Panasonic SC-HC3 Ultra-Slim iPod Docking Speaker System with CD player, AM/FM Radio, Clock, Alarm, and Remote (Black)

by Panasonic

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 4.1 x 7.8 inches ; 8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 13 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0021YZ4HW
• Item model number: SC-HC3
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)

Product Description

Panasonic SC-HC3 Overview; High Quality Sound:The SC-HC3 achieves high quality sound from compact speakers. The Bamboo Cone Speakers produce crisp, clear vocals. The two passive radiators that are positioned at the front and back of the speaker unit cancel out vibrations inside the speaker thus suppressing unwanted vibrations and delivering robust bass sounds. The system features an AM/FM digital synthesizing tuner, and a built-in CD player. Bass and Treble control and the four present EQ settings (Heavy, Clear, Soft, Vocal) allow you to adjust and customize to your preference. Total output power of 40W; Sliding Door and Universal Dock for i-Pod: The sliding door allows easy insertion and removal of an iPod or CD using any cables. Select your songs from among your favorites with the remote control, or set the wake-up timer to work with your iPod music for a personalized audio experience; Ultra-Slim and Stylish Design:With the same depth as a paperback book, the SC-HC3 can be placed on a desktop, a bedside stand, a bookshelf, or your kitchen counter. At 4 1/2 inches deep, this stylish sound system will integrate easily into just about any home environment.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

161 of 164 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice compact ipod speaker system, August 7, 2009

By 

Katherine Hall (Mount Vernon, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic SC-HC3 Ultra-Slim iPod Docking Speaker System with CD player, AM/FM Radio, Clock, Alarm, and Remote (Black) (Electronics)

My husband bought me this system for my birthday a little while back. I wanted something to play my ipod on that had decent sound quality, but I did not want an alarm clock type system, which was pretty much the only thing I could find where I live (small town). While the description says that this has an alarm clock, thankfully it is not the main function (I'm sure it works fine, but I haven't even bothered to set the time as it usually doesn't show on the screen anyway).

First off, the SC-HC3 has a very small footprint. It is extremely thin for a system and could easily fit on a bookshelf or mantle which was important to me; I didn't want something large and bulky since I wanted to put it in the dining room and kitchen area of my house.

It has an ipod dock and CD player which both are covered by a sliding panel, another plus since I have pets and did not want the fur to get into the ipod docking area when not in use. The ipod can play while the panel is open, so you can scroll back and forth manually or you can use the remote control that comes with the system. And the part that covers the ipod is a dark plastic, but see-through when the ipod is on, so you can see what song is playing. The part of the panel that covers the CD is metalic silver and not see-through. There are system buttons on the top so the front of the stereo looks very clean and not cluttered and they're simple and straightforward to use.

Now, I'm not one of those people who can tell you if the music comes across pure or crisp or robust or is highly superior to another system. But I do think that for the most part, it does sound good, not hollow or too much bass and it does sound clear.

The only complaint that I really have with it has to do with the ipod dock, though. It has a pivoting dock connector that pops forward to help you put the ipod in. I have an ipod touch and with it being so thin, it is sometimes hard to get it to connect on the first (or tenth) try. There is definitely plenty of room in there for larger ipods which might fit better. And then (this might be just the system I got) every once in a while the connection didn't fit right and when the music plays, there is sometimes static during the song. At first I thought it was that the song had been corrupted at some point, but the static would happen between songs and when I paused it. And since it sounded like radio static, I thought that something was wrong and the radio was playing through the system while I had the ipod on. Then I realized that it was the dock. When I pulled the ipod out and placed it back in, the static disappeared. Not a huge deal since I try to remember to make sure it is firmly on and I've only had that problem a few times and it's now been a while, and like I said, it could just be the one I got. If it continues, I'll probably exchange it. UPDATE: It's been a few months and it hasn't happened since.

But overall it is a nice system that doesn't take up much room and is mainly for music, not an alarm clock.

104 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Adequate sound, great features and footprint, December 25, 2009

By 

Hank T. Cat "Feed me" (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic SC-HC3 Ultra-Slim iPod Docking Speaker System with CD player, AM/FM Radio, Clock, Alarm, and Remote (Black) (Electronics)

I'm cross posting this review to the 3 products I evaluated.

Bose Sounddock
iHome Bongiovi IP1
Panasonic SC-HC3

I purchased a Bose Sounddock, but the thing kept rejecting my iPhone. After borrowing a friend's iPod to test with it, I was underwhelmed by the sound quality. Due to both facts I returned the item. Put me in the camp that thinks that Bose is more about marketing than the end product. I think most of the Sounddock products sound about the same, though I didn't test the Sounddock 10.

After checking out reviews on the iHome IP1, I next went to a warehouse store and gave it a test run. The sound quality was better than the Bose, though the footprint was much larger and not as elegant looking. One negative is the power adapter brick which is large and would be hard to tuck away to hide somewhere.

On the way to checkout I saw the Panasonic SC-HC3. There wasn't an evaluation model out, but after looking at it I noticed the footprint was much nicer and looked great. In addition it has a built in CD player and AM/FM radio. I decided to give it a go and purchased that as well and would let my girlfriend (whom was the recipient) decide which one she wanted. When I got it home and tried it out side by side the sound quality wasn't as nice as the iHome. However I thought it was "good enough" because at moderate levels it still sounded very good. I also considered where this was going to be used, which would be in a small apartment or bedroom and realized that it would be very rare for her to want to crank this up to 11. The smaller and nicer looking footprint was great, and the CD feature and AM/FM radio was the clincher for me (as well as her). One note: This unit is not compatible by default with an iPhone, though it will work with it however you probably need to turn the airplane feature on to get the best sound.

Summary:

Sound: The iHome was the best sounding unit, marginally better than the Bose. The Panasonic was moderately less preferable to both the iHome and Bose, but please take into consideration your listening environment and habits. If you are an audiophile then the Panasonic is probably not for you, but I personally feel it would be satisfactory for 90% of the people.

Footprint: The Bose and Panasonic are sleek and thin units and are about equally preferable. The iHome is a bit bulky and doesn't look as classy. You will have a harder time finding a nice place put this.

Features: The Panasonic wins hands down on this. CD/AM/FM are great extras. While I personally don't need the CD player I still think it is a shame that the Bose and iHome don't include at least an FM radio. Had the iHome had an FM tuner built in, I would have strongly considered this model instead.

Cost: At the time of this writing the iHome is slightly MORE expensive than the Bose, while the Panasonic is about 40% less.
I would recommend either the iHome IP1 or Panasonic over Bose. If you are more interested in great sound at high volumes over form and function then get the iHome. This would be a great unit for a college student so they could enjoy music in the dorm, and take it outside (with extension cord) to provide music for all to enjoy. If you don't plan on cranking the volume all the way and want decent quality as well as good aesthetics and a compact footprint then the Panasonic is a better option. If you ever need the CD or radio features then I think this makes the Panasonic a much better choice. Also you should strongly consider the lifetime guarantee you can get by purchasing these units at certain stores over the 1 year warranty Bose gives you. Make sure you save the boxes however!
If Bose had included at least an FM tuner, I might give this a unit a "maybe". While the sound is good, it isn't awesome. It looks great but is woefully lacking on features. Finally compare the warranties to that of the other units (from a warehouse) and I find it makes recommending this unit much harder to do.

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic sound in a sleek shell!, August 28, 2009

By 

Matt (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic SC-HC3 Ultra-Slim iPod Docking Speaker System with CD player, AM/FM Radio, Clock, Alarm, and Remote (Black) (Electronics)

I love this Panasonic SC-HC3 radio/iPod/CD player!

I was concerned that the sliding doors might break after using them a lot, but so far so good. I have used the player for about a month and am completely happy with it. The controls are very obvious, the remote is very useful, and allows you to go through the iPod menu so that you don't have to fiddle with the little iPod wheel or open the door.

But best of all, I think the sound quality is excellent for such a compact player. Of course, it is great that it looks good, and is so slim.