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Review 3 of 9
Price Paid:
$360.00
from on-line Summary:
Before purchasing this product, I owned a 240 watt Aiwa mini system. After upgarding, I was satisfied with it, to say the least(added: high power speakers; a 120 watt powered subwoofer). However, this system, while being very powerful, lacked Pro-logic, let alone Dolby Digital capabilities. Consequently, when I bought a DVD player, with a built-in Dolby Digital decoder, I knew that my Aiwa was no longer adequate. My first thought, "I'll just get an Aiwa that would best suit my situation." I had not even considered any other brand. So when a sales representative, at Fry's Electronics, informed me that the Panasonic SC-AK57 was the best selling system in its class, I scoffed at the idea. "I would never buy a Panasonic over an Aiwa." Well, after some research, I became increasingly more impressed by the 'Sonic. Eventually, I ordered one over the internet. Upon receiving the unit, I compared it with my Aiwa. The Aiwa undeniably had more raw power, but the 'Sonic demonstrated more sophistication in the area of sound reproduction and overall presentation. Unfortunately, I did not have the space to house both systems, so I gave the Aiwa away. I bought a mini system holder, complete with a glass door(ala traditional rack systems)and speaker stands. This adds to the efficiancy, yet elegance of the system. Now some two years later, I am still impressed by the 'Sonic whenever I view dvd movies. Friends and family members are likewise enamored with the home theater qualities of the 'Sonic. In fact, I receive many accolades from people during and after the viewing of movies on dvd.
This system does have a MAJOR PROBLEM. Of late, the recording component has been malfuntioning. I record a morning talk show, daily. When I return home, I listen to the tape and set the system to record the next morning's show, reusing the same tape. Within the last two months, I have noticed that the recording process is not complete. During playback, I can hear that day's show as well as the previous day's. It is as though the show is lay on top of the previous show, without replacing the previous show. So, I hear both shows concurrently, with the newer show being at a lower volume. And, as I mentioned in the weakness category, both decks ocassionally "eat" the tapes during playback. If it weren't for this occurance, I would highly recommend this system. As it stands, I suggest that if you are going to use the system for frequent dubbing, look elsewhere. However, if home theater on a budget is priority, then you can't go wrong with the'Sonic. Strengths:
Respectable power in terms of producing low-end bass; solid performance when used in 6 channel mode; low harmonic distortion; a lot of features (5-disc player, dual cassete decks) in a relatively small package Weaknesses:
Where should I begin? The tape decks occasionally mangle cassettes, resulting in warbled, underwater sounding reproduction and ultimately damaged tapes. Recently, the recording system has been malfunctioning. I also do not like that there is no record option on the remote and the subwoofer is made available only for use in 6 channel mode. Similar Products Used:
Aiwa NSX-V9000
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