Customer Reviews
Awesome Deal
I decided to get this receiver after reading rave reviews from audiophiles. I have never witnessed so much love for a $200 receiver. I remained skeptical even when UPS dropped off the box. The Panasonic weighed nothing compared to your typical 50+ pounder analog receivers. Once I hooked everything up, I was pretty amazed at the sound quality. Movies and music sounds came through clean and clear.
You really can't complain about a receiver that delivers this much quality for such little money. People complain about the remote, lack of connections, and lack of video upconversion, but come on! Look at what you get for the price.
Please note the dimension of the receiver, it is deeper than most receivers. I could not get it to fit inside my TV stand.
Excellent little thing!
I got this unit to replace my aging Sony receiver that just wasn't cutting it anymore. After looking around at all the choices out there, and not having a large budget, I settled on the Panasonic SA-XR55S, mainly because of its practical features list and low cost.
First, it came down to needing at least three component video inputs, which the Panasonic has three of--all other receivers I looked at in the same price range ($200-350) had only two. Now, I can hook up my DVD Player, DVD Recorder, and game systems with no problem.
Second, I wanted something that didn't take up a lot of space. And, as we all know, most receivers these days stand at least five to seven inches tall. However, the Panasonic, due to its digital amp, stands just over four inches tall. Also, it weighs around nine pounds, instead of the average 30 that most conventional receivers do.
Third, I didn't want to skimp out on sound quality just because I didn't have the money. So, after reading several reviewers from all over the web recommending the Panasonic for its clear sound, I had to give it a try.
Overall, I'm happy with the unit. It does everything I need it to. It sounds great with my aging Technics speakers. And the Panasonic does not degrade any video signal I send through it. Yet, with all this said, the remote is not as solid as it could be. It lacks most of the codes needed to run other-branded equipment--such as my Samsung TV.
Pros: price, inputs, sound, size
Cons: remote
Perplexing machine
What really is this Panasonic machine? The manuals give no real clue. But the outside of the box says digital amplifier. So perhaps this really is a class D amplifier. High end audio newsgroups talk about it containing a Tripath chip and rave about its capabilities as does one reviewer here.
For myself I am comparing it with a Cambridge Audio 640 amp. The Cambridge has a firmer more powerful bass - but otherwise the Panasonic completely beats it for clarity. There is an astonsihing precision and clarity to the Panasonic.
Bur what is driving me nuts is deciding what I prefer. I am driving the amp into a pair of old Klipsch Heresey speakers which are very bright at the top end. Adding that to the Panasonics brightness at the top - might just be a bit too much for me. I can't define the problem - but let's call it listener fatigue. The Panasonic may just be a bit too much for my ears. So do I prefer it a bit mushy and indistinct? Hard for me to tell, or do I need to re-educate my ears. I personally associate a mellow tonal warmth with musicality and find that lacking in the Panasonic. But maybe the Pansonic is more truthful?
I am giving the Panasonic 5 stars. If other are hesitating - I'd suggest they buy it, because I would like like to read more comments on this. Oh, and I also borrowed a $2k Adcom power amp and compared it to the Pansasonic. I could tell they were different. But the Panasonic seemed to hold up surprisingly well - again its clarity shone through.
Finally, the user interface is pretty bad. I only use it in stereo mode. So if its' set and forget - then you can ignore it's UI. But if you are using it's full A/V capabilities - then it seems to have a lot there. What is really the worst is Panasonic's tech support. Clearly the people supporting you there have never ever seen or touched the product. They seem to punch up a PDF of the user manual on their computer and proceed to read it to you. If you ask a question, then they 'accidentally' disconnect you. Not worth the effort of being in the wait queue for 20 minutes or more.....
