Panasonic SL-MP80 CD/MP3 Player
[Archived in Audio, CD Players, MP3-CD Players, Panasonic, Products]
Manufacturer: Panasonic
Price at amazon.com:
New from $69.97List price $69.99
- Thin, round-form design for optimal portability with 2-line, 10-character dot-matrix display on top cover
- Plays standard CD, audio CD-R, audio CD-RW, and MP3/WMA CD (supports ID3 tags)
- Hold prevents unintended commands (play, stop, etc.) and resume picks up exactly where the player left off
- Includes stylish over-ear headphones
- Up to 48 hours of MP3 playback from 2 AA batteries (not included)
Product Description:
Enjoy music with the freedom that comes from MP3 and WMA (Windows Media Audio) CD playback, extended battery life, and high-powered anti-skip technology with Panasonic's SL-MP80. The company's exclusive No-Skip technology helps prevent interruptions from jostling during active use. No Skip's unique construction uses rubber brushings to absorb shock, while an anti-skip mechanism and an anti-skip digital servo further prevent read errors. A 48-second memory reserve provides added back up. Now, battery changes will be fewer and farther between thanks to Panasonic's PowerLast high-efficiency power system, which combines an efficient motor with low-load circuitry for playback time of up to 48 hours on two AA batteries (during MP3/WMA playback). CD playback abilities include ID3 tag support (displays artist names and song titles with properly formatted sound files), 24-track random-access programming; repeat and resume (which picks up where the unit left off when last stopped); and skip/search and memory/recall. A hold switch prevents accidental starting, stopping, or track skipping during use or transport. The unit boasts a thin design with operation keys and LCD laid out logically on its top cover.
Description from Manufacturer:Enjoy music with the freedom that comes from MP3 and WMA (Windows Media Audio) CD playback, extended battery life, and high-powered anti-skip technology with Panasonic's SL-MP80. The company's exclusive No-Skip technology helps prevent interruptions from jostling during active use. No Skip's unique construction uses rubber brushings to absorb shock, while an anti-skip mechanism and an anti-skip digital servo further prevent read errors. A 48-second memory reserve provides added back up. Now, battery changes will be fewer and farther between thanks to Panasonic's PowerLast high-efficiency power system, which combines an efficient motor with low-load circuitry for playback time of up to 48 hours on two AA batteries (during MP3/WMA playback). CD playback abilities include ID3 tag support (displays artist names and song titles with properly formatted sound files), 24-track random-access programming; repeat and resume (which picks up where the unit left off when last stopped); and skip/search and memory/recall. A hold switch prevents accidental starting, stopping, or track skipping during use or transport. The unit boasts a thin design with operation keys and LCD laid out logically on its top cover.Average Customer Rating: 
Comment: Pretty good Rating:
*The first thing that I must mention is that the only difference between this player and the MP70 is the 80's ability to play WMA files. If you don't need that functionality then DO NOT get this player. The MP70 is about 10 bucks cheaper.
Now on to the actual review:
At first glance the player looks pretty attractive, although a tad bulky. When it was started, it took about 10 seconds to load the cd and start playing.
The audio quality was quite excellent especially if you like listening to music with a lot of bass, such as rap , r+b, alternative rock, etc; the EQ bass mode takes care of that.
The battery life does indeed live up to its claim. I still haven't listened to the cd player until the batteries have died, and I use the player quite a bit.
The only thing lacking with the player is the inadequate navigation system. To get to track 100, you have to click the skip button 99 times. Although this problem can be somewhat remedied by putting songs in specific albums, panasonic could definitely improve this aspect of the player. Then it truly would be the best.
Overall, the ML-70/80 are definitely the best bangs for the buck. Its affordable price, great functionality, and aesthetic design will provide countless hours of entertainment.
Comment: Good, but unimpressive Rating:
I bought this as a gift and I was looking for something less geeky than the iRiver ChromeX, which was the first choice. I just wanted a player that got the basics right and didn't involve dozens of settings. The brand name was there, I knew it was made in Japan, and the price suggested good quality for the features you get.
Based on my experience of the few weeks while it was still in my hands, my impression of this player is generally positive. The sound quality is good. I didn't look at the watch, but battery life was totally decent. The antiskip protection has passed several tests which have probably been more strenuous than real-life situations. And unless you're a geek, this player has pretty much all the features that you will need. I bought it last year, it's still being used and I haven't heard complaints so far.
There are a few things about it that I didn't like. I will mention them in order of their importance.
First, the lack of the fast forward and rewind functions while playing MP3s. I knew about it from the manual, prior to purchase, but I underestimated how important these functions are. It may vary with your listening habits, but if you listen to audiobooks or if you find yourself frequently skipping back and forth in a music track, this is not the player for you. Again, it only applies to MP3. Fast forward and rewind does work for audio CDs.
Another issue was the occasional overlapping between the end of one track and the beginning of the next when playing MP3s, but this happened randomly and it may have something to do with the quality of the CD.
A shortcoming that seems to be common to many CD-MP3 players are the "clicks" presumably generated by the buffering/antiskip algorithms. This player makes no exception. The clicks are there, very weak but still audible. They tend to occur when silence follows sound abruptly. If you pay attention, you will hear them at the end of music tracks. You may notice them if you listen to voice recordings even without paying attention. But you may not care about this. Audiophiles probably don't expect much from a portable player.
The browsing of MP3 CDs is limited to jumping by track or by folder/album. CDs with deep directory trees are not easy to browse, but otherwise you'll be fine.
The design is okay, but there's nothing "slick" about it. A little dull and bulky, actually. No back light on the LCD display, which makes it harder to use in the dark.
The included headphones have a wide spectrum, but they accentuate lower frequencies, which I find unnecessary, since the player itself has a bass-enhancing mode. However, many people like that, and if you don't, you can always replace the headphones.
Comment: Incredible piece of electronics ! ! ! Rating:
(...).
This CD player is amazing for one simple reason: you can fit up to 15-17 CDs worth of music on it. I am fairly experienced with computers--I used Windows Media Player to 'rip' songs from 11 CDs from my CD collection, then burned them to ONE CD. Windows Media Player was able to automatically download song/album information using CDDB--navigating from CD to CD and within each virtual CD is a breeze. Now--I *have* put my MP3s onto a CD and I will acknowledge that many, many mp3s will fit onto a single CD. However, I am amazed that so many MORE WMAs will fit onto the same CD. The manual recommends ripping songs at 96kbps and this is fine for me. I notice no sound degradation at all.
The sound is very good. (...)
This is a very cool piece of technology and I am very pleased with the sound--but I am so over-the-edge happy about the WMA format and functionality.
This is a must-get.
Posted at November 11, 2003 07:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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