Panasonic SC-AK410 Review

Good Points
Sound, Equal balance of high and low freq due to bi-amp/bi-wiring system which gives very good balance of sound. 5-CD changer, aux input, 2 tape decks, track select on remote control, different EQ setting giving either very loud or very quiet sound, automatic tuning.

Bad Points
Noisy and slow CD-changer, CD skips from excessive vibrations from speakers.

General Comments
Sound is what makes a hi-fi and this Panasonic SC-AK410 trumps them all. Some hi-fi's have good bass but the higher freq is thrown in with making the sound seem muddy and the bass often overpowers the higher freq. This has two separate amps for both freqencies and two separate wires going into the speakers which gives very good sound quality. 5-CD changer allows lenghty playing time but it's noisy when changing discs and there is quite a delay when the discs change when on All-disc Random. Tuner is excellent and automatic tuning is possible by pressing just one button. This gives each station a number which can be accessed by remote. However, if reception is very good and there are a limited number of presets available, the tuner may pick up some stations twice or stations you don't want. The solution is to preset the stations manually. It's slower but it gives you more freedom to choose your favorite stations. No faults with tapes. Aux input is excellent. I plug my Yamaha keyboard into it, which completly enhances the quality of sound and allows it to sound more like the maker intended. Just don't forget to turn it down after you finish with Aux or you'll blow either your speakers (expensive) or your eardrums (painful). As good now as it was over a year ago and it's nice to know that Panasonic make their products to last. If I could add in one thing, it would be an anti-skip device for the CD as the heavy bass from the speakers often causes the main unit to vibrate causing the CD to skip. Otherwise excellent and I hope that continues.