Insignia NS-P4112 Portable CD Player with Skip Protection for CD, CD-R, CD-RW - Includes Headphones

I've had this thing for almost 6 months and it still works beautifully. I bought it on a whim after the spindle on my 4th Sony Walkman CD player had flimsily pushed in on itself and was no longer usable, and this overall is a much higher quality product than that. Though, it does have a few downsides.Let's start with the pros:- Excellent sound quality, not too much bass- The volume control wheel is also great, much better than the limiting buttons on the Sony- The battery compartment is on the back of the player instead of in the tray (again, like the Sony)- Very sturdy tray overall- Quite durableAnd the cons:- Skips like nobody's business, but only if you're moving. If on a flat surface, it's fine.- The battery life is only indicated by a flashing battery sign in the tracklisting window, but most times it doesn't show up and you don't find out that the battery is dead until your CD stops in the middle of a songOther than that, I prefer it over the Sony Walkman brand, although I do keep one of those around for when I wanna take a walk with my music without it skipping like crazy. But if you just wanna chill with your favorite music and not move much, this is the better product.

Primarily, I want to thank Insignia for still making portable CD players and Amazon for still selling them. I check out books on CD's from my local library and listen to them while I workout and while I'm falling asleep, so being able to purchase such a CD player is essential to my health and happiness! A younger friend made fun of my outdated technology the other day at gym, but I just held my elderly chin high and forged ahead.Granted, there are things I don't like about this player: it doesn't keep track of where you are when you turn it off, and when worn in a tune belt, buttons sometimes get pushed by normal activities. Still, I've had it a couple of months now and have dropped it twice and it still works. (I've had cheaper ones that lasted about a month.) Also, it doesn't skip even though many library CD's have seen heavy usage. I'm going to buy a couple more as back up, in case this Insignia player, like Sony's Walkman, disappears from the marketplace. Plus, they may soon have antique value!

I want my stars back! They really need a Zero Star rating.I really bought this and I really thought it would be OK. How hard can it be to knock one of these things out these days. I will try to describe how terrible this device is. Though this looks like the average CD player it is a terrible trick.After listening for a few minutes a day and getting used to the controls - they are very tiny - I had the first occurrence of the loudest noise you could get through an earphone. This earphone was of course right up against my ear. This load blast was not part of any music in any CD I have ever heard of but there it was blasting into my ear with no warning, cause or remedy. Of course this kills of any listening as I ripped off the headphones and looked for cover from missile fire. But it was nothing, just some kind of electronic mistake, never mind.After a few days I trust it once more. With a CLEAN CD and new batteries (just as it all was before) and it comes again. Not at first where you might decide not to continue, but after fifteen minutes when you are enjoying and not expecting sudden explosive violence. The volume works well with the dial but this sudden noise was way beyond its max or that of any system with headphones.If I were driving I'd be ready if anything unexpected comes up. Surprises are everywhere so I don't let my attention drift. But at home relaxing on the sofa, this G-- D--- player is a practical joke from Hell. In the middle of any quiet passage you might get your ears blown out. But hey, relax. Enjoy the tunes. Yeah, Right!Much pain and some really ruined evenings.

I have purchased two of these little players, and may be buying a third. I was looking for a cheap ($30 range) player that I could use while doing yard work. Nothing fancy, just a single use player. I received the first one and it was solid. It felt very well made, controls with good touch, easy to use, etc. This particular player comes with a behind-the-neck headphone, which is a great alternative to ear buds.But, I dropped it. First time I dropped it, it was onto concrete at about two feet. It wasn't even damaged in any way. But the next time I dropped it, it was into dirt. Of course it didn't work anymore, having filled the guts up with sandy dirt. My bad. Bought another one. This one wasn't quite as good as the first one, but it was a close second. It tended to make a bit of noise when the disc was turning, but since you have to use a headset, this didn't matter. Controls still felt solid, it played well for what it was, and I had no problem with skipping, or stopping, until recently. It has served its purpose for over a year.The reason I am buying yet a third player, maybe this one, is that this player has started having some issues. First, the port for the headset has some issue where you have to fiddle with the position before you can get anything coming out, and you can't get both stereo sides at once. It wasn't like this when new. Next, while I admit I am super rough with my discs, it seems to me that many of them now can't be played by this player. My most favorite songs, played many times, can't be picked up anymore. Before, this little player could play discs that had actual cracks in them, no problem, and quite amazing. But now, no matter how I clean and change batteries, many songs can't be played. But they will play in other devices. So, I don't know what to think. (Maybe the laser eye is wearing out.) And finally, the unit has started eating batteries like candy. When it was new, it was with a very reasonable time interval for the two AA batteries. But, not now.So, I would say, this is not as bad as some reviews have said, at least not for me. It probably is not going to last you a ton of time. It's cheap, so I wouldn't expect a long life. If you are not a fan of ear buds, with this player you can get those behind the neck fixed buds that are super comfortable and have to be worth at least $5 in and of themselves. I have dropped this last player at least 3 times onto hard surfaces, and yet it plays. No, it isn't the best, but that's not what I am looking for. I don't want to pay $50 for a player I am likely to drop. I dropped both of these and the top lids flew open, but then there was absolutely nothing wrong with them. There was nothing cracked, everything flush, etc. So I don't think they feel cheaply made at all. The problem is with the laser reader, and now something with the connection for the headset. I am going to explore an option of little speakers, and move this unit to use inside, and replace my yard one with something new.