Cheap Sony SPP-A945 900 MHz Cordless Phone with Digital Answering Machine (Electronics) Price

The Sony SPP-A945 offers exceptional voice quality from the handset and an all-digital answering machine with three mailboxes at a terrific price. The phone has no LCD screen for caller ID and uses older 900 MHz analog technology, so it is better suited for users wanting few extra features.

The APP-A945's handset has few frills, but it is wider than many other units we've tested, making it easy to hold between the ear and shoulder. The SPP-A945's functional design is also simple. Assigning numbers to the speed dial was painless. The handset has an intercom button for communicating with the base unit, and we liked being able to answer a call by simply pressing any button on the phone.

Voice quality from the handset was very clear for an analog device. However, at maximum volume, we did heard background static and an annoying echo when we talked. The phone worked very well at its medium volume setting, but those who need the loudest possible handset may find the static and echo unacceptable.

The base unit is wall mountable and contains a speakerphone along with the digital answering machine. The highlight of the answering machine is its three message boxes, which share the 18-minute total recording time. You can assign unique greetings to each mailbox, and a memo button lets you record them by talking into the base unit. You also can set the answering machine to an announce-only mode when you go on vacation, effectively preventing the machine from taking calls until it is enabled again. Unfortunately, in our tests, the voice quality of the digital recording left much to be desired, and the volume level from the answering machine was too low. Otherwise, the SPP-A945 offers good performance, and its new-unit price is comparable to that of other manufacturers' refurbished units. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Three mailboxes
• Clear sound from the handset
• Few unneeded extra features

Cons:

• Handset can't handle high volumes
• Answering machine isn't very loud
• Poor voice quality from answering machine

CATEGORY:	Electronics
MANUFACTURER:	Sony
FEATURES:	900 MHz analog operation for extended range, Base keypad with speakerphone, Up to 7 hours of talk time and 7 days on standby, Tapeless, all-digital answering machine records up to 18 minutes, 3 message boxes
TYPE:	Telephones (Phones), Telephone (Phone), Machines, Devices, Device, Systems, System, 900 Megahertz (MHz), Tapeless (TAD), Speakerphone, Speakerphones, Voicemail boxes, multiple mailboxes, box, mailbox, SPPA945, SPPA, 945
MEDIA:	Electronics
MPN:	SPP-A945
# OF MEDIA:	1
UPC:	027242537644