Entered CNET Catalog: 03/20/2003
SKU: 0037988406876
Manufacturer: Panasonic
Manufacturer description
Panasonic SC-HT900 is a Home Theater System with built-in 5-DVD changer and Surround sound speaker system. PRODUCT FEATURES: DVD-Audio Compatibility; Dolby Digital Decoder; DTS Decoder 2; Dolby Pro Logic Surround (Pro Logic II); FM/AM Digital Synthesizer Tuner; Audio Inputs; Cinema Mode; Dialog Enhancer; Multi-Channel Sound Field; Sound Field Control (SFC); Compatible Media Formats: VD-Audio, DVD-Video, DVD-RAM/DVD-R 4, CD, CD-R/RW 5, Video CD, JPEG, MP3, WMA, HighMAT; Progressive Scanning; Super Surround Sound.Product summary
The good: Slim receiver/five-disc DVD changer; high-style tower speakers; progressive-scan video; DVD-Audio; remote subwoofer-level control; looks cool next to plasma TVs.
The bad: Lacks bass and treble controls.
The bottom line: Hands down, this is the best-looking $500 theater package we've ever seen.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 08/05/2003
Panasonic clearly meant the system's silver, plastic finish to complement that of similarly styled plasma and flat-screen TVs. Each 42-inch-tall tower, or tallboy, has three separate parts: a weighted circular base, a stand, and a slender column speaker. The relatively squat, 9.75-inch-wide center also comes with a small stand. Wall-mounting is another option with any or all of the speakers. Wiring and assembly consumed an hour of our time. The subwoofer is the bulkiest component, measuring 6.5 inches wide, 17.5 inches high, and 16.75 inches deep.
At first glance, you'd never guess the 2.5-inch-tall receiver could possibly house a five-disc changer, but the unit's 17-inch depth is a major clue. We could quibble about the tiny, black buttons and their barely legible labels, but we didn't have any problems over the long run. The nifty-looking remote tested our dexterity at times, but it's no worse than average.
The receiver/carousel changer can hold five DVDs and offers the usual selection of Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS, and DTS Neo:6 surround-processing modes. It also plays DVD-Audio discs, but it lacks bass and treble controls. You can, however, tweak the subwoofer level from the remote.
The HT900's speakers and subwoofer bear more than a passing resemblance to those of Panasonic's $1,000 kit, the ST1. The four towers each use a single 2.5-inch woofer and a tweeter of unspecified size. The center bears the same complement, plus a duplicate woofer. The sub has a 6.75-inch driver and houses the system's six power amplifiers. The front- and rear-channel amps are rated at 35 watts each, the center receives a strangely disproportionate 140 watts, and the sub's amp pumps out 150 watts.
All our MP3 discs played, and the HT900 always displayed complete file information. The changer also readily handled DVD-Rs, DVD-RWs, DVD+Rs, DVD+RWs, and DVD-RAMs of all kinds.
The connectivity suite will satisfy basic needs. You get three sets of stereo inputs; one line output; one optical digital input; and composite, S-Video, and progressive-scan component outputs.
Our home-theater trials ran the gamut from straightforward drama DVDs such as The Godfather to the more-challenging, recently released Phone Booth. The latter film's gritty urban feel and creative multichannel mix fully exercised the HT900. The sound was quite detailed, but it never broke free of the towers--we were always aware of the speakers' locations. The HT900 did best at low to moderate volume levels; cranking them up had a hardening effect.
Can the HT900 rock out? It sounded passable on White Stripes' mellower tunes, such as "In the Cold, Cold Night," but it turned spitty on our favorite track, "Ball and Biscuit." Meg's thumping drum kit kicked with conviction, but the beanpole speakers couldn't muster enough energy for Jack's vocals and thrashing guitar licks. So we lowered the volume and explored Linda Ronstadt's big-band-inspired What's New DVD-Audio disc. That came across much better--so sweetly we had to remind ourselves we were listening to a $500 kit.
After listening to both the HT900 and the ST1, we preferred the lower-priced HT900. The two systems' speaker packages are almost identical, but the HT900's is a bit more powerful. Maybe that's why it sounds a little bigger and fuller; it certainly gave Radiohead's Amnesiac CD more texture and space. The HT900's superiority is due in part to its center speaker, which isn't as wimpy as the ST1's ultrathin one. Both kits will perform best in rooms smaller than 250 square feet.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44out of 44 user reviews
Good sound effects
Pros: Excellent Sounds
Cons: Restarts automatically
out of 44 user reviews
good until it quit playing most dvd's
Pros: great surround sound
Cons: will not play rented dvd's
out of 44 user reviews
Great system (for a while)
Pros: Decent sound, attractive speakers
Cons: Loud popping
In my humble opinions the home theater in a box or HTIB is a economical way to get decent surround sound in your modest living rooms. The speakers that come with the HT900 are aesthetically pleasing. The 5-disc changer is convenient. However the subwoofer (SB-WA350) is a sub-par component. Panasonic would be better off selling the speakers by themselves and allowing you to get your own subwoofer. It works as advertised out of the box. However, after a 2-3 year period you'll start to notice a loud popping sound and the occasional deafening tone coming from your system. The culprit is the subwoofer. What's happening is that the subwoofer is overheating and that sound you hear is your the circuit board inside dying. Don't bother trying to just replace the small PC fan inside. The connection on the circuit board is what is dead. The box will continue to overheat. If you're looking for a decent HTIB then avoid this one. Looks are deceiving.
out of 44 user reviews
It lasted 2 1/2 years. Then the pops and hissing.
Pros: Great Features. Nice Sound.
Cons: No Bass/Trebble Controls. POPPING & HISSING
Other than that, the picture quality is good. Sound for home theater is great, and it does 2ch source music pretty well. Bass is okay, but not amazing.
I guess I should be happy that it didn't die after only one year.
out of 44 user reviews
Great product - up to a point!
Pros: Compact size of all components
Cons: Defective processor
out of 44 user reviews
Overall great system
Pros: Great sound
Cons: Should be in a large room
out of 44 user reviews
Very sexy system!
Pros: Looks more expensive than it is. Great soud. Lots of flexibility w/ speaker stands. Awesome bass and surround sound.
Cons: Needs even more bass and power!
out of 44 user reviews
A Trade Off In Sound and Features
Pros: It does have an 'optical' input so you CAN attach an SACD player for true surround sound.
Cons: The sound is better than most stereos, but still a bit 'tinny' and the bass is not well balance nor powerful.
out of 44 user reviews
Popping and Hissing!
Pros: Looks, sounds good out of the box, then its all down hill from there!
Cons: Hissing, popping, then it just quit! Pitiful!
out of 44 user reviews
Put down another one for defective
Pros: sounds nice when it is working
Cons: It won't work correctly for very long
out of 44 user reviews
great price poor audio quality
Pros: price 399.00
Cons: bad audio feed back in speakers serge sound
out of 44 user reviews
The popping noise is irritating
Pros: there are no pros for this system unless you like popping noises
Cons: this system leaves you on the edge of your seat, waiting for the next popping noise
out of 44 user reviews
Piece of JUNK!!!
Pros: Great Looking
Cons: Fails after 6-9 months - pops & cracks
out of 44 user reviews
PANASONIC SC-HT900
Pros: the sound is great w/no defects had 2 yrs now still going
Cons: remote stinks when please read my opinion
have a cd are dvd in the player & u turn it on it plays and won't stop unless u hit tuner/band on the remote then press stop to keep it from playing other wise I like it and give it a score of 8 I did my research on home theater
sound system this one got good a rating for the 700.00 that I spent but I would not spend
that again u can buy a good one for 100.00 and they just sound good .
out of 44 user reviews
Great value, great sound
Pros: Looks good, includes stands, sounds better than anything costing twice as much
Cons: Aparent overheating problem, add your own cooling.
out of 44 user reviews
Avg. Movie buffs will Love it!!
Pros: Great price even better looks
Cons: As with any thing.. If you abuse it you lose it.
out of 44 user reviews
DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT - KNOWN DEFECT
Pros: Nice design
Cons: Known defect
out of 44 user reviews
Great system if you only want it for 6 months!
Pros: Works great at first.
Cons: Slowly degrades and becomes unusable after 6 months.
If you have unlimited time and don't like watching a movie in one continuous stretch then this is the DVD player for you.
out of 44 user reviews
Sound system no good
Pros:
Cons: Creates heart attack causing krackle pop noise and sound stops and starts at its will. Shame on you panasonic.
out of 44 user reviews
Terrible. Do not buy.
Pros: Great looking, simple, and sounds good...when it works!
Cons: It is junk. Same issue with the popping and static noise. Panasonic support is junk and will not help. Do not buy from Panasonic!
out of 44 user reviews
Do not buy...keeps breaking and Panasonic will not admit defect!!
Pros: Good sound and features WHEN WORKING!
Cons: I have experienced the same "Pop , Crackle" noise as the others and then the system shuts down shortly after. I have taken it to a local authorized dealer (they were nice!) and they had to send it to Panasonic to be fixed. I bought the system in August
out of 44 user reviews
Great value for your money
Pros: Excellent soundfield features and good instruction manual. The picture is incredible especially with component cables. It's a great beginner system.
Cons: No bass or treble controls.Just a 4 level subwoofer control.
out of 44 user reviews
bang for your buck
Pros: Great surround, enough options for any need, reliable
Cons: I'd like just a little more bass
out of 44 user reviews
Best system for your dollar
Pros: Plays many different formats, sounds great, easy to use after you read the manual and you get familiar with it. Much easier set up for the non-techie than my neighbors Sony. Replaced a whole Rack system and only lost a tape deck, which I could use as acce
Cons: remote button combinations a bit difficult for the ham fisted's fingers, begins playing immediately after disc trey insertion, could be a better guide to setting up surround sound speakers in odd shaped rooms
out of 44 user reviews
Will completely fail within one year.
Pros: Plenty of features, looks great, sounds good for about 10 months.
Cons: This model should be recalled. Within one year, the speakers will begin to pop (rather loudly at times) and the system will go completely silent at times. Local Panasonic authorized service people are supposedly oblivious as to how to fix it. If you keep
out of 44 user reviews
System has a defect
Pros: Feature rich.
Cons: Loud popping noice with extended use. This is well documented, yet Panasonic is not appropriately addressing issue.
out of 44 user reviews
Over-heating issues
Pros: Great features in a slim package.
Cons: The major drawback to this product are overheating issues. I've had the Panasonic SC-HT900 for almost a year now, and have been plagued with the infamous "popping" noises. I've seen many posts indicating that the overheating issue is in the subwoofer, and
out of 44 user reviews
Beware of Known Defect
Pros: Looks beautiful, not bad sound when working.
Cons: Might want to search the web for other reviews of this before purchasing...Many buyers have found that their unit has the same defect, namely that a board in the woofer overheats. This creates a spectacular "KRACKLE..POP!" sound effect, and usually means
out of 44 user reviews
great sounding system
Pros: Great deal at 350 plus shipping. Easy to set up and the sound is great. 5 CD changer is awesome and component output is a plus. Subwoofer sounds great
Cons: The Remote is a little difficult to use sometimes because of the plethora of options.
out of 44 user reviews
great home theater
Pros: Compact. Great sound. Plays everything. Looks cool. Easy to setup. Very happy with purchase. Bought from Crutchfield for great price. Thanks to other users for their recommendations.
Cons: Remote somewhat small. disc switching takes a couple seconds.
out of 44 user reviews
Know issues with Sub
Pros: Good sound and features
Cons: Known defect with product. Bad circuit board on sub can result in popping noise or system cutting out. Panasonic tech verified defect.
out of 44 user reviews
Great system for the price I paid
Pros: Sounds great for the price I bought it for ($299 on sale). It plays everything: DVD video & audio, CDs, mp3/wma, jpeg. I am also impressed with the features. The simulated surround effects for stereo inputs are very impressive. I've only had it for a
Cons: I also noticed the black line across the screen when playing DVDs. The only thing I could do to fix this was turn down the brightness on the TV, which makes it much less noticeable. This I must say is rather annoying. Also, an additional optical input wou
out of 44 user reviews
Overheating issues.
Pros: Great features for the price.
Cons: After extended use you may experience very loud popping noices coming from speakers, very sporadic. Panasonic support very difficult to deal with and are not admitting to issues even though it is well documented on the web.
out of 44 user reviews
For Under $500 This is the One!
Pros: Great exterior design. Good picture quality. Sound is very good. The player is slim, but very deep. Speakers look great. I upgraded the wire to 16GA It comes with 24GA I would recommend this if you are running wire longer than 15ft. It will give you bett
Cons: Speaker Stand Design - The holes were to small for my 16GA wire. All the time Panasonic put into designing it, what a oversite. Black Scrolling Line - I read in a couple of other reviews about this. I got it to go away by turning the progressive on. I ha
out of 44 user reviews
Panasonic has done it again!
Pros: Best bang for the bucks. Sleek HTIB out there. Sound & pictrure quality is near top-notch. It plays everything. Display is detail and simple.
Cons: For one I don't think this system has 700W output as it could blow your eardrums. Remote is rather poor with no open tray button?
out of 44 user reviews
Good overall value. Nice looking.
Pros: Definitely one of the better $500 HTIBs. Overall good sound and very nice, sleek looks. Nice to have the 5 disc changer.
Cons: Lacks subwoofer punch and more detail in the satellites would be nice. But, again, for $500 (I paid $425) this is definitely one of the better ones out there. Similar to another poster, I also have the dreaded black line that scrolls down the TV!!! This i
out of 44 user reviews
HDTV Owners Beware
Pros: Solid system with decent features for the price. Nice external design. Sound quality is fair.
Cons: I have tried two different units (a friend also bought one of these) on my 50" Panasonic HDTV and with both players there is a subtle horizontal shadow (an inch or two thick) that scrolls through the picture. After leaving my system at a certified Panaso
out of 44 user reviews
Don't buy this unit
Pros:
Cons: Don't buy this unit. There is a problem with it over heating and causing a loud poping sound after a couple hours of use. I talked with Panasonic about this and they will not admit to the problem, however, you can find several other people that have had t
out of 44 user reviews
Solid sub-$500 system
Pros: Great system if you are looking for a sub-$500 system. If you expect more, prepare to spend more. This system set up easily in 1 to 2 hours. Basic inputs and outputs with one digital optical in for satellite system. Sound is better than average and DVD vi
Cons: This is a value system... as such if are an audiofile, you may find yourself looking for a little more out of the subwoofer. Also, there are no seperate treble or bass controls... this is handled primarily through EQ-like settings. The owners manual is re
out of 44 user reviews
Suited to non-tech Buyers
Pros: Easy to assemble. Remote is rather intuitive and the sound is good for a $500 system. Separately powered Sub a plus.
Cons: Retailer sold me Monster speaker wire (16g) to hold the sound but the inputs in the back of the sub were much too small to accomodate. Don't buy addt'l wire, use what's in the box.
out of 44 user reviews
Not bad, not great
Pros: Great looks and great price sold me!
Cons: No digital coaxial input makes the reciever weak.
out of 44 user reviews
Can't stop listenin
Pros: Just got this for Christmas yesterday, took me about an hour to set everything up. This is my first HT system, but it definitely blows away anything I've had before. Crystal clear sound. Looks fantastic.
Cons: Difficult to connect. Discs take a while to swap. Wire from receiver to sub isn't very long, so I had to alter my setup to make up for this.
out of 44 user reviews
can't do PAL->NTSC
Pros: good value for the money
Cons: I had to return the whole thing to store, because it can't do PAL->NTSC, so 1/3 of my DVDs don't play! I couldn't believe it, even the $59.99 Magnavox player supports PAL! Which means if you have a DVD from Asia, even if it's region code-free, stil
out of 44 user reviews
Faulty out of the box
Pros: Nice looking Hopefully sounds good when I do have it looked at by Empire commercial who sold it me!
Cons: 3 out of the 5 channels did not work so very disappointed
