The athlete's CD player
Written: Jun 29 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: 40-second esp, repeat options, "hold" feature, durable
Cons: will need to buy better headphones, a neoprene belt and rechargeable batteries should also be purchased for optimal performance
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| vienna's Full Review: Panasonic ShockWave SL-SW515 Personal CD Player |
I purchased this CD player about 18 months ago when I was just starting to work out again after graduating from college. I am a very music driven person so whenever I run, go to the gym or go for a bike ride, I need to have my ear phones in and the music blaring. If I don't have music, I'll think about how miserable I am and then I'll cut my workout short.
I did some asking around at electronics stores about what CD players I could buy that were least likely to skip. This one was among the SONY Sports player and a Kenwood player. The salesman at TOPS handed me a CD and all three CD players and told me to test them out...well, I shook them vigorously from side to side, up and down and simulated dropping them and the Panasonic Shockwave simply wouldn't skip, the salesman later told me this player had a 40 second esp (a little chip in the player that records the music 40 seconds in advance of you hearing it and filters out skips)compared to the 10 seconds offered by the manufacturers of the other two players. I was sold.
I bought a neoprene belt to accompany the player, drove home as quickly as I could and took my new CD player for a jog. There wasn't one skip along my 45 minute jogging route.
One interesting feature that comes in handy with this CD player is that it gives you the ability to put an entire CD on repeat. This is good for me since I usually spend close to two hours in the gym and most CD's aren't that long. It's great not to have to fiddle with the player while I'm working out.
I became so attached to this CD player that when it was stolen out of the locker room at my gym I immediately drove back to tops and bought a second one.
Some of the great features of this CD player are the side closures which keep your CD snug inside (even if you drop the player off the treadmill). As I mentioned earlier, you have the ability to put an entire CD on repeat, but you can also put just one song on repeat. There's a switch on the right side of the player marked "hold" that, once flipped on, will keep you from accidentally pressing and buttons while running or working out. I don't want to lead anyone to believe that this payer is TOTALLY indestructible, but it's pretty close. I have dropped mine on several occasions, but it's still spinning CD's skip-free.
My only suggestions would be to purchase a pair of rechargeable batteries for the Shockwave and a different pair of headphones. The batteries are only about $20, but in the long run you'll save tons of money. The power cord (included with the player) gives you the ability to charge the batteries while inside the player by simply plugging it into the wall (make sure the hold is turned off for this). Be sure to read the literature that comes with the Shockwave though because there are specific batteries that are compatible with this player. I would recommend buying a better pair of headphones than those that come with the system; the ones included are horrible. If you buy the ones that sit in your ear, the sound quality of the system is much better.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
vienna
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Member: Vienna
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 2 members
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