Entered CNET Catalog: 04/09/2006
SKU: SC-HT40
Manufacturer: Panasonic
Manufacturer description
Panasonic's vision of the digital future is driven by the needs and aspirations of its business customers and millions of consumers around the world who use its products every day. The company shares their dream to live a fuller life by providing ways of working smarter and enjoying the rewards of technological advances. PRODUCT FEATURES: 800 Watt digital home theater receiver & 5.1 speaker system; Dolby Digital, dts 5.1 surround sound decoders; 6 Speaker system featuring subwoofer with 16 cm woofer.CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 07/11/2006
Panasonic has chosen to go with a simple, uncluttered look for the system, which is generally a good thing. The receiver's face is peppered with just a few buttons and controls, and the big remote's color-coded buttons and handy layout make for above-average ease of use. However, we can't say the same for the setup logistics. Most buyers will stick with the defaults and won't find it necessary to wade through the cryptic information on the receiver's front-panel display--there are no onscreen menus. But if you do want to make some tweaks, expect a bit of a challenge; for example, we gave up trying to reassign the receiver's digital inputs.
A couple of other things also worth pointing out: While the SC-HT40's receiver doesn't look much different than a bona fide A/V receiver, this Panasonic can be used only with the speakers that come with the system, so don't even think of buying it with plans of upgrading to better speakers down the road. (Opt for one of the several worthwhile sub-$300 receivers on the market instead, even if it happens to be last year's model.) And finally, since the receiver puts out a fair amount of heat, it shouldn't be placed within a cabinet without some way to breathe. The Panasonic SC-HT40 is the entry-level home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) product in the company's 2006 line, and the only one that doesn't include a built-in DVD player (see the chart below to see how the Panasonic HTIBs compare to one another). We'd like to supply the receiver's power ratings for its 5.1 channels, but the SC-HT40 owner's manual lists several conflicting ratings between 400 and 800 watts of total power. Judging by the receiver's 8.4-pound bulk and how loud the system could be played, we'd guess its actual power is a whole lot lower. The receiver decodes all of the standard Dolby and DTS 5.1 surround modes.
The satellite speakers are tweeterless designs that utilize a single 2.5-inch woofer, except for the center speaker, which has two. The subwoofer has a front-mounted 6.5 inch-woofer.
As to be expected at this price point, the SC-HT40's connectivity options are fairly skimpy. There are no video inputs or outputs--you'll need to run all your video connections from the source devices straight to your TV. The HT40 is designed to deal with audio only: It has two analog stereo inputs (red and white RCA connectors) and one output, as well as three digital inputs, two optical and one coaxial. Unfortunately, you can toggle between only two of the digital inputs at any given time. So unless you want to be constantly diving into the setup menu and reassigning the inputs, you're effectively limited to connecting a total of four devices to the rear panel--two analog and two digital. In addition to the requisite DVD player/recorder, you'd also have room for, say, a cable/satellite box, a game console, and a VCR.
That said, there is a front-panel Music Port connector (1/8-inch jack) for quick and easy connections to portable music players. We were able to hook up our iPod and play tunes through the system's speakers using a $5 patch cable from RadioShack.
While this model doesn't come with wireless speakers, you do have the option to upgrade to them down the road. The SC-HT40 is compatible with Panasonic's two wireless surround speaker systems, the SH-FX60 ($150) and the SH-FX80 ($200). The former is a wireless transceiver that attaches to the rear speakers, eliminating the need for front-to-back speaker wires; the latter model can be either used as a wireless surround speaker, replacing the HT40's wired surrounds, or as a wireless secondary speaker in a nearby room of your house.
If you're looking for a name-brand alternative to the SC-HT40, note that a trio of Philips models--the Philips HTS3410D, the Philips HTS3440, and the Philips HTS3450--retail for around the same $200 price tag but include a built-in CD/DVD player. If you can spend up to $300, there are two other HTIBs in Panasonic's line worthy of your attention. The Panasonic SC-HT440 offers similar speakers to the HT40, but the extra $100 gets you a built-in 5-disc CD/DVD player. Alternately, the Panasonic SC-HT640W includes a disc changer and a wireless rear-speaker unit, a near clone of the FX80 module described above. (See the Performance section for a direct comparison of the sound quality between the SC-HT40 and the SC-HT640W.)
Panasonic 2006 HTIBs compared:
| Model | Quick take | Included disc player? | Wireless rear speaker? | Price |
| Panasonic SC-HT40 | Panasonic's entry-level HTIB. Best for: bargain hunters who are happy with their existing DVD player. |
None | Optional | |
| Panasonic SC-HT440 | Basically identical to the SC-HT40 but includes a built-in five-disc CD/DVD changer. Best for: bargain hunters who want a complete home-theater system, including a built-in DVD changer. |
Integrated five-disc CD/DVD changer | Optional | |
| Panasonic SC-HT640W | This includes the same receiver/five-disc changer as the SC-HT440, as well as the SH-FX80 wireless rear speaker unit. Best for: style-conscious buyers who want surround sound with as few wires as possible. |
Integrated five-disc CD/DVD changer | Included | |
| Panasonic SC-HT740 | This step-up from the SC-HT440 adds HDMI output and front tower speakers. Best for: HDTV owners who like tallboy speakers. |
Integrated five-disc CD/DVD changer | Optional | |
| Panasonic SC-HT940 | In addition to the HDMI output and the front tower speakers of the SC-HT740, the SC-HT940 adds larger surround (rear) speakers, more power, and HDAVI Control compatibility. Best for: anyone interested in the SC-HT740 who wants a bit more power and features. |
Integrated five-disc CD/DVD changer | Optional | |
| Panasonic SC-RT50 | The SC-RT50 offers the same speakers and power as the SC-HT940, but it includes a built-in single-disc DVD recorder rather than a five-disc DVD player-only changer. Best for: video pack rats who enjoy archiving their favorite TV shows--and watching them in surround sound. |
Integrated single-disc DVD recorder | Optional |
| Model | Quick take | Price |
| Panasonic SH-FX60 | Compatible with all of the above home-theater systems (except the SC-HT640W), the SH-FX60 is a wireless module that connects to the two surround speakers in the back of the room, obviating the need to run cables from the system's main head unit to the speakers in the rear of the room. | |
| Panasonic SH-FX80 | The SH-FX80 is a relatively compact wireless speaker module that can act as the two surround speakers when paired with a Panasonic home-theater system. It can also be used as a wireless B-speaker system to broadcast audio to a second room. The SH-FX80 is included with the SC-HT640W, but it's compatible with all of Panasonic's 2006 HTIB systems. |
$34
Bruce Springsteen's We Shall Overcome CD sounded fine--the Boss' vocals and the various acoustic guitars, banjos, and horns were all detailed and present, more than we'd expect from a system with tweeterless satellite speakers. The subwoofer poise and definition were above average for such a compact design. Springsteen's more aggressive rock CDs such as Born To Run didn't fare as well; the little speakers' strain at anything higher than moderate volumes was too irritating to be enjoyable.
We did compare the SC-HT40 with Panasonic's SC-HT640W ($300) HTIB. Right away, the biggest sonic difference between the two was the rear soundstage. When properly placed off to the sides of the room, the SC-HT40's surround speakers created a far more spacious sound than the SC-HT640's single wireless speaker, which we positioned directly behind our couch. We also felt the SC-HT40's slightly larger front speakers sounded a little better than the SC-HT640's speakers. But don't get your hopes up too much--$200 and $300 HTIBs have their limits as high-fidelity devices.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3
User Rating: 
8/10
good product
Pros: great sound, clean look - unobtrusive
Cons: limited connection and control features
User Rating: 8/10
Panasonic SC-HT40 Review/Feedback and Research Help for others (great value)
Pros: Great sound quality; all inclusive; many inputs; good color display; easy setup/programming; AWESOME subwoofer; great look, durable, etc; multiple wireless options. (See opinion section for details.)
Cons: Speaker cables attached & have ONLY cloth cover (no mesh shield to protect speaker); only allows selection of 2 inputs from 5 rear inputs; limited remote control. (See opinion section for details.)
I purchased from a retail store (C.C.) for $169.99 on sale and I did buy a 3yr full warranty for $39.99 (total $209.98 + TX sales tax of $17.32 = $227.30). They also offered a 5yr warranty for $75.99+tax. These warranties are concurrent w/ the incl 1yr manufacturer?s warranty. I purchased the warranty b/c people mentioned the unit overloading, blowing speakers, etc. after 1 month to 1 yr. I called Panasonic b/c they offer a similar warranty that starts after the 1yr incl man war: 2yr=$84.95, 3yr=$119.95 (if you call fast you get an "early bird discount" of 10%). With 10% off: 3yr(1yr+2yr)=$76.45, 4yr(1yr+3yr)=$107.95.
Here are a few pros and cons for you if you are looking at this model (everything I could think of)!
Pros:
1) Great sound for my size room (about 14 ft front to back & 15 feet wide) and good quality output/input: example Dolby Digital/DTS, etc. (read the specs for more details).
2) Everything included, nothing else needed (except maybe speaker stands if you like, but not really needed). Speaker wire is nice white, high quality 22 gauge copper wire.
3) MANY input options: 1 COAX digital, 2 optical digital and 2 RCA stereo (Red/White) analog sets and they can all be programmed in any order (ex. 1 coax digital w/ 1 RCA, 2 optical, 1 optical w/ 1 RCA, etc). Three is one output option for the DVR/DVD player input that is a RCA stereo (Red/White) analog set for recording (I have never used it, but it says you could take the DVD player sound back to the TV, etc).
4) Good color display screen
5) Easy setup and programming (just read the manual and then you can do it months later--that easy to remember and only took me 5 minutes to program everything).
6) AWESOME subwoofer: slim, strong, shielded well, wood, speaker protected.
7) Panasonic is very honest about the power (wattage) output and low power consumption (even says when powered off it will use 1W).
8) Direct FM/AM tuning: enter the exact station number w/ remote (no need for scrolling up/down by .1, though you can do that too).
9) 30 FM/AM presets programmable in any combination of AM/FM (easy to program).
10) Great look, durable, nicely made and buttons seem strong (I don't think this model will break easily--that is as far as the physical structure).
11) Multiple wireless options: rear speakers w/ rear music port AND/OR 2nd room speaker w/ music port. You can purchase the SH-FX60 to have rear speakers and a rear music port that sends audio from the port back to the unit (could be used for say computer output, etc.). You can also purchase the SH-FX80 to have a single speaker in the rear middle OR in a second room (also has a music port but does not send back to the unit, from what I have read). If you purchase both, they will both work, so you can have dual rear wireless speakers (SH-FX60) and also branch to a 2nd room (SH-FX80).
Cons:
1) The speakers come w/ cables attached! This is really annoying b/c if you need longer speaker wire you have to splice&solder on more to the existing/attached cable which could lower quality. They fit my size room (barely, but I have the cable run around the outside perimeter/edges of the walls--not straight back), so if you have a room about 14x15ft then you are okay or if you want to run them straight back (diagonally) such as under the carpet or a rug, etc.
Speaker wire is white, high quality 22 gauge copper wire--nice quality.
I couldn?t find the speaker wire lengths documented, so I measured and here are mine (probably at most 1 ft from average):
1 Center: SB-PC40: 6.5 ft
1 Subwoofer: SB-W40: 13 ft
2 R/L Front: SB-PF40: 13.5 ft
2 R/L Rear/Surround: SB-PS40: 26.5 ft
2) Speakers have a cloth cover (no plastic mesh/checkerboard shield to protect the speaker). So if you drop, puncture, etc. the cloth you go straight into the speaker (I like the mesh so if a speaker is ever hit, dropped, etc. the mesh can protect the important part--the speaker). THERE IS ONE EXPECTION: the subwoofer is VERY well shielded and is MUCH better than most designs that use the side output w/ just cloth. The subwoofer has a plastic cover on the front (a front facing speaker cone) that protects the cone and the only access to the actual speaker surface are slits on front (both sides) that are about 6-7in tall and at the widest point is 1in wide (see picture for better understanding of my measurements here).
3) The speakers appear to be cased/caged/held/mounted/shielded using ONLY plastic (w/ exception of the front where there is just cloth...read above). The plastic is very solid and appears to be very hard (so I believe it to be very durable and will hold up). I would have preferred wood (to enhance quality) but that doesn't always add THAT much to the smaller speakers. Again THERE IS ONE EXPECTION: the subwoofer case/cage is solid wood on every side but the front (just painted silver to match other speakers); the front is thick/heavy duty plastic.
4) The system only allows you to select 2 inputs from the 5 possible rear inputs (1 COAX digital, 2 optical digital and 2 RCA stereo (Red/White) analog sets). Select options ?menu? automatically include Tuner AM, Tuner FM, Rear Music Port (used for the digital transceiver?s digital audio port IF you purchase and install/setup Panasonic SH-FX60), Front Music Port (for the audio port on the front of the unit?works great), TV and DVR/DVD-P. The TV and DVR/DVD-P options can be set to ONE of any of the 5 possible rear inputs. So for example, TV could be 1 of the RCA stereo (Red/White) analog set inputs and DVR/DVD-P could be 1 of the 2 optical digital inputs or the COAX digital input. This is a pain, BUT it only took me 10 seconds (at the unit) to change the option using its very easy menus.
5) Remote can only select between TV, DVR/DVD-P, and Tuner AM/FM. It cannot select the Front or Rear Music Port options. The remote also ONLY works w/ Panasonic devices. So, for example, if you had a Panasonic TV, you could turn it on/off, do TV/VIDEO selections and volume (possibly channel w/ the numeric inputs, but I am not sure); or if you had a Panasonic DVR/DVD Player you would have more options too. BUT if you do not have any other Panasonic devices the remote ONLY works for the Home Theater Audio System (SC-HT40) receiver. This is not that big a deal, but would have been nice if it could have been programmed to my Sony TV and Sony DVD Player.
6) FM/AM antenna wire lengths are short (but are normal lengths when compared to other systems?not any shorter). The unit does not seem to get the best FM/AM reception/signal quality either (or at least for my setup and location?DFW metroplex).
7) The unit seems to get hot after a while, but this is probably normal, and I know many other units put off the same amount of heat.
User Rating: 8/10
Sounds great!
Pros: Good sound; two optical inputs; low price.
Cons: User Guide poor; Remote not intuitive.
