CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 03/26/2008
- Released on: 03/17/2008
Panasonic's 2008 home-theater-in-a-box line has three contenders in the sub-$500 range. At the top of the line is the SC-PT960, which includes wireless speakers in the rear, tallboy speakers up front, and is XM-ready. In the middle is the $400 SC-PT760; it loses the satellite radio compatibility but retains the wireless rear speakers and includes smaller speakers up front (albeit with stands). The entry-level SC-PT660 is almost identical to the 760, but it loses the speaker stands up front and has wired--rather than wireless--speakers in the rear. That said, it's still loaded with features that, in years past, would have cost hundreds of dollars more including: a smooth-running five-disc DVD changer that upscales video to 1080p, a surround speaker system, and even an integrated, flip-down iPod dock. The SC-PT660's sound quality on DVDs was clean, powerful, and dynamic (considering the bargain price tag). Stereo sound from CDs and the iPod was less impressive, and the unit offers skimpy connectivity for other sources--just one stereo and one surround audio line-in jack. We think the SC-PT760 is the best combination of features and price in the line. However, if you're on a tight budget--and can live without the wireless rear speakers and the front speaker stands--the Panasonic SC-PT660 delivers a great bang for your home theater buck.
Design
True to its "home-theater-in-a-box" name, the Panasonic SC-PT660 crams quite a few components into the package: the head unit (which includes the five-disc changer and amplifier) and the surround speakers (five relatively small speakers and a subwoofer). The head unit's slimline receiver/five-disc DVD changer is less than 3 inches high, a wee bit under 17 inches wide, and 13 inches deep. The front panel has the five-disc tray loader on the left side; a concealed, flip-down iPod dock in the middle; and the readout display and volume control over to the right. Panasonic spreads the controls to access each of the disc-loading trays, transport controls, input selector, and subwoofer boost button across the top-front ledge. We really liked the convenience of the flip-down iPod dock--much better than the "tethered" iPod docks found on most other systems--and the head unit is certainly compact enough, considering all that it does. However, the big buttons and brash, white labels give the thing a much more utilitarian look than similar products you'll find from the likes of Samsung Electronics, Philips, and Sony.
The no-frills look extends to the remote control. It won't win any beauty contests, but it's more straightforward and intuitive than many models. The remote is programmable to control basic TV functions (power, input, volume) as well.
The SC-PT660's setup menus and speaker calibration was easy enough to use. Fresh out of the box and before we did any tweaking, the sound was pretty good, so you won't be missing much if you just concentrate on getting the SC-PT660's video to work with your TV's resolution and aspect ratio.
The remote lets you adjust the relative volume level of each speaker, and the subwoofer's volume level in three steps (and there's the sub boost control on the receiver). We would have liked to have bass and treble controls, but Panasonic instead included an EQ control with Flat, Heavy, Clear, and Soft options. There was also something called Whisper-mode Surround that's supposed to enhance surround effects for late night listening, but we didn't notice much of a difference with it turned on. We did hear some small amount of noise from the rear-mounted cooling fan.
The front left speaker and front right speaker can be wall-mounted or placed in a cabinet or stand that you provide. The matching center speaker is 10.5 inches wide and the surround speakers are about 5.5 inches tall. All of the speakers are fitted with nonremovable black cloth grilles, and the speakers can be shelf-mounted or wall-mounted with their keyhole slots. The black plastic cabinets look fairly basic, nothing fancy, just plain and simple designs. The satellite speakers all feature one 2.5-inch "woofer" but no tweeters, however, at least the center speaker doubles up on the woofers.
The Kelton designed subwoofer has a side-mounted 6.5-inch woofer. The medium-density fiberboard subwoofer has a molded black plastic front baffle. It's 7.1 inches tall by 14.25 inches wide by 12.5 inches deep and weighs 10.4 pounds. It's also a tad more stylish than the plain-Jane satellite speakers are.
Actual assembly of the system should be a breeze, even for the technically challenged. Panasonic hardwires all of the speakers to the speaker cables, which terminate with color-coded plugs (for jacking into the main unit), so there's nearly impossible to mismatch anything. Of course, that means that you're stuck with the provided length of speaker wire, and unable to extend it except with a warranty-voiding cut and splice job. Thankfully, the wire length--10 feet for the front speakers, 25 feet for the rear speakers--should be sufficient for most rooms.
Two wireless accessories are available for the SC-PT660. The SH-FX85 transmits the system's audio to a second room, so you can (for instance) listen to your iPod or a CD elsewhere in the house. The SH-FX67 ($150), meanwhile, converts the rear speakers of the PT660 to "wireless" operation. However, if the latter option interests you, you'll just want to go with the step-up SC-PT760 model, which includes a similar module by default. Continue reading
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Panasonic SC-PT660:
$393.99
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