Panasonic SC-AK410 Review

Overall Rating

5 CD Changer. Plays burnt MP3 disks. Good advanced display which shows CD TEXT and MP3 ID3 info. Great sound across the board. Works as a good amp for external devices through usual red and white aux ports. Also has an optical output to attach to a seperate amplifier. Pre-set EQ includiing "Super Sound" which is espeicaly good for clean sound with lots of bass.

Even though EQ is great, you can only use preset modes and no way to set it yourself (Can't set bass or treble levels seperatly). Random function can only be used on standard CD's not MP3 disks. CD change can be slow when on random between disks.

This Panasonic SC-AK410 is a great bedroom CD Micro System, turn it up to the top and you'll not be dissapointed, although your neighbours will hate you :). The sound is clean and generally distortionless although some things around it tend to reverb when amped to max, but that's not the stereo's fault. 5 CD changer is good, meaning I can pop in a load of disks and not have to worry about changing them every hour, the disks are loaded via seperate carages for each disk rather than the usual turn table style tray, which I assume has a much longer lifespan (I've had a lot of turn tray's go mad on me). I no longer use cassette tapes so I can't comment on the 2 cassette decks, but i guess they're just standard issue with the usual record function.

The stereo plays mp3 disks very well, although you can't randomise tracks on mp3 disks, which i guess would require a lot more memory in the system to do so, but it does reproduce mp3 sound very well and plays any old file you throw at it, VBR's, 4kbs - 320kbs etc.

The lack of customisable EQ abilities is a shame but there are enough pre set ones to compensate, but, if you don't mind waking everyone up, the super sound button is really what you want to be on most of the time, at night though the bass may travel a little to much for people to sleep through.

This stereo has an optical output port which means that you can attach it directly to a sondblaster platinum/audigy panel or a MD player to record, or to a post amp to decode the CD data directly (because the optical port is a digi port that'll directly transfer the raw CD data rather than running it through the stereo's amp circuitry first).

It also has 1 aux port (red and white composite conections) on the back which I plug eveything else into via a aux switch box. It does a good job of amping up any input you stick in to it.

Remote control has a good logical layout and is easy to remember if you're fumbling in the dark trying to turn it down, off or change disks, etc.

All together a great system, good features and a great one to play anytyhing from metal to dance.
Usualy costs around £150 - £200

Errrm, that's all I can really think of at the mo, Will add more if neccessary

Members' Comments ondanielberwick's Review

• danielberwick on 8th Apr 2005

  Just to add onto my review from last year, I've had this system for a year now and there has been no problems at all. It's all running as if new!

• danielberwick on 11th Mar 2008

  OK, I've had this system for nearly 4 years now, and it's still running flawlessly. Good work Panasonic :)