I bought this unit to pair with my Panasonic TC-P42S2 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, and am generally pleased. I live in an apartment, so a unit with a booming external subwoofer or a complete home theater setup would not be very neighborly of me. The sound is a great improvement over the TV's stock speakers--there is more than enough bass for me, especially when playing films like The Dark Knight on Blu-Ray--the sound was surprisingly good. The sound from the TV's stock speakers seemed to go down and a bit behind the TV; the sound bar sends sound forward (which allows me to lower the volume). The sound is not surround. I also found that playing with the settings helps a lot. For example, the Dolby virtual effect sounds great when watching Blu-Ray movies, but sometimes doesn't sound so good when watching sports--depending on the quality of the audio feed, announcers may sound a little tinny. You will therefore want to keep the sound bar remote handy, in order to make adjustments as needed.
As my TV has an ARC connection (the sound bar is connected to the TV via a single HDMI cable), I am able to adjust sound volume from my TV, DirecTV, and Panny Blu-Ray remotes--the sound bar also turns on and off when I activate or shut off the TV. So integration is pretty seamless, once you get all the settings correctly entered. Speaking of settings, the directions for changing the TV's settings are awful--they are general to all TVs and not specific for Panasonic products, so you will have to mess around with the menu settings by trial and error in both Audio and Viera Link to synch everything up. In spite of this, set up is actually pretty easy.
If you plan on placing the sound bar in front of your TV on a level surface, I recommend that you place the TV on a 2" or 3" platform, as the height of the sound bar blocks the TV's infrared sensor. I made a simple platform with a channel for the sound bar's cords, so it looks uncluttered.
Also, there are no separate bass and treble controls at all--one can only adjust the internal subwoofer. I have my subwoofer set one or two notches below maximum for films like The Dark Knight (which has extremely high audio quality and a ton of bass), and maximum for the sports I watch, which have lower quality sound.
Finally, it is worth noting that the sound bar matches Panasonic TV's aesthetic form, so they look really good together.
EDIT: The curves and glossy plastic match, but the accent styling does not match--the TV has a bluish line below the Panasonic label, and the sound bar has a silver line below the label. In this respect, they look a bit different. Perhaps other Panny TVs have the silver accent.
This sound bar is not a home theater system--it's not even close. However, if you are on a budget, do not need or want surround effects blasted at high volumes, or live in an apartment where you have to minimize sound levels, this is a great way to improve upon your TV's stock speakers. Panasonic SC-HTB10 120W 2.1-Channel Slim Sound Bar System with 3D Pass Through (Black)
I was happy with my new Plasma TV (Panasonic VIERA TC-P46G25 46-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV) but found the sound from the built-in speakers was not as good as I wanted. I didn't want to have to use the "big" home theater receiver just to watch TV, just something simple. I tried the VIZIO VSB200 Universal HD Sound Bar but it was not compatible with the TV.
This Panasonic sound bar has ok sound. Much better than the built-in, but it's no substitute for a full-powered home theater system. The best feature of this soundbar is it's ability to use the Panasonic Viera Link and HDMI/ARC features. When you use an HDMI cable to connect the two, the soundbar works perfectly with the TV...no need for another remote to control power or volume, and the TV shows the volume setting and changes on screen.
Recommended for newer Panasonic TV owners who are looking for a simple solution to improve built-in sound, just make sure you use HDMI to connect the two.
I bought this to compensate for the less-than-stellar sounding speakers on my new Panasonic TC-P42GT25 42-Inch 1080p Full HD 3D/2D THX Certified Plasma Television, Black. The Panasonic Viera link technology really works well with the right components.
In addition to the power cable, I've only connected one HDMI cable via the TV's ARC HDMI port, and the unit's ARC HDMI port. That's it. Whatever sound came from the TV is now routed through the soundbar. My cable box, Blu-Ray player, and Wii system all play through the soundbar, with just the one HDMI connection.
Setup took all of 3 minutes, and the sound runs rings around the internal TV speakers. It's nowhere near a full HT surround setup, but at least now I do get to hear the low frequencies and can boost the volume without distortion. It provides a much more pleasant sound environment which is perfect for my somewhat smallish bedroom.
The TV remote can be used to control this soundbar, and my Panasonic Blu Ray player. No need to worry about turning the unit off, because turning the TV off will also turn off the soundbar. In fact, with the Viera link technology, if I want to watch a blu-ray or DVD disc, all I need to do is turn on the blu-ray player. When the disc is read, it will turn on the TV, switch to the proper input for the blu-ray player, and power up the soundbar. Turning off the TV will shut down both the soundbar and blu-ray player. It doesn't get more convenient than this. You can control the volume of the soundbar with the TV remote, which shows an on screen setting.
This unit is perfect for what I wanted it for - improved sound over the TV audio without being overpowering. A definate must-have if you own or are thinking of buying a newer ARC compatible Panasonic TV, and don't need wall shaking sound.
The only minor flaws are that the audio settings don't show on-screen (only volume), and you can only adjust the BASS setting. It would be perfect if there were a MID and TREBLE adjustment as well. You'll still need the soundbar remote to adjust the BASS response, and the three audio modes (Clear Voice, Sound Enhancement and Virtual Dolby).
One last thought - the soundbar cannot be placed in front of the TV (at least MY TV) because it will block the remote sensor and 3D glasses signal. Why weren't these put on TOP of the TV?
All in all, I think I've made the right choice.
UPDATED 11/29/2010: Let me clarify, by "1 cable setup" I mean to say it only takes 1 HDMI cable from the ARC port on the TV to the ARC port on the sound bar. - Home Theater Systems - Home Theater - Surround Sound - Soundbar'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
