Panasonic SC-HTB10 120W 2.1-Channel Slim Sound Bar System with 3D Pass Through (Black)

Friday, May 4, 2012

When I purchased my Panasonic VIERA HDTV I wasn't expecting great sound. I would have settled for mediocre sound. Instead, I got terrible sound. I had replaced an older Magnavox HDTV, which had come with a sound bar. For the Magnavox, the sound bar was for those who did not have full fledged audio systems. That TV had hookups for RCA audio output, optical output, and even speaker output. That allowed me to add external speakers to replace the so-so ones in the included sound bar.Panasonic wasn't so nice. My TV came with an optical output, and built in speakers. The built in speakers were so bad, that it was hard to make out voices, let alone have anything that approached decent sound quality.…
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…