Panasonic's vision of the digital future is driven by the needs and aspirations of its business customers and millions of consumers around the world who use its products every day. The company shares their dream to live a fuller life by providing ways of working smarter and enjoying the rewards of technological advances.
Enjoy music with the freedom that comes from MP3 CD playback, extended battery life, and high-powered anti-skip technology. Panasonic's exclusive No-Skip technology helps prevent interruptions from jostling during active use. No Skip's unique construction uses rubber brushings to absorb shock, while an anti-skip mechanism and an anti-skip digital servo further prevent read errors. A 48-second memory reserve provides added back up.
Now, battery changes will be fewer and farther between thanks to Panasonic's PowerLast high-efficiency power system, which combines an efficient motor with low-load circuitry for playback time of up to 48 hours on two AA batteries (during MP3 playback). CD playback abilities include 24-track random-access programming; repeat and resume (which picks up where the unit left off when last stopped); and skip/search and memory/recall. A hold switch prevents accidental starting, stopping, or track skipping during use or transport. The unit boasts a thin design with operation keys and LCD laid out logically on its top cover.
1 Good, can be better for the price
It is good considering the price I paid for it. It can play WMAs as well. Thats the best part of the player. Chaning tracks and albums are easy. Headset is good.
The worst thing about the player is the battery consumption. Citizen CD190 uses two AA fully charged batteries for almost whole day, but this one uses it in just about 4 hours. The other thing is it has no ID3 support, so its kind of difficult to find out which track you are listening to.
Anyway, its good for its price tag.
2 not at all worth the price
I bought this in November of last year. It worked perfectly at first, but three months after, it started skipping. I dropped it at one point, and the lid popped open and the cd went flying. I use the player on my commute on the bus to and from work, which lasts about an hour, and it ate its way through a set of AA's within two days. It also skips something terrible if held vertically, or bumped hard enough.
I had another Panasonic with a 40-second skip protection, and that lasted me four years before it finally gave out. Too bad they don't make the model anymore, or I would have purchased another instead of this terrible player.
3 Great all around CD player
Panasonic really knew what they were doing when they came up with this little gadget. I have had alomst no problems whatsoever with this item. It has a few minor drawbacks but what product doesn't.
Pros: Anti-skip works perfeclty, plays MP3's well when put on disk in as a music file, romote control saves buttons on player itself and it has many features to enhance your listening experience.
Cons: Goes through batteries fairy quickly, especially on MP3 mode and the speakers are not super well equiped for loud listening.
Overall, this MP3/CD player is a great value and probably works as well or better than others that you would be likely to pay twice as much for.
4 Decent for the price
Just a few comments about this unit.
The volume is too low.
The remote is nice but I found it to be useless. What's the point if the unit is out, you can just push the buttons on the unit? If you lock it when the unit is in a bag or something, you can't use it anyway.
The manual is not detailed enough. It doesn't explain many things like how to group songs, etc. It could be user ignorance also.
Ugly headphones, but who ever uses the headphones that these units come with?
Battery life is pretty ok.
I dropped it once and the lid came off. This was my fault, but just don't drop it!
Ok, that's it. For the price, it's pretty good.
5 Good Player - But How can I jog?
I like this player, sound is great, easy to use, i love the remote, but the thing its missing is some sort of clip to clip it to my shorts when I go jogging.
Is this common? This might seem like an odd question, but I want to use it to jog...Any recommendations?!?
Email me at barilko6@aol.com
6 user friendly for non techi old geezer
I bought mine to play mp3's. In a few minutes I was off and running. The supplied head set has a weak plastic spring and they do not stay in place very well. It works well and so far I'm happy with it.
7 Panasonic really dropped the ball on this one! >:-(
I am incredibly dissapointed with this newest CD player from Panasonic.
This discman I feel was a missed opportunity on Panosonic's case to really make a really excellent CD MP3 Player. This fails in many ways which I feel left me bitterly dissapointed with this device.
This discman is really visually anesthetic and really nice looking, one of the redeeming features about this but not to where it's worth getting. The thing that really made me angry with this CD Player is that the buttons would crush inwards (Go in and not come back out) whenever I adjusted the volume and thus prevented me from being able to listen to the music to the full extent.
This second one is questionable. The volume doesn't even go that high either. If this is due to concern about the hearing damage caused by excessively high volume being taken into account, then I can understand that they did this but the volume on here is very poor and it's nearly impossible to listen to my music when walking down busy streets or other places where there is a lot of ambient noises (I.E. Traffic, constuction, or even high wind).
The worst thing about this is that the battery compartment is located inside, YES INSIDE, the CD compartment and if it breaks which hasn't happened with this one but on a previous CD-PLayer I owned, the edges of the broken compartment cover will scratch and really screw up your CDs!
A total dissapointment! Don't buy this item!
Panasonic had a chance to really make a great CD-Player but they totally blew it this time! Avoid this disc player at all costs.
8 I love this thing
Before I bought this,I had a Panasonic Shock Wave diskman that was total crap.Everytime I went out with it,it would bounce and skip,which I hated.Then it started not playing certin songs on my CD's,when that happened,I bought this one which I love alot more.It's durable,great sound and doesn't skip or stop.I love this contollar that comes with it,you don't have to go grab your diskman in order the turn up/turn down the volume and change the song.If your always on the move(like me),get this diskman.You won't be dissapointed.
9 Super Durability for a Super Price
I've had other CD players, but nothing is as good as this. The battery life is 37 hours (more than 4x the life of other CD players). The sound is very clear (with super bass and live sound options) The remote, one of my favorite features, has nearly all the buttons on the CD player. WOW! It is the most sturdy product I've seen. It fell on the ground a few feet, numerous times, and still works like it came right out of the box. I didn't try the MP3 feature yet, but I'm sure it is good. A definite must buy.
10 Panasonic is declining in quality
The cd player not only feels flimsy and cheap, it is flimsy and cheap. This is coming from a 5 years panasonic owner. The player dropped about a foot off the ground from my coat pocket and the the cover went flying off with some other various pieces. To make matters worse, the cover does ot even close now because the locking mechanism is broken. My old panasonic is not only thinner, but its heavier and feels more solid. Everything else works fine, but the build quality is just awful!My old panasonic is not only thinner, but its heavier and feels more solid. The sl-sx420, however, is built to break.
11 A guy from the UK
I bought this player a few weeks ago. I've always been enthusiastic on Panasonic products. They are a good value, I think. In particular CD players. I'm quite a perfectionist about
listening to my music. I find the sound of Panasonic CD players
much better than others. I tried others, mainly Sony and Philips.
With Sony, I always go back to the store to return it. It always
skip, and no, not while running, just lying there on the desk. I
think Sony have not learned yet how to make good CD players. Philips have low battary life, although very good sound. This
CD by panasonic is really nice. Its sound is superb (I use a Koss
PRO001 earphones, not the ridiculous ones supplied). My only
complain is a little noice when you turn it on. This is a hiss
comming I guess from the engine. Its not a big bother for CD
tracks, but for MP3 tracks, I get these little noises twice between each track (when the display changes). Its a bit annoying. I can't get back to the store to return it for a different unit to check if they all are, although I guess they'll
be quite consistent. People with less good hearing than me would
not be annoyed, I guess. My solusion was to burn whole whole
albums at once, so there is no transient period between songs.
But then I cannot skip. Otherwise, this is a really worthwhile
unit, with a great price.
12 worst CD player
This is the flimsiest CD player ever. In a week, the volume buttons crushed in and I couldn't change the volume anymore. I replaced it. Within another two weeks, the close clasp broke off when I dropped it (not from a story, just knocked it off the table). I replaced it again. Finally, on dropping it lightly again, a big chunk of the cover broke off. Then, to break all, if you bounce this CD player around, the battery cover (installed inside the CD player to streamline it) comes loose and ruins your CDs. Finally, after replacing it 3 times, I gave up and bought a JVC, which I've dropped a million times and have not affected at all. If you want a CD player to hook up to your speakers (i.e., lie flat on your table all the time), this is fine. If you want something that'll withstand normal wear and tear, look elsewhere.
13 Skips when running; mediocre headphones
This player has great sound quality and good features overall for the price, especially the benefit of playing MP3 files.
However, it skips when I go running (if you are just walking or other normal uses, it is fine), so I am planning to return it.
I also found the headphones wouldn't adjust to my head properly (I think the pair I usually wear will go much smaller), so I had ot use it with different headphones.
14 I can't hear you!
First of all, this little Panasonic player does everything advertised, and the anti-skip technology is first rate. I had no problems with any of the features or controls, everything worked properly right out of the box.
So why the one star rating? Not loud enough.
The volume control has electronic "steps" from 1 to 25. I cranked it to 25, and found it to be far TOO quiet for my ears.
Because I work and live in and environment with lots of ambient noise, I need something that plays as loud as the world around me, if not much louder! But this Panasonic player just does not have it within.
Also, I usually listen to live music once or twice a week (if not more) and love listening to recorded music at the same volume levels that I hear it live. The Panasonic does not even come close to delivering that level of sound. Its like listening to a live performance from the lobbey.
If you don't like loud music, this player is a good choice. But if you like to hear the music at the same level you would at a concert or live performance, look elsewhere.
15 Panasonic has problems
This is the second Panasonic portable CD player I've had in the past two years. The first one's headphones became staticky within 6 months, and even new headphones didn't fix the problem ... it was the machine itself. This new CD player was staticky the first time I used it and the remote didn't work at all. You'd be better off with a different brand.
16 Good buy and worth the look
I am a former iRiver user. The imp-150 just stopped and had trouble playing any CD or MP3 CD. I researched CD/MP3 players and felt that the Panasonic SL-SX420 would be a good replacement. It so far has read every CD or MP3 CD I have burned under different conditions and on multiple burners. It is lighter than the iRiver and I suggest holding the lid when opening instead of letting it fly open. The sound is strong and the xBass is a nice feature. I use earbuds and not headphones. I have a favorite pair that sounds great, so that is my standard to compare. The first technical/mechanical item I noticed and liked was that the motor/spindle hub and the laser are mounted on the same, isolated piece of plastic. This seems good in keeping the laser aligned with the CD. This is the item mentioned that is mounted on the rubber mounts to absorb shock. I miss the ID tag window, but it was a distraction anyway when I drove. I do wish that it came with a DC car adapter, but I bought a universal one that works with this and other items for the drive home. The remote is nice and the cord is not too long (good for backpacks or coat pockets). It is made of plastic and light, like I said. I am impressed and find the controls laid out well. The XBS, resume, and random are all you need feature-wise. My cons are weak, but need to be mentioned. This is a good buy and worth the look!
Pro:
Good sound, very strong with XBS
Reads all CDs rather quickly
Random play
Remote
Cons:
Light
No DC car adapter
No ID tag window
17 add to my previous review
I mentioned that the volume was good but I guess I should add that I bought Sony earphones (ear buds) MDR-EX71SL. I didn't even try the ones that came with the player.
18 Excellent player
I was hesitant to order this item due to the comments about the volume. I listen indoors so I can't comment on outside traffic, etc. But it is plenty loud for me. I like my music rather loud too. I'm very happy with it so far!
19 Very disappointed... no volume.
Someone else had written that you will need a new set of headphones with this CD player, so I thought "no big deal" and bought a nice pair of Sony headphones. Even with the high-powered isolating headphones, I can still hear the garbage they play at the gym over my own music. Which defeats the purpose of buying this thing.
Very low output power kind of ruins this unit. Otherwise it'd be a nice CD player, but it's not worth buying.
20 The Perfect CD Player!
I just got the player for Christmas and it works great! It doesn't skip, at all! It comes with headphones (with great sound), MP3 playback (which I haven't tried), and remote. The remote didn't work at first, but you just need to push in the wires in really hard. Plus it is really light weight! It made a great gift! I couldn't find anything wrong with it (the perfect player)!
21 LOVE IT!
I just got the for Christmas and it works great! It doesn't skip, at all! It comes with headphones (that also work great), MP3 playback (which I haven't tried), and remote. The remote didn't work at first, but you just need to push in the wires in really hard. It made a great gift!
22 Great Player, but volume output too low.
In a nutshell, I am disappointed, because all things considered it's an excellent player. The problem that I have is that the volume output is amazingly low. I read of complaints from customers regarding this unit as well as other Panasonic CD/MP3 players which stated that the volume output is too low. I figured that these people were the type that loved very loud music. I am not of that type and I am happy with normal volume levels, which is why I ignored those complaints and bought it anyway.
I don't listen to loud music and I don't work in a loud working environment so I have perfect hearing. When I first used the SL-SX420 player, I was amazed at how low the volume output was. The sound quality is indeed great, but there is very little volume behind it. Some of my CDs just played too low, even at max volume. I considered that the headphones that came with the unit might not be all that great, so I tried high quality headphones. This did little to improve the volume problem.
As I said, I am disappointed because I love everything else about it. The controls are great and there is plenty of functionality for the price, but this little detail is big enough to prompt me to return it. In a quiet room, it is sufficient at max volume (yes, MAX VOLUME!). I cannot imagine trying to listen to anything on this player when there is background noise present. I just do not think that I should have to max out the volume in order to obtain sufficient volume..
23 REALLY GREAT
This thing is great. It is out of this world, I got it in one day, I went to the store. It was so light, and has great sound!!!!!!!
24 Always beats out my MP3 player, everytime!!
I own an Archos Jukebox MP3 player with 20gb hard drive, and a 10gb Apple Ipod . They never leave the house due to there weight, and supsceptiblilty to skipping. My panasonic cost me about what I paid in taxes for those purchases, and is my chose everytime I leave home. It weighs next to nothing, It has never ever skipped, and I ride my bike with it, use it in my truck & hike. Also I can put enough music on one CD to play for 6 to 8 hours. I put it in my backpack and use the remote to play it. Save your money on those trendy, expensive MP3 players out there, and buy this one. Trust me.
25 GREAT!!!!
i bought this cdplayer hoping that it would last me about a year, that i wouldnt drop it, and that the sound was ok. When it came, i was truly delghted. i took it out of the box at first, and realized how light it was and thought it was a mistake, but it is 1000% terriffic. For starters, the sound is much better than i thought. can be better, but is still good. the remote is also fantastic, except that the only down side is that it doesnt have a pause button. to pause, you have to fish it out of your pocket and hit 'pause'. if you hit 'stop' it will go back to the beginning of the song. It also has an anti skip sytem. i run all over with it and it skipped ONCE, and i'm still convinced that i imagined it. additionally, i must have dropped it thirty times while i was running, and it is still in one piece. The metallic finish is also pretty cool. Another downside is that it does not have a radio, but its your choice-The headphones are ok, but i recomend getting a new Sony pair. the cord is VERRRRY short. the remote extends it alot, but still, sony's are better. Any questions? yanxrok3000@yahoo.com! ENJOY!
26 Good Player, Broke Way To Fast
I bought this cd player back in March. I really liked it, it had great features and long battery life. But then it just stopped playing mid-November. I had dropped it once or twice, but since it just suddenly stopped playing when it had been in my bag for weeks and the batteries were new made me suspicious.
27 OK but not great
I've had my unit about six months. The cost is low, and the anti-skip works good. But my biggest complaint is with the volume. Full volume on this unit might be 3/4 volume on other units. I always have mine on full volume, and it's not what I'd consider loud. Lately, mine is having problems playing MP-3's. I'm not sure if the problem is with my MP-3's or this unit, but I'm going to buy a new (different) unit.
28 Hey, this is a great cd player
Hey people this is a great cd player and i think the volume is great!! do you know if the screen display lights up well Ok Later
29 Warranty???
hey target, wheres the warranty for this product?? huh? i mean if ur gonna give us the good specs on the cd player why not give us the info that we really need like the warranty info, i mean that would be nice in case the cd/mp3 player messes up in some way
30 Failed already
I bought this player about 1 week ago and it's already giving problems. The anti-skip feature is tripping out. What a waste of money! Further it even stops playing MP3's! Did I mention I only had it a week???? I wouldn't recommend this product to any of you. I really don't know how it got on the best seller list.
Buy this at your own risk!!
31 Headphones and Skip Protection: Man's True Best Friend!
Before reading this review, please keep in mind that my Panasonic was tested under extreme conditions and has truly been tried out. While some listen to their music occasionally, taking their sounds for a walk in the park or for a trip into the mall, I listen to mine obsessively. Living my life needs a soundtrack and this is an extension of myself, becoming very much an appendage while I do just about everything. So, saying that I've owned it for a year means that it has been used a minimum of 90% of those days.
Also, I CANNOT comment on the headphones because I loathe the type that always comes with the standard player. Anything touching my ears does not work and I have to buy replacements, needing (1) an extra volume controller and (2) better sound. I personally want the speaker in my ear anyhow, singing to me and not working like something chasing away the cold. Still, that's more of a personal choice.
So, with that in mind, I now sing the praises and the low points of the SL-SX420.
First, the player itself:
Pros: (1) This player is one of the better ones as far as construction, giving it range. Its remarkably light and yet durable, taking all types of punishment while traversing all types of terrain. Mine has taken a beating, too, and now has scratches all over the surface of it and along the sides. Still, its never hurt the play. The skip protection has never actually gone off despite the rigors of a really hard life that it has lead, and this is well after a year. So, that's amazing. (2) Its easy to operate, with all the settings nicely designed for quick find, and the operations can be minimized to increase battery power. Say, for instance, you want to sit at home and don't need extra skip protection. Well, you can turn that down and save some juice. (3) It reads MP3s. While that's normal these days, the price on this is economical for that feature. Too often players don't say what they do and you find that you can't burn a compilation of your favorite discs and listen to it. This, however, works well. (4) Batteries last FOREVER in this model. It only takes two anyhow, and I probably get anywhere from 30-46 hours of playtime off those. That, in and of itself, is AMAZING.
Cons: (1) Something that has happened three times thusfar is that a sudden jarring will knock the battery cover, located inside, open and the music will stop. If you don't know what's happened, this could possibly lead to CD scratching. I've yet to have it do that, but the process was something akin to a miracle. Still, I'm not sure if I should blame the player when its not made for that kind of hardship. (2) The EQ settings are not that great. They only cover basics, with "live" and "bass" being the only extras, so you aren't getting anything to fine-tune your listening pleasure. (3) The volume can be low, depending on the recording, which MAY let in background sounds. When I first got it, I actually thought my hearing had finally started giving out. It hadn't, however, but was instead sitting on a lower volume than my previous purchases. Buying a volume control headphone set additionally will increase it when both the player and the headphones are set at maximum but its still a bit on the quiet side.
The Remote:
Pros: Its an easy-to-use remote and the volume controls are located on it as well. Not only that, but it has EQ buttons. The design makes it nice when you are doing something outdoors, allowing you to clip it and go.
Cons: Its EASY to break. The same design that allowed for comfort allowed it to crack in half. Mine took one blow to the side and then the controls stopped working correctly. What was once the "down" on my volume became my EQ. A second blow broke it. I've never had that problem with a round remote, letting it go through quite a bit more. So, when handling you must HANDLE WITH CARE.
Basically, if you are looking for something to play around with and don't really want to spend lots of money then this works really well. Like I said, I've had mine for over a year and have been happy with it. Its never skipped, never scratched, and has held up to thing that would batter most human beings. That doesn't mean I haven't found flaws within its construction, mind you, but I've rarely had that happen with anything. -TorridlyBoredShopper
32 cheap.. just like the price
It's a good buy if you really want a cd player with mp3 capabilities for a low price. That's why I got it. However, there are three problems I have with this player. The first and biggest problem is with volume. There is no volume on this thing. If you were outside or riding public transit, max volume gets you nowhere- especially if you wanna listen to something on the quiet side. Volume alone is enough to make me want to return this thing.
Problem two is that you can't fast forward or rewind on mp3 tracks. But that's something you coulda expected for fifty bucks.
Problem 3 is that the design colors are nasty ugly. Metallic teal? I get embrassed because the trim is on the earphones. I always try to cover them up with a hood.
For props.. can't beat the price. And the anti-shock system is rock solid. I'm still a panasonic devotee.
33 Nice product
I love this mp3 player, it fits in my pocket nicely when I go jogging, doesn't skip, and has a separate volume clip that hooks to my shirt that is convenient. Overall, this is a wonderful cd player, but I give this four stars instead of five simply because the volume doesn't go as high as other mp3 players do.
34 Nice if you don't like your music loud
I dunno about other people but I like my music loud...very loud. Now I understand the limitaions of a 3 volt CD player...but when max volume with a $30 pair of headphones is not louder than a lightly raised voice....crap. Also this thing just felt cheap when I held it in my hand...the cover would bearly pop up showing they didn't feel the need to even put in a thick enough spring. Volume is about oh...50 DB and a vaccum is at least 80 bd. I like hard rock and the only way to listen to it is loud.
35 Nice if you don't like your music loud
I dunno about other people but I like my music loud...very loud. Now I understand the limitaions of a 3 volt CD player...but when max volume with a $30 pair of headphones is not louder than a lightly raised voice....crap. Also this thing just felt cheap when I held it in my hand...the cover would bearly pop up showing they didn't feel the need to even put in a thick enough spring. Volume is about oh...50 DB and a vaccum is at least 80 bd. I like hard rock and the only way to listen to it is loud.
36 Its Awesome.
I just got this CD player,and so far it works great,the batterys were easy to install,and the battery life is quite long.
Its seems to Play all my CDs well,even burnt ones(ive only tested memorex cds though).The sound quality is great,bass is good.
My only Problems would be that The headphones ae slightly uncomfortable and the volume isnt all too loud.
Other then that Great!Buy it!
37 TRASH CD/MP3 PLAYER
I BOUGHT THIS CD PLAYER AND BROUGHT IT BACK 2 DAYS LATER. I DONT KNOE WHY PEOPLE GIV IT GOOD RATINGS BECAUSE ITS TRASH. SOUND IS HORRIBLE,BASS IS WRACK, AND AGAIN IS TRASH. I ADVISE PEOPLE NOT TO GET THIS CD PLAYER, GET A REAL MP3 PLAYER.
38 Good cd player!
I got this cd player about 6 months ago, and it is great! My last cd player would skip if you just touched it but this will NEVER SKIP! Believe me, the second I put a cd in it, I shook it around trying to make it to skip, it never did. There are some things about this cd player that annoy me. First of all the headphones are oddly shaped and the wire is way too short(I just used my own), there is a fast forward and rewind on the clip thingy, but not on the actual cd player, which I found odd, and the buttons are kinda small, but it's not that big of a deal.
Overall I think this cd player is very good.
(((( Ironicaly 2 days after i wrote how durrable this cd player is, it fell to the ground and broke. So if you don't drop this cd player!))))
39 Throw out your old player and buy this one.
For just about 4 years straight I had an earlier version of a Panasonic. It was my first and only player I had ever used in my life. It was the greatest CD player anyone could have. Great bass boost, great anti-skip, loved the resume button. One day I played a cd and it kept distorting and skipping the music because there were a couple scratches. It was then that I finally accepted that it was the player, not the cd, and that it was time to upgrade. So I took on the task of looking for a new player. I went through just about every cd player that had ever been manufactured in the past 3 years. My goal: same great anti-skip, same great bass boost, practically everything as good as the previous one plus maybe a couple extra features. I came back to Panasonic because Sony and others just wouldn't cut it. This particular cd player had it all. With the least cons on their list, least cons on MY list, and the features that I wanted (and then some), I couldn't make my decision any clearer. Well I bought it and put it to the test. I put in a cd with the most meat, most bass, most sound and played it. Perfect. The sound was incredible, it was just like I was playing it on my surround system. Now I checked the necessities, I looked for an anti-skip button but didn't find it. I looked in the instructions and didn't say anything about it. I started getting worried and disappointed...that is until I dropped it (on carpet), and nothing happened. I then realized that you no longer had to engage the anti-skip, it was automatically on. I stopped it and came back only to discover the same song I left on...the resume was automatic too! The live and standard boosts work brilliantly with different types of music too. I soon forgot all about missing my old player and looked forward to keeping this one for 4 years, or even more. Now for the vitals...
Pros- Slick look. Remote is easy to use and a real advantage. Bass boost better than ever. Anti-skip doesn't eat up batteries. Sound is fantastic. Doesn't skip when you drop it. Doesn't skip for minor scratches. Dust doesn't interfere with the sound. Volume is controlled by buttons so you don't go deaf from the volume being accidentally blasted because it slipped in your pocket. MP3 feature works great. Slick look. Great buy. All in all just a good cd player to get to upgrade from your old ones.
Cons- Forget the headphones. Battery life isn•Ŕ?t long, but reasonable. No "press" button to pop up your cd, you have to rip them out (one feature I miss from my old one)....
40 Scratching ruined several CDs over several months
I was delighted with my new Panasonic SL-SX420 CD player when I first received it as a gift. I used it several months to play music while walking before noticing that songs on different CDs began to skip. The skipping got much worse and over time. Upon inspecting the back of the CDs, I discovered that all of them had three circular rings of scratches. These scratches have ruined all of my CD's, including those from an expensive box set. What an expensive lesson!
The CD reader is rough and raised so high that it comes into contact with CDs. On my boom box CD, I noticed that the CD reader is lowered below a smooth oval opening, making the reader impossible to touch unless you poke your finger into the opening.
41 Sweet!
This is the best CD player out there! At first i didn't want to get it, because it was $50, and I didn't want to spend that much and a CD player, but I decided to try it, to see if I liked it or not. I am so glad I bought it because it has turned out to be the best one I have ever had, and ever will(if I ever get a new one!) I would definatley suggest this to all people out there looking for a new CD player!
42 do NOT buy this product
The only good thing: light, very light
Dislike:
1. cannot read >95% of CDs no matter what brand(Tested: Memorex, K Hypermedia, Philips, Imation) or created from different OS(Win2000 or Win XP); all those CDs can be played using RioVoltSP90
2. have to open the CD cover to install batteries
3. volume of sounds not stable - no problem with the other player
Have to return it but not free-shipping!! I hate it!! Never expect this kind of product.
43 Very good CD player for the money
Having this player for three days now. So far so good. It produces excellent sound quality when playing CD if you use a decent headphone. However, MP3 sound quality is average at most.
Pros:
-stylish design
-long battery life
-excellent CD sound quality
-remote control (what a plus!)
Cons:
-average mp3 sound
-no ID3 tag: hard to navigate albums and songs
-headphone comes with the player is trash
44 Excellent CD player for the price
Have this player for three days now. So far so good. It produces excellent sound quality when playing CD if you use a decent headphone. However, MP3 sound quality is average at most.
Pros:
-stylish design
-long battery life
-excellent CD sound quality
-remote control (what a plus!)
Cons:
-average mp3 sound
-no ID3 tag: hard to navigate albums and songs
-headphone comes with the player is trash
45 Another Star Performer from Panasonic!
Panasonic's SLSX420 is a great value. It does play over thirty hours on a pair of AA's, the remote control is easy to use, I cannot get the thing to skip no matter what I do, and it even sounds decent with the included headphones...although I prefer earbuds. Plus it looks good, is lightweight, and the buttons are easy to use.
I've always been really happy with Panasonic products, from vacuum cleaners to air conditioners, and the SLSX420 CD/MP3 player is no exception. It's another star performer from Panasonic!
46 A Pretty Little Thing
This is a beautiful player with plenty of nice functions. It's about as small as can be, barely bigger around than a CD, and quite thin. The remote is nice and handy, but the included earphones are nothing to get excited about; the cord on them is too short and they are pretty low quality. I recommend using a better set of earphones. Different earphones also help solve this players main drawback: it's not very loud. The highest volume setting just isn't all that loud. This can be bothersome, but then again it's probably healthy, too! The anti-skip system works beautifully. I carry the player in my pocket and jostle it about, but it's never once skipped. It's impressive. And don't forget the impressive battery life! One set of AA's will last you for a long time.
47 Surprising Disappointment
I was surprisingly disappointed with the design and function of this product having long enjoyed a much earlier model of Panasonic CD player (SL-S260) for many years. The Panasonic SL-SX420 model referenced-above has hard-to-use diminutive function buttons; its round discus-shape is hard to hold onto while walking; one has to open the lid, remove the CD (more handling near the laser lens) just to change out the batteries; and its maximum volume ("25") seems artificially low (must be the tort lawyers input here). In general, I'd take a pass on this model.
48 hey at least it's cheap!
well since I assume I'm not the only person who cares about how well the resume feature works on a cd player I'll start off with that.
The resume on this cd player [is bad], it's terrible. When you resume it resumes from the beginning of the song you were playing. That by itself wouldn't be such a problem if it weren't for the fact that it won't fast forward on mp3s. That's not the end of it's resume problems. As another reviewer commented this player reads mp3-cds fast, and it does, the only problem is that it has to re-load everytime you resume, which means everytime you'll have to wait roughly 20-30 seconds for anything to start playing. I currently have a Sony mp3-cd player and while it takes a ridiculous time to initially read an mp3-cd, after it does it will resume in under 5 seconds.
The remote was useless because its' buttons are as small as on the player.
in essence if you never use or care about the resume feature this is the mp3-cd player for you, because of the price and great battery life. However if you are like me and do lots of driving, and stop-n-go cd playing then you'll want nothing to do with this unit.
49 MP3 CD Player with remote! Good for the price.
I've been looking for a particular portable CD player that could play MP3 CDs. There are plenty of them in the market. But I want one that has a remote. While driving, a remote would make things easier than picking up the player or reaching to where the player is at in order to press a button. I've found a few of such players. There are those that include AM/FM tuner (sometimes just FM). Well, I usually don't need a radio if I already have one. Eventually, I decided to get this particular Panasonic for a great price. So far, it's been working great when I hooked it up to my stereo system. Also works great in a car. You would need the cassette-to-CD adapter and power supply for car, which don't come with the player. Not the reason why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.
If you were to have, for instance, an MP3 CD that has over 100 tracks and you would want to go somewhere near 90 and it starts on 1, you would have to use the advance track button a lot. It would've been better if Panasonic would add the ability to "loop" from fist to last when previous track button is pressed (or last to first when next track is pressed). That would be one thing I would suggest Panasonic to do to improve the player. One of the reasons why I give it 4 stars.
Here's what I did and I think what you could do when operating that player: I pressed the "Mode" button for "Random", pressed one of the prev/next track buttons until the player is near the track I wanted, then pressed the "Mode" button for the default setting and press prev/next track to get to the track I wanted. That way I may not have to wear out that next track button so much.
Another thing that Panasonic could add to the player is the "line out" plug. When I hooked it up to my stereo, I used the headphone plug and set the player's volume to the max in order for the music to be loud enough. I was told that the music might distort, but I noticed none of that, even on loud music. I would have to be sure NOT to forget to lower the volume when I'm done (especially if I were to use headphones next time). Well, I'm glad to say I didn't forget to do that.
*** UPDATE ***
There are a couple of more things I found out about this player:
(1) It remebers the track you left off when playing the same CD (after turning off the power). I found out that it somehow remembers even without the battery power! Must've been this modern technology these days.
(2) The instructions with the player said that it could play MP3 files up to 128Kbps. Well, I've tried it with a CD that had 320Kbps MP3 files and they work, too! I've also tried the Variable Bit Rate MP3s and they also work fine. So, I think it could play any MP3 files.
Overall, not perfect, but worth getting for the features it has as well as the price. This I'll keep until I find something better in the future. Maybe something that displays name of Album, Song, and other such stuff from MP3s. Maybe something that could play WMA files, too (for a good price). Only time will tell.
50 A good choice
This CD player is a great choice, especially for its price. Here are the pros and cons:
*Pros*
1. Quick to load the CD (at least for an MP3/CD player)
2. Good extra features -- for example, the EQ, and shuffle options.
3. The remote is very easy to use and easier to access than the actual player itself, especially if you have the cd player in a bag.
4. Excellent sound quality and the EQ adds extra effects that make it better.
5. Good volume if you get better headphones.
6. Good battery life
7. It's cheap!!!!!
*Cons*
1. I wasn't too crazy about its colors, metallic light blue.
2. The headphones weren't too great.
3. No ID3 tags. That wasn't too big of a problem for me because usually i knew what song was playing. You can always write down the order of the songs on a peice of paper.
BUY THIS CD PLAYER
YOU WON"T REGRET IT
51 Impressive
hey guys... so i just got this cd/mp3 player and so far im satisfied.. yea it is annoying that it has no ID3 tags and you cant search within the mp3 track.. but oh well.. REAL good thing about this player: It plays my overly SCRATCHED CDs.. i dont know HOW it reads my scratched CDs cuz no other cd players that I've tried are able to read the files. so that's real impressive. well i hope this helped
52 Small and light - does the job.
I also have have a Rio Volt 100, on seeing the low price for the SL-SX420 I thought I'd pick up a spare player. In comparison to the Rio Volt:
CONS:
No ID3 display
lower volume
resumes from the start of track, not the exact spot
no forward or reverse scan within the track
no firmware updates possible
PRO:
very light
smaller and thinner than the Rio Volt
very good battery life
easy to use remote
I probably should have gotten the iRiver ChromeX, which is the successor to the no-longer-manufactured Rio Volt, but I wanted to try something different and this was less expensive. The SL-SX420 is lacking features I've gotten used to on the Volt, but
being smaller, lighter and having longer battery life makes up for that somewhat. Now, I know I could have gotten one of the more expensive iRiver models and could have had everything, features and small size, in one player, but I wanted to stay with standard AA batteries instead of the flat rechargables that iRiver uses in their top-of-the-line players.
53 good....
Don't spend your money on mp3 players! This little baby plays mp3 cds, which you can easily burn off your computer. A decent mp3 player will: cost more, not have enough memory for all your songs, and the battery life will suck(literally). Keep the extra money you saved from buying this, and you'll be all the more wiser for buying this player. A note the the player itself: very light, great battery life (37 hours!), and a great remote so you can keep the player in your backpack. If you want to spend extra money, you could get a player with id3 so you know what song you're listening to; but this isn't nessecary at all (you should know what song you're listening to in the first place!). A great player, 5 stars.
54 Solid Deal
You want something that sounds great, doesen't skip, and reads mp3 discs quickly...then this is a must buy. It may not win any awards for its design and colour, but it will deliver in its playing.
You may want to pass on this if:
1. you have the money to buy an iriver.
2. you want all the bells and whistles like: ID3 tags, extreme voulme, a good pair of headphones and fast forwarding through songs.
However if you dont care about the above mentioned, then definitely go with this one.
Really cant beat the price!
55 WOW What a Bargain
This is really good for your hard earned bucks. The only downturn is the cheap headphones. Plan to buy new ones.
A good purchase overall
56 Good player for Mp3's, not WMA's
This player is attractively designed and easy to use after reading the instructions. Playback volume is reasonable, though could be a little louder. Even though the technical review says it plays Mp3/WMA's, it does not play WMA's. Not really a problem, because it's not hard to convert WMA files to Mp3.
57 Great Player for the Money
After having another Panasonic cd player for about 5 years now, I was eager to jump into the MP3 scene. After buying a RCA CD/MP3 player and having to return it because the sound quality was poor, I picked this up and have been very happy with it. Panasonic makes very good digital audio products - my previous Panasonic cd player has worked this long flawlessly, and I got it for free for test driving a mercury! Anyway... Heres the pros and cons:
PROS
-Sound quality is pretty good. It lacks the some of the sparkle that a dedicated cd player offers, but sounds much better then the RCA CD/MP3 players out there.
-Switching between songs is quick (both CD and MP3)
-Many options to play with
-Pretty good bass boost
-Included wired remote is awesome - I love it
-Super quick initial mp3 reading. Takes about 6 seconds for an entire 110 song cd.
-Battery life is excellent - 37 hour advertised. I'm thinking probably more around 20-25, but I use it while cycling, running ,etc... Haven't really paid to much attention to this. Anything over 12 is fine for me.
CONS
-Definitely buy separate headphones - the ones included are clunky, not nearly loud enough and the wire is too short. In ear buds are great.
-No ID3 Tag support - but the remote and fast song switching makes up for this. I quickly forgot all about ID3 tags.
-The metallic finish on the edge does'nt do much for me.
Overall a very good player. I would sacrifice ID3 support for a remote, speed and good sound quality any day. I recommend it!
58 Get it.... NOW
I just got it in the mail today (5/30/03), this player is so incredibly nice! The Panasonic SL-SX420, is definately the best bang 4 your buck. For[the money] you get skipless playback, I shook it real good and no skipage, MP3 play back (The only thing is there is no ID3 tag, but do you really need it?) and 48 hours of battery life!! Plus this thing comes with a controller and batteries on the in side, so they will never fall out! It also has equalizers, and it is small and round. If u dont have much cash, even if u do, get this one. I am very happy with my purchase. Way better than any $ony player in this price range.
59 The best MP3/CD player ever
The thin design is awesome. The only bad thing about it is that there is no digital screen. The sound is sweet. The color is awesome, and of couse, it is stinkin' cheap...Read More
60 As yummy as cheese
I got this thing and ,man after I saw all i could do with it i was like, man this is sweet: as cheese.
61 Great for the price! Only minor flaws
After an extremely bad experience with Sonic Blue's Riovolts, I moved on and found this nice Panasonic in my price range. I overlooked it at first because it lacked ID3 tagging, but I finally decided to give it a try anyway. Well, I tried the MP3s that the 2 Riovolt SP50's I owned and/or tried played poorly, and it worked like it should. I like the look and many of the features. It has a remote, easy floder navigation, and a decent EQ system. As far as sound quality, it's pretty good but not the best. It's Pros, Cons time!:
PROS
+Plays MP3s flawlessly
+Easy folder navigation
+Resumes playback where you left off
+Features such as shuffle and a 3 choice EQ
+Extremely long battery life
+Remote
+Decent sound quality
+Low price
CONS
-No ID3 tagging(Biggest complaint)
-Cannot serach within a track (Rewind/Fastforward)
-No line outs
-Stock headphones don't stay on very well
As you can see, the only real flaws are lack of features. Maybe a latter model will add these features at hopefully a similar price. But until now, this should work great for me, and maybe you to.
62 I love this Cd/Mp3 player!
Works smoothly right out of the box, as you'd expect from the world's largest electronics company (nope, it's not Sony!). My buddies like the cool design, so now a lot of people in my school have it. Totally cool, and plays MP3/AAC files, too.
63 Lame MP3 player - can't fast forward within a track
Sorry but it's not a true MP3 player if you cannot fast forward within tracks. So its not useful when listening to audio books and other spoken word training like learning a language, etc.
Every MP3 player I've used had a least a limited ability to scan in the middle of MP3 tracks. What if you have a 30 minute MP3? With this player, if you stop it in the middle of the track, or eject the CD, you have to go all the way to the beginning. So it is very very lame.
Sony also handles MP3s badly in that it scans through tracks very very slowly (tested in the Sony car consoles). But at least Sony can scan through tracks. Kenwood is best I've found so far, but have it only in my car. Wish they made portables.
I would go with the Rio MP3 CD player.. because that at least should work better (am purchasing one today, so I will know for sure if it works better a bit later..)
64 I REALY LOVE THIS PLAYER
THIS IS MY NEW JUCKBOX.
I HAD A SONY MP3 MODEL 505
AND THE SEETHRU MODEL I FELL IN LOVE
WHITHTHIS MODEL WHEN IT FIRST CAM OUT
I HAD TO HAVE IT.50$.AWMAN IT
CAN PLAY MP3S FLAWLESLY.I MADE A MP3
DISC OF 85 SONGS IN 160KLBS.LOVEIT
ITS TRULY ROCKSTEADY.IT WONT SKIP.
I ALSO OWN A MINI DISC RECORDER I RETIRED IT.
NOT ENOUGHT MUSIC.I GET MORE WHITH MP3 128KLBS
10 CDS ON ONE DISC.NONSTOP.I WANTED A TUNER BULTIN
BUT IM SATISFIED WHITH MP3 FILES.PLUS A REMOTE CONTROL.
I HAVE RECHARGEABLE BATTERES.NICAD BATTERIES AND RECHARGER
I LOVE MY MP3.BEFORE THIS MODEL CAME OUT I GAVE UP ON MP3
BUT WHITH THIS MODEL IM STAYING WHITH MP3.
65 WOW!!! How can this be so cheap
What a great CD player!!! I initially was pretty wary of this due to the low price and a couple of the reviews here on amazon were pretty sorry, but then I read the [reviews] and was sold on the player. This is the best bang for the buck you can get in electronics these days!
1. Great Sound! Plenty loud enough. Volume from 0-25 and I listen around 10-11 on earbud headphones. Also sounds perfect in the car with a tape adapter.
2. I can't get it to skip
3. Yes it does have XBS, resume, shuffle (although even the panasonic site disagrees)
4. Cool look with slim design and very light
5. Reads mp3s Very quickly and well, Although it doesn't have ID3, it is very easy to navigate albums/tracks. If you make your mp3 CD with Musicmatch with album folders, you can skip albums by holding the track advance button for a couple of seconds. You can shuffle the whole mp3 cd or just one album
6. Remote is Perfect and you can control almost everything with it, has a clip on it too
7. Battery life is phenomenal!!! up to 48 hours with 2 alkaline and more with NiMH
Overall this is the coolest CD player I have seen, especially for so [inexpensive]. I already have purchased an additional one as a gift! If you are looking for a new cd player, definitely check this one out.
Pansonic's MP-70 with ID3 support and SV550 with digital tuner look cool too, but I really wanted the remote. Panasonic should make a model with remote, tuner, ID3 support ...! Until then I am loving my SX420!
66 Great product for the money!
At the price, you are more or less buying an entry level MP3 CD Player. Of course one can only expect so much from entry level - but this player goes beyond!
Panasonic's new anti-skip technology is quite impressive. I've run miles and miles with this player without ANY skips. The remote is extremely handy, and the clip helps keep wires out of your way.
I'd recommend supplying your own headphones as the ones included are a bit sub-par. Battery life is astounding. I've never had a portable device that lasts like this!
As far as MP3 capability goes - sure it doesnt have ID3 tag support, but not much does in this price range. It loads a disc of almost 200 songs VERY fast, and of course the anti skip is great on MP3's.
I came from an MP3 CD player that was twice as much money when I bought it, and the SX420 blows it away in EVERY category. I especially like the EQ settings. I use this in my car as well as while working out, and like the option of changing from a flat setting in my car, to XBS in my headphones.
This player is ALL pro's. My only complaint is that I wish they came up with it years ago!
67 delivers what's promised
This is not the best player I've ever used, but it's probably the best deal I've seen for what it does. There's no problem with the MP3's I play (many bitrates high and low, some VBR). It's almost but not quite loud enough to hurt my ears, which is perfect for me but others may want more. Battery life great. I've seen better, but for anything over 10 hours I stop caring, and this gets over 50 with a pair of good NiMH's.
I would find navigating the disc annoying if I didn't just leave it on shuffle.
I give this a 5 not because it's the best player out there, but because the lack of major flaws make it a good deal.
68 Works great but...
works but never gets loud enough, you can turn the volume up full blast and still barely hear it, especially in an airplane
69 It's Aiight
This is a decent MP3 player for the price. The sound quality is pretty good (when I connect using a car kit or otherwise) but the headphones are (surprise surprise) total trash; when I'm riding the subway, I can barely hear the songs despite going to maximum volume. Also, if you have an MP3 CD with over a hundred songs, it's annoying to skip forward and backwards searching for a song since there are no ID tags. And this is just nit-picky on my part but the metallisized teal-colored plastic arc on the cover piece of the player unit isn't doing much for aesthetics..it just looks kinda cheesy.
Don't get me wrong--for the price, it's a good deal and the sound quality is pretty good--it has a cool equalizer so you can play around with sound presentation. It's a good deal if you have a decent set of headphones and are willing to deal with lots of skipping back and forth on your MP3 CDs.
70 not bad mp3 player
this is a quite good mp3 player for a decent price; however you don't have id3 tags and so you have to search each title by its number.. annoying; the design of the unit is cool and I liked also the remote command;
One mayor problem with the 420 is that you can't search within mp3 tracks; very very annoying; you always have to skip back or forth a whole song; this is not the case with normal cds.
