Panasonic SL-S361C Car/Portable CD Player with Backlit LCD Display

One such feature is the automatic backlighting on the LED screen when you connect the unit to an external power source. When you are running the SL-S361C on batteries, this feature is disabled to extend battery life.

The Panasonic SL-S361C also uses anti-skip technology, which pre-scans your music 40 seconds before you hear it to ensure smooth playback. Panasonic gives you the option of turning the anti-skip feature on or off, which is useful since the technology uses slightly more battery power. These battery-saving features are a plus, but the Panasonic SL-S361C can operate up to a lengthy 25 hours on 2 AA alkaline batteries.

Besides the extras, Panasonic's SL-S361C includes all the essential CD features, including repeat track, CD pause, 24-track programmability, and random play. For deeper bass performance, there is an optional Super Extra Bass System (XBS). The Panasonic SL-S361C also comes with stereo headphones, an AC adapter, a car cassette adapter, and a DC (cigarette lighter) cord.

Pros:

• Great sound, compact design
• 40 seconds of anti-shock memory for skip-free playback
• Car cassette adapter included

Cons:

• None

So I bought this (without the car kit) because I thought since my Jensen had 40 second anti-skip, that this would be the same. It was not.

Listening to alot of converted MP3 files (to WAV), it would have problems reading them to the point I could not get through one song without it freezing. Even when playing the regular CD's it would skip once in a while. Not good for 40 second anti-skip.

The sound is worse as well. It is obvious that Panasonic uses the worst op-amps in the industry because the output is low and without high-efficiency headphones, you just don't get alot of volume. The volume you do get is grainy and the soundstage was worse than my Jensen, even a Kenwood unit I had for 3 years before that. Strange because Technics (Panasonics sister company) makes some good CD players with their MASH D/A converters.

I recommend that you stay away from this model and invest 10 more dollars on a Sony or a Jensen (if you can find it).

Rating: C-


mistake   February 6, 2000
sorry i meant to say i use the Sony WITHOUT ESP on. It doesn't need ESP on. ESP just adds some background noise.


Panasonics are good, but have some flaws, Sony's are good 2   January 31, 2000
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

I have some things to say in reply to the last review. Some are in some defence of Sony, and some are about my experience with cd-r's, car kits, and accessories. I have a Sony D-E446CK, and a Panasonic SL-S200. The Sony plays all cd-r's perfectly with no trouble at all. I have one cd-r that has trouble with the Panasonic. It will cut out in between songs if the anti shock is turned on. The Sony plays it fine, however cd-rw's work in the Panasonic and not in the Sony. I have used Kenwood and Sony car adaptors and never had trouble with either of them in our 98 Plymouth Breeze tapedeck. Panasonics are better in some ways but not others. Battery life is better but they dont have a battery level indicator, jsut a flashing light. Panasonics earphones are total crap, the earbuds that came with my Sony were only part crap, but they had good bass, and no distortion. They got hit by a train thanks to my friend (long story) I agree the pop up disc eject is nice on panasonics, but if you know how to pull a cd out of a discman u wont have any trouble. You have to put thumb on spinner thingy, and right hand finger on the right edge of the cd and lightly pull on the edge of the cd. Then it will pop off easily and can be picked up. Do not rip it off the spindle from both ends of the cd! this is probably how some people have broken the spindle on some Sony's. Now, about skip protection. I have not used the 40 second panasonics in real life, i have only tried them in little stand still shake tests. Panasonics skip very easily if the anti skip is turned off. I use my Sony all the time with the ESP turned on and it doesn't skip even while im walking with it in my jacket pocket, or listening to it on the back seat of the bus on our very bumpy! country roads. Panasonics and Kenwoods will almost not play at all under these conditions if the anti skip is off. I never use ESP cause it makes sound quality get a little bit worse, but i can't even walk with a Panasonic in my hand without it skipping. With 40 second anti skip i imagine the newer Panasonics are probably a bit better than my Sony if the anti skip is turned on. If i had the Sony D-E456CK however, it has 40 second ESP and a backlit display (like the Panasonic in this review) and a remote, then it would probably be better. So far its only gotten 5 star reviews here on Amazon.com. Just thought i'd mention some things, hope its not too messy i wrote it fast and put things down as i thought of them.


Great Performance!   January 27, 2000
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

This product is absolutely great, especially if you burn your own CD's. A lot of portable CD players often skip and go crazy when you play burned CD's, especially most Sony portable CD players often give incredibly depressing performance with regards to this issue, so try to avoid buying Sony if the music you'll listen to will come from CD-R's. But, for optimal sound, don't forget to use top-of-the-line CD-R's. I had this player (w/ the remote) for a couple of months now and it hasn't even skipped once, even with frequent and heavy use. That's incredible performance! I also like the bright green backlit display when you plug in the AC adaptor, and, well I haven't really tried it in my car since I already have a CD player that came from the manufacturer. To make a long story short, some of the people who gave this product a bad review probably got a lemon or just don't know how to use it. There are a lot of variables with respect to cassette adaptors in the car. Sometimes it may work hassle-free while sometimes it may not work so well. Therefore, the best thing to do is that if you're thinking about buying a new car, buy one w/ its own manufacturer CD player just to avoid such a conflict. Overall, the sound quality is spectacular, especially the xtra bass system, which is deeper than Sony's Digital Mega Bass, but slightly less than Sony's Groove (in other words, it's a perfect bass setting). There are also a lot of other options, such as the pop-up button to eject the disc from the plate (a feature that most Sony players DON'T have and it helps prevent the disc from being bent endlessly), Resume function, Hold Position function, heat-resistant polycarbonate body, battery status indicator (just like the one on a cell phone), and a whole lot of other stuff. I also like the fact that the player is made in Japan, so you know that you're getting pretty good labor and material quality. Headphones could use some improvement, though. To summarize, you're getting a pretty good deal w/ this player, so just buy it while it lasts!