SonyWM-FX290 Stereo Cassette Player with FM/AM/TV/Weather Tuning

I bought this as a replacement for a Sony WM-FX788 AM/FM cassette player and recorder. When the 788 stopped working, I looked for a replacement and did not find one that would both play and record cassettes. I have since become much more satisfied with the 290 than I was with the 788 for several reasons: (1) The 290 uses direct mechanical actuation of the tape drive, rather than the electronic actuation of the 788. I regard this as an advantage, since the ultrasensitive switch that controlled the cassette drive in the 788 often resulted in it taking off at high speed in some unintended direction when all I wanted to do was stop it. The direct mechanical actuation of the tape drive means that I am never in doubt about what the machine is going to do when I press a button. I regard this as a desirable trade-off for the lack of an auto-reverse feature. (2) The AM and FM sensitivity is much better in the 290 - almost as good as my table radios. Its weather and TV band reception is adequate and is an occasionally useful feature. (3) The 290 uses a single AA cell, rather than the rechargeable, expensive, and hard to find proprietary battery in the 290. (4) The 290 is much cheaper - I paid about $180 for the 788. (4) The 290 is slightly larger than the 788, but is still a handy size for slipping in a pocket while exercising (my primary use). [To answer a point raised in the discussions: going from the tape to a previously tuned-in radio station takes only two button presses - one to stop the tape and one to turn on the radio.] I have other ways of making recordings, so not having this function in a radio and cassette player is no great loss. Overall, I rate the FX-290 as an excellent value.

If you're looking for a portable stereo/cassette player, buy this one! I love mine. I looks great, it's light weight, and uses only one AA battery (what a weight and cost reducer!). Don't let anyone fool you, that one battery powers a lot of great features like Mega Bass and 40 presets(40 hours of battery life according to Sony if used in radio mode). In addition, it produces plenty of volume and great sound. A previous reviewer complained that the one AA battery did not produce enough volume. As far as I'm concerned, nothing could be further from the truth. There is volume to spare on this baby! You'll never be able to listen to it on full-blast.My only (minor) complaint about this Walkman is the location of the preset selector switch. It's recessed, slim, and located below the LCD display. This makes it inconvenient to locate and operate while running on a treadmill, but its no big deal. The many benefits of this unit easily outweigh this minor disadvantage.As I stated before, I love my Sony WM-FX290 Walkman. I bought mine for the gym. I highly recommend it and don't workout without it. It comes with a nice carrying case and headphones making it a great deal. Give it a try; I don't think you'll be dissapointed.

I bought this Sony Walkman in September 2007.From Day One, I found that Weather & TV didn't work at all.But I kept using this product because FM radio & Cassette Player were working well & these functions were more important than the rest.It totally broke down early this month, June 2008.What should I do with this product? Any suggestion?

Sony WM-FX290 is light, compact and convenient. The sound is good, but in order to fully enjoy it, you need to replace the attached headphones with the quality product. I love recorded books and this is my third Sony WM-FX290. It runs on only one AA battery, which lasts amazingly long. Considering "battery-efficiency" this product will cost you less than some cheaper players. I gave it only 4 stars, because the plastic cover of the battery compartment is not very sturdy and in my first cassette player broke after 6 months. My second player is still in good shape, but I couldn't resist Amazon's great price. I recommend this product, especially that there aren't many good portable cassette players on the market.

I started buying Audio books on cassette because I had an older car with only a cassette player. I buy them by the lot for bid on e-bay. The old portable cassette player I had was terrible. New batteries made the reader sound like they just inhaled from a helium balloon. So I bought another for cheap. MISTAKE. In under a year, the plastic hinge holding the cassette bay door onto the player snapped off. This time, I bought for quality. I had close to 100 books on cassette I hadn't listened to yet. I mean, who wouldn't trust Sony Walkman? It was worth it. The sound is good. Some of these books are retired from libraries, and have been listened to repeatedly. Moving around does not upset this player. So far I have no regrets that I purchased two of these units. (I was afraid they would run out of them!) I keep one at home for working in the garden, and don't have to worry about where the Walkman is!

I have purchased two of these over the past three years, one for my father and one for myself.-This is an excellent tape player for books on tape.-Very tuff I have dropped mine multiple times and it just keeps on going like the Energizer Bunny. (Note: I use it with the included padded case that gives the walkman good protection)-Great battery life for the tape player. I regularly get more than 60 hours of tape player time out of a single Energizer alkaline AA battery.-The weather band radio works well within the 30 mile radius of a major city.-TV band works well within a 30 mile radius of a major city.-The FM radio delivers good quality sound for music listening.-The AVLS (automatic volume limiting system) is very good of protecting your hearing.-The headphones are good but not great. I recommend replacing them with a nice set of ear buds.

Both worked straight out the box. Fast shipped and well packaged. Played tapes and heard radio. Quality items.