Price Paid:  $150.00

Summary:
purchased this just over a year ago for teenage son but find myself stealing it from time to time when working about the house.I use it with a set of Grado sr60s and the sound is very good, in fact getting close to the sound using the same phones with my Luxman amp.The anti-shock works well and i've had no problems playing any discs from very well used cds to cdrs.
My son uses it with Sennheiser 433 and while these are a big improvement over the standard ear phones no way do they match the Grados.
Matched with good phones like the sr60s the sx500 makes an excellent audio set up combining good sound,build quality and user friendly features. highly recommended.

Strengths:
very well made. good battery life with built-in rechargable.controls easy to use. good sound when used with better headphones.

Weaknesses:
poor standard headphones.

Price Paid:  $150.00 from Brymn Mawr Stereo And Video (i dont know how to spell it)

Summary:
Seeing how this Portable CD-Player is from September of 1998, and it ha pretty much all of the features that a newer Portable CD-Player would have, in a small size, I think this is a great Player. The 40 second Anti-Shock is great. It is really the only portable CD-Player that I have seen that has a graphic equalizer button. This is still one of te better CD-Players that are out, and it is from September of 1998.

Strengths:
Graphic Equalizer, Aluminum Dicast Lid, 40 Second Ati-Shock Memory II, XBS, Small Size, Remote, Battery CHech Feature (check them when it is not turned on), Extra Bettery Holder for extended play.

Weaknesses:
Kind of heavy (nothing you would really notice though)

Similar Products Used:
Panasonic SL-S321C

Price Paid:  $120.00 from A+B sound

Summary:
This cd player would play cds that not even my very nice yamaha home sterio would play. Great value and very good listening. The Line out was at a better level than other cd players I've tried

Strengths:
Good Cd player-Will play scratched cds
thin design
good remote
awesome battery life
comes with rechargable batteries

Weaknesses:
Terrible earphones

Similar Products Used:
Friends cd players including Sonys and JVC
Yamaha CD player for home stereo

Summary:
This is one of my best electronics purchases ever. I've had it for quite some time now and it is truly an exceptional player. The battery life they claim is actually acheivable (and surpassable - 52+ hours!!!). The anti skip works quite well and the remote is very handy for CD navigation while walking. The buttom lock systems are quite handy (on unit and remote). The supplied buds are fine but I don't know why the cable length is lop-sided (shorte left earphone cable). Very minor gripe. This is a sure fire purchase.

Strengths:
Never skips, outstanding battery life, handy remote,looks great

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
Older model portable CD players (2 Sonys)

Summary:
It is the best product out on the market for it price value and the design is very good.

Strengths:
The Thin compact design suits me very well and the ESP2 is very handful on the bus ride from home. The remothe is veryuseful and the battery check is useful as well. I love the way it looks and how it reacts. The rechargable batteries that came with it are superb and save you a lot of money and they recharge in like 3hr which is quite useful.

Weaknesses:
THE ESP2 if it is hit to hard says "sorry" and then continues playing and the headphones that come with it are terriable.

Similar Products Used:
Sony D-ES51 and Panasonic SL-S165. They both are okay but the Panasonic is way better and has no flaws.