Panasonic SC-PM39D 5-Disc Progressive-Scan DVD Home Theater System

Amazon Customer Reviews

(5 out of 5)

Panasonic won me back...

For years I've avoided panasonic (bad previous history with the company's products), but this unit won me back. I was in the market for a small stereo system for my home gym room. I didn't want something overly boomy with thumping bass, or the opposite - no bass. I also am very picky with my sound. So there began my search.

I knew I had to get just the right one to have as close to perfect sound reproduction as possible. I looked at Sony's offerings and liked them, except for the lack of ability to customize the sound (to tweak it to perfection). One thing I absolutely hate is preset EQ settings. They are a fine starting point, but I have yet to find any good preset EQ (except none or clear perhaps). This stereo has the option to have manual sound equalizer (bass and treble controls)...nice touch!

When I heard this unit, I thought the sound was full, even and gorgeous! Not overly boomy/bassy, but very accurate sound reproduction. This could possibly be due to the 4 wires connecting each speaker to the stereo system (a separate pair each for the tweaters and the woofer in each speaker).

The true selling point of this unit was the fact it has a 5 CD/DVD changer! Component output, digital out for expansion, an AUX input, MP3/WMA playback, the list goes on and on. After finding the sound quality I wanted, it was time for considering looks and this unit is exquisite! The wood (wood-like) cabinets are a rich warm color and the silver speaker surrounds are gorgeous. I've left the speaker grills off, and the entire set looks wonderful. DVD playback has great quality, nice colors, etc - I have it hooked up to an LCD TV which hangs in that room.

...and sure, the price sounds expensive, but isn't quality worth the price? I have a feeling this will last me a long time (durability wise).

The only negative point I can find about this unit is the CD tray mechanism and the lack of controls from the front. Its nice, and I'm sure very well thought-out and designed (and has been used on all of the lesser panasonic micro stereo systems)....but the trays give a little too easily. I'm gentle with my equipment and am sure I won't have problems, but seriously look at those trays before considering this unit for a household with children who might not be so gentle. The controls are almost all from the remote, which I don't mind - but it makes testing in the store a pain since there was no remote where I bought it...

The brushed metal on the front and blue lighting effects make for a gorgeous unit. Go listen to this at the store - I think you'll really enjoy what you hear. Panasonic made a great one here!

(5 out of 5)

Must buy it for what it's intended

I love this stereo. I was looking for a small powerful stereo with a CD changer and the ability to connect an auxilliary audio source (XM MyFi). The speakers had to be small enough to fit on my desktop and not look silly.

I went to Best Buy and compared what they had in stock, and settled on this one, simply because it met all of my criteria, plus the speakers have 3 separate drivers - 4" woofer, 2-3/8" mid, 1" ceramic tweeter. Also, it can play virtually every format of music, which is great because I download tons of songs and I hate having to convert them to .wav files from .mp3. Also, it can play DVD-Audio and HDCD discs, both of which I have many of. Plus, it can play DVD-Videos, and it has component video outs, which I find amazing on such a small multi-tasking unit. I will probably never hook it up to a TV, but if I do, it's nice to know that I have that option. I managed to get it for $249.99, which according to some of the reviews I have read, is a steal at Best Buy.

Setup was a breeze - everything was color-coded - and I was up and running in about 5 minutes. The speakers fit perfectly on the desktop, and actually the wood veneer comes pretty close to matching the color of my desk. The main unit managed to fit into one of the cabinets in my desk, so all you see are the speakers.

I was quite surprised at how good it sounded. The highs were exceptionally clear, which the 1" tweeter has alot to do with, and the bass was powerful and rich, which is amazing for 4" drivers. I listen to a wide variety of music, from country to metal to techno to clasical, and everything in between, and I have spent the better part of 2 weeks playing around with different CDs to see if I could find a flaw in the sound. I still haven't. I think the techno/trance music is an especially good test for the speakers, because there is so much going on and all three drivers are being tested. So far, it sounds amazing. The amp has yet to fade out at all with extended bass lines or extremely hard bass hits. I have seen a few negative comments on the bass output. I just don't get where those comments are coming from. They must be people who like bass-heavy music and not true-sounding music. From my perspective, the music sounds just the way it was intended to sound. However, if you are a bass-nut, the unit offers a sub pre-out, which is simply amazing on such a small unit. I don't think an external sub is needed at all, but maybe somebody does.

Now, I said in the title that you must buy it for what it's intended. What I mean is that you should NOT buy this as a main home theater receiver. You will be very disappointed. I have a THX Ultra2 Certified Onkyo and very high-end speakers for that purpose, and I would never recommend anything less. However, if you are like me, and looking for a desktop or shelf system that sounds great and maintains a small size, then this is perfect. Also, I can see how I would have loved to have this when I first went to college. Small size, powerful sound, the ability to be a DVD player, all at a relatively cheap price. Perfect for any dorm room. I remember there were people who had Aiwa shelf systems that were twice as expensive and twice and large that produced half the sound quality, and they still had to have a separate DVD player.

I recommend this to anybody whose needs match the criteria I've laid out. I couldn't be happier. If you want a home theater system, do yourself a favor and buy the best receiver and speaker combo you can afford, not a mini shelf system.

(4 out of 5)

Almost Perfect

This system overall is quite good, and an excellent value if you get a discount off the list price. The sound is good for both audio and DVD but the system has a few minor drawbacks that keep it from being a true find. I rate it about 4.3 stars.

I agree with some of the criticisms voiced in the other reviews: Difficult remote, strange neon-like light which has to be turned off every time you power up, and slightly too-trendy facades. In addition, I was disappointed that this system didn't come in say a 200-watt version instead of the current 140 W. It just lacks that slightest bit of depth, even for classical or choral pieces, that comes from a more powerful system. As it is I find I have to crank the volume a bit higher than I'd prefer to get the bass to fill out. Another small point is that you can't feed audio to your TV speakers for DVD, which means that if you like to spread the speakers out for a large room, you can't really get a center speaker effect. (As one reviewer noted, you may want to get extra cable; the included wires are only a few feet.) I'd have been willing to pay a higher price to get a slightly heftier system, but nothing really exists in that niche right now.

On the plus side, it is remarkably compact. The sound is excellent considering the size and relatively low power, and if you have a powered subwoofer, you can easily connect it. My wife especially loves the DVD capability as it negates the need to have yet another VCR-like deck, and the surround is capable enough to let you get by without wiring a full 5-speaker surround system (another plus with my wife). Overall, very good.

(4 out of 5)

Fantastic

Need a space-saving system with big sound? Buy this now!!

Panasonic have done really well with this baby. The sound is excellent with both music and movies. And the system is packed with features such as HDCD, HighMAT and JPEG decoders. Unusually, MP3 discs sound great here, and my tracks are 160Kbps!! Oh, the tuner sounds REALLY good too. The system sounds excellent even at low volumes. So there's some merit to the not-too-tasteless Bi-Amp logo in the front. It's very nearly perfect but...

I briefly tested DVDs on the system but was using the supplied cable for normal composite video, and the colours were a bit muted. But I suspect the crappy cable is the demon here, and anyway when I get my own TV I'll be using the component video outputs which should be much better. There's S-Video output too.

To nitpick further DVDs are reset when the system goes to standby, but luckily there's a memory function which is dead quick to use. The engineers were obviously on cheap drugs when they made this oversight. But there is a 5 disc memory, yes this system is a 5-disc changer!!

And lastly the remote, good luck if you have chunky fingers heh heh heh!

Tips:

The speaker cable lengths supplied are miserly, consider getting additional lengths, and don't worry the sound will not deteriorate. I've had to extend them by 4 metres with a different type and I bought cheapos, which means an extra 16 metres for myself as the Panny is bi-wired - which probably accounts in part for the great sound. A pain but worth it.

For music listening by all accounts play with the Equalizer but leave the Surround off, it's a bit too artificial. Leave the equalizer on, even if left on the flat Manual mode, the sound opens up a bit. The Audio Only mode makes no audible difference, so leave it off and save your chunky fingers!

The blue backlighting looks nice but there's a Dimmer if it gets distractive. Yes those engineers thought of everything but left a half-assed resume.

For movies, by all accounts play with the Surround!

All in all this is a great system. And in the States it's a no-brain bargain. And did I mention the speakers look great!! Take the grills off!

(5 out of 5)

Yeah....what he said :)

This thing is worth 6 stars.

I don't think I've ever seen a more bang-for-the-buck piece of electronics gear. IMHO, the best feature wasn't touched on by lazer's great review. I was kind of taken aback by the lack of MP3 display on the front panel (the lesser panasonics do)--until I hooked it up to a TV. Wow--forget the 8 character lousy component DVD players...this has a full description layout for both MP3 and even regular CDs (that's what that option for CD-Text means).

Here's another plus for this mini that many won't realize. Plextor Premium CD and DVD burners can make 96min audio CDs out of regular 80min CDs using GigaRec (which squeezes the track spirals). Great for DJs like me, and an absolute MUST for my DVD-burner purchase (waited for the PX-712 for that reason). Anyway, they can also technically make 106min CDs (!) by squeezing the tracks even futher, but barely any CD/DVD players can play anything over 99min. Guess what--the Panasonic can. I've made 96min discs, 106min discs and everything in between the little Panny plays everything I've thrown at it. What a great unit for the money--the epitome of what electronic values are today.

If you can afford it, your search ends right here. Period. From dizzying features, build-quality, looks and sound, nothing can touch this--no, not the new similar JVC 77u either (and I'm a big JVC mini fan). For comparison in the Panasonic line, the difference between this and the lesser SC-EN7 is like a Yugo vs a Ferrari. Just buy it!