REVIEWS / 2.1 / PANASONIC INDIA PVT LTD

Panasonic SC-HTB520 Review

17 Jan, 2012, 4:25 pm IST | by Aaron Almeida | 2.1

2.1

The small and lightweight remote control

The small and lightweight remote control
Digital transmitter that helps connect to the subwoofer
HDMI ports at the back
Controls featured at the top
Simple and stylish subwoofer
The power button at the back for the wireless subwoofer

PRICE IN INDIA

26,900

TECH2 RATING

6.5

AVERAGE USER RATING

7.0

How we test

CONTACT

Panasonic India Pvt Ltd

 prdesk@npi.panasonic.co.in

 +91 124 4596 600

 www.panasonic.co.in

There are many high-end LED televisions being launched in the market, which boast of some pretty impressive specifications. These range from Smart TV capabilities to 3D playback options. However, in an attempt to pack these HDTVs with features, sound quality took a backseat. This is not just restricted to one brand, but across a variety of television manufacturers. This is also not to say that all the HDTVs in the current crop have poor sound quality, but sadly, most of them do.

Full gloss exterior

Full gloss exterior

 

 


The solution to this problem is a sound bar and many speaker manufacturers have launched their iteration of the product that can be extremely useful to get the best out of a home theatre experience. Panasonic, a well known brand for AV products have launched the SC-HTB520, a 2.1 channel soundbar that features a wireless subwoofer and HDMI connectors.

Design and Build Quality
As for looks, the SC-HTB520 does not drop many points, as it is slick, stylish and has a gloss-filled exterior. One may tend to be wary about placing soundbars near their televisions, as it may sometimes take the look away of the beautiful looking HDTV. But, if placed accordingly, the SC-HTB520 can actually compliment the TV. It measures at 1018 x 75 x 44mm and is ideal for televisions measuring between 42-inches to 50-inches.

Apart from being placed in front of the TV, it can be wall mounted as well ensuring that there is a reduced amount of clutter. The speaker comes bundled up with wall brackets, which reduce the worry of purchasing separate brackets just to mount it. Speaking about clutter, this soundbar has a very minimalistic design with all connections slotted in niches at the back. The connectors located at the rear include an HDMI out for the TV, an HDMI input for a Blu-ray or DVD player, an IR blaster terminal, an optical in and a wireless terminal for connecting to the subwoofer.

Simple and stylish subwoofer

Simple and stylish subwoofer

 


Moving back to the design, this soundbar has a full glossy finish, which although looks appealing, does retain a lot of fingerprints when handled. The front panel is devoid of any controllers and using the same minimalistic approach, Panasonic have placed the drivers on either ends, underneath a grill, which the brand terms as a mirror coated stainless mesh. The drivers featured on the soundbar, include a two way, two speaker, bass reflex placement. There is no display on this, instead, the different commands sent to it are denoted by LED indicators, which are located on the upper portion of the front panel in the centre.

Coming along with the soundbar is a wireless subwoofer that gets connected using the VIERA link. This subwoofer, like the soundbar has an entire gloss finish and the driver featured with it is downward facing. The only button featured on the woofer is the power button located at the back. With the speakers, a remote control also comes along that is quite tiny. It is quite lightweight and features basic controls, such as switching between the different inputs, adjusting the volume, etc.

The small and lightweight remote control

The small and lightweight remote control

 


Summing up this bit, the SC-HTB520 is quite stylish and is extremely light in weight. The build quality is pretty sturdy as well and it appears that it could withstand some accidental bumps.

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Design and Build Quality


Tags:

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Would you buy it?




Panasonic CES 2011 SC HTB520 720p

11 Jan, 2011, 02:20 pm IST

Panasonic CES 2011 SC HTB520 720p

Panasonic CES 2011 SC HTB520

28 Oct, 2011, 11:54 pm IST

Panasonic CES 2011 SC HTB520

 


How We Test

The Tech2 Labs receives many products every single week and each of them is tested with the utmost care and highest level of objectivity. There’s a constant effort to reduce and totally eliminate subjectivity. Each product is tested according to set test processes so the same test scenario is used.

Verdict
The ratings awarded to a product are derived from a number of tests and calculations, keeping certain important factors in mind. These factors consist of features, performance, quality and value for money. In case of software and some other categories, build quality might be replaced with ease of use or ease of installation. Products are compared with other products in a similar price range or product category.


Features
The features component of the score is rated based on the kind of features present on a particular product. Features are a big part of what people look for when they’re buying a new product such as a phone or a camera.

Performance
The performance score is derived from the benchmarks and tests run on the product. In case of the subjective scores, an average of the scores given by the group of reviewers is considered.

Build Quality
The build quality of a product is important so that it doesn’t fall apart after some use. The build quality scores from the way the product is designed and the kind of materials used in the product.

Value
Value for money comes from the fact that a cheap product is able to provide most of the performance of a higher priced product. Once again, value for money is judged by comparing pricing and performance of products in a particular price range or category. 

There are many other aspects of the product that are looked at such as the bundled software and accessories. All of these scores are aggregated together to form the final score.

What do the ratings mean?

Ratings are simple - higher the score, the better the product. A brief listing of the features and what they mean are given below.

1 - 3

The product is bad in almost every aspect. We strongly advise against purchasing this product.

4 - 6

An average product that isn't the best you can buy, but isn't the worst either.

7 - 8

Product with this rating is highly recommended because it's priced sensibly, has a good set of features and performs well.

9 - 10

Exceptionally excellent product with features and performance unlike any we've seen in the past. A must-have for everyone!

What is the Average User Rating?

We at Tech2 take product reviewing very seriously and every product is tested with the utmost care and level of objectivity. The end user who buys a particular product and uses it over an extended period of time has his own take on a product and there might be nuances that he or she can shed light on. The Average User Rating is present to help readers get the complete picture of how good or bad a product is. The Average User Rating is calculated by averaging the ratings by the thousands of readers visiting Tech2.com every single day. To record your own rating of a product, simply click on the user rating bar. If you disagree with our ratings or our community's product rating, please don't hesitate from voicing your opinion in the comments section below the review.

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