yes, I finally found a worthy portable!!

I first tried a Sony D-EJ815 which was disappointing. Read my Epinions review. Next tried a Panasonic SLCT570 (top of line) which is better than the Sony 815 in audio quality, but still a bit too bright and harsh for my taste. Couple that with the chinsy lid hinge, mediocre battery life (compared to Sony models), and lack of a carry case, I just couldn't own the Panasonic unit.

Next I figured, not to mess with this any further, just go out and buy the D-EJ01 and be done with it. Boy am I glad I did. Got it for $280 mail order. Check www.cnet.com and type D-EJ01 in the search engine, it will automatically find you the lowest price. You can also find some long standing mail order shops to meet these prices.

OK about the D-EJ01:
Sound quality is very good, nearly as good as my Sony ES home CD player. The remote is awesome, its backlit and contains every button necessary to operate the player. The display includes CD TEXT data which displays the name of the song currently playing. I managed to find a handful of CD's in my collection that contain the CD TEXT data. The headphones are so so, if you have the right shape ear to fit them. If they are uncomfortable for you (as they were for me), chuck them in the drawer and go out and buy a decent pair of headphones. This CD player sounds too good to be used with $10 headphones.

Battery life is incredible, and it even comes with an additional battery holder designed to hold two AA rechargables or Alkalines. I couldn't imagine needing more than the NiMH batteries it comes with, but just in case I'll probably pack a spare pair of NiMH AA for my next trip as opposed to carrying the oversized charging transformer (I wish they included a switching power supply charger as opposed to the bulky transformer.). The extra $2 must have been too much for Sony to swallow.

The unit and auxiliary battery pack are made from a lightweight metal. Sony claims its Magnesium. Sounds good to me, but doesn't magnesium burn easily? I vaguely remember that from high school Chemistry (long ago). Oh well, best to keep it away from a fire!!! The case includes all the basic controls, digital volume, track up/down, stop, play/pause. There's even a close button to drop down a little door to cover the slot opening. This is to be used when storing the player. Keeps the dust to a minimum.

The slot load mechanism works well, not perfect, but good enough for first generation. I exchanged my first unit for another since I didn't like the fact that that manual eject arm was sticking periodically. The second unit works much better. Lets hope it stays that way!!

The case is great, but note that they designed this thing to hold the CD player in such a fashion that you have to remove the velcro and slide it out partially to remove a CD. I think this could have been better designed. The case also holds CD's without the jewel case, so you ought to go out and get some sleeves to protect your discs. I also wish the case included a handle or carry strap.

I didn't bother to put the G-Protection (anti-skip) to a rigorous test, but my basic test proves it should be just fine for nearly all users. I also didn't test the optical out.

Overall I must say I'm quite happy with this player. It plays CD-R's no problem but of course doesn't recognize CD-RW. I'm assuming the reason for this is because Sony wants us all to own a Minidisc player (Sony's own technology).

You should also note that Sony has recently announced the D-E999 and D-E888 in Japan. These will possibly go by a different model # here when they are released. The D-E999 is claimed to have G-Protection 2, is 15.9mm tall (instead of 21.5mm for the D-EJ01) and includes a new style remote similar to that used on the MD players. The D-E999 is a top load player so it will likely replace the D-EJ915 sometime after Christmas (my guess). No news yet on a replacement for the D-EJ01. This just may be the only slot load CD player for a while.

If your in the market for a great portable, or replacing an older high end Sony portable (such as the D-777), I highly recommend the D-EJ01. Its the only Sony model I've heard with sound quality that will meet your expectations.