Panasonic RX-D550 Review

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 preset 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.
About this item: Panasonic RX-D550 Powerful, Portable & Multisource Compatible FM Radio, with Bluetooth, USB, CD, 20W
Multi Source Playback - CD, FM, Bluetooth, USB - D550 offers plenty of listening choice. Choose radio, from high quality FM. Play your CD collection - or connect to the music on your mobile with Bluetooth. You can even play tracks directly from a USB drive.
20W with Bass Reflex -Powerful rich sound brings music to life - D550 has two 8cm full-range speaker units and boasts a total output power of 20W - remarkable in such a compact sleek unit. Flare-shaped bass reflex ports help ensure smoother airflow, reducing air turbulence, to provide full-bodied warm bass tones.
Fully Portable - Thanks to an integrated carrying handle, a stylish compact form and the ability to take batteries - this unit is equally beneficial at home indoors or out. Its powerful rich sound makes it the perfect partner in the garden, kitchen or study. Enjoy powerful sound on the go with either battery or mains power.
Sound Booster - Choose to enhance rhythmic or vocal performance - Sound Booster equaliser helps you get the best from music and spoken word. Press once for B-Boost to enhance the bass and rhythm - bringing music to life. Press twice for V-Boost to highlight vocals or assist spoken-word radio and podcasts.
Convenient Operation - Remote control - D550 comes with its own remote control, so anyone can change input source, radio station, track, adjust volume or mute the sound from the comfort of their chair.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask them in the comments and I will do my best to answer.