Philips PET724 Portable DVD/CD/MP3 player: A reference-grade portable audio player

Folks, I can't understand why, nowadays, the antiquated, skip-prone Sony D-555 portable CD player -- shown above -- has such a cult following?! For what it is, it's ridiculously over-priced -- on eBay and in the used marketplace. Its sound is, comparatively speaking, mediocre at best. Worst of all, it's shock immunity is horrible. And, unlike modern units, old models come with no warranty.



I got rid of mine a long time ago and don't miss it one bit! (Read more on what think of older, formerly-well-rated portable CD players)

Shown above is the modern, well-built, superb-sounding Philips PET724 portable DVD/CD/MP3 player. I purchased this unit at Amazon for about $113.00. It has become my favorite currently-available/reasonably-priced "portable" audio player. It beats out my former favorites, the Panasonic SW967 and the Philips EXP2581; it also sonically beats (by a wide margin) my iAudio X5 digital audio player (an article on that test is coming soon). I put portable in "quotes" because this player's dimensions -- 193 x 33 x 170 mm (7.6 x 1.3 x 6.7 inches) at 0.85 kg (1.9 lbs.) -- may not fit your criteria of "portable". I do, however, find that for my personal needs (power walking, light hiking, biking), the PET724 plus a small headphone amp plus a normal-sized digital audio player (e.g. iPod) all fit nicely into a small day bag. I use REI's day bag, which is very durable and has lots of compartments for accessories and discs. Some more images of this bag in use with my other portables are here; another review of this bag is here.

Above: A modern, portable, reference-grade audiophile system, featuring the Philips PET724, fitting nicely into an REI day bag. I also use a variety of portable headphone amps, including a DIY PIMETA, and commercially-available Xin Super-macro and Go-Vibe, and portable DIY DACs. It's amazing the level of high audio fidelity one can comfortably and conveniently carry around -- a feat impossible just a few years back.

On portable use and shock immunity of the PET724... The PET724 does not feature any type of ESP or Electronic Skip Protection (which I never use in portables that have this feature as it degrades audio performance and shortens battery life). So how does the PET724 hold up in portable use? In a word: superbly. While I haven't gone jogging with the unit, my brisk power walks, trail/mountain hikes and bike rides have yet to make this unit stumble. The REI bag I use is nicely padded, so it damps the unit somewhat. But the stride of walks and hikes do oscillate all that is attached to (or carried by) me; the PET724 handles oscillations and shocks as well as any portable disc player I've used, even very modern units with ESP.

What about the PET724's video? I, frankly, do not watch enough video to justify testing this unit's capabilities. Some reviewers at Amazon and ePinions.com report that this unit's video performance is decent for the price.


Above: The Philips PET724 portable CD/DVD player (right-side view) with DIY cable connecting it to a portable headphone amplifier (right, Velcro'd to the top). A Cowon iAudio X5 digital audio player is on the top left. The "hump-tail" on the bottom right is the PET724's battery. By the way (note audiophiles!!), notice the coaxial digital output next to the DC power jack.



Above: Top view of my portable audio/video system: Philips PET724 (white unit on bottom, with battery disconnected; its remote is on the right -- it works surprising well at odd angles, which is convenient when the PET724 is inaccessibly pouched in a travel bag); Cowon iAudio X5 (top left); headphone amp (bottom left). I normally affix Velcro tabs, at strategic places, on all portable gear to hold various units in place. This strategy work very well in the portable "field".

Above: A look inside the PET724.



Above: Another inside view of the PET724. The audio/video input/output section (jacks) is on the top of this image.


Above: A close-up of the PCB.




Above: A close-up of the PCB, showing the main audio/video processor, which is an MT1389DE by MediaTek.

Above: As I somewhat noted in my review of the Philips EXP2581 portable CD player, Philips seems to do a decent job of designing the analog output section of their units. In this detailed view of the PET724's headphone and line-output sections, the topological path from the DAC to output jack seems to be fairly "clean". Specifically, for the Line Out circuit, I see no "intervening" op-amp or discrete circuit** (though I haven't admittedly checked the bottom-side of the PCB, where components may also sometimes mounted -- I'll check on this and report back). Audiological improvements may be possible by substituting higher-quality capacitors -- e.g., replacing the two SMD aluminum 47µF caps currently used. These caps are already fairly high quality, so I'm not sure how much further performance may be improved.

** On the other hand, Philips may have opted for this simple topology just to conserve space or cost. Many, many better-sounding stand-alone CD/DVD players use analog-output-stage op-amps very effectively. An example is a current, low-priced favorite, the Toshiba SD-3390.



Above: The 6" steel rule gives this image some sense of scale. The PET724's dimensions: 193 x 33 x 170 mm (7.6 x 1.3 x 6.7 inches) at 0.85 kg (1.9 lbs.)

Above: Playing a CD. Note the OSD (on-screen-display). The LCD display will switch off, if you close the cover. This greatly extends battery life -- ideal for portable audio use!



Above: The OSD allows you access to a wealth of disc table-of-contents (TOC) info.



Above: The unit in TV ON mode (note "TV ON" LED indicator is lit). This mode switches off the PET724's LCD video-display section (and outputs both audio and video via the AV OUT jack (below); in normal mode, this jack only outputs audio).



Above: AV OUT (where cable is currently attached) and AV IN can use both three-section (stereo audio-only) and four-section (stereo audio + video; see image below) 3.5 mm plugs. When the player is in normal LCD-display-on mode, no video signal is outputted via the AV OUT jack. But when TV ON mode is switched on, see image above, an audio-degrading (= noisy) video signal is outputted along with two-channel audio. If you're using the AV OUT jack to drive a headphone amp, keep the PET724 in normal LCD display mode (i.e. TV ON mode off). If you close the LCD cover (see images near the top of this page), the LCD display will switch off, extending battery life and increasing audio fidelity. If you are using an external DAC, then "TV ON" mode is probably best.

COMING SOON... I will add to this page audio- and video-improving tweaks for compact, portable CD/DVD players, like the Philips PET724. You can get a head start by following (and then implementing) the methods and techniques I've previously outlined in other pages, like this.

The Bottom Line...

Breaking News! -- New Product to be Aware of...

Toshiba 7" 16:9 Widescreen LCD Portable DVD Player

If you've read my review of the Toshiba SD-3990, you may realize that I am a big fan of Toshiba late-model, low-priced CD/DVD players. The model above was released in late December 2006. It seems to have all the features of the PET724, reviewed above. But how will it ultimately compare? I plan to review the model above in the near future, so stay tuned...

For more information and price about some of the items discussed above, click the link or image below...

I use Shure or Sennheiser sound-Isolation canal earphones for all portable audio tests.

Philips 8.5" 16:9 Widescreen LCD Portable DVD Player with Apple iPod Dock

Philips PET724 7" 16:9 Widescreen TFT-LCD Portable DVD Player