A great receiver.
Written: Dec 13 '02
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Pros: Lots of very clean power, Great connectivity, Tape monitor, Clean appearance.
Cons: Complicated surround modes, poor sensing of digital and analog sources. Remote.
The Bottom Line: A feature packed, powerful receiver. A very good value for the money.
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| captainbk's Full Review: Panasonic SA-HE200 6.1 Channels Receiver |
I was upgrading my home theater system and decided that I needed a better receiver than my 6 year old Kenwood (Dolby Prologic only) I wanted a receiver with ample power and lots of inputs for audio and video. I started looking at many different units and found out that most lacked a feature that is important to me....A tape monitor or a processor in/out jacks. I play electronic drums (Roland V-Club set) and I run the drums through a mixing board in the tape monitor loop so that I can play along with the music.
I found out that only a few receivers had the tape monitor loop, Panasonic, Pioneer and some high end Kenwoods. Some others may have it but it is difficult to find out from online specifications.
After comparing features, I chose the Panasonic for it's extensive video switching capabilities (component, composite and s-video). All video (DVD, VCR and HDTV cable box) runs through the receiver to my Samsung TXM3298HF HD moniitor. It is much easire to select the input source from the receiver than it would have been hooking everything up to the more than ample inputs on the monitor.
The switching and interconnects allow very easy taping from cable, camcorder or other sources.
The amplifiers are very clean sounding even in analog input mode. I occasionaly get a very low level 60hz hum but that is traceable to the V-drums through the mixing board.
I am ruuning the sound through a Bose AM15 speaker system and and an additional speaker for 6.1 audio. The receiver came with an additional rear channel speaker for this use.
Everything sounds great....way more than enough volume to get my condo neighbor's attention.
I like the feature that allows the change of the dynamic range. It allows you to listen at low volume levels without having to turn the sound down during explosions or other action scenes. (By the way, The receiver also came with a copy of Rush Hour II in DTS 6.1. it is a fun movie to watch and the implementation of the 6.1 audio is superb.)
I like several of the sound field control mode especially the party mode which simulates stereo sound wherever you are sitting in the listening room. It is a shame that this does not work for digital sources as it is only selectable in analog mode.
To be honest with you, the remastering effects dont seem to have much effect on the sound. There may be a very slight effect but most people wil not notice.
I do miss having a bass and treble knob. Call me old fashioned but sometimes you just need to shape the sound to your liking. In analog mode there is a Bass/trebble control but none in digital input modes. I would have rather seen this than the remastering effects.
I only have a few minor negatives to report.
My HD cable box sends out both analog and digital audio signals, depending on what channel you are watching. If you have the receiver set to AUTO input mode and switch to a channel that has digital audio, the unit senses it fine and changes to digital input mode. However, when you change back to an analog channel the receiver does not sense the lack of digtal signal and stays in digital mode. To get the sound back, I have to select analog or auto again. I have called Panasonic about this and I am awaiting a call back from tech support.
The surround modes and SFC modes are a bit confusing. Sometime you will change a mode, a message will come up on the display that says "Not Possible" with no explanation. Once you get everything set to you own personal preferences, the unit remembers your settings for the individual source input. It sure beats having to change modes or setting for each one of your source inputs every time.
The unit has four optical digital inputs but only one coax digital input. I have already had to purchase a coax to optical adapter since both my HD cable box and my DVD use this type input. I would have liked at least one more coax input.( Three optical and three digital would have been great)
The remote is adequate but half of the buttons are under a small slide cover. It is annoying to have to open the cover to reach some of these controls. The cover can be snapped off if it really annoys you.
This is a great receiver but not perfect. I am sure If I would'nt have needed the tape monitor loop that I could have found other equaly good receivers. Like life, we all have to make some compromises. You need to shop around for this unit. Circuit City and Crutchfield had the unit for the same price of $499. I was able to get it online from E-tronics for $349 with free shipping. For that price, it is a hard deal to beat.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 349
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Epinions.com ID:
captainbk
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Location: Bradenton, Florida, USA
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
When someone has a techno question, I am the one to call.
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