Sony Discman D-10 Black Portable CD Player

CK
Jul 2, 2019
2 min read

The Sony D-10, known as the D-100 in the Japanese market, was the flagship Discman model released in 1988. It was priced at approximately $350 USD. The D-10 distinguished itself from competitors in several ways. Measuring 5 inches in length and width, and only 3/4 inch in thickness, it was the thinnest portable CD player available at the time. It is remarkable how Sony's engineers managed to incorporate its motor, disk drive, laser, and all digital decoding circuits into such a compact design. By utilizing more efficient chips, Sony reduced the D-10's power consumption by nearly 30 percent compared to the previous model, allowing it to operate for over four hours on a single charge with its rechargeable battery. Although four hours of playtime may not seem substantial today, it is important to note that most cassette and portable CD players of that era could scarcely run for two hours.

Sony Discman D-10 Black Portable CD Player

Regarding sound quality, the D-10 is arguably among the best-sounding Sony Discman models ever produced.

The headphone output is exceptionally powerful, capable of directly driving most of today's low impedance headphones without the need for an external amplifier.