Typical Panasonic quality
Written: Aug 13 '02
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Pros: sturdy; long battery life
Cons: not as feature-rich as competing models; more volume would be nice
The Bottom Line: Not fancy, but extremely competent. If you want lots of features, there are better choices, but this one is solid and does the job it was intended for.
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| HesRightUNo's Full Review: Panasonic SL-MP35 Personal CD Player |
A month or so ago, I got the Portable MP3 Bug. (CDs sound much better, but when you're not in a nice quiet listening room, ultimate sound quality isn't as much an issue. I wanted MP3 "on the road.") I compared the different configurations, from the memory-chip-based, extremely tiny units (with an hour or less of play-time) to the hard-drive units that'll hold a month-nonstop worth of music. Ultimately, I was attracted to the combo MP3/CD players, because of their backward-compatibility (will play audio CDs) and economy of purchase/operation costs. (This is an evolving technology, and I fully expect everything on the market now to be obsolete within a couple years, anyway.)
So, I started shopping for specific MP3/CD players. My main criteria were/are: 1) reliability, 2) quality of sound, and 3) economy to buy and operate. (Other considerations, but not as important, would be features, and aesthetics/design.)
I narrowed down my list to 3 units: the Panasonic, the JVC "Mojo," and a Samsung. (I would have liked to try the Sony that's around $120, and is supposed to be a good unit.) I actually bought one of each. (At 3 different local retailers. None of the retailers offered an in-store "demo" model, which seemed odd, but all offered a 30-day money-back guarantee. I explained my intentions, and they said "no problem" even though two of them would end up being losers.)
I'm returning the others, and will keep the Panasonic.
Why?
1) reliability - I've had very good luck with Panasonic over the years. (I have a '97 model portable CD player that's still going strong.) The MP35 looks sturdy - nothing fancy, but solid. By contrast, the JVC was problematic right out of the package. It wouldn't play MP3 songs off my home-burned CD-R, that the Samsung and Panasonic had no problem with. The Samsung is a beautiful piece of hardware, but it looks to be somewhat delicate by comparison... I was afraid if I dropped it, it would be gone. (Not that I expect ANY $100 portable unit to be drop-proof!) The Panasonic has a 1-year factory warranty, as does the Samsung (plus a 3-month extension if you send in the registration form). The JVC is a 90-day warranty. (If I were JVC, I'd worry about the message a measly 3-month warranty might send to a potential consumer, about the quality of my product.)
2) quality of sound - the Panasonic's sound wasn't heads above the competition... but it was competent. (The JVC wouldn't play all the MP3 songs, and those that it DID play were marred by various pops and clicks. I actually exchanged the first JVC for a replacement... its behavior was essentially identical.) The Panasonic's memory buffer - to minimize skipping from player jostling - is not adjustable; it's just on all the time. It seemed to work fine, but I didn't put it to a major test. (Supposedly 100 seconds, when playing MP3s.) Sound quality -wise, it was probably a toss-up between the Panasonic and Samsung. (Both could have used more volume. The JVC - when it was playing - was clearly the volume champ.)
3) economy to buy and operate - the Panasonic was just under $80 with 'phones and a "jogger case." The JVC was $100 (after $20 rebate), as was the Samsung. Panasonic says to expect 35-40 hours of operation with one set of (2) AA batteries (Wow!)... the JVC said around 10, and the Samsung around 15, if memory serves. (The reality is... even 10 hours of play on a buck's worth of batteries is an entertainment bargain!)
All 3 units had a (wired) remote control; the Panasonic and JVC are pretty basic - next & previous song, volume, on/off. The Samsung had a super-zoot remote, with almost every function, PLUS a backlit LCD display! (Without the remote, they could probably sell it for 50 bucks instead of $100!) I was a little leery of the Samsung's remote from a reliability standpoint... looked pretty "delicate," as mentioned earlier.
The Panasonic's on-board display isn't nearly as feature-rich as either the JVC or Samsung, either. Just one line, which you can toggle between "album title" and "song title" and "song number / play time." Both the Samsung and JVC have multi-line, scrolling displays; the JVC even is back-lit. (The Samsung's remote is back-lit, but not the player itself.)
If you're a gadget freak, both of those models deserve a look, because they're serious gadgetry. For me... I'll compromise the gadgetry for reliability; I expect my player to spend most of its time NOT on display, anyway, except for the tunes it generates.
Based on past experience with Panasonic, I expect I'll get 5 or more years' use out of this $80 player. By then, it'll probably be obsolete, and a cooler replacement will be available for less money.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 80
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Epinions.com ID:
HesRightUNo
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Location: Boise, Idaho, U.S.A.
Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 0 members
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