced Audio Coding (aac) files are not supported.
There is a shuffle feature that works on both audio CDs and MP3-CDs. Similarly the repeat buttons work on both formats with the option of repeating the current track or the whole disc. There is a 2-digit LCD that displays the current repeat/shuffle modes as well as track information and the type of disc in the reader.
The sound quality from the stereo speakers was only of average quality. Switching on the dynamic bass boost enhances the quality by beefing up bass tones. Beside the DBB button is the rotary volume control. While the sound is clear enough to listen to (even at loud volume) the speakers do not compare to the clarity and range of more expensive mini/micro systems.
Directly out of the box the AZ5150 only runs on AC mains power via the supplied detachable power cord. There are no batteries included and it will take six D cells to power this baby up on its own. Add an additional two AAs if you want to use the remote control, and be ready to shell out extra for batteries over the life of the unit.
In terms of unique extras, the AZ5150 has one feature that no other player in this roundup could come near; an integrated single cassette deck. We normally wouldn't even mention this, but it does offer synchronised CD recording (to tape), so you could transport your MP3 files into another format this way. For what it's worth, there's also an analogue AM/FM tuner with a rotary dial and a telescopic FM antenna at the back of the system. There are no auxiliary inputs but there is a stereo AV output for playback of VCDs. Video output can be swapped from PAL to NTSC via a switch on the back of the unit. Next to this is a headphone jack.
It's a bit hard to classify the AZ51510 next to all of the small and light systems we've reviewed as part of this feature. It does have the distinction of being the equal cheapest and by far the largest, which gives it an interesting set of tradeoffs. Ultimately, it's only really recommended if you need an MP3 player you're unlikely to move around much with.
Philips AZ5150
Company: Philips
Price: AU$249
Distributor: Selected resellers
Phone: 1800 009 300
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Hi! I recently put a Sony MZ-N510 on layby of $350. It's my first update sine a discman. Should I keep it or find another one? Any comments are more than welcome! Thanks!