Reason is very simple, the maintenance fee for handphone is much higher than a Discman.
In the past, Discman is much more common than MP3 player. But now, MP3 players are replacing Discman as a device for listening to music. With the help of handphones, MP3 players are even more penetrating among the teens.
But one thing MP3 players cannot replace a Discman is the sound quality it delivers. Reason being: MP3 files are compressed audio files while Discman just plays the music out of an audio disc, the quality is the best out there. Compressed audio files will result in loss of sound quality. Consider this with JPEG (compressed image files) vs RAW formats. The huge difference is there!
My first Discman is a Sony made D-465 model. This Discman is quite trustworthy as it lasted for 7-8 years. It was bought in 1997 for $288. Expensive huh? It has a 20 sec Electronic Shock Protection (ESP) function and up to 40 hrs playback on 4 AA alkaline batteries. The device only provides 2 battery bays on the machine itself, and provides an assessory whereby you put in another 2 batteries into the connector and connect it to the device, forming a parallel circuit inside.
I like its clean layout and most of the buttons are hidden under the "Discman" cover, which is a slider. Also it boasts a mechanical volume control mechanism, unlike the digital one.
After D-465 died on December 2004. I bought Sony D-NE700 for $160. No doubt the functions and playback time are better on D-NE700, it has some missing features from D-465. The digital volume mechanism cannot control the volume very precisely, over a interval rather than continual one. Then its wired remote control has no backlight functionality, compared to the green backlight found on D-465. No MEGABASS! All related to cost cut?
Nevertheless, it is better than nothing. I like its playback time, the 2 AA rechargeable batteries can really last...
The headphone provided on D-465 is very bad for comfort and sound quality. So I bought Sony headphone MDR-E838 for $29.90 in March 2003. Made in Japan. It is a normal type of headphone. Sound quality not too bad, i.e. acceptable. I stopped using it after D-465 died.
The headphone that comes with D-NE 700 had much worse than MDR-E838 in term of build quality and sound quality. After it spoiled, I bought my first noise-cancelling headphone in October 2005 for $58.90. It was Panasonic RP-HJE50.
Heard from reviews that is a good headphone. Compared to Sony-EX51/EX71 (those come with Sony Ericsson phones), it has much lesser bass content, good on mid-range and treble - the Sony ones are just too bassy. More expensive but it provides better qualities lor... Nothing to shout about when it is made in China.
When compared to those normal type ones, those normal type ones are just crap. I would choose noise-cancelling headphones again...
It's cousin, RP-HJE70 costs almost $200.... =.=
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