Panasonic SC-PT960 Deluxe 5 DVD Home Theater System
From Panasonic
Panasonic home theater system with 5-disc DVD/CD player, 1250 watts, and 6 speakers.
- Amazon Sales Rank: #31 in Home Theater
- Color: Black
- Brand: Panasonic
- Model: SC-PT960
- Dimensions: 3.00" h x 17.00" w x 16.70" l, 11.00 pounds
Good HTiB for price
Yes, this is a pretty decent home theater in a box solution to getting the home theater experience, in fact it's one of the BETTER "instant" home theater systems available. Especially at this price. The optical connection is a step up from the older models (PT750), it's a much better connection than even HDMI to get better sound with less distortion and interference out of your speakers. Setup is very easy, there are plenty of options with the speakers (for instance, you can use the base to make the front speakers tall-boy type or not use the base and keep them shorter, same with the surrounds), and there's enough power to put out the sound 95% of users are looking for. I had considered the PT760 since it also has the digital optical port, but I wanted the extra wattage of the PT960 and the tall-boy speakers. If you're considering the PT760, be aware that the front speakers on the 760 serve as the surround speakers on the 960, there's that much difference.
Anyone who's done even basic research knows that any HTiB is going to give up something in the way of power and flexibility compared to putting your own system together from components. And anyone who wants ease of use and setup, good performance, good sound and a system that meshes seamlessly with and looks as good as their new flat-panel tv is probably going to be very happy with the Panasonic PT960. The DVD player upconverts DVD's very well. I added this system to my Panasonic 46" plasma, and with the Panasonic Vierra-Link feature I can use one remote to control the tv and the sound system components. Pre-programmed codes are installed in the 960's receiver to allow this function with a host of other brands, so you don't HAVE to be using it with a Panasonic tv. My entire cabling "mess" consists of the cable coax connected to my tv, an HDMI cable from the 960's main unit to the tv, and a digital optical cable from the tv out to the main unit. That's it. Those with cable or satellite boxes will have other cables, but it's still a clean setup.
Overall it's hard to go wrong with this system. Pure audiophiles will have complaints, but if you compare it to other HTiB's and not component systems you'll be impressed with the features, looks and performance of the PT960.
A good entry level system
i own a 67inch samsung tv. my family refers to it as our imax. so i decided it was time for us to get our first home theater system. i did a little reserch and landed on this one. it was a definite upgrade from the tv speakers. it made watching movies way more fun... BUT i'm pretty into sound, and i was a little dissapointed with the limited tweeking the system gives you esp with eq. i was also suprised that the systems volume limit isnt higher. they told me at the store it would get louder with better speaker wire. there is also limited inputs... so for these reasons i took it back. for me its worth spending potentiall another 500 to 1000 to get a more... but for the money if your on a budget, i think its a good system. especially if this is your first, or you havent had one. the bass is good and you get good sound. the rear wireless speakers is a plus to me. when you upgrade to better systems you lose that feature.
so i liked it, but didn't love it.
Good overall value
As others have pointed out, this is not the best system around, but for ~$400 it is a good value. The sound is good enough for most people in most places. Volume levels for all speakers are good, including the rear wireless, and no hissing. The wireless does not interfere with my home wireless 802.11g network. I also have the SH-FX85 extra room speaker kit whose sound is very good.
My biggest complaints are the setup menu and the remote.
The setup menu cannot be accessed unless your input source is DVD/CD. That means if you are listening to anything else (iPod, Digital-in, Radio, Aux), you must first select DVD/CD, and wait for a disk to load (a slow process). This is very annoying.
The remote cannot be programmed to control your TV (on/off, input source, etc.) unless you have a Panasonic brand TV. That is horrible, and panasonic should be providing basic universal remote functions.
Other points:
Although there is an iPod port, there is not a generic MP3 player port/input. There is an unamplified Aux port that can be used with adapters. But c'mon Panasonic - iPod has the marketing power but other brands have better quality and value.
I have my HD-TiVo connected into the optical Digital-in port. The sound from digital & HD recordings is very good.
