Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic SL-SW965VS Shockwave Portable MP3-CD Player with AM/FM Tuner (Silver)

First off, I would like to say that this player amazes me. I bought it for a 2 week work trip for use on the planes and such. The sound quality is GREAT!!I ended up using it every night to fall asleep because the guy I had to share a room with snored louder than a diesel engine. So, it got used for ~8 hours a day. During the entire trip I only had to change the batteries once near the middle of the second week. So, long battery life doesn't even begin to describe how long it lasts. The volume goes up to a level that even satisfies my annoyingly loud taste.

I just got this and it is awesome! One of the best players you can get. Reads Multisession CD's! It is awesome. Great value for your money. Sound quality is excellent! With an addes Bass Boost! The sound is so cool, that you actually hear it drumming bass like a sorround sound system! A must buy!

I purchased this player in December of 2004 and have regretted it since.

1. This player does not output in true stereo sound...

Simply making sure that the headphones are properly connected to the shockwave is a chore because the shallow headphone jack does not allow for the pin on the headphones to be completely inserted into the unit. I should also mention that the headphones included are flimsy junk. Buy a better pair for yourself, if you plan to pick up a portable cd player.

2.I am a big fan of guitar driven hard rock. This player has very poor high frequency response...

Guitar sounds that have been very easy to distinguish on my favorite classic albums over the years, are very hard to hear on the Shockwave 965. X-Bass drowns out everything but the lower end tones.

4. Lower bit rate (under 256k) MP3s sound warbled, almost like worn out cassettes, even when the MP3 remaster(useless) feature enabled...

I will say that MP3s properly encoded at 256k or higher do sound fairly good, almost as good as their CD counterpart on the SW 965.

5. No remote control! UGH! Frustrating & Pointless...

Switching tracks, adjusting volume, or switching from CD player to radio band tuner, on the Shockwave 965 is a real pain, as there is no remote control. I have to pull the unit out of my bag each and every time that I want to make an adjustment on the Shockwave!

Overall the Shockwave 965 is a major embarrassment to Panasonic, and should be avoided at all costs! Not a suitable player for the serious music lover, or someone that likes audio to at least sound LISTENABLE!

I plan to give the Shockwave to my younger brother as a hand me down, as I would feel guilty if I sold this unit to anyone.

I also plan to pick up one of the new Sony CD Walkman 2005 models in the spring. Sony has never let me down when it comes to portable CD players. Took a chance on Panasonic, a company with a great reputation, who has made excellent products in the past, and was burned...

It should also be noted that the review titled "It only gets better" by Trevor J. Hall is referring to Panasonic SL-CT710 Slim CD / MP3 Player, as the Shockwave has NO EQ setting called "live".

Very good. The anti-skipping is the main reason I purchased this model, and I must say, it doesn't disappoint. Right after I put the batteries in this thing (not included by the way) I tested the heck out of it by shaking it every which way while playing a CD. Right-side-up, Up-side-down, sideways ... you name it ... I shook it as hard as I could and couldn't get it to skip once. Not too shabby. The sound is pretty good, not incredible. Oh, and that color on the outside (of my model anyway) is dark blue ... not black. Not a big deal, I really didn't care, but in the ad it looks black and silver. Overall, good item. Very pleased.

i didnt buy this from amazon but i got it in an electronics shop this is a very good maodel mp3 water proof good lock 30 stationery memorys sounds extra base great headphones but the problem with this that instead of saying the name of the song it says the song number which is not useful if you have 300 songs for you wont remember the song also this doesnt have input or out put thats why its four stars i also think that you cant get the last song im not sure cause i have had this item for 2 days there is another mp3 cheaper that says the name and has input out put but i liked how this one looked