Change your tune.
Written: Jun 07 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Stylish, powerful, easy to use, full-featured.
Cons: Minor display problems.
The Bottom Line: Subtle design and lucid audio, the SC-PM25 packs style and power into the same sleek package.
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| charlatan's Full Review: Panasonic SC-PM25 CD Shelf System |
Sure, we all want a bit of style in our Hi-Fi systems. No matter how futuristic or revolutionary they claimed to be, those big, silver-and-black, boxy-type things always looked awkward and silly sitting on your bookshelf.
The Panasonic SC-PM25 solves the issue of bad design and awkward equipment while providing excellent sound. The blue backlight on the track display and along the sides makes me feel like I own a classic Wurlitzer jukebox. As superficial as it may be, this will be the final selling point for many potential buyers. There are a lot of Hi-Fi micro-systems out there. Sometimes it just comes down to the one that looks best.
In addition to the sophisticated style, the three unified components (AM/FM tuner, slot-in cassette deck, tray-loading CD player) of the SC-PM25 turn out rich, undistorted sound, even at top volume. MASH is Panasonic's 1-bit oversampling filter technology, and, like most electronics manufacturers, they stuff the logo onto every device possible and throw the name around as if it were God's gift to audio. But, truth be told, it works. The sound is admittedly better than all my previous Hi-Fi systems, which were larger, offered equalizer features to the point of absurdity, and, I must add, were all AIWA. Furthermore, Panasonic hasn't skimped on solid construction in favour of style with this model.
Drawbacks? The blue backlight makes the display hard to read from a distance. It's a real pain to sit across the room and have to walk up to the stereo to see what track is playing. It makes the user-friendly remote rather superfluous.
Living in Germany, the model I own is, of course, European and offers the RDS tuner display (Do they even have this marvel in the States?). The space allotted for text characters (about 10) isn't as much as some other brands, but it's not terribly necessary. I paid around 550DM for it, which works out to be $275 or so. It's a small price to pay for a brilliant micro-system.
I write Hi-Fi advertising copy for a living (no names will be given), and the SC-PM25 is the type of product that truly merits the praise that the product managers insist be included in every marketing blurb. Terms like "cool design" and "crystal-clear sound" are so overused that they have become meaningless. Then you discover the Panasonic SC-PM25, a super-compact micro-system with classic wood speakers, a powerful subwoofer system, and the silvery-sleek chassis with a neon blue backlight. Be still my beating heart.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
charlatan
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Member: Eric Iannelli
Location: Kingsclere, Berks UK
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Mediocrity is overrated.
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