It only does one thing, but it does that very well
Written: Jan 31 '01 (Updated Jan 31 '01)
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Pros: Stylish design, intuitive interface, super light-weight and portable, good S-XBS EQ, 40 second ASM.
Cons: No radio, crummy headphones. Long-term durability concerns?
The Bottom Line: Not for those who want their portable audio equipment to come feature-laden, but excellent as a high-quality, highly-portable basic player.
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| hanseugene's Full Review: Panasonic SL-SX270 Personal CD Player |
I'm a kid with a frugal streak, a character trait mostly prompted by the fact that I have a very limited reserve of spare cash which I'm forced to spread across a very wide range of interests. However, even though I can't always afford the top-of-the-line I do like to buy quality stuff that will last me a few years and provide lots of enjoyment meanwhile.
The 'Net has been a veritable heaven-send to cash-strapped, quality-hungry types like me. It allows us to comparison shop like never before. So before making my purchase I spent a lot of time on Epinions, Amazon.com and other sites that provide consumer audio equipment info and reviews. Now that I've been using the SL-SX270 for almost a month I'm convinced my efforts have been rewarded.
Audio quality
I was looking for a player that provided audio quality first and portability second. The SL-SX270 provides both in spades. The sound quality is really very nice; providing a good CD audio feed is what the SL-SX270 was designed for and it's what it does best. My only complaint is that the thing doesn't seem capable of playing *really* loud. It's not that I want to blast my ear-drums out; some CDs (specifically those with classical music) are encoded with quieter audio than others and sometimes when I want my music up loud on a quiet CD it can't quite deliver. However, the S-XBS EQ function is excellent and helps to make up in sonic richness anything that the player is lacking in loudness.
Speaking of the EQ functions, some people have pointed out that the "Train" EQ function (for noise reduction in public spaces) provides terrible sound. This isn't suprising since the way that this sort of equalization works is that it flattens the tones and strips information off of the sound in order to make it quieter. So here's the big secret about noise-reduction: if you want to keep the sound inside your headphones, you're just going to have to buy better headphones.
And speaking of the headphones... the ones they package with the SL-SX270 are made by Koss, but they're still very, very icky. Don't even think about using them. The extra $15 or $20 it will take to get a nicer set is more than worth the money.
Design and portability
When it comes to portability the SL-SX270 really shines. It's very thin and very light, small enough to fit into almost any jacket pocket, although still large enough that you won't ever accidentally flush it down the toilet.
But of course all this portability does have it's cost. Although I like the design I'm a little concerned about the durability of the shell; it's manufactured out of a light-weight grey plastic that feels like it would crack if dropped on a hard surface. Overall though, the SL-SX270 is very stylish; and even better, the interface is intuitive and nicely laid-out. Everything you're likely to use with any frequency is on the top of the shell: on/off, play & stop, ff/rw, EQ settings, etc. are on top while random and hold are hidden on the side of the player. The effect is very elegant and uncluttered. The slide-lock cover is easy to use and the shell opens and closes very smoothly.
Other issues
I do wish the player came with a radio. I wasn't willing to spend more than $70 and I wanted the high-quality audio feed more than I wanted the radio; it was a trade-off I was willing to make. Anyway, I have a fair-sized and varied CD collection so the missing radio isn't much of a problem for me anyway.
The battery life seems to be pretty excellent; other reviewers have reported between 25 and 30 hours on two regular AA batteries. Since most of the time I run my player on AC power I can't testify to the accuracy of these reports. I've probably only run the player without the AC adapter for 10 hours out of the 60 or 70 that I've used it so far. And remember, the 40 second anti-shock buffer is a nice feature, but beware: it'll suck your battery life faster than a kid sucking spaghetti noodles.
Conclusion
All in all, the SL-SX270 is an excellent CD player. If you're looking for something basic but high-quality you should definitely consider purchasing it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 65
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Epinions.com ID:
hanseugene
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Member: Hans Friedrich
Location: Greenwood, CA
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 1 member
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