Slappa d2i Hardbody CD Storage Review

Slappa d2i Build Quality

At what point do you decide you need a storage solution for your CDs? After you buy 10? 20? Maybe it is when you buy your first car with a CD player (I’m showing my age)? If you’re smart, and you really like your CDs, you’ll want to start protecting them after your first purchase. Those jewel cases are made to scratch CDs. Just drop one and see how it explodes. Not to mention what a pain they are to lug around. If you are serious about storage, you’ve got a number of options open to you. At home you can purchase a multidisc player and just shove it full or get a media server and burn them all… but neither of those is portable. You could buy an MP3 player and listen to all your music in compressed glory… or…

Come on, let’s be reasonable. No matter what you do, someday, sometime, you’re going to want to bring a CD with you. Most likely a whole bunch of CDs. And there will be a time that you’ll want to bring a different bunch of CDs from the last bunch you brought. You’re not going to want to fill up a cardboard box with jewel cases – you’re going to have some sort of portable solution (like a CD wallet). You’ll need to make room for the new CDs by unloading some and inserting new ones. Of course, you’ll need to take the old ones and find their jewel case (if that is how you do it) or of course you can do what most people I know do and that is just stick it in the nearest empty jewel case. That way, opening a jewel case is like Christmas! You never know what you’re going to get.

Well, Slappa has come out with a product that makes all that nonsense obsolete. Their new d2i line of HardBody cases combines the convenience of a sleeve-based solution with the flexibility of jewel cases… wait, what did I just say? That’s right, jewel cases, while bulky and breakable, are pretty flexible. You want to switch the CD from one location to another, just move it. You don’t need to take the CD out and put it into something else (like you would if you wanted to switch from one sleeve based storage solution to another). You just physically move it.

Perhaps I’m not making myself clear. Let me paint you a picture. You’ve got a large CD collection. That collection is taking up a bunch of room on racks and shelves. You decide that you want a more compact storage solution. You buy a couple of large Slappa cases and a couple of smaller ones (for the car). You load your entire collection into the large cases. When you want to take a CD with you, you pull it out of the sleeve and insert it into your smaller case right? Wrong. With the d2i system, the sleeve moves in and out – not the disc. With the d2i (i=interlocking) each sleeve has a male and a female interlocking slide that allows the sleeve to be connected to the spine of each case or to another sleeve. Just slide out the sleeve with the CD you want and slide it in to the other case. No more handling of CDs (with the possibilities of scratching/dropping). No more fumbling with locations – just grab and go.

Build Quality

Slappa provided us with the 40, 240 and, 420 (Pro Crate) d2i’s. The units were delivered all in one large box with nothing but a plastic bag over each to protect them from the horrors of shipping (except for the 420 which was in a box of its own inside the larger box – again, nothing but a plastic bag for padding). The cases showed up in perfect condition. As you look at the attached photos, believe me that they don’t do the cases justice. These things are simply gorgeous. The outside is a combination of synthetic leather (the lighter black) and z-suede (a synthetic suede – the darker areas). The outside is water resistant, flame retardant (uh, yes, they tested it – I didn’t), puncture resistant, and it won’t crack (because it isn’t plastic). If you get a dent in one of the cases you can just push it out from inside and it should go back to something similar to its original shape. The interior of all the cases are lined with velvet and is extremely supple to the touch.

Editor’s Note: The xEVA Duro-Shock exterior actually arrives to Slappa as big long sheets (looks like the bottom of a flip-flop from what I’m told). They then laminate the coverings onto the xEVA rather than glue or affix in some other way. What does that mean for you? Well, it isn’t going to peel off, there is no glue to loosen under heat – that stuff is on there for good!

Each of the removable sleeves is double sided with five layers. Going from one side to the other (they are symmetrical) there is a layer of:

1. Clear plastic

2. Black microfiber fabric

3. Black microfiber fabric

4. Black microfiber fabric

5. Clear plastic

The CDs go between layers 2/3 and layers 3/4. Between layers 1/2 and 4/5 you have the option of storing the CD insert (for easy identification, track information, etc.). The CDs are completely covered (both sides) by the black microfiber which means that if you accidentally insert the CD backwards, it will still be protected. This also means that if you leave the case in the car during one of those Mojave summers, you don’t have to worry about the plastic melting onto the top of the CD. Alternatively, the CD is completely covered (except for a small slice at the top) so if you don’t have the insert, well, you’ll either have to make some sort of label or insert the CD between the plastic and the microfiber. These sleeves weren’t really designed to be used that way so I wouldn’t suggest it. Plus, you risk melted plastic… well, just cowboy up and write the name of the album on a scrap piece of paper already! These cases look so good they’re just begging to be held and admired. You may want to hide these from your friends as they’ll spend more time looking at your case than they will listening to the music.

Interlocking Sleeves

The interlocking sleeves work really well. I was afraid that they would be hard to manipulate but they aren’t. They slide in and out easily and snap into place so that they won’t be jostled out of place during transport. With two CDs and two inserts, the sleeves get a little crowded so you probably want to put the inserts in first – especially if they are thick. The CDs are easy to get in afterwards. I’ve seen systems like this before where you can remove whole pages (usually of four double sided sleeves) but nothing that lets you build each page the way you want. This provides the ultimate flexibility in organizing and transporting your CDs. You can build and reorganize your music at will – all without ever touching a CD. What I would suggest is grouping albums in the sleeves. Since you can store two per sleeve, I’d make sure the music was complimentary. What “complimentary” means is going to be up to you. If you are using them for DJing, then perhaps it is one type of music. If it is for personal use, maybe putting albums together based on how well you like to listen to them in short order. Perhaps you like to listen to a fast and then a slower album – match them that way. Maybe you just want to put multiple albums from the same artist together… it is completely up to you.

One thing that I think needs to be pointed out is that now, for the first time, Slappa’s cases are upgradeable. Slappa can focus on putting out new and different types of sleeves. Maybe you want a double sleeve but you want it organized with one insert and 2 CDs on one side (for all your double albums). Maybe you want a single sided sleeve because you don’t like matching (and you don’t have so many CDs (yet) that you need all that storage). Maybe you want different colors for different types of music… who knows what they will come up with? But the fact is that you won’t have to buy a new case until this one breaks. Given the build quality of the Slappa cases, I wouldn’t count on that happening anytime soon.

Slappa d2i Use and Conclusion

d2i 40 and 240 CD cases

These cases are your typical portable storage solutions. The 40 is slightly larger than a jewel case, weighs 13.5 ounces, and is slightly thicker than 8 standard jewel cases. The 240 is really fairly large, weighs in at 4 lbs, and is almost as thick as 12 standard jewel cases. The 40 can only take 1 sleeve per “page” while the 240 accommodates four. The interiors are lined with velvet and have a small mesh pocket. Slappa provides a small CD cleaning cloth. One thing I really like about the 240 is the split design. You aren’t forced to turn large, four sleeve pages at a time – just two sleeved “half” pages. This is a lot easier to do and much easier to navigate.

d2i 40 CD (left)                               d2i 240 CD (right)

d2i 420 CD “Pro CD Crate”

The exterior of the 420 Pro Crate is a bit different with a ballistic nylon mesh with smooth rubberized PVC accents. The rubberized PVC is soft to the touch (almost like leather) but is strong and light. The 420 has oodles of storage (as you can see from the pics) but is much larger than the 240 (which has half the storage). Once you open it up, you realize why. This isn’t just a case filled to the brim with CDs, no, it is a storage solution. The lid and the bottom separate (you just unzip the two) and the lid doubles as an equipment storage area. There is a large pocket and a strap with a snap that can be used to hold firm something rather small (like a mic or a bundle of cables). There are a couple of pen holders, a smaller buttoned pocket, a place for your business card/label, and a couple of stretch loops that could hold down something long and thin – perhaps a mic stand or something. Mostly there is dead space that gives you lots of room for other stuff. The lid (notice the shiny Slappa logo) completely zippers down so you don’t have to worry about anything falling out.

The bottom of the case has three separate removable “shelves” that holds the CDs. The front of each of these has a small plastic window where a label can be inserted. For a DJ, this looks like a great feature. Each shelf organized by type of music or type of event… could be anything. A total no-brainer. Each of these “shelves” in lined with jersey (which is softer than velvet) while the top compartment is buck blast (a synthetic leather). Outside of the case is a large buttoned pocket up front and two small side pockets. Now it is obvious that this was designed with the DJ in mind but I’m not a DJ. I’m an Audioholic. What I saw then I looked at this case was a bunch of test/demo CDs/DVDs. A couple pockets for SPL and other meters. A large pocket or two for a portable DVD player (something to plug directly into a component to see if the problem is the component or some other setting) and maybe a laptop with room to spare for a tripod or a video calibration system… This would be the perfect case for an Audioholic on the go. Sure, you may not be that guy, but some of you really enjoy going around to people’s houses and helping them set up their stuff. Imagine their faces when you bust this thing out!

Recommendations

As much as I obviously like these cases, there are a few small issues. The “velvet” exterior is really easy to dirty (it is also easy to clean so maybe that is a wash). The top of the 420 case is really difficult to unzip. Many of these cases live under the front seat of your car. I imagine that some seats would have a hard time accommodating the 40 (it wouldn’t fit under the power front seat of my Escape but did fit under the manual passenger seat) while I don’t think any would accommodate the 240. These gripes are mostly minor and frankly, with everything else going for these cases – I just don’t care. My only real concern is the durability of the sliding mechanism. It is plastic and seems to be fairly sturdy. Only time and use will reveal if these are up to the task.

Conclusion

One thing that absolutely can’t be overlooked is the possibility of upgrades. If Slappa chooses, they can just release new sleeves which you can buy rather than having to purchase an entirely new case. This has huge ramifications for the consumer who is used to dealing with a product that will either break easily or will be succeeded in a few months by a new, “better” version. To think of upgrading a CD case is almost mind-boggling. Slappa is really focusing on the customer with this one. Slappa has always provided the looks, with the d2i system; they’ve taken functionality to a whole new level. At prices that rival even the least expensive of their competitors, I don’t know why you’d look anywhere else.

About Slappa
SLAPPA engineers and distributes a visionary range of products, inspired by the pursuit of creating the ultimate user experience. Building on the success of the SLAPPA HardBody CD and DVD storage line, the SLAPPA brand continues to build its reputation for offering the highest quality products and personal customer service.  SLAPPA products have won critical acclaim from more then 80 publications and have been recognized for 3 “Product of the Year” awards. SLAPPA currently sells in 18 countries around the globe, and continues to actively expand its international presence. For more information on SLAPPA visit the website at www.slappa.com.

The Score Card

The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:

Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating

Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.

Audioholics Rating Scale

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Ergonomics & Usability
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