Excellent, if you don't need fancy features
Written: Nov 18 '00 (Updated Dec 19 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good performance, style, water resistance
Cons: Sparse features, price
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| LetItRut's Full Review: Panasonic ShockWave SL-SW850 Personal CD Player |
I bought the Panasonic SL-SW850 last year for $129.97 at an electronics superstore and I thought that I would get something special. But though I was very satisfied with this unit, I wasn't blown away by what it offers. Here is my analysis:
Features:
I was disappointed to see only the basic portable CD player features on this rather expensive unit: No remote, no backlit display... you pay a premium for a water-resistant metal-clad design.
Also, the headphones were downright awful: difficult to don, uncomfortable to wear, no bass (even with the useless S-XBS feature switched on). You do get a 40-second anti-skip feature with a "jogging" mode, which all worked well.
Sound:
The sound quality is what you expect from Panasonic: good, warm, well-balanced sound that's a bit weak overall. However, don't expect super-loud sound from a headphone output that delivers only 9mW per channel with a 16-ohm load. The anti-skip feature made the treble a bit sibilant (but most anti-skip modes do, also).
Bottom Line:
The Panasonic shockwave Metal SL-SW850 is a good but not great CD player. There are many excellent customer reviews on this and its VMSS-equipped sibling, the SL-SW870, but they've been replaced by the newer SL-SW86x/880 models. If I were to spend $150 on a portable CD player I'd rather buy the Sony D-FJ75TR (which is a slim-design CD player with an AM-FM digital radio tuner and a CD-Text-compatible remote control) or the Sony D-EJ815 (also a slim-design CD player with a display-equipped remote), but the Panasonic Shockwave Metal models are solid performers - at a somewhat high price.
UPDATE (12-19-00): When I originally wrote this review I had originally wrote that this unit is somewhat expensive for what you get. But now that I read more reviews elsewhere on this and other Panasonic Shockwave Metal players in general, I am now making features secondary to performance when it comes to choosing a portable CD player. Therefore, I have edited portions of this Epinion, changed the title and star rating, and I am now recommending this model.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
LetItRut
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Location: Melrose Park, IL, USA
Reviews written: 53
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About Me:
An audio enthusiast and a computer geek who loves bike riding.
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