Panasonic SC-PT480EB-K 5.1 DVD Home Theatre System

Review by jaspan1 for Panasonic SC-PT480EB-K 5.1 DVD Home Theatre System
Rating:
I took a while to choose which home cinema system to go for and decided on a budget of £200 max as I only really wanted a system that would double up as dvd home cinema (for occasional viewing) and a surround system for watching tv via Sky on my Panasonic 37″ Plasma( I only have basic Sky package, no sky + or HD). The old Technics amp died but had really struggled to reproduce clear audio dialogue anyway.

We all know how bad the sound is from even the latest flat screen tv’s so it was time to sort it out.

Out of the box this system has a quality feel about it belying its price tag. The main unit is simple but sleek although the subwoofer did seem small and lightweight at first glance thoughI needn’t have worried as it really belts out the lower frequencies with effortless power. The Subwoofer is set at level 2 out of 5, so it has loads in reserve! Putting it together couldn’t be simpler with colour coding from unit to speaker. Easy-peasy.

Sound-wise films like XXX and Transformers 2 are clear and detailed with plenty of bottom end to scare the neighbours come explosion time! Pictures are very crisp and detailed too which is another pleasant surprise. As I have no optical output from my tv this unit had to be connected via its audio out which is absolutely fine.

I can select which sound presets suit what I’m watching or listening to with ease. Playing cd’s through this Panasonic was pretty straight forward as well. As I said there are plenty of presets and options to get a more than decent sound when listening to music but rwemember this isn’t a dedicated cd player so you will have to play around to get something that works for you. The instructions will easily help those who are technophobes.

The important thing was that I wanted to enhance the sound from my TV so having set up via the Aux channel I can now toggle between TV, DVD or AV via the Remote. I’m relly pleased with the results and didn’t realise just how bad my tv speakers were until I plugged inthis Pamasonic system.

The only small niggle I have is the colour of the connecting cables….White? Someone must have been fired for that!!!

Verdict : On a budget of £200 you’ll find it VERY hard to beat.

Review by Geoff E for Panasonic SC-PT480EB-K 5.1 DVD Home Theatre System
Rating:
I bought this system not knowing what to expect, having not experienced 5:1 surround before. The sound output from my existing Panasonic HD TV was, to say the least, mediocre. The speakers are surprisingly small, which is good because I did not want more big speakers cluttering up my lounge- I already have two big floor-standing Hi-fi speakers. Although small, the speakers deliver quite a punch and you have to turn up the volume very high before any distortion is noticeable. The only little niggles I have with the system are that the sound does not appear instantly when you switch the unit on-there is a delay of up to 10 seconds and the on-screen individual speaker sound adjustment is a bit fiddly. Aside from these minor things, I am very very pleased with the system and it really makes movies and music a whole lot more enjoyable. I am sure there are better surround systems out there but for the price you cannot go wrong with this Panasonic. I chose Panasonic incidentally because I already have a Panasonic TV and you can use the Viera link. So well done Panasonic for producing a first rate budget surround sound system!