Full review of Panasonic SL-CT470A (blue version) compared to Sony D-E446CK

[Deuce_Bigalow]

I thought since other people were doing it I'd try and help people out by writing a full review of the Panasonic SL-CT470 comparing it to my Sony D-E446CK.

I'll rate everything out of 10.

Build quality: Panasonic-6/10 Sony-9/10
The lid doesn't feel too solid and considering the buttons and display are on the lid it might not hold up too long. It's also really light. It feels like it won't hold up to too much abuse unlike older Panasonic players. It does look high quality though. The Sony's lid is loose too but the buttons are on the front so it's not affected. Dropping it and spilling coke on it hasn't affected it too much either.

Winner:Sony

Antiskip: Panasonic-8/10 Sony-5/10
With the antiskip off it can't handle too much moving around. A little jolt to the side and it cuts out for split second. With antiskip on it can't be stopped. The Sony is a lot better for using with ESP off but not near as good as the P-Sonic with ESP on.

Winner:Panasonic

Battery Life: Panasonic-6/10 Sony-7/10
The 2AAA rechargeables that come with it only last about 5 or 6 hours for me with varied use. My Sony's rechargeable AA pack originally lasted about 9 hours on a charge (never using ESP) but the battery pack is about 3 years old now and doesn't last quite as long. A little bit longer than the Panasonic. I don't like the idea of an add on battery case so it would be nice to have longer battery life with the rechargeables, something like what the D-EJ915 has. Also the Panasonic 470 doesn't have a battery gauge so I never know when it's gonna die. My Sony has a 3 level gauge that helps me judge when to recharge.

Winner:Sony

Sound: Panasonic-7/10 Sony- 9/10
This was supposed to be the best sounding portable cd player available now so that's why I bought it, but comparing it to my Sony I find it doesn't sound as good. Sometimes the volume output isn't good enough when I'm using the Sony EX70's, but it depends on the recording. When I switched back and forth from the Panasonic to the Sony I tried to match the volume level. The Sony seemed to have better, clearer deep bass. It also sounded a lot more exciting to me. The Panasonic in comparison sounded a bit soft or dull or something. I think maybe the Sony sacrifices neutrality for something else that I like. Don't know the wording for it, I'm not really good at this. The highs seem stronger and clearer but a little bit more harsh. I prefer the slightly harsh sound to the dullness of the Panasonic. Maybe it's cause my Panasonic is blue. My Sony sounds better cause it is silver. :-) If I had gotten the blue Sony and the silver Panasonic then the Panasonic would have sounded better! :-) Someone mentioned this a little while back when they compared a bunch of cd players. But they sounded a bit more serious then me. lol
I think maybe the midrange is a bit lacking on the Sony compared to the Panasonic. The Sony matches my Koss Sportapros better because they have a lot of midbass and less harsh highs. The Sony matches up better with this. The Sony is also better with the Sony EX70's because they are a bit inefficient like some people have mentioned before. I can't imagine having the EX70's with a new Sony with 5mw amp. That would suck.

Winner:Sony

Features: Panasonic-6/10 Sony-8/10

The Sony has a resume play feature that I really like. Sometimes I want to stop the cd for a minute or 2 so I don't want to pause it. I turn on the resume switch and hit stop. When I start it back up it goes to the exact same spot. The Panasonic will only resume to the same track. That's stupid, I can switch tracks easily enough to get back to the one I was on. Also with the Sony you can use the resume feature separate from any other programming feauture. With the Panasonic it's on the same switch as the shuffle play so you can't shuffle and resume at the same time if you wanted too. Big deal. The Sony also has intro play. Big deal. It has a feature that can make the cd player only play one song and then stop, or you can hit repeat and it will play the one song over and over again. It has quite a few little details like that the Panasonic doesn't have. Also the battery display is nice to have. Bass boost sucks on both of them (obviously). The lcd displays are equally easy to see on both of them but the Panasonics is a lot bigger (but with less to see on it).

Winner:Sony

I think I covered almost everything here. Hope this helps some people.