Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic SL-SX430 Portable CD/MP3 Player with D-Sound

I spent a while researching music devices from iPods to minidisc players, and ended up adding this mp3-CD player to my electronics collection. First, a few comments on some issues addressed by other reviews: - no, it doesn't play WMA's, but at least for me the package didn't say it would. Most of my collection is in MP3 anyway so I can deal with this functionality lack. - the device is plenty loud for me, and I think I have relatively worse hearing than most people I know judging by the volume I need to set for TV's. - lack of alphanumeric display was a consideration for me, since I already had a first-generation RioVolt that did have a display. But in the end that factor was outweighed in my mind. And not to be making lemonade out of lemons or anything, but it's somewhat fun to guess songs and reminiscent of old-school CD players (without the mp3's). Here's why I bought this player: - BATTERY LIFE. It's just utterly ridiculous at >50 hours on 2 AA's (average battery life of most others: 10 hours). Battery life is probably the most underrated feature I think. Gigs of storage is nice but if the player can barely last you through one whole day without charging, what's the point? I see some of the Sony players appear to have similar battery life these days but they seem more expensive and lack a... - WIRED REMOTE CONTROL. Put the actual device in your purse or backpack and it's as if you have a super-tiny mp3 player. The remote performs pretty much every function. Compared to my old RioVolt mp3 player, load time is faster, and the whole thing just seems more dependable and higher quality. Of course there are things such as FM radio and the aforementioned alphanumeric display that this player lacks. It also can't play packet-written CD's so you have to burn a whole CD if you want to change songs (interestingly, my RioVolt could do this, but it was sloow as heck). If it had these features (and maybe WMA), it would be the perfect mp3 cd player bar-none. Anyway, to complement this player, I also bought a sub-$100 tiny flash-based mp3 player with FM radio, voice recording, etc. (the TDK Mojo). I still feel this was a decent economical choice for me while maximizing music enjoyment.

The advantage of a portable CD player that handles MP3 and WMA is clear, to me: any car can play MP3s or WMAs with a simple $20 kit, and the sound is still better than any of your old cassettes.

In fact, it's really a car-kit product because it lacks an AM/FM tuner, making this less all-purpose and more single-purpose. The remote makes it very easy to bury this thing in a glove compartment, under your seat, or in the armrest and manipulate the player with the remote. Makes for a clean-looking install, and you lose none of its portability.

The beauty of this CD-based MP3/WMA player is it will handle CD-Rs, CD-RWs, and normal CDs along with whatever you manage to create on your own. The battery life is incredible, especially with MP3 playback because spinups can cache the data then spindown. So, with the need to make CDs skip-proof you actually achieve a measure of battery life preservation as well since you don't drive the spindle motor as often. Neat engineering.

Of course, Panasonic does make a quality personal electronic item, and this seems to be no exception. For me it's always a toss-up between Sony and Panasonic, with Sony winning slightly more than half the battles due to extras (software, one extra feature, whatever). You don't exactly "lose" by picking this.

Honestly, this is a 4.95 star product, because a car kit is probably the least concern with something so useful and good, but I have to mention it because Sony sells a direct competitor with a nice car kit included. With a car kit, this is a five-star deal.

Fred

I have had a number of portable cd players over the years. Most have been victims of being dropped or damaged accidently and the majority of them if not all have been Panasonic models. I've always liked their products both audio and video.
My cd player just arrived today and tho I've not had much time to listen to it, I did briefly check it out using a CD-RW disc and the sound was amazing! The XBS bass response is awesome and the over the ear headphones are so amazingly comfortable without having to adjust them to get the maximum output entering your ears instead of escaping into the air. The swivel in the ear pieces is a great touch and I think what insures such a comfortable fit. The part that goes over the top of each ear doesn't pinch or irritate.
The remote control is wonderful and very handy, tho I wish you could pause with it but it's a minor quibble. This model is also light as a feather.
In summary, I highly recommend this cd player. For the price it is a fantastic deal.

I recently picked up this Panny to replace the SV-570. Unlike the 570, the 430 does not have a radio tuner. Instead, it has a nice remote that the 570 lacks. Since the tuner is only mediocre, the remote is the trump card between the two models. Plug the headphones into the remote and the remote into the player. That design would work well with waist straps that include a headphone jack on the outside of the CD player storage pocket.

Other differences: the 430 includes a 'Live' equalizer setting, while the 570 only has two bass settings. The live setting actually does improve the sound of some live recordings, though it makes studio recordings sound worse.

The 430 also offers two changeable levels of CD skip protection, 10 seconds or 45 seconds. The 570 does not. Supposedly the 10-second protection, which you would use for ordinary activities, sounds better. I did not notice a big difference, however.

The 430 supposely can also compensate for MP3 files with compression errors. On the downside, this player does not handle WMA, as the back of the package suggests.

The sound is rich and warm, the bass tight. Volume, as noted, does not go as high as Sony models. The player is not as solid as a typical Sony, either.

I still havent decided if I will keep it. The player skipped on a few mp3 songs on the first night of use, when I went jogging. It might have been the recording. I will jog with the player for another week and report back. When I shake the player in my hand, at home, it doesnt skip. So I wonder if the problem lies elsewhere, including perhaps my headphones (plug not always in full contact with player, etc).

Battery life is excellent, same with size and weight. Remote control is small and precise. The sound is very good, but the volume is rather low (I had it on 25 and still couldn't hear the sound when walking down a busy street). It is ok if you're walking in the park or if you connect it to your car stereo, but I never used it below 18 (even at home). After all, a higher volume level means shorter battery life - there's no free lunch.

The worst feature is that it won't fast-foward or rewind when you are listening to a MP3 track. I was really annoyed by this. I listen to many audio books, and usually the tracks are 30 minutes or longer, and if I want to listen to a passage again (if a loud truck passes by or you are distracted), I have to listen to the whole track again!
The box says it plays WMA, but the manual doesn't say anything. I haven't tried, since all my music is in MP3.

All in all, it is a good, lightweight player, but could be improved a lot if the volume level was higher and the fast-foward feature would be added. On the other hand, if this one breaks down, I will replace it for another model or brand.