Panasonic Shockwave SVSW30V 256MB MP3 Player with FM Tuner

by Panasonic

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 0.9 x 2.1 x 3.2 inches ; 4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000255IAU
• Item model number: SV-SW30S
• Batteries: 1 AAA batteries required.
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #126,052 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Water-resistant and designed to deliver outstanding audio entertainment in rugged, outdoor conditions, the silver-tinged Panasonic SVSW30S digital audio player features 256 MB of built-in flash memory. It's compatible with both MP3 and WMA formats, and can hold approximately four hours of CD-quality MP3 files and eight hours of CD-quality WMA. Listen to all your favorite FM radio stations and program up to 20 stations into the player's preset memory for easy access while you're on the move.

At less than 3 inches tall, the SVSW30S Digital Audio Player can be conveniently worn on your arm or clipped to a belt. You can also store a variety of data files on the SVSW30S, since your computer recognizes it as an external drive. The large LCD can display mode, track number, elapsed time, battery and more. You can also see the artist and title of the MP3 song currently playing in the SVSW30A thanks to ID3 Tagging, It's powered by a single AAA battery, which can provide up to 9 hours of battery life. Transfer files via USB by simply dragging and dropping.

What's in the Box
SVSW30S player, arm band, USB cable, headphones, battery

Product Description

Panasonic SV-SW30 E-Wear 256MB MP3 Player with Digital FM Tuner SV-SW20 - Cruise with this Panasonic portable audio player that's geared to your active lifestyle. Whether you jog, run, skate, walk, board, or chill, this MP3 recorder and player is just what you need. Extremely compact and lightweight, you hardly feel its presence but the music pleases constantly. The built-in 256MB of memory stores your MP3 and WMA audio files, so you have your tunes with you wherever you go. You can even listen to your favorite radio stations with the FM tuner. Up to 10 Hours Playback on 1 AAA Battery (not include Memory Capacity - 256MB (about 8 hours of MP3 play) 6-Preset EQ Mode helps optimize sound of different music types Playlist Selection A-B Repeat Included Accessories - USB Cable, Arm Band, Headphones Unit Dimensions (H x W x D) - 2 1/8'' x 3 3/16'' x 7/8'' Unit Weight - About 2.5 ounces with battery Includes software for Windows PC for USB file transfer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best flash player for exercise, August 17, 2004

By 

Sodalug (East Lansing, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic Shockwave SVSW30V 256MB MP3 Player with FM Tuner (Electronics)

Shopping for an MP3 player is truly a daunting challenge. There are hundreds of brands and models to consider, each with countless features and capacities. The really bad part is that most of the time you can't really handle or operate them before your purchase. And given the large capacities, limited display and controls, how the thing really operates is of utmost importance, at least to me.

The choices get easier if you can be honest about how you're actually going to use your player. If you're the kind of techno-wannabe jackass 'early adopter' who thinks its just too hip to walk around downtown with a pair of white iPod earbuds hanging off your empty head, you probably don't normally spend a lot of time carefully considering your purchases and thus, this kind of question is not for you. For me the clear answer was, 'while exercising', so a more reliable, no moving parts, flash based player was the inevitable choice. It wasn't easy to accept though, the incredible size of the hard drive based players at only a minimal additional cost was tantalizing. I drooled over the thought of ripping my hundreds of CDs and carrying my entire music collection in my pocket. For instance, while I consider the iPods too expensive, not to mention the lack of a replaceable battery, high capacity players such as the Creative Jukebox offer 30 GB and up starting at $200, that's only $20 more than my 256 MB Panasonic. Therefore unless running is on your agenda, I'd go with the disk based player.

Although there are 512 MB flash players available, Panasonic didn't make one, and none of the others had the right mix of features I was looking for. So I decided this was enough space. At 128-bits I can fit about 6-8 albums on the player, which is pretty darn good.

In general I'm not much of a brand snob. However, when it comes to consumer electronics, I am a strong believer in Panasonic gear. I have a phone, VCR, two DVD players, TV, and CD discman that have all served me unusually well. Obviously you can't argue with the quality of Apple built iPods, but I keep coming back to the stupidity of the battery situation. Otherwise the field is wide open, everyone from Dell to Sony to companies you never heard of are making players. I personally started out at Panasonic, but then wasted a lot of time comparing others, only to end right back where I started. Many of the other players I looked at had many complaints about battery door covers that break off, headphone jacks that failed, and buttons that broke off. I just didn't feel like taking a chance on quality at this price.

So here are the final features that made the ultimate decision for me:

* Removable Battery: this is a serious problem in my view with the iPods and other disk based players from the likes of Dell. It just shows how insane Mac zealots are that have bought the iPod that the inability to change the battery for no good reason was not a deterrent. That or the iPod is just that good, your call. Mine uses a single AAA battery, a NiMh rechargeable that cost $8 a pair. Its worth noting the Creative disk based players have removable Lithium Ion batteries which is a major bonus if such a player is on your list, but if your going flash, its really a non-issue.

* Waterproof: whether sweat or rain, a player used during exercise is bound to get wet, so a water resistant player like the Shockwave is a must for me. Its also has heavy duty shock resistant casing. Some feel the disk based players can stand up to running, but I just don't think so.

* FM Tuner: a no brainer to me, yet still absent from iPod, what gives? Digital tuner and 20 presets on mine, although setting them up was a bit confusing.

* Drag & Drop File Transfer: basically, you plug the player into your USB port and it shows up as a removable drive, you then copy files over using Explorer, I like this simplicity. Most other players require some software to accomplish this. Though this may be comforting to noobs, I just consider it a waste of my time and a hassle. Plus, if you're away from your home computer, you're screwed unless you carry around the installation software if you want to transfer files.

The players blue backlit 4 line display is nice and simple. I do wish it provided the ability to navigate subfolders, because as it is now you have to track forward and back though the entire contents of the memory, which can be a real chore if you're trying to get to song 98 out of 99. I can live with it though.

The player includes a set of wrap-around earphones which have excellent sound and are very comfortable, a USB cable, a plastic belt clip carrying case, and a really nice elastic adjustable arm band - by far the best I've seen on any player. I also bought some tiny earbuds for incognito use, and a pair of running buds with little support arms that grab your ears. They work ok, but slide out sometimes and allow too much wind noise. I think the regular wrap headphones included, while bulkier, both sound better and stay on your head more surely.

So that's about it, the Panasonic player gets my recommendation. No complaints so far.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the best ... BUT IT JUST WON'T DIE !!!, May 17, 2007

By 

D. Hartmann - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic Shockwave SVSW30V 256MB MP3 Player with FM Tuner (Electronics)

My wife and I have had a matching set of these for about 3 years now.

They do not offer a lot of features and sometimes you need to press it a second (or third) time to shut it off, but as a workout MP3 player I have not found anything as rugged and reliable as this model.

It is wild to think that the price of these has gone down over 75% since I first bought mine. I am soo tempted to buy one, but I already have two and they show no signs of dieing on my any time soon.

dj

5.0 out of 5 stars Very rugged and dependable, January 5, 2010

By 

Mr Clark (lynchburg, va United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic Shockwave SVSW30V 256MB MP3 Player with FM Tuner (Electronics)

I was entering a review for another item I bought and was shown a list of things I had purchased at the end and asked if I'd like to review them. I realized when I saw these on my list what a great product they really have been. They have been a part of life that you don't have to think about. Extremely dependable, and always there. Never have had any trouble whatsoever. oh, I have owned it for several years and have used it almost exclusively for running. The sound quality is wonderful. Better sound than I have had on any walkman or similar product. Good low notes and overall sound quality. The only drawback that I can think of is a relatively short battery life but each battery lasts about 2-3 weeks of runs. Great product that I spent more than twice as much for when I bought it and it was well worth the money.