D-90

The D-90 sat near the more polished end of Sony's late-1980s portable CD lineup, with a stronger emphasis on finish, sound, and overall feel than the more utilitarian models below it. It remained unmistakably a portable, yet carried itself with a little more seriousness in both construction and presentation.

The D-90 did not need gimmicks to justify itself. It makes the most sense as a machine for someone who already believed in portable CD and simply wanted a better one. That gives it a different character from the more experimental or aggressively miniaturized players around it.