Panasonic SC-PM19 Mini Audio System

I know, those are some bold words and they're even bolder when you consider the fact that I'm a musician/producer who spends hours at time composing/mixing music. Trust me, I do know sound quality. I've been looking for a shelf-system for a very long time and when I heard this one, I just had to buy it.

Basic Features:


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5-CD Changer


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Full logic control tape deck (if you need it you can record from any source)


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Quartz Synthesizer AM/FM Tuner


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140W amplifier (35Wx2 35Wx2)


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Super Sound EQ: Yes


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Energy Star Qualified: Yes


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CD-R/RW Playback: Yes


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Detachable Speaker Grilles: Yes


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Memory Preset (Stations): 30 (15 FM/15 AM)


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Remote Control: Included


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Player Type: 5-CD Changer


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MP3 Playback: Yes


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WMA Playback: No


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Preset EQ : Yes


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5-CD Changer: Yes


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DVD-Video Playback: No


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DVD-Audio Playback: No


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DVD-RAM Playback: No


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DVD-R Playback: No


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HDCD Playback: No


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CD Playback: Yes


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HighMATTM Compatible: No


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JPEG Viewer: No


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Tape Program Sensor (TPS): Yes


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Feather-Touch Cassette Deck: Yes


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Manual EQ: No


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Dimensions (H x W x D) 9.7'' x 7.0'' x 14.9''

Notable Features:


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Plays MP3s burned on CD-R

The system's ability to play MP3's from standard CD-R was a major selling point for me. I needed a system that could play massive amounts of music all day long without me having to worry about changing cds every few hours. Thankfully, this systems does a great job at doing that. Some inferior quality systems do playback MP3s but have such bad electronics that certain high bit-rate MP3s playback with static or not at all. The same goes with Variable Bit-Rate MP3s. This system has no problems doing so and, like other systems, scrolls the ID3 Tag, Band Name, Album Name, and Song Name. There really isn't much else to say here except that it does a great job playing MP3s.



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Bi-amplified speakers

The fact that the system has bi-amped speakers really contributes to the overall quality of the sound.

If you don't know what bi-amped speakers means, here's a brief explanation. In a typical stereo, there are speaker jacks for left and right. But, when you look at the speakers, you'll notice that there is usually one or more speaker components (woofer, mid, tweeter). The speaker cable you connected from the stereo to the speaker is only one cable but what you don't see is that there is a passive crossover inside the speaker cabinet. This crossover splits the signal into the various frequency ranges so that the appropriate speaker component can handle that portion of the sound. Passive cross-overs are usually poor quality and suffer from severe drop-offs in certain frequencies. Thus, you get an unpredictable sound that could be treble-heavy, bass-heavy, lacking-mids, etc. Also, since there is only one channel of the amplifier driving 2-3 component speakers through a passive cross-over, the amplifier cannot always keep up with the needs of each component.

In a bi-amplified system, the system actually has two separate amplifiers inside the system. One amplifier drives the highs, the other drives the mids/lows. This way, the crossover points are set electronically inside the system first with dedicated amplifiers, and then sent to the speakers. In the end, you get a resulting sound that is typically more balanced. In a nutshell, what you have is an independently driven signal path for each component speaker. That alone should let you know that it's better than if it's not independent.

Ok, so now, back to my review! The bi-amplified system really shines through here because the highs are super crisp and the lows and tight and accurate. All this, even though the speakers are amazing small and look surprisingly good.



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Several EQ presets that help minimize/boost bass

I use this system in my office and the EQ settings are absolutely crucial. You have the following sound selection settings:

"Super Sound EQ" - Equivalent to Sony's MEGA BASS or Loudness button, because it really pumps up the bass more than anything.

"Surround" - Gives you the feeling of surround sound (similar to SRS) by raising the stereo channel levels. Although the surround processor is high quality, I've never really been much of a fan of surround because it artifically tweaks the original recording.

"Sound" - This is the main EQ. Unfortunately, there is no graphic or parametric equalizer. Although I previously thought there were absolutely no manual EQ settings, a user on here informed me that there are! If you hold down "SOUND," you can adjust treble and bass settings. But, that's all you get, and there is still no graphics or parametric EQ. So, it's nice to have this feature but it would have been impossible for me to figure that one out unless I read the manual because it's not labeled on the controller. Nevertheless, the presets are pretty good: Heavy, Clear, Vocal, Soft, EQOFF. I only alternate between Heavy and Clear. Heavy pumps up the bass, Clear turns down the bass. I usually have it on Clear so I don't bother my colleagues in the other offices.



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Auxilary input (good for connecting your iPod or computer outputs)

A pair of RCA inputs are provided for plugging your iPod in or receiving sound from your computer. I have a cable running from my computer to the AUX jack so that if I run out of CDs to listen to, I can listen to Internet Radio stations. This is a common feature on a lot of systems, but you'd be surprised at how the lower end ones don't even have this feature.



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Aesthetically pleasing design

Each speaker is surrounded by an aluminum-like surround
that makes them look pleasing even without the speaker grills. The system itself has a nice mirror-like display that just looks like a mirror when you turn off the unit.

CONS:

There really aren't many cons here except for the lack of a graphic EQ (but the bass/treble settings do help) and the fact that the clock doesn't show the time when the unit is off. Also, the remote control has some awkward commands. Instead of having dedicated buttons for changing discs, you must hold down DISC and then select a disc number to change to that disc. This is really a limitation because the remote is so small. I sit right in front of the stereo so I don't have a problem with it. However, some commands are only found on the remote, so don't lose it!

Overall: You really can't find a better stereo shelf system for the money. You can purchase these for about $100-$150 now and you have to trust me when I say you won't go wrong. It'll eat Aiwa's for breakfast.