Das Radio ist nicht schlecht. Bin im Wesentlichen sehr zufrieden. Beim CD abspielen vermisse ich nur welche Titel- Nr. gerade luft?

 

I’ve started buying CD’s again after seeing some of my favourite albums removed from streaming services because licensing agreements ran out. Made me realise that having a physical copy of my music as a back up is a great idea and CD’S are the best sounding physical format no matter what vinyl hipsters try to tell you and unlike vinyl CD’s have never been cheaper.

Anyways, I wanted a portable system with a remote that could play my CD’s and would allow me to stream from Amazon music. My choices were surprisingly few as most reputable brands didn’t include a remote so I went for this Panasonic machine and I’m glad I did.

Sound is excellent and very loud from such a compact device. Only negative is the manual is borderline useless but I still managed to figure everything out. I bought the version with FM radio instead of DAB as I prefer using a smart speaker for radio or using an app like TuneIn on my phone and streaming stations to this device.

Overall this is a great device at a great price with terrific sound quality.

 

If you romanticise about the old days where people used to walk in the streets carrying similar CD or Cassette players then this one will definitely give you some flashbacks. Out of the box, this Radio/Speaker/CD Player looks bulky but doesn’t weigh as much as it looks. In fact thanks to the form factor and handle it can be held easily and the relatively convenient weight makes it portable for a considerable amount of time.

It provides a variety of music playing options. It can be used as a radio, music source over CD, USB input, and even provides connection over Bluetooth. It is indeed made for music since it provide more than one way to play your favourite content. You can even opt for a variety of streaming sources and switch between them easily.

The sound quality is very decent considering the small form factor. The speakers can be very booming without using the crispness and the clear tone. There is no distortion at high volumes and I like the fact that this can reach pretty high volumes since we intend to use it outdoors.

It is well-built and feels sturdy. It would definitely withstand some wear and tear and can pull through outdoor conditions.

The remote is a lovely addition and it makes things even easier, especially when you are relying on USB, CD or playing the Radio.

 

This arrived in a in a branded colourful box with images of the player, specifications and functions printed on the sides. The box opens up to polystyrene packing with a pack on top containing the instructions and warrantee in a multitude of languages. You also get a single AA battery for the remote control and the remote control packed into the top section of the box. The player is wrapped in a protective foam sheet with the CD lid secured for transit with tape; everything is very well packed and protected.

After opening everything up I had a read through the manual, although there is a large pack of documentation you have to find the section covering English and although I thought the instructions covered the functions and usage well they did lack depth such as lacking instructions on storing radio stations to the five pre-set buttons on the front.

I thought the design quite nice and almost a retro style boom box with a modern twist, the features and the finishing look immaculate. I fitted the battery into the remote control and tested out all the features and functions, the radio works well and tuning can be done either manually on the player or via the remote control, although you can’t store a channel with the remote. The CD player works well and will play either normal CD’s or CD’s containing a MP3 format. The Bluetooth function works great and I found it very easy to set up to my phone and stream music. I put some MP3’s on a USB dongle and fitted it in the slot on the back, this worked perfectly and the music can also be navigated with the remote control. I did find the remote control needed to be pointed at the player to adjust.

The sound quality you get through the speakers is really the shining point of this, I thought the sound quality extremely good through the speakers, with it handling heavy bass really well and I didn’t detect any distortion even at the highest volume, it has a nice crisp tone on lighter and middle tone music, and again I found no distortion at the highest volume. The display is very small and you do have be near it to see what is going on although it does have some nice touches such as scrolling details.

I was quite surprised how loud the volume went and even in a big room the highest volume was overwhelming. It can be used without a mains power supply but it does need eight R14/L14 batteries and these go into the bottom under a slide cover which is easy to remove.

Overall this has a great sound allowing you to play media through Bluetooth connection, radio, CD mixed format and USB. The speakers and sound quality is really the star of this player and I was impressed with the quality, the remote control does not have the greatest distance and it needs to be pointed, the display could have been brighter and instructions more detailed but apart from these minor niggles in my opinion this is a really good media player.

 

I tested the D552 recently and found it to be a brilliant device. I will repeat most of what I said about that model for this review as almost all of the comments ring true here. This model, the D550 offers largely the same specs and looks pretty much identical to the slightly more expensive D552. The one main difference that I can see is the absence of a DAB radio receiver, this being FM only. If you’re not concerned with DAB then this is an excellent CD player and Bluetooth speaker. However I did really like the inclusion of DAB on the D552.

I expected a top quality product as this is by Panasonic and it really hasn’t disappointed at all. There is plenty of functionality on offer with bluetooth connectivity, CD player and FM radio but no DAB. It also has a USB port to the rear of the unit. It is a portable system with carry handle but requires a power supply to be connected up (which is provided). The system is really easy to use either with the face buttons on the front or the remote control that is included. It is very practically laid out but also a very nice looking system.

In terms of sound I am very happy with the results. It is a 20W speaker so not the loudest on the market but the sound quality is excellent, with top-notch optimisation. Everything sounds well balanced with excellent levels of clarity, a nice wide soundstage and very good levels of bass that is nice and punchy creating a rich, full sound. Bass, mids and trebles are all well pronounced and superbly balanced resulting in a warm and responsive sounding speaker. There are sound booster options including bass and volume booster – I use bass boost for a bit of added oomph.

It’s a brilliant speaker system and it is the CD player mode that has been most used by me. In a time when CDs seem to be slowly dying out in favour of non-physical audio formats (streaming and digital downloads) it is nice to see a reputable company like Panasonic still putting out high quality stereo systems like this with CD functionality. I’ve found myself delving back into my CD collection with a new found zest thanks to this brilliant system. As with the D552 this is an easy 5 stars for me so long as you don’t want DAB functionality.