The player's automatic volume limiter system (AVLS) maintains an even volume level, guarding against unintended level increases and evening the output of musical passages that vary widely in level. Auto-reverse lets you enjoy uninterrupted listening to both sides of a cassette with no need to open the player and turn over the tape, while Mega Bass produces deep, rich bass tones.

For the radio, 40-station preset memory offers one-button tuning to your choice of seven TV stations, four weather-band stations, 24 FM stations, and five AM stations. At the press of a button, the "digital auto preset scanning" feature plays a few seconds of each memorized radio station, in sequence, to help select stations for listening and to determine which to set into memory. An FM local/distant (DX) switch improves reception of fuzzy stations.

Supplied MDR-027 over-ear headphones offer wide dynamic range and clear sound, and the unit also comes with a carry case and belt clip. A single AA battery provides up to 35 hours (maximum, using Sony Alkaline batteries) of continuous tape playback, or up to 40 hours of FM radio reception.