Customer Reviews

Panasonic SA-XR70S 6.1 Channel Surround Sound Home Theater Audio / Video Receiver - Silver

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Here's a simple comparison of this model and the newer xr-55:

xr70: HDMI, 6.1 channels, binding posts only on 2 main channels and annoying spring clips on the rest, lowest crossover at 100Hz, $300-350

xr55: no HDMI, 7.1 channels, binding posts on all channels, lowest crossover at 80Hz, $230-250


In other words, the internal parts are basically identical between these two models. The only reason to get the xr70 is to have HDMI, which only matters if your TV has an HDMI connection and so does your DVD player, cable/satellite box, etc. Personally I find that a simple video component connection has about the same picture quality so this to me is a non-issue.


Here's my personal history with these Panasonic sa-xr55: I went from an Onkyo 601 to a Marantz 5400 then added some NAD separates for the mains. A few months later, I bought the Panny xr55 on a lark from Amazon thinking that I was just going to try it out and send it back, treating the $15 return shipping fee as a home audition fee.

Now my Marantz is headed to eBay and my NAD separates are running my bedroom system.

I'm not promising that you will have the same results but you really owe it to yourself to give it a listen, $15 is peanuts. I know that Panasonic is hardly a well-respected audiophile brand, but they and TI (the xr55 runs on a TI Equibit chip) have come out with a real paradigm shift in amplification technology, especially at this ridiculously low pricepoint.

If you browse and search online audio discussion boards such as AVS Forums, eCoustics, and hometheaterforum dot com, or do a simple Google search for these models, you'll find a plethora of similar accounts of people giving up much, much more expensive receivers and amps in favor of these digital Panasonics.

A few caveats---very minor IMHO at this pricepoint: no pre-outs (would negate the whole point of a digital amp after all), subwoofer crossover only down to 80Hz (only to 100Hz for the xr70), no room speaker EQ, primitive remote, no digital outputs, no OSD (onscreen display). Also may not be the best choice if you have lousy, overly bright speakers with tipped-up treble (JBLs, Cerwin Vegas, etc.)...neutral (e.g. Ascend Acoustics) and warm (e.g. Alegria Audio, Wharfedale) speakers do best with them.

Just as some folks still prefer LPs to CDs and tubes to solid state, you might decide to stick with an analog receiver, I'll make no guarantees. But it's definitely worth hearing it to make up your own mind, in any case...it's a whole different animal!

(I have written a much longer, more detailed Amazon review of the xr55.)

I purchased this receiver from Fry's Electronics in San Diego, CA for $199.99. At first, I was a little hesitant about purchasing an all digital receiver. When I got it home, and connected it, I was amazed. This receiver will blow you away with the precision of it's home theater capabilities. I am using four Polk R30's as my fronts, and rear surround, and two Sony center channels for my front center, and rear center channels. I also have a KLH 10inch Tremor Series powered subwoofer. I estimate the entire system to cost about $650.00 total. I have colleague that has a Bose home theater system, and my little system blows his out of the water, and he paid much more for the Bose. If you want a great receiver a minimal price, this is the way to go. By the way, did I mention that it has four digital inputs, an optical output, and HDMI in and out connections. BUY IT!!!!

I bought this unit to see what all of the clamoring about digital amplification was about. I have to say, for a receiver, I'm impressed. I have both my DVD and CDP going to the digital inputs and the sub and main speakers connected. Therefore, 2.1 audio. Overall, I'm very impressed with the soundstage and transparency of this small, light, and inexpensive unit. I may try to use it as a preamp and power my front speakers with my outboard amp, and the rest with the XR70. Quite a deal.

I was paranoid about having buyer's remorse from this unit. For such a cheap price I was sure I would end up regretting the purchase. What is the tradeoff? Shoot if know, but I haven't regretted buying it one bit. The receiver is perfect for home theater, particularly DD 5.1 shows. There is absolutely no discernable speaker hiss with digital content, which is important for TV watching that has a high range of both loud and silent moments.

As for power, it's not an even match with some of the more power hungry and expensive analog amplifiers out there, but it easily crosses the threshold of annoying the neighbors.

Digital is something to get used to. On conventional receivers, you turn the sound up high and it becomes somewhat sloppy, or what some call "warm". Not so with the digital Panny. It's distortion free up to very high levels. I wouldn't call it bright, but the response is very linear and precise. I like hearing all the details in music and cinema, even at loud volume. Others don't.

The weaknesses are very minor:

-The FM tuner is nothing special.
-It lacks fancy DSP modes of expensive receivers.
-No fancy on screen display (must do most of the tweaking with knobs)
-It does not upconvert video.
-The remote control is an el cheapo.

For this price, though, who cares!

I decided to try the Panasonic SA XR70S when my older amplifier finally blew. I trust the Panasonic brand in general, and i love their video products--excellent quality for the price. However, i was extremely disappointed in this product.

Pros--very nice design, lightweight, intuitive and easy to use, covers all the basics and generally works well.

Cons--the sound is inferior. (i personally 'hate' it!) maybe i was pushing it to go with 100 watts per channel (lowest power i would try to drive my large Klipsch speakers), but the bass response is weak, and i felt like i was trying to drive a powerful speaker with a boom box.

Overall, not a BAD product and for some people and their speakers and other equipment, it is probably very good for the price. i happen to like a FAT sound, warm and dynamic, and i was 'cheaping out' getting an amp not really rated for my speakers. For others who also love that FAT sound, not too bright, not too warm, you may be disappointed in this product.

I give Amazon five stars for their easy returns and good customer service. :-)

First, I won't attempt to give as comprehensize of a review as Eduardo gave. I pretty much agree with EVERYTHING he said. This system is really awesome, esp considering the price tag. I'm REALLY impressed with the performance, sound clarity, features, functionality (HDMI, etc) at this price point. I'm almost certain that you can't do better for under $300. On that basis alone, this is easily worth 5 stars.

However I need to echo something Eduardo mentioned briefly, and expand on it a bit. First, digital amplification sounds little different that what you're probably used to hearing from analog amps. Some folks hate digital, others love it. But all opinions aside, you'd be wise to test this out with your speakers and the rest of your home theater system before you decide to buy (or be ready to send back to amazon if you don't like it). For sure, this system doesn't sound that good when you pair it with certain speakers.

I have a pair of Cerwin Vega VS120s, which are AWESOME speakers, but this amp just can't drive them properly. The sound is just terrible. So I put my VS120s back on my older stereo amp (120W/ch) and hooked up the rest of my home theater speakers to the Panny. The rest of my speakers are lower power Cerwin Vegas (5" fronts, 4" surrounds/rears, 5" center, 100W subwoofer) and they sound just GRAND.

I decided the best solution for me was to use the Panny for watching movies (on my lower power speakers) and use my old stereo amp for my higher power VS120s.

I'm sure other folks will notice that this amp is overall an AWESOME value and a fantastic performer for $299, but you should also be ready to make sure you're not putting it into a home theater setup that it's just not well-suited to.

Otherwise, I'd recommend dropping the $299 on this, it's really an exceptional piece of equipment. When did Panny learn to make good audio equipment, anyway? ;)

Lots of great inputs and outputs options (though I still have to figure out why I cannot make the Component video out work yet, and have not tried HDMI yet). Audio response is clean and neutral up to about 80 decibels. But...

Does not drive my Mirage speakers as efficiently as my 5+ year old 85 watt Yamaha RX-V receiver - that is, the speakers distort at much lower sound levels and do not sound as 'warm' (admittedly this is a nuance of Yamaha receivers that some people do not like). Also, the manual is not great - it could use a lot more detail.

Bottom line - you can't beat it for value. If you don't need the HDMI pass-through definitely go for the 55 and save yourself 70 bucks (if you can find it). Also, this receiver may be more appropriate for small and medium rooms, as I expereienced some difficulty with playing loud volumes (did not sound great).

I needed to write this somewhere for all prosperity. i owned this unit for many years and i continue to love it. i finally activated the bi-amp for the first time on a passive near field monitor. testing if the unit has a active crossover or not. after listening i notice the HF range does lack bass and the LF lacks the crystal highs. the roll off seems to a 1st or second order but its a not a steep roll-off IMO. But. i will say it again. The SAW-XR70 has a FIXED built in active crossover in Bi-amp mode.

I have always had Panasonic stereo equipment and when I decided to get a new receiver looked at this model. The sound is amazing I am using it with a 100 W surround system. Works great for TV, DVD and even with my iTunes wireless set-up. The sound is so much better than the older system and there is an almost endless number of adjustments you can make to get the sound just right. With my music classical, pop or vocals all sound great! Recommended highly

I read a recent review of the Panasonic in an audio-video magazine which gave the XR70 very high marks compared to the more traditional, large and heavy receivers costing much more. This unit lives up to its reviews and has not disappointed me. Sound is spectactular especially on HDTV braodcasts in 5.1 stereo and on DVDs. More than enough inputs/outputs to satisy most audio/video enthusiasts including HDMI. All of this is contained in a small, lightweight [9 lbs], but very high tech looking package. I highly recommend this unit.