Panasonic SL-CT710 Slim CD / MP3 Player
See it at Amazon.com for $99.99Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(5 out of 5)In terms of sound quality, nothing beats a good CD player
Despite all the current hoopla surrounding MP3 players -- don't get me wrong, MP3 players such as the Rio Karma and the Apple iPod are great portable audio devices -- if you want the best-sounding music, nothing beats a high-quality CD player like this one. Compressed music *is* compressed music, and you lose a lot of subtle but significant audio qualities when you compress, whether into MP3, AAC or WMA.
So that's the big picture. Micro-wise, this is one of the best portable CD players. Sony also makes some good players, but not all of them can play MP3 files. (Sony likes to promote its own proprietary technology, ATRAC). This stylish and super-thin Panasonic CT710 has a superior DAC (digital analog converter) that gives crisp, clean, rich, high-quality sound output when you put on a pair of good headphones. Speaking of which, the included digital earphones are pretty good, and one cord is longer than the other so you can hang it around your neck. But, of course, you can use your own favorite headphones, and you can plug them into either the wired remote control, or into the main unit itself. The volume output could be a little higher when playing back MP3 files, but that's not a problem for me since I rarely use this for MP3. (Plus, MP3 support on the CT710 is minimal. For example, you can't search forward or backward within an MP3 track. This is one stupid design decision Panasonic should do away with.)
The inline remote is nice and has an information LCD that can show ID3 tags for MP3 files. When you press a button on the remote, the LCD backlight comes on for about 5 seconds. It's a bit short for reading MP3 ID tags in the dark, but beats not having backlight at all. Although the remote lack a pause button, because the player remember the exact point where you pressed the stop button, when you press play again, it picks up exactly where you stopped. Of course, you can pause by pressing the play/pause button on the main unit. The difference is when you pause, the disc keeps on spinning and you can resume quickly, whereas after you stop, the disc stops spinning, and when you press play, it takes a few seconds for the player to spin up the disc and find the resume point. Oh, the remote has its own hold button separate from the main unit's hold button, so it's cool that you can control the player any way you like.
Battery life has always been a strong point on Panasonic's portable audio products, and this one is no exception. With the rectangular NiCd rechargeable batteries, I get about 10 hours of real-world usage on each charge. The battery lasts longer when playing MP3 files vs. audio CDs. The package comes with a battery tube that can hold two AA batteries and extend the play time tremendously. BTW, you can use either the NiCD batteries, the external AA batteries, or both. Panasonic claims up to 120 hours of MP3 play (encoded at 128kbps) when using both battery sources.
The player has some simple equalizer settings: S-XBS (super bass), S-XBS Plus, Train (which reduces sound leaks during train rides), and Live. The buttons on the main unit are semi-clear plastic and lights up when the player is playing or charging, which looks kinda cool in the dark. So far, all my CD-Rs and CD-RWs play without any problems, which is not the case with my DVD players that claim to fully support CD-RW.
Bottom line: this is a truly thin and compact CD player that lets you enjoy the ultimate quality in CD music. It's definitely my top pick for a portable CD player. When you carry it with you, people will think you have a high-end CD discman. And remember, mp3's are for amateurs, not audiophiles.
(5 out of 5)Beats Sony Down
Let me start by telling you a very long story. I have had 3 Sony players in the past, and all 3 of them have broken down, or sounded so bad that I had to return them. I am being serious here...Sony is seriously declining. Their products are becoming more and more terrible. Everybody at my school seems to own a sony CD player but I personally think that they are terrible. They have everyone brainwashed that just because its a SONY, its the best quality you can get! HA!!!!
When I returned my second Sony CD Player that day to Circuit City, I saw this player and it looked very stylish, not to mention the D Sound logo that caught my eye. I was able to go on the Circuit City website from there and read lots of reviews for this player. Everyone seemed to like it. So I bought it (majorly because of its battery life) and got in the car. This was my third CD player I had bought today. I was very nervous on opening it because...what if it was bad?
I first had to charge the Ni-Cd batteries for approx. 3 hours. After that was done, I tried it out (without the extra AA battery pack). This player was not only the best of my lifetime 5 CD players, but THE thinnest and lightest. This CD player sounds so incredible that a Sony customer would probably throw away their CD player to have this one. The bass is incredible and the treble is just awesome. There are 5 EQ settings: EQ Off, S-XBS, S-XBS+, Train, Live. I think S-XBS+ sounds the best. The player itself takes 2 "gumstick" batteries, making it able to become extra thin. This thing is so awesome because I can fit it into my pocket easily and its not heavy enough to weigh my pants down. There are the main buttons on the player: Play, Stop, |>>, <<|, and volume control. There is also a hold button on the player. The top of the player is silver and feels very durable/light. The best part of the player is the remote.
The remote has a LCD screen with all the buttons you need (EQ, Mode, Display/Menu, Hold, and all the play functions that are on the player. It supports ID3 tagging and has a backlight on the remote so you can see what you're playing at night. Also, the buttons on the side of the player light up when you are playing music and/or charging. I thought I wasn't one to like the LCD type remotes because if you lose it, then you have no screen. But to my surprise...it works out very well. I guess I just had to try it for myself.
I was very curious about the battery life at first. Without the AA battery pack, I wondered how much life it would get out of the Ni-Cd batteries. Well its about 23 hours for MP3 playback and 14 for CD Audio. With only the AA battery pack, its 97 for MP3 and 53 for CD Audio. With both, its 117 for MP3 and 65 for CD Audio. Even though the battery pack can be annoying sometimes, it works out quite well and I can understand why they did it. I love the battery life on this thing!
As for the headphones, I haven't even tried them because I know they will probably stink but when I opened the CD player up, I put on my Philips HS500 Street Style Headphones and it sounded like BLISS.
Just about everything on this player is perfect. As I said, this is the best portable I have ever had, and for now on, I am sticking with Panasonic (as does Consumer Reports. They seem to like Panasonic) and I am NEVER GETTING A SONY AGAIN. One last thing. Say, if you have 300 MP3's on your disc, this player reads them ultra fast and there is no pause between switching tracks. The MP3 playback is beautiful.
Overall, a COMPLETE gem. The only player I would compare this with in quality is the iriver IMP 350. But did you know that the iriver has only, like, 30 or so hours of playback? This one has so much more!
BUY IT NOW!!!! You won't regret it. I promise.
(5 out of 5)Great Job Panasonic!
This CD player is so great. Even the earbuds are good! It has a very light, sturdy, stylish design. The remote is easy to use and id3 tagging works fine with it. The buttons on the side light up and change colors when playing or charging. Like the review above I have had 2 Sony CD Walkmans (D-E350) in the last two years. UNCOMPARABLE! The panasonic is much better. It seems all of their products are wonderful!. I have a Panasonic cell phone, 2 home stereos, and an in dash CD player, all from Panasonic and they work great. The LCD remote has a backlit display that is bright so you can see it at night. Overall, this CD player is a funtional, stylish, light, and just WONDERFUL CD player. Highly recommended.
(5 out of 5)Great CD Player
I was extremely hesistant on purchasing this product at first, but now I've received this, I am glad I made this purchase. The CD player itself is really slick and light. The cover of the player also acts as a mirror~
Pros: Player is very slim and light. Cover is reflective, acts like a mirror. Great battery life, and rechargable which saves a lot of money on disposable batteries. It charges while the batteries are in the player, so don't have to take them out. The little remote is very responsive and easy to use. Different EQ such as S-XBS, S-XBS+, Train, Live are great sound features. Players CD, MP3s very well, very minimal loading time for the MP3s. While playing, the button lights on the player will flash randomly, which looks cool. Was hoping to have some ligh flashing on the remote too, but no.
Cons: The remote doesn't have a pause button. The wire of the remote is a bit thick. The earphone that comes with player is not great.
I recommend the Sony fontopia EX71SL to go along witht this player, the bass will hit you so hard that it'll hurt.
(5 out of 5)Amazing MP3 player
Being a student and having to work to buy this kind of things, I searched for different options for an MP3 player. After reading reviews from dozens of players, I finally decided for the SL-CT710 by Panasonic, which seemed to be the best option. And now I can say I made the best decision to acquire it; I got exactly what I expected:
-Amazing sound quality, the best quality anyone can expect. The equalizer settings work well. The volume output is good enough, even for a loud envirnoment (playing audio tracks or MP3 files). And really, it does not skip.
-The rectangular NiCd rechargeable batteries last for days and days. You may use either the rechargeable batteries or the external tube for AA batteries, or both.
-It can play MP3 files from different encoding sources, even my really old files from more than 5 years ago.
-Reads a CD full of MP3's so fast, ready to play in a matter of seconds.
-Really light and sleek design, better than what I was expecting when I ordered it!
-The remote control works amazing, easy to use, also with different display settings (Album, artist, file name, song title, just whatever you may want to read). It's great when carrying the player on your backpack and using it at night (good backlight).
About the pause function: Pressing the Play/Stop button once pauses the track. To continue playing again, press Play/Stop once more.
This is the list of the minor flaws that The SL-CT710 presents:
-Cannot search forward or backward within an MP3 track.
-No software for managing MP3 music files.
-Cannot play unfinalized MP3 discs.
-The included heaphones are terrible. You must buy a separate set of headphones along with this player.
I gave it 5 stars because I do not care or do not need any of those features. And for all the previous reasons, this player is outstanding, the best one you might buy. It's worth the price. I absolutely recommend it.