Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic KX-TG1050N 2.4 GHz DSS Expandable Cordless Phone (Champagne)

After doing a lot of internet research and reading other reviews of similar type phones, I purchased this model locally. It had all the features - answering machine, expandable to 4 handsets (I bought all 4) speakerphone in the handsets, and caller ID. I wasn't happy about the price, but need this type of system and have found Panasonic equipment to be reliable. This phone has a major tech problem with the sound volume during a call. You can manually adjust the volume while on the phone, however, even after adjusting all 4 handsets, the volume was so low we were straining to hear the person! I contacted Panasonic thinking there was a way to "tweak" it - after all - I just spent over ...on this baby - and they flat out said - there's no way to adjust the volume. If you live in an area where your phone company has switched to a low voltage type system - usually in highly populated areas that are more technically advanced, then you are out of luck. Apparently there's not enough voltage in the phone line to boost the volume. You'll need bionic hearing to use it on a regular basis, unless you exclusively use the speakerphone. I'm taking mine back and trying another brand.

We have bought a base set and two handsets. Unfortunately we also returned one base and two handsets. This was a great phone set with a couple major exceptions. The one fatal flaw with this system was that it is very hard to hear the caller, even with the handset volume turned all the way up. It is too quiet. All three handsets were identical.
Another fault is that the handset datasets cannot be synched, so you have to enter phone numbers individually into each hand set.
On the plus side, the phone was easy to set up. It also had great range, and very little hiss or other noise. The handset speaker phone was also very nice. When receiving a call from this phone, on speakerphone, you could not tell the caller had turned on the speakerphone. It is too bad the phone is too quiet, it would have been a nice system.
Also, I replaced the system with a V-tech VT 2461. It is interesting to note that that except for the shape and color of the case, the Vtech is apparently idential to the Panasonic. The features, menus, set up protocols, button position, and even the screens are the same. Unfortunately, the Vtech is also too quiet.

I read tons of reviews on multi-handset cordless phones, and thought that maybe I could live with the negatives reported by users of this phone--I was wrong. This phone was loaded with features I wanted (including 3 additional handsets I also purchased), but that didn't overcome the fact that unless I held the phone to my ear just so, I couldn't hear the caller. And I can't tell you how many times I hung up on folks or muted them or hit the flash button unintentionally. After three weeks of trying to perform the basic function of talking on the telephone with no accidents, I returned the whole mess. I'll wait until Uniden comes out with a similar system, wait until users review it, then take the reviews more seriously. ;-)

If you have multi-handset phone questions, I'm the person to talk to. These were one of many different sets I tried out.

First the good.

1. Backlit keypads and LCD.

2. Easy to add names to memory from caller ID list.

3. Ability to use multiple phones at once and page any phone or number of phones.

4. Speakerphone built into handsets.

5. Doesn't interfere with wireless internet network (unlike Sony.)

Problems.

1. Hello, HELLO! This phone is just too darn quiet.

2. YES, I AM CAN REPEAT THAT! Switching to speakerphone fixes you not hearing the caller...but then the caller has problems hearing you unless you shout into phone.

3. Can't edit names on numbers you add from caller I.D. Big pain here. If the person is calling from a cell phone they will forever be "Cellular call" along with everyone else that does likewise.

4. Can't transfer phone list from phone to phone. Must enter them on each handset.

Is there happiness to be found in the multi-handset market. See my review of Vtech's similar system.

We got this phone because it has a small footprint and attractive form factor, even though it was one of the most ... phones at Target. But as soon as we plugged it in, it was a different story..
It is hard to figure out how to dial in the first place, and when you do make a connection, the volume is very low, even if you set it on maximum. You can set it on handset speaker, and then you can hear OK, but you find you are talking AT your phone, not into it. This is bothersome. Sound quality is poor overall, with drop-outs and a slight constant white noise hiss.
This phone is going back to the store!