Panasonic RQ-SX67V Portable Cassette Player

The difference between the extra bass (S-XBS) being off and on is very noticeable, and using my good headphones provided an enjoyable listening experience not unlike my regular home stereo. It comes with a pair of headphones, but I didn't use them, using my good pair instead, but I think that's fair, since the free headphones that come with this are for convenience only and probably not appropriate for serious listening, so I won't pretend that they are. At least the player unit is capable of high quality sound playback, so use good speakers to make the most of it.

There are only 5 radio preset buttons, and a sixth, "function" button must be pressed once before preset buttons 1-5, twice to access presets 6-10, so I supposed this can be a little awkward for some people. 30 presets are possible. Some awkwardness is more evident if you forget to press the function button first, because the 5 buttons used for the radio presets are also used to control the tape player. So if you want to switch from radio station #2 to #3, for example, and there's a tape in the unit, but you don't press the function button before pressing preset button #3, the radio will turn off while the tape starts to rewind! So having to press the function button first (and sometimes twice) before pressing any of the radio presets is awkward, but that's the price of having a unit this streamlined.

One surprise is that there's no AC jack! You must always use batteries! The one consolation is that only a single AAA battery is required, and that lasts for 25 hours! Also, the battery is very easy to change, and 4 come with the unit. Rechargeable batteries might be economical, but if you prefer to use AC power, such as you might do if you set the unit on a shelf for long periods of time and used external speakers, do NOT buy this. It is the one aspect of this unit which could be considered a definite negative.

Except for some metal parts inside, the unit is entirely plastic, with some glossy chrome plating. I have to say it's an attractive, eye catching unit nonetheless. In the online ads the case looked metal, and it would have been nice, but at this price that would be asking too much ... But it is very light weight and compact and you wouldn't notice if it was in a backpack or briefcase, or even a jacket pocket. If you do much traveling I would definitely recommend it, especially if you don't want to lose something valuable. In fact, it's so inexpensive ... at Amazon.com in early June 2002) you might want to get it even if you already have one, as a spare.


My Advice? Don't Buy This Player!   February 13, 2002
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

I am very disappointed with this cassette player! I sent mine back as soon as I could. The least little movement--and I mean the least little movement--and the cassette tape slips, wobbles. My wife's inexpensive Casio ($..., Walgreen's) I can shake and shake without missing a beat of the tape.

All I want is a cassette player (and radio) that doesn't look like a kid's toy and just plays the music I want to hear without any wobbling of the tape. Only features I want are auto stop or auto reverse. I thought this one was the answer, but it wasn't.