It's fantastic!
Written: Nov 04 '01
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Pros: Slim, lightweight design; great sound; decent battery life
Cons: Crappy supplied headphones
The Bottom Line: The Panasonic SL-CT470, though discontinued earlier this year, is far superior to its successor, the SL-CT580 - and better than any current portable CD players.
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| LetItRut's Full Review: Panasonic SL-CT470 Personal CD Player |
Overview
Last year, when my trusty old Panasonic SL-SW850 portable CD player began having problems (it refused to read some CDs and its plastic lock clips began to crack), I went to shop for a suitable replacement. I first bought a Sony D-EJ815, which turned out to have a really crappy headphone output that distorted on many CDs at even half-volume (I later sold it on eBay). Next I bought a Panasonic SL-CT580, which I was very satisfied with – until four months later, when its really flimsy thin plastic lid broke where the tiny, flimsy hinge screws attached to it. And then I bought a Sony D-EJ721, which I was very satisfied with – until today, when I found the limitations of that unit; it produced very little low bass, its G-Protection anti-skip isn’t very effective at preventing skips (it skipped a few times when I crossed the street on my way to work, and with the batteries half-drained it sometimes skips to the next track even 40 seconds before the end of the currently playing track). So I bought a Panasonic SL-CT470, which (surprisingly) is in stock at an audio/DJ store on Chicago’s North Side (Clark and Diversey Streets). My sample is silver in color, but the store has some blue-colored units. It cost me $100 – the same price as what a normal retailer would have sold it for last year. Here is my comparison review between the Panasonic SL-CT470 and the Sony D-EJ721, with a few references to the Panasonic SL-CT580 (the model that replaced the SL-CT470 earlier this year):
Features
The Panasonic SL-CT470 is slimmer and lighter in weight than the Sony D-EJ721 (the Panasonic SL-CT580, slimmer still) – but that lighter weight doesn’t translate into fewer features or lower performance. The Panasonic SL-CT470 has a rotary volume knob and a mechanical switch for selecting Normal/Random/Resume play; the newer SL-CT580, a very finicky digital volume control that uses two hard-to-press buttons, electronic push-button selection for Random mode, and a Resume mode that can’t be turned off at all. The Sony D-EJ721 has similarly-operated Random (Sony calls it Shuffle) mode and a Resume feature that can’t be turned off at all – but the Sony’s feature resumes at the exact point where playback was last stopped at (and at the same playback mode, such as Shuffle or Program); the Panasonics resume play at the beginning of either the currently stopped track or the next track (and on the SL-CT470, enabling Resume play before the unit is powered on automatically switches the playback mode to repeat entire disc). And while the Sony has a three-position (Off/mid/max) Mega Bass boost switch, the Panasonics have a four-mode equalizer switch (S-XBS/Train/Live/Off). In my experience, the “Off” position is the only setting to use – all of the other positions screw up the sound quality to varying degrees. Only the Panasonic SL-CT470 has a true “Off” position for its anti-skip circuitry; the newer SL-CT580’s anti-skip can’t be turned off at all, and turning the G-Protection circuitry of the Sony D-EJ721 off merely switches the unit to a 40-second “ESP Max” mode. The Panasonic SL-CT470 and the Sony D-EJ721 have a line out jack in addition to a headphone out jack; the line out on the Sony also doubles as an optical digital out jack. The Panasonic SL-CT580 has no line out jack per se; you’ll have to use the headphone out jack for connection to any external audio equipment.
The Panasonic SL-CT470 is powered by two AAA batteries (two rechargeable 650mAH NiMH batteries are included), with a screw-on external battery case that holds two AA batteries for extended battery life to a claimed maximum of 50 hours. The newer SL-CT580 also has a screw-on external AA battery case, but is powered by two proprietary gumstick NiCd rechargeable batteries (included); maximum claimed battery life, 56 hours. The Sony D-EJ721 is powered by two AA batteries (not included), with a freely dangling plug-in external battery case for two additional AA batteries for a maximum claimed battery life of 86 hours.
Performance
Okay, I’ve talked about the features of the three players, but how do they sound? (I assume that you’ll be throwing the horrible-sounding headphones that come with these portable CD players in the circular bin.) Using a pair of Sennheiser HD 590 headphones, the Panasonic SL-CT470 has the most dynamic sound of the three portable CD players in this review; the bass hits relatively hard and clean, and the mids are clearer than the other two models. The treble is a little “over-detailed”, but still very listenable. The newer Panasonic SL-CT580 sounded rather lifeless and delicate by comparison. The Sony D-EJ721 has a small recession in the midrange, and the low bass is also recessed on that portable CD player as well. As for loudness, a higher power rating doesn’t always translate to louder sound; though the Panasonic SL-CT470 (with its 9mW per channel headphone amp) is the loudest of the three, the 5mW per channel Sony D-EJ721 is surprisingly louder than the 8mW per channel Panasonic SL-CT580 (though the output of the Sony is sometimes distorted at maximum volume). The “punchier” Panasonic SL-CT470 also gave new life to the famous Sony MDR-E888LP Fontopia earbuds, which sounded rather bland on the other two players.
I haven't tested the Panasonic SL-CT470's anti-skip capabilties for a long enough time period to judge the performance of the circuitry, but it should resist skipping at least as well as my old Panasonic SL-SW850 did. Unfortunately, the Panasonic SL-CT580 and the Sony D-EJ721, despite their "skip-free" performance, did not live up to their claims.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 100
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Epinions.com ID:
LetItRut
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Location: Melrose Park, IL, USA
Reviews written: 53
Trusted by: 27 members
About Me:
An audio enthusiast and a computer geek who loves bike riding.
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