Sony D-321 Full Review

Introduction:
Sony has made many noteworthy Discmans during its time with the brand, and there exists some truly great sounding models (examples: D-350, D-555, D-250), and there are models that kind of slip past collectors and don’t get talked about much. This is fairly typical for any product line, models that were meant to be cost-effective, and models that were ‘luxurious’. In fact, I can always tell if a model is ‘entry-level’ or ‘high-end’ by its eBay sales history. High-end collectable Discmans can sell for as much as $1000 or more, and common daily-driver models can sell for as little as $10 shipped. Not only this, the expensive collectable units are always talked about constantly on forums, but the others are kind of taboo. But none of this answers the all-important question of, “Are expensive vintage Discman’s truly worth the price because they sound great, or is it just because collectors have hyped them up?”

This question has never been more pertinent than with the Sony D-321, a Discman model released near the top of the portable CD totem pole in 1993. This model has found itself in a very unusual position: The D-321 has sold for over $300 US dollars recently on sites like eBay, but it escapes the common fan talk/rave reviews typical with models that sell for that price. So, because I can’t find any info on this model online, and because I was generally curious to see why anyone would pay so much for it, I bought one and have decided to review it in full for you. I’ll be discussing what I like about it, what I don’t, and is the price simply due to hype, or is it truly worth it. Armed with my recapped, fully-working D-321, Let’s get started.


The Sony D-321 in mint condition. Wow, Just look at that delicious metal lid...


Design/build quality:
My first impressions with this unit were very good. I was instantly drawn to the curvy 90’s design. The full metal lid with rubber buttons sophistically communicate the luxurious feel Sony was going for. And even though the base/back is made of plastic, it’s a high-quality sweat-resistant plastic that doesn’t even slightly resemble the build materials of the cheaper Discman units. The unit is very thin, but because the front slants down, it feels impossibly thin near the front, and its thinness underwhelms near the back. I’m not saying it’s too thick, but given the feel of the D-250, it feels like Sony has taken a step backwards in the case of slimness. Weight-wise, it actually feels very solid and durable in the hand, and it doesn’t feel so light that it’s cheap, but it isn’t a heavy brick either. My only real gripe with the unit’s design is the battery door, it’s the classic ‘press harder then you feel comfortable with and watch the door pop open as it creaks loudly’… definitely too cheap feeling and it compromises too much for a Discman in this price bracket.


As you can see, the unit is much thinner upfront. The battery compartment is very underwhelming...

Usability:
In general, the D-321 is very easy to use, and using it feels natural and positive. I really like the button layout, and the position of the switches/dials along the sides just feels good for the hands. Another huge positive for usability is an LCD display that is backlit… even when using batteries… now that’s nice. What’s not so nice is the remote… it’s the same remote used in the D-311. It feels very cheap, with only the bare minimum function buttons, a tiny screen that really doesn’t help much, and that stupid Sony headphone port that only works with their pitiful buds. Another frustration is the fact that the screen and buttons appear to be built in to the hinge, but are really built inside of the cd bay, in the base. This doesn’t really make it harder to use, but it just feels really awkward, and makes it harder to keep the screen clean.




Sound quality:
So far, the D-321 is feeling like a premium CD player that doesn’t really knock it out of the park in any particular field, but nonetheless has a lot to offer. Where this COULD change is in sound quality… but does it really sound great? To find out, I took a pair of headphones that sounds very balanced and flat, and I took a CD that I know really well and compared samples between the D-321, a D-9, and an E-J621 just because. I also compared the sound to some of my premium set-top home audio CD players as well. Now I know I didn’t have a great lineup of CD players to test it with, but remember, I’ve refurbished a LOT of Discmans, and I’ve had the opportunity to hear these songs over and over on many different units, so I really did have an idea where the D-321 compares. And It sounds… just average. A tad bass heavy (even when DSP is off), unclear, and bright/pointy on treble. With mega bass on the first level, it was very muddy, and on the second level, it was miserably muddy. The other two DSP modes, ‘vocal’ and ‘car’ do not leave an impression and are just there to exist so that the unit can boast a DSP and not just Mega Bass. I don’t want to be too mean on the sound, it really is quite decent and enjoyable, just not noteworthy like one might expect at the present price point. I was left with a feeling of, “Ok, it sounds good, but not GREAT.”


Trinkets and tricks:
Aside from the features I discussed earlier like the backlit display and the LCD remote, the unit’s high original list price means it has plenty of other convenience and special features to pine over. The first of which is digital optical out. For 1993, this was huge, and the optical out is nothing short of amazing to have in this Discman… or any other Discman for that matter. You will never hear me talk negatively of the optical out or the display, but what you might hear me criticize is the ESP. The D-321 has 3-sec ESP and it’s good for a couple of small hits or one big bump. To be fair, this was the first unit to boast ESP, but we are reviewing this unit retrospectively, which means it must be judged based on the fact that other units exist for a fraction of price with much higher ESP levels. A couple of grab-bag features round off the list, like a rechargeable battery option for the AA compartment, a clip-on extra AA battery holder, and AVLS… show me someone on this forum that actually uses AVLS…


The D-321 is compatible with Sony's POC-10AP optical output cable for digital audio.



The Verdict:
The Sony D-321 is a stand-out portable CD player for only one real reason: It feels premium to use and has some premium features. It’s a good all-around player, but I’ve found that it sounds no better than any other cheaper Discman from the same time period and it just seems to compromise in some areas. This unit has been known to sell from $150-$300, but this money could be put towards a much better unit, like maybe a D-250 or a D-303 for example. Bottom line, a very good overall player I will enjoy using, and you should pick it up too provided you can get it for a good price.

 

Recaptcha. Nice review. As they say- never judge a book by its cover. I have not listened to many discmans over all these years so I cannot comment. I just have a few units which I think sound good and that's good enough for me. Enjoy your unit that's the most important thing. Thanks again.

 

@Recaptcha - many thanks for the review, very thorough and thoughtful!! You even made me laugh!:

Methinks the only reason D-321 is a bit thicker than similar models is because Sony opted (thankfully!) for 2xAA batteries instead of those stupid gumsticks...

One Question: did you check its digital-out? I think this is the option which puts D-321 next to the Big Boys. I have yet to get me D-303 but during my own shootout between Sony D-555 (with its original spindle motor), Denon DCP-70 (with new spindle motor) and brand-new 2021 Amadana Discmans they all sounded practically the same through digital-out. Amadana sounded more analytical, but I had to play different CDs and actually degrade onto into critical listening mode to notice the differences. None of them, as transports, sounded as good as my present lowly reference - Naim Uniti Star CD player. No critical listening was needed to hear the differences between Discmans and a half-decent modern CD player

 

No problem! I'll probably be doing more of these reviews in the future... so keep an eye out!

Exactly right, any Discman pails in comparison to a decent modern CD player. I only used some of my standalone hifi cd players as a comparison tool to judge portable vs stationary CD quality of the period. I have not tested the digital out, because I do not presently have a way to do so.

Yeah, I agree, the Digital out is the stand-out feature that gives the unit it's 'stripes' so to speak. Especially with that POC-10AP kit, it can become incredibly versatile very quickly.

As far as sizing goes, yes, this is the reason the unit is bigger. I'm not sure why the unit is capable of taking standard AA batteries, this is not Sony's style at all for this time period... and the unit has a spot for an EBP AA case, so why wouldn't they just have you use that if you want standard AAs... I know this opinion is unpopular, but having a custom battery like a gumstick makes a Discman/Walkman feel more high-end, and I prefer it, even if it sacrifices convenience/availability of batteries.

While we are on the subject of Batteries... check this out:



This is a quick little custom job I made to replace the Sony BP-DM10 Ni-CD battery that Sony originally sold for the D-321. It's two standard AA Ni-CD cells of 1.2V 1100mah each, glued together between two plastic pieces. The plastic pieces ensure the battery selector switch is depressed in the battery compartment telling the unit that a rechargeable battery pack is inserted, so that the unit can charge the battery when plugged in to wall power. It's not pretty, but it does the job and allows rechargeable battery support without damaging the unit.

 

I am really glad to see a brother who can hear that NOT all digital "perfect sound Forever" sound the same and this is at S2Go forum, where mostly ana-philes like myself congregate

(((should you go for it, I can mail Sony D-555 and Shiit Audio Modi for your review, or will pay for the shipping of D-321 my way to do the same)))

Your review kinda put me into a thinking mode that S2G might be branched into Portables-Digital hub with more hits on iPod/DAPs which are Bananas nowadays... and we had some nice discussions about those, now lost and/or buried.

 

Wow, now that is an interesting prospect... if you DM me, the details, I would gladly send you my address and gladly do a review just like this for the D-555! It would actually be my pleasure... I am actually steps away from getting an english degree, and I love writing this stuff, and I feel like I know enough about audio to be credible... semi-professional pianist for 10 years, with absolute pitch. I would cover shipping back to your address as well.

Yeah, Every digital source has a unique footprint... and critical listening will tell the difference... like, have you ever noticed that for example maybe a snare drum on a pop song sounds brighter or more pronounced between different Discmans?

 

@Mister X - You Are BAD!!! But probably-maybe right, I do want to hear someday TT/Radio combo I played to death at the age of seven!... Next on my list would be those Edison Cylinders - Art Dudley (Listener and Stereophile editor) once mentioned they have some serious benefits compared to the Records.

Absolutely! that was my initiation to Hi-End. Around 1997, at Chicago Pro Musica - John Schwartz took the pain of swapping Harman Kardon, then Sony, then Rega, then Naim CD players into the some Rega amp and mini-monitors. It was impossible not to hear the difference! I walked in there thinking about buying Nice floorstanders (Thiel, Hales were on my list, and I had ~$5k to burn then!) for my CD changer/HK 5-ch amp, but walked out of there totally confused!

A few blocks closer to my then home there was Linn Hi-Fi store - and those guys just made me laugh! LP player for ~$2k, in 1997, I could not believe that crap! Little did I know that just 10 years later I will own $15k Linn Sondek LP12. I am not convinced that"woman can change a man" but visiting Hi-End Audio stores and Audio Shows sure does

 

My 5-Cents: until you get friendly with your local Hi-End seller you won’t even consider wasting over $1k of your hard-earned money onto a CD-spinner!!!

And I did have a proverbial “snubbed-down” humiliation at my local Shelley Stereo place last year: I were at my lowest point after the fire and losing my everything, walked in to audition and buy Magnepans for my temp housing. The owner with whom I had more than a few nice talks over the years and thanks to whom I spent all my Audio-allowances did Not see or hear me! I wandered for awhile around the rooms, left, and then realized that my “aura” of a Looser must have wiped me out of his Doors of Perception I was invisible to him with my babbling about Maggies!?