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(More customer reviews)I never see anyone talk much about the sound quality of portable cd players, and this is the most important aspect of any piece of audio equipment, so that's what this review is about. I bought the Panasonic SX-320 after auditioning numerous other models in its price range; from Sony, JVC, Koss, RCA, Sanyo, and Panasonic. I found the sound of the SX-320 better than the competition; even better than the costlier SX-420 model. My reason for wanting a cd player was because I had purchased a Sony PSYC E-350 unheard, and was always disappointed with its unappealing sound quality and volume (which was always either not loud enough or too loud). The overall quality of sound the Panasonic was able to deliver was far superior in comparison to my Sony PSYC, that was immediately apparent. For all it offered, the player initially struck me as a remarkable value for its price. The sound of the Panasonic was spacious, deep and detailed; and didn't have any of that harsh "headrill" sound of the Sony at its loudest volumes. But that is in part due to the fact that the Panasonic is pitifully weak in its volume output. It couldn't drown out exterior sounds at its loudest volume, which made it impossible to hear many of the details in the music, as they collided with the outside sounds. And when I looked at the specifications, no wonder! The headphone output is a measly 5mw.
Further research into current cd portables led me to discover that there is something of a conspiracy among electronics manufacturers to hide the specifications of their headphone output and minimize the fact that the crop of cd portables today are deliberately weak in volume output. Try and find the headphone specs for Sony and Panasonic portables on the web; all they'll tell you is that it has a headphone jack! Manufacturers are now deliberately installing volume-limiting circuitry (the addition of which does NOTHING good for maintaining the quality of the sound!), in part to protect their profits in the long-term. The Panasonic SX-320 is loud enough if you listen to it in a quiet environment, such as in the home, but a portable cd player is designed to be listened to outside, so limiting the max. volume can make the player all but useless. Even if you have cat ears or like listening to your polka music just above a whisper, having good volume output is still beneficial. It allows you to use the player with a greater variety of quality headphones that aren't super-sensitive, and playing at volumes well below the maximum won't crush your dynamics or cause as much distortion when you have volume to spare. The electronics manufacturers want to act like your parents and tell you how loud you should play your portable... by forcing you to listen at a much-reduced volume than what you used to be able to get in CD portables. I say let's send them a message and VOTE WITH YOUR POCKETBOOK! Don't buy wimpy CD portables. The inclusion of AVLS and similar volume-limiting circuitry in CD portables is a feature that consumers pay for but didn't ask for, and it is completely unnecessary. The fact that all CD players have a volume switch makes that feature redundant.
Back to the sound: Further comparisons with the Sony revealed flaws in the Panasonic sound; the SX-320 was as dry and cold as it was open and detailed. Although details like bass in the Pana were better defined (not to mean "well defined"....), the Sony had the edge when it came to musicality. There are specific reasons for this but, they're too complicated to go into here. Suffice to say, the Panasonic had everything in its right place, but wasn't very exciting to listen to, if you happened to be listening to music. The Sony wasn't exactly killer diller in this area either, but in the end and after many careful comparisons, I chose the E-350 over the SX-320. Because if the sound quality is interfering with the music coming through, what's the point of listening to music on it?
As for the non-sound quality related issues; the Pana gets top marks: Ergonomics are great (like the locking latch on the cover), looks are great, buttons are easy to manipulate, LCD display is easy to read, overall size is pretty compact, and player is extremely light, making it less prone to damage if dropped, due to the lowered force of impact. (Indeed, I dropped the player on the floor of a subway within 10 minutes of buying it, not a scratch). I always listen to my CD portables with the anti-skip protection removed; because it too interferes greatly with the sound. I give a strike against the Panasonic for the fact that it's anti-skip setting ("POS2" is the better sounding one) needs to be reset every time you change the batteries. With the Sony, you can just set the switch permanently to "off" and never worry about it. In regular walks around town, I've never had either player skip on me with the reduced anti-skip buffer.
CONCLUSION: Despite the dry, uninvolving sound and the limited volume ("25" sure -sounds- loud, doesn't it...), the Panasonic SX-320 is an excellent buy for the price; for someone who doesn't care about its faults. Unfortunately, it isn't the SX-320 that has caused me to end my search for the new CD portable that has both great sound and good volume output.
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The stylish and affordable SL-SX320 offers basic playback features with extended battery life and high-powered anti-skip technology. Panasonic'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 33 hours on two AA batteries. CD playback abilities include playback of standard CD, audio CD-R, and CD-RW; 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.
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