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Panasonic SC-PM19S 5-CD Shelf System (Silver)

Panasonic SC-PM19S 5-CD Shelf System (Silver)

List Price: $149.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Wowza!
Review: Big sound for such a little system. Love it!
Has it all. 5-cd changer is a little noisy, but works great.
Didn't realize, but it does have a cassette player --pleasant surprise. The preset equalizer is new for me, but not bad.
Enough choices to find the right balance.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good sound, good value
Review: Bought this for my bathroom and I'm very pleased with the sound and functionality. I specifically went for this model because it will play MP3s as long as the file ends with .MP3 (I noticed another major brand that will only accept MP3s using their own sofware and needing Windows 2000 or ME... this Panasonic model takes older MP3 discs). I have one gripe and it's significant to me. You can't play your MP3s in shuffle/random mode. That REALLY stinks when you have a 200 song mix. Random only works with normal CD's.

Sound is beefy and just about right for a smaller room.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Unit
Review: Did a lot of research for this purchase. Was looking for a nice, featured - but not too expensive - unit for my home office. This 5-disk changer w/cassette unit was it.

Best attributes: very good sound, 140 watts, 5-disk capacity, tape capable (with search and timed record or play), MP3 compatible!, two-way speaker system, decent looks and good price (I paid $149).

Also liked the Sony HP7. That seems like a good alternative if the Panasonic SA-PM19 isn't available or to your liking.

Enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Amazing system for the price!
Review: Don't look any further if you are looking for a compact system w/ quality sound. It doesn't pay spending an extra $250 for an Onkyo. The bass is impressive and the tones clear and crisp. The 5 disc changer is quiet & effective. This unit would still be a good value @ $300. Just buy it, you'll be happy that you did. Gee, I should get paid for this type of promo.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: very nice
Review: For some reason, I didn't like my computer audio system, so I bought this shelf system a few months ago. It's pretty good. If your room is not very large, I highly recommend this one. It looks elegant. Both CD player and AM/FM work well. I usually use it to play my classic music CDs. I can say the quality is impressive, although I think the quality of thoses systems over $2000 are more breathtaking..

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It's deep. (Physically that is...)
Review: Fully concur with other reviewers... great sound, great features and great price. However, I was most surprised to find that the unit is almost 15 inches deep. (Should have read the specs because the picture doesn't reveal this.) If you're planning to locate the unit on a book case or a hall table, it will stick out like a sore thumb.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: BIG Difference
Review: Generally speaking, this unit is good, maybe the best one amongst others similar! And good value for money
But, still some short comings
1, very noisy where switching the disc, it's ironic that ads here says the machine has a noiseless 5-disc switching system.
2, where connected to power, the screen starts displaying the so called "demo" mode, you can stop it, just to reduce power consumption, but what the instruction sheet says(to press the "stop button" ) does not work, you have to use you remove control to reduce the display brightness ("dimmer" button) when you are playing the music. So when the machine is in standby mode, the annoying flashing "demo" effect won't come out again. ~~~~ took me a long time to figure this out
3, !!!!!!!!! huge huge problem for me !!!!!!!!!! when playing some nonstop electric music album in mp3 form, there is a break between song and song. But it is ok where you are playing a nonstop "CD", I mean no break exits. So if you want to use this unit to rock the party and want to get the music nonstop atmosphere, make sure you got the "CD", or guys will definitely feel disappointed when dancing.
4, the song name display actually automatically stops after the first roll. Then the screen change to time mood, which means you won't be able to see the display except at the beginning of the song unless you press to choose the display mode again.


Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Looks a little clunky, but sound is fine.
Review: I got this for my office after having the Panasonic SA PM27 in my living room and the SA PM 17 in my studio for over a year. The SC PM19's controls and proportions have more of a boom box bulging look than the other 2 or most "executive" or "mini shelf" system, but I've got it under my desk for continuous low background sound, don't have to look at it, and in those conditions find the sound as satisfactory as in the 27 and 17, and the remote means I only have to get on my knees when I change CDs or the tape. If I was buying in a few weeks, I'd probably check out the newer 220, which from the illustration seems to have gone more fully and less awkwardly to the boom box contours.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Better than I thought
Review: I had been looking to get a CD player to replace my broken boombox. There are lots out there and lots of features. But I think what sold me in place of some of the other units (including Panasonic's AK320) is that this actually has a decent look. If you don't mind the loud LOOKING boomboxes, there are probably some units out there that have more feature and higher WATTs. But for those who want a unit that is not obtrusive, this is definitely it.

--Sound
The sound on this machine is just wonderful. I was worried that this would not be loud, since all the other units I looked at were in 300+ watts range. However, when I tested this next to the other units, I found that even at 140, I wasn't able to max out the volume before it becomes just too loud. And unlike the large boomboxes, this one actually has clarity, too. I tried different types of radio stations to see what the range is like. Did some classical and opera and couldn't be happier with the clarity. The big 300/400 watts boxes made the singers all muffled. So from a sound standpoint, I am very pleased. There is even a surround sound emulation, which help scatter the sound to give you that breadth of sound.

I had heard much about Sony's great sound and all. In comparison, I think they were about the same. However, I have had REALLY bad experience with Sony's quality. Most of my sony products have great features, but they just don't last. Most of them die within 2 years of use, just enough to pass all the warranties. In addition, some of the comparable Sony units have this CD pop-up thing, which means more movable parts, which means more chance of failure.

--Appearance
Like I said, this one is much easier on the eye than those powerhouse boombox. If you are in college and want a machine that just looks like alien technology, sure, go for a boombox. For those who want a machine that doesn't completely look out of place, this unit is great. The mirror finish for the display looks very sleek. I do agree that this unit is a bit deep, but that I can manage.

--Functions
For some reason, lots of vendors have decided to drop bi-directional tape decks, including Panasonic and Sony. This unit has a single tape deck, but that's about all I need. I do want to be able to play a tape on a rainy day, but don't think I'll EVER dub tape to tape again. The unit has very few buttons, which may lead buyers into thinking this has limited capability. On contrary, this thing is loaded with features, just that most of them on the remote. So better make sure you don't lose your remote.

So far, this thing plays all my mp3 cds, even those I burnt back in 1999. So it ain't too picky on CD format and/or mp3 naming conventions. There is a minor load time for MP3 cds, but again, manageable.

For some reason, I believe Panasonic didn't advertise this unit has HighMAT anywhere. But when you look at the LEDs, you do see that as an option. I haven't burnt any HighMAT CDs yet, so I can't comment on it. But it look as if it is there.

--Gripes....
I do have a gripe on the lack of random mp3 play, but I suppose I can deal. I believe Sony has units that have random mp3 play, so go there if you don't mind your machine breaking :P Also, is it me or is the tape deck and cd changer a tad loud? I don't mean that it is overly loud, but it is definitely note whisper quiet.

--Summary
Just to give you an idea, other units I considered included:
- Sony HPX9
- Sony GX250
- Sony GX450
- Sony HPX10W
- Panasonic PM19 - Best bang for the buck in my eye....
- Panasonic PM29
- Panasonic AK320
- Panasonic AK520

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Has anybody else experienced cd no eject on this unit??!!??
Review: I have bought the panasonic sc-pm19. However, I noticed that cd is jammed at the display model that they have at COSTCO. The attendant couldn't explain it. Then I saw the review on Amazon that cd does not eject.

Has anybody else experienced this?

thx,
Mohmd.


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