Panasonic SL-SV500 Portable CD Player with FM/AM Tuner

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 CD memory reserve provides added back up.

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. A hold switch prevents accidental starting, stopping, or track skipping during use or transport.

The unit boasts an a thin design with operation keys and LCD laid out logically on its slide-lock, full-open top cover. Tailor your sound with S-XBS bass enhancement, and enjoy up to 25 hours of CD playback using just 2 AA batteries (not included).

What's in the Box
CD player, user's manual, and over-ear headphones (AC power adapter not included).

1. The radio is difficult to tune, and I found that sometimes when I changed batteries, I would lose my settings. It was irritating having to redo the settings all the time.

2. After about 4 months, it started to skip when held vertically. This is annoying if you are walking around with it.

3. The recall feature is kind of pointless, as it brings you back to the beginning of the track, not to where you left off in the track.

4. It's kind of ugly, and the controls are awkwardly designed.


Everything You Need   November 28, 2002
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I bought this Cd player a little while ago, after my last one bought the dust at the hands (the foot actually) of my father. This is the third Cd player I have owned, and all three have been Panasonic's. That should tell you something. Panasonic has never given me trouble, and I have come to trust the brand completely.

This Cd player had everything I was looking for...and then some. I wanted the basics of course: bass boost, random play, repeat 1 song, repeat all, continous play, anti-skip, etc. This has all of that, and all of it is of good quality. Skipping is undetectable, even when running two miles, or jogging. The volume in the headphones (I noticed when reading reviews that some Cd players have bad volume) is normal. Loud enough for those who love to head bang and clear enough for those who love Beethoven.

It also has more than the average requirements for Cd players these days. First of all, it is very compact. It can fit easily in a pocket, which is good for taking it running. It also has a radio. This was something I was looking for in a Cd player, because I often go out in the morning and I like to listen to Howard Stern as well as music during his long commercials. The problem is that the Walkman I have cannot get the correct station except for in certain places. This Cd player has a feature that eliminates that problem. It is the City Button. Pressing it gets rid of most static or distortion, making the broadcast clear. This feature alone is worth buying this over any other player. Also the battery life is exceedingly long (around 30 hours as near as I can tell).

As for the one review below that claims to have dropped his player on a rug and it broke...all I can say is that yesterday mine fell out of my pocket, not only onto the cement sidewalk, but into an inch deep puddle of water! And the only damage is a scratch along the top. It functions just as it always did, so don't let that reviewer spook you.

Now that you have your perfect Cd player, you will need something to listen to on it! I suggest you also buy Source Tags and Codes by ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead as well as Songs for the Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age. Both are the best new hard rock releases out there, and are perfect to listen to while doing exercise. Enjoy!


Great, just don't drop it!   November 28, 2002
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

This is a great CD player for the price you spend.

Features:
AM/FM Radio
CR-R/RW Playback
"Always On" Anti Skip (They say 48 seconds; it's a lot more)
"X-BXS" (Boosts the base)
NO Line Out
Requires 2 AA batteries

The battery life is exceptionally good. I bought a pair of rechargeable batteries (also found on amazon.com) and within a month they'd payed for themselves. Even if you don't have rechargeable's with you, regular batteries will warrent you with AT LEAST 24 hours of music.

I have heard a complaint about durability, and this may be an issuue for some. I've dropped it on asphault from a height of about 3 1/2 feet once, and aside from a nasty battle scar on it's side, the SV500 worked fine. The second time I dropped it onto a wooden floor from the same height, the lid popped off. While I was able to put it back on with ease, it worried me that the only thing holding it on was a flimsy looking ribbon. Because this ribbon carried all of the information (all buttons are on the lid), if it had ripped, I'd be...

The SV500 is like a short chubby child. From an eagle eye view, it's just a tad bigger than a CD. From a side view, however, it gets a bit heafty. You can stack 16 CD's up to reach the height of the SV500. This may seem like a lot, but I think it's just fine. I can easily hold it with one hand and get access to all the buttons. And the weight of the SV500 is not an issue.

Finally, the sound coming out of the SV500 is exceptional. It goes up to 25, and 15 is fine for drowning out the hussles and bussles of everyday life, 10 if you're alone and like listening to music loud. Combine that with the S-XBS (which is exceptional), and you have yourself a really loud player. Just throw away the included headphones. Seriously, they're terrible. If you have an extra [$], invest in the SONY MDR-J10 (also found on amazon.com). They're earbud style, go really loud, and have next to no sound leakage. The perfect partner to a wonderful CD Player.

There you have it. While this player doesn't have the ability to play Mp3 CD's, it's older brother, the SL-MP35 (again, found on amazon.com), does, but for an extra [$]. Personally, I think that the SV500 is a fantastic value. Highly recommended.


Great Little CD Player   November 20, 2002
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

My husband received this player for his birthday, but I've been using it since I use public transportation to get to work and this little cd player perfectly fits in my bag because of its compact size. The sound quality is excellent, especially for the price and the hold feature allows me to travel without worrying that I'll hit a button and skip to the next song or turn the player off (a pain with the last player I used). The player plays CD-R's & CD-RW's, which is great for me since I've created so many mix cds for myself. The battery life is GREAT - better than any other portable cd player I've used. I highly recommend this little player (unless, of course, you want it to play MP3's - since this unit has worked so well, I hope to get the panasonic cd player that also plays MP3's for my birthday).