Well designed and thought out CD portable.
Written: Dec 25 '01
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Pros: Nice fashionable styling and color. Excellent sound and battery stamina.
Cons: No AC adaptor included and headphones are at times too boomy.
The Bottom Line: A definite buy! Panasonic is one of the few Japanese brands that still make their units in Japan. That alone is justification.
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| minusflo's Full Review: Panasonic SL-CT480 Personal CD Player |
The Good:
Nice unit design and styling that is very slim. Just a little thicker than your regular CD case. Oval shape is just about the size, in diameter, of your CD making it not too bulky to carry. I have seen units from Sony, Aiwa and RCA that practically have similar features but are bulkier. The 40-second anti-skip memory practically makes skipping a thing of the past even when you jog or jump. CD-R/RW compatibility makes computer copies easily readable although I sometimes encounter delay or skipping in 80-min. CD-Rs. Battery stamina is magnificent. First you have flexibility in using either AA or AAA-types of alkaline batteries. The AAA ones make the back of the unit flat and lasts for at least 6 hours. Using AA-type alkaline batteries make the battery lid a bit offset but is a very minor drawback as the battery compartment has a lock slider. I found the battery life for the AA to be at least 15 hours using regular Energizer. Definitely not bad.
As for the sound, I have always been delighted by Panasonic's S-XBS. The bass boost is warm and punchy yet the middle and treble ranges are still clear. It is good that with this model they have skipped the bud phones which I found to be lacking in bass. However, the supra-aural type headphones included are too boomy in my opinion and sometimes drowns the treble. For regular pop and jazz music it is fine though. Overall the sound is excellent without being too loud and fatiguing. I do not recommend switching to "train" in the equalizer mode...it reduces the sound clarity significantly...making it a bit muffled.
Lastly, there is nothing more one can ask for in terms of organizing the operation buttons. Well thought out with a human being in mind. Being user friendly, the manual I feel is not necessary for one to manipulate the controls and different functions. Placement of buttons is neat that you can operate the unit even in the dark. Makes it very convenient to put in a pouch or a belt bag.
The Bad:
There is very few I can think of. First is that there is no AC adaptor included. They can improve on the headphones that came with it. I recommend using AKG K-66 as your headphone if your budget still permits. Perfect combination. Lastly, it would be betetr if there is a way to turn off the 40-sec. Anti-Skip to conserve on power if you are not walking or jogging with it.
Overall, this is an excellent portable CD player! It is also one of the very few Japanese brands that still make their CD units in Japan.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 70
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Epinions.com ID:
minusflo
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Location: Illinois, USA
Reviews written: 24
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Works for a surfactant company. Enjoys reading reviews from various and diverse topics at Epinions.
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