Panasonic SHOCKWAVE SL-SW940 Personal CD Player

it's all about the music…
Can't live without a CD player. I simply cannot. I need a sweet, smooth sounding, durable, un-skipping, and musically unrelenting CD player. Browsing searchingly, I found what I think is the best CD player on God's round planet. Panasonic, a name brand I can trust, has created the sweetest package of musical power I've ever purchased.

Be forewarned that the picture showing on the top of your screen is not the actual product. This particular model [SL-SW940] is available only in blue, and has 7 total buttons, not ten. Anyways, I picked up the package at Best Buy, where a good selection is always available. I got it off for $79.89 (I apparently overpaid), and it was the most expensive one I saw that day.

CD or MP3?
Note: Nothing here is relevant with this product…

With dropping prices on all things CD, MP3 has taken over. I see the movement, after all MP3 has the distinct advantage of being able to download specific songs off the internet for .99 at Napster, and can download all numbers of songs. I'll be honest with you, I was on mindset to buy either one, and I had $250 saved to spare. I came through at last, again, with a CD player. Hell, these days, $20 CD players have outstanding sound quality, and writable CDs are getting so much cheaper to buy.

Mainly I came through because my desktop (my download device) has absolutely terrible download capabilities, and when I once tried to download to my roommate's MP3, the sound came out all scratchy and crappy. More than that, I hate having to download crap on my new laptop, particularly because it's new, and (no matter what anyone will tell you) downloaded music programs and files SLOW your computer down…a lot.

. . . . . . . . .

I'm glad I did. This Panasonic beauty is excellent. It runs on a 4.5 voltage number, so be sure you see this number in case you want to buy an AC/DC adapter…hey, is that where they got their name? Anyways, problems with all of my CD players: response. Whether new or worn, I always seem to have to slam on buttons, or shove in a headphone jack really hard to get it working. There's only the adapter and headphone sockets to worry about, and the buttons are much more responsive than I'm used to.

Technically, the CD player is very simplistic. There's only standard bass, volume, switch and mode/memory buttons…no extra sound adjusting crap. The screen is in the very center, is very large, and looks like an eye. The way you open is quite unusual. A large, curved shaft running lengthwise slips to the side to release the lock and side grips, making the opening mechanism look like an expanding disk. Everything on the package works smoothly, swiftly and comfortably.

This sweetheart's look can't be disliked. The picture shown here gives you the same idea, only there's not that many buttons, and is blue. It's a CD player designed (mechanically and for looks) for action; jogging, running, exercising etc. The back has a strap hold for a wristband (wristband included). I have no clue as to whether it's an actual wrist band; whether you're supposed to use this on a belt or on your wrist or strap it onto your belt; I've not used it in any active event yet. Even so, I can tell you that it does have a good anti-skip system. While it's old news, an anti-skip system saves any CD player from being total garbage. In the car, on a bumpy road, through jarring, vibrating, or unexpected thumps, it'll keep running smooth and sweet-something I'll always need.

Another feature, one not as common, is that it's splash-proof. Let me say that again: SPLASH-proof. My MORONIC little brother thinks that everything labeled "water-resistant" can be immersed in water, and for some reason, he always and unnecessarily wants to prove his point with my stuff. Truth be told, I've already spilt a good amount of 7UP on it, and it was saved, but after some wet cleaning, I got it 'new' again. A blue rubber lining on the inside of the lid keeps liquids out of the circuits.

As far as scratches go, it's much less of a problem than most, seeing as how the finish is not glossy. Something rather annoying about the package is the socket caps. Rubber plugs flip in and out of both sockets on the CD player, and I'm always worried I'm going to rip them off putting in my headphones, so I just took them out. The headphones that come with, as has already been stated, are absolute crap. They are uncomfortable, and do really sound terrible. I prefer non-arched set of headphones in any event. I just bought $15 headphones from Philips and I'm going to keep using them.

Battery Life! It's always an issue. I go through them like Prozac, and it doesn't come cheap. My last CD player, one with no power whatsoever, would go through a battery set in no less than 2 hours, and would warn you in no way whatsoever. The batteries (already halfway used) I first put in have been there for 1 week and the counter reads that it's halfway used. A counter on the screen is always on, measuring just how much power you got left in them. As always, two AA batteries are what'll get you going, and remember that outlet power (or through a car battery) through the adapter is always an option, should you want to pay the extra 6 bucks.

Finally, the overall sound quality is the best of any CD player I've ever heard, EVER. Even with its own lousy headphones, the sound always blows me away. With my separate headphones (which are also the best I've bought), I never get tired of listening to any music. The bass available is astounding, and your other options include REAL, which sounds like you're listening to the thing in person (not that great), and of course you can always shut the bass off altogether to save battery power.

buy or no buy?
Anyway I look at (or listen to) this CD player, I maintain that it is the best electronic purchase I've made since the Xbox. Absolutely everything about it (outside the headphones) is impeccable; look, feel, performance, and sound. While the price is obviously high, considering the price of other CD players available, it is inevitably stated that no other player out there will perform as good as this one. And trust me, with my bad luck, I've had to buy some real expensive crap that was just that: crap. It's impossible to not recommend this package to anyone, so if it's music of any kind-in any way, shape or form-that you are looking for, pick up the Panasonic SL-SW940.