The right side of this compact player houses the headphone jack along with an assortment of hidden switches and a thin volume dial that may be too tiny for some thumbs. A Hold switch prevents the player from accidentally turning on while it's stored in your backpack or purse. Resume, Random, and Normal switches offer manual access to these functions without relying on the LED and Left/Right disc-skip buttons. We found the manual Random function most useful, since it automatically programs random tracks at the flip of the switch.

The player also has an S-XBS (Super Extra Bass System), which we opted to keep on all the time, as it enhances the dynamics of all musical genres, from classical to rock. Finally, an antishock deactivation switch enables users to save battery life while the player is stationary.

Initially, Panasonic's 10-second antishock protection seemed insufficient, as many players within the same price range sport 40-second memory buffers. However, we were proved wrong in our tests--after tapping it, shaking it, turning it upside down, and dropping it from several inches off the ground, the SL-S222 still refused to skip.

We were impressed with the sound of the SL-S222, which incorporates Panasonic's acclaimed 1-bit MASH (multistage noise-shaping) technology. Panasonic's seemingly flimsy headphones outclassed our standby portable set, which are usually preferable to the tinny, bass-anemic variety t