Emerson PD5098 Portable Radio CD Player

I received this Emerson CD player as a gift. I really enjoy listening to music, especially in my kitchen and DR, where space is at a premium. Since I've had the player, it's been used every day for at least 2 hours, sometimes 4. I play CD's on it, and also listen to the radio.Pros:- Clear, bright sound- CD's can be programmed for play- CD songs can be set to repeat a single song or the entire CD- Space saving- Did I mention that this little CD really holds up to daily use?Cons:- Radio has a knob so it's difficult to change between stations. For me, this is a non-issue as I primarily listen to one station, or else to CD's- Uh,...I can't really think of anything else.So far, my Emerson CD player has lasted two and a half years. It's only now starting to show signs of wear, and I will certainly be replacing it with another Emerson CD player..

I bought this because I wanted a CD player that wouldn't take up as much room as my "boombox" style player did and was lightweight, so I could easily move it from room to room as I listened to books on CD's. This one fills the bill and is easy to figure out how to use. As a radio, it does not get reception quite as well as my Radio Shack radio of the same size, but it plays the CD's well. This is why I almost returned it: when I first opened it, I was alarmed when I read the literature that said it was a "Class 1 Laser Device" and could emit low levels of radiation if not used correctly. I called the customer service number at Emerson and the representative explained that all CD Players were Laser Devices (although none of my others have stated that) and that the only safety hazard would be if I tried to take the door off and listen to CDs with the door not on. She said as soon as the door was opened it automatically shut off the Laser Device component. (I suppose it is like a microwave.) Anyway, I have had it for a couple of weeks now and it is very convenient because it is small and lightweight.

This one did not work right out of the box for me. The radio was functional, but the CD player was completely non-functional. It would give a weak spin, then give up. Obviously, you might be lucky and get a version that works, but it says something about the workmanship.The unit is light and compact and runs off battery or extension cord, which is nice, though it takes a ton of large batteries. The radio is analog, and it didn't seem to pick up great signal when I was running it in my kitchen despite having the antenna fully extended. I think the analog dial would be a little annoying in this day and age. The unit cheap and plastic-y looking.

POSITIVE: Small, lightweight, well constructed. It feels solid and performs similarly. For a single, mono speaker it sounds pretty good; no where near audiophile quality but good nonetheless. It looks nice, the spinning disk is cool. The radio gets very good reception. It doesn't have trouble reading even very scratched discs. It is efficient with batteries... I've had it for a month and have used it extensively and I haven't had to replace them yet.NEGATIVE: Doesn't play mp3. Too quiet for some situations. Sitting on the beach, for example, the waves drown out the music unless you are within about 5 feet of the unit. This could be a positive thing if you dont want to disturb the people around you. If you do want to be able to entertain a group of people in a larger area however, this is not an ideal product. The player does not remember your place on a CD or in a track if it is turned off... for most people I doubt this is a problem, but for me, it can be. I listen to hour long, single track mixes from DJs and it would be nice if I could turn it off and then resume my place on the track. If you turn it above 80% volume, it distorts the music (especially bass heavy music).OVERALL: For many applications, this is an excellent travel radio. It is inexpensive, very portable, and in many situations, works very well. I am not dissatisfied at all and would purchase another without hesitation. I wouldn't buy this radio if you need: 1. MP3 functionality 2. the ability to produce LOUD music

I like that this Emerson CD/am fm radio can be listened to both by phones privately and aloud with the option of the chord it comes with that plugs in an electric socket. It can can also be played via batteries.It is sleek, non cumbersome and easy to carry. The radio comes in handy when I cannot get a ball game on tv wishing to find out the score. CD player part allows to go from one track to another, yet does not have numbers to press to get to the exact song. For any player I would recommend caution with the go to the next song button meaning be gentle with and not too fast. No trouble with this product. I had a Hello Kitty boom box where the go to the the next track feature died shortly after getting the product.I have not attempted the memory feature yet. This is the 2nd Emerson Portable Radio CD Player I have gotten. The 1st one is used upstairs and then I got one for the downstairs of my home.I am finding that it plays all my CDs including one put together recently by an orchestra director to listen to for an upcoming playing event.

The radio while looks decent and a space saving solution, the quality begs to differ.The first 2 days, the radio worked great but tuning to the right station can be difficult due to the small sensitivity. CD played fine.About less than a week in, the CD player refused to play any CD and if I could get the CD to play, it skips. If you plan to use it just for the radio, you won't really have any issues but I paid for both the radio and CD Player.So I end up return the radio.