Eagle_Driver
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2001
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A couple of days ago, I picked this PCDP up at Target just to compare to the Sony D-NE300 that I purchased recently. Here are my brief impressions:
- The player has all of its controls, save for the (edge-mounted) Hold switch, located on the lid. This makes it easier to use than the Sony (which has the volume buttons on the edge of the player, and the Hold switch at the bottom of the player). However, the player's execution does have a few minuses:
- The SL-MP77 can display ID3 tags - but you'll have to press a button every time you want to display any of them. By default, it displays only the album and track number and elapsed time of the track. (The Sony displays partial ID3 tag information, along with the track number and elapsed time on the track, as default.)
- The SL-MP77, like other MP3 Panasonics, cannot fast-search (forward or reverse) within MP3 tracks. The Sony can - but its fast-search function is rather slow.
- The SL-MP77 comes with a remote - but it's the non-LCD type. The Sony lacks both a remote control and the provision to add one later.
- The SL-MP77, like most other 2003 and 2004-model Panasonics, has an anti-skip feature which is selectable between 10 seconds linear and 45 seconds compressed for standard audio CD playback - or up to 100 seconds for MP3 playback. (The anti-skip on the 2004 high-end SL-CT### series models is selectable between 45 seconds linear and 180 seconds (3 minutes) compressed for CD-DA playback, or up to 400 seconds for MP3 playback, due to their larger cache memory - 8MB versus 2MB.) However, I don't care much for the way Panasonic had labeled the modes (POS 2 for linear mode, POS 1 for highly compressed mode) - and the numbering is opposite to Sony's convention (G-Pro 1 for linear, G-Pro 2 for moderately compressed).
- The new Panasonics (and last year's Panasonics) finally got rid of the company's old Resume feature which resumed playback from the beginning of the current track. In its place is a new Resume feature which resumes playback from the exact point where the PCDP was last stopped. But Panasonic PCDPs make you open and close the lid to reset the player to restart playback from the beginning of the disc; Sonys can restart playback from the beginning when the Play button is pressed and held for two seconds.
- The SL-MP77, like other new Panasonic PCDPs, has a digital amp (which they've dubbed "D-sound"). However, although mine didn't distort even at maximum volume level settings (the Sony did above 26/30), the frequency response of the Panasonic shows a +1dB response peak at 20kHz (tested with RMAA 5.x). But to the average listener, that difference is practically inaudible, since that peak occurs just above the highest frequency at which most adults could hear at all - and it would have taken a +/-3dB difference in the sound level even at 3.5kHz in order for most adults to hear much of a difference. Avid audiophiles will notice this top-end boost as a mild increase in the so-called "detail". Thus, if the Sony D-NE300 were a Sennheiser HD580, I'd best describe this Panasonic as a Grado SR-225 without the 'Grato'. Different? Yes. But is one better than the other? Depends on personal taste.
- And one more detail: The Panasonic has a very good dynamic range measurement - about 93dB. The Sony came out just mediocre in this area, with a measurement of about 88dB.
Overall, the Panasonic SL-MP77 is a good alternative to the Sony D-NE300. Both of them have different strengths and weaknesses.
Hope you enjoy this quick review. I will update my results after testing the SL-MP77 under headphone-impedance loads.
Your <insert 4-letter-word here>ing portable audio moderator,
Eagle_Driver
- The player has all of its controls, save for the (edge-mounted) Hold switch, located on the lid. This makes it easier to use than the Sony (which has the volume buttons on the edge of the player, and the Hold switch at the bottom of the player). However, the player's execution does have a few minuses:
- The SL-MP77 can display ID3 tags - but you'll have to press a button every time you want to display any of them. By default, it displays only the album and track number and elapsed time of the track. (The Sony displays partial ID3 tag information, along with the track number and elapsed time on the track, as default.)
- The SL-MP77, like other MP3 Panasonics, cannot fast-search (forward or reverse) within MP3 tracks. The Sony can - but its fast-search function is rather slow.
- The SL-MP77 comes with a remote - but it's the non-LCD type. The Sony lacks both a remote control and the provision to add one later.
- The SL-MP77, like most other 2003 and 2004-model Panasonics, has an anti-skip feature which is selectable between 10 seconds linear and 45 seconds compressed for standard audio CD playback - or up to 100 seconds for MP3 playback. (The anti-skip on the 2004 high-end SL-CT### series models is selectable between 45 seconds linear and 180 seconds (3 minutes) compressed for CD-DA playback, or up to 400 seconds for MP3 playback, due to their larger cache memory - 8MB versus 2MB.) However, I don't care much for the way Panasonic had labeled the modes (POS 2 for linear mode, POS 1 for highly compressed mode) - and the numbering is opposite to Sony's convention (G-Pro 1 for linear, G-Pro 2 for moderately compressed).
- The new Panasonics (and last year's Panasonics) finally got rid of the company's old Resume feature which resumed playback from the beginning of the current track. In its place is a new Resume feature which resumes playback from the exact point where the PCDP was last stopped. But Panasonic PCDPs make you open and close the lid to reset the player to restart playback from the beginning of the disc; Sonys can restart playback from the beginning when the Play button is pressed and held for two seconds.
- The SL-MP77, like other new Panasonic PCDPs, has a digital amp (which they've dubbed "D-sound"). However, although mine didn't distort even at maximum volume level settings (the Sony did above 26/30), the frequency response of the Panasonic shows a +1dB response peak at 20kHz (tested with RMAA 5.x). But to the average listener, that difference is practically inaudible, since that peak occurs just above the highest frequency at which most adults could hear at all - and it would have taken a +/-3dB difference in the sound level even at 3.5kHz in order for most adults to hear much of a difference. Avid audiophiles will notice this top-end boost as a mild increase in the so-called "detail". Thus, if the Sony D-NE300 were a Sennheiser HD580, I'd best describe this Panasonic as a Grado SR-225 without the 'Grato'. Different? Yes. But is one better than the other? Depends on personal taste.
- And one more detail: The Panasonic has a very good dynamic range measurement - about 93dB. The Sony came out just mediocre in this area, with a measurement of about 88dB.
Overall, the Panasonic SL-MP77 is a good alternative to the Sony D-NE300. Both of them have different strengths and weaknesses.
Hope you enjoy this quick review. I will update my results after testing the SL-MP77 under headphone-impedance loads.
Your <insert 4-letter-word here>ing portable audio moderator,
Eagle_Driver
