Shockwave of Performance and Style
Written: Aug 23 '01 (Updated Aug 23 '01)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Portability: |
|
|
| Battery Life: |
|
|
|
Pros: Durable, water resist, stylish, great anti-shock feature, good sound quality.
Cons: Bad earphones provided, tends to skip a lot with the anti-shock function off.
The Bottom Line: Great Design, Great Durability, Great Anti-Shock, Water resist, weather resist, etc. This player is for the most demanding person!! Oh, and changing the earphones is a MUST!
|
|
|
| smileydaniel's Full Review: Panasonic ShockWave SL-SW860 Personal CD Player |
To Start With...
The first thing I noticed about my new Panasonic SL-SW860 player was the earphones that came along. I thought it looked cheap and uncomfortable, which turned out to be true. After inserting a cd and started listening to the music, I was a little bit disappointed with the sound quality. It was not that bad, but at the same time it was not satisfactory. I turned on the S-XBS bass feature, but it only improved the bass quality by about 20%. So the next day, I bought a pair of Jensen Digital Audio headphones for about $14 (the style in which the band goes around behind your neck, instead of over your head), and then I was satisfied. The sound quality was really clear and sharp, and the bass was great. Turning on the S-XBS bass feature enriched the sound even more, one thing I really did not notice using the cheap earphones provided.
The Features/Functions
Opening the CD cover would reveal the Mode Switch. It allows you to select from three modes, namely Normal, Random, and Resume. Selecting "Normal" would make the player function normally, meaning it would play from the start to end, and starting from the first track again if turned off. Selecting "Random" would play your tracks randomly, not following the track order. Selecting "Resume" would make the player start from where it last stopped just before you turned it off.
On the cover surface you would find 8 buttons. 3 of them are the "Play/Pause", "Skip/Next", and "Previous/Back". The rest I will explain below:
EQ- Pressing this would turn On/Off the S-XBS bass feature.
MEMORY/RECALL- Use this to input selected tracks of your choice, and the player would then play only the tracks you selected.
OPR/OFF- Obviously, the power button. Pressing it once while a track is playing would stop it, and display the total number of tracks and the total play time on the LCD display. Pressing this twice would turn off the cd player.
A.Shock- Use this to turn On/Off the 40 second Anti-Shock feature.
REPEAT- Use this to choose to either repeat a single track, or repeat the entire cd after playing the last track.
Personal Experiences With the Player
So far, my cd player has dropped about 3 times, the first time being the worst. I accidentally hit it with my arm, causing it to fall of the edge of the table. Instinctively, I tried to "catch" the fall with my foot, but ended up kicking it, causing it to fly and hit table's metal post. I heard a loud "clang", which was the sound of my cd player making contact with the metal post. My headphone cord was quite long, so it was not jerked off my ear. I was frightened that my cd player would be scratched, cracked, or chipped. After inspecting my cd player from every angle, I saw no damage except for a tiny scratch which did not bother me. It was at that time that I noticed that the music did not skip at all. It was really excellent, since it kept on playing smoothly as if nothing was happening, even as it fell, got kicked, and hit a metal table post. Very good 40 second Anti-Shock memory. BUT once you turn the anti shock function off, the tables are turned. Tapping the player with my fingers would make the player skip a split second or so. Slightly shaking the player would also make it skip, one thing that the Sony D-EG7 would not do, even with the Sony's "ESP2" anti-shock off. Because of this, I usually leave the S-XBS on all the time. It barely affects battery consumption... at least I haven't noticed.
Now for the weather/water resist thing. I haven't tested the water resist feature, but I'm sure it is water resist since the cd compartment area is surrounded by a thin rubber lining, which looks like it is designed to keep out water. The outlets for earphones, AC adaptor, and stereo out have rubber plugs to seal out water. Yep, I think it's safe to go jogging in the rain with this player! :-)
For the weather resist thing, I don't remember where I read an article/review about this player being weather proof. But for one thing, I think it's true. I forgot and left my cd player in the car during one, hot day (about 102 degrees farenheit inside the car). I came back, popped in a cd, and played without any hint of it being affected by the heat. But I don't suggest treating your player like that all the time.
The LCD Display
I also like to point out the LCD display of the Panasonic SL-SW860 player. It is really good because it displays the track number, elapsed track time, the resume/random indicator, as well as the anti shock and S-XBS indicators, all at the same time. Other cd players I saw only display the anti shock and bass indicators.
Comments/Insights
As far as I'm concerned, I only have one comment. I wish they place the volume control on a more convenient location. The volume dial of the Panasonic SL-SW860 is located at the bottom side part of the player, so I practically have to lift the player up so that I could turn the dial (considering the player laying flat on a table). But that hardly concerns me at all. That's not a problem, don't worry. :-)
Also, I saw another Panasonic player similar to the SL-SW860 model, only it has the AM/FM tuner. It also looks a little bit fancier, but so is the price tag. Also, it's a bit "fatter", or bulkier. For a short time after buying this player I have right now, I regreted not buying the one equipped with an AM/FM tuner, but then I realized that it was like $40 to $50 more, and much bulkier. Nah, forget it. I don't need an AM/FM tuner anyway.
Oh, just for your information: This Panasonic SL-SW860 could play CD-R CDs, but NOT CD-RW CDs. Okay, for those who do not know what I'm talking about: CD-Rs are blank, recordable CDs in which you could store all sorts of information. I use them for MP3 music I download from the internet. But once you have recorded on the CD, you could not delete what you recorded and then record again. As for CD-RWs, you can record, delete, and record again. So remember, the cd player could only play CD-Rs, but not CD-RWs.
Battery life? Great! I use Energizer Titanium Technology AA size batteries, and they last me for like 3-4 weeks (daily use). Using normal alkaline batteries like Duracell, they last me 2-3 weeks.
Conclusion
So I really recommend this cd player for those people who are rough, outgoing, stylish, adventurous, and demanding for quality sound. Even if you're none of the above, I'm still 100% sure that you will be satisfied. Good Luck!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 149
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
smileydaniel
|
|
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Web page designer, gadget lover, computer games player, techie, and future stock trader. :-D
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.