Panasonic SC-AK410

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.

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