Panasonic SC-PM53 180-Watt 5-CD Executive Micro System

by Panasonic

Product Details

• Item Weight: 24 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 25 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000F38IQK
• Item model number: SC-PM53
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,331 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Panasonic SC-PM53 Micro Audio System - This micro audio system allows you to enjoy your favorite audio entertainment, in nearly any room of your home. It's compact enough to find a home in your living room, kitchen, or office. It features an AM/FM radio, single cassette player/recorder, and a 5-disc CD player. It even has a music port for connect of a portable audio player. AM/FM Radio Music Port - for connection of a portable audio player 180 Watts of Total Power Full Range Bass Reflex Speakers Built-in Clock with play, record, & sleep timers Preset EQ Headphone Jack

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

252 of 254 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, full-featured microsystem, July 8, 2006

By 

Mitchell Sanders (Inglewood, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic SC-PM53 180-Watt 5-CD Executive Micro System (Electronics)

I purchased this for my home office recently. The selling points for me over other microsystems were the brand name, appearance, the 5 CD-changer, and the 180 watts. I listen almost exclusively to classical music, but I wanted a system that would provide as much volume and nuance as I could get in this size system at an affordable price. This unit absolutely does not disappoint. It is quite attractive, with the speakers clad in realistic cherrywood laminate, and a sleek console. (The LED display is readable and it has no annoying flashing lights to distract. It is also dimmable to near-invisibility, which would be convenient for bedroom use.) The sound is far above my expectations for this price range. The system is capable of an ear-splitting, window-rattling volume without distortion or "clipping". In fact, it is superior to an older midrange component system in my living room, with greater clarity and an enhanced bass response. I am thinking of replacing my living room stereo with another of these. For a small to medium-sized, room, it is hard to imagine a better system for the price. The FM reception of my local stations is flawless with the provided wire antenna. The AM is just adequate, but who listens to AM radio except for the traffic report these days? Because there are so many different functions built into one small unit, many of the controls on the console and the included remote control are not especially intuitive; I am able to do everything I want to do without fumbling around, but it takes a little getting used to. In brief, for the price and the size, Panasonic delivers an excellent value with this product.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Feature Packed and Great Sound at a Great Price!, January 5, 2007

By 

dreamer7777 (CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic SC-PM53 180-Watt 5-CD Executive Micro System (Electronics)

*Use Play Mode on remote to select how you want to play the disks (one disk, all disk, 1 track, 1 album, 1 disk random, all disk random, 1 album random), then you just press the REPEAT button on the remote.

*You have two audio controls (bass and treble), and 3 settings for each one, an extra bass (H. Bass) button with 3 settings (off, 1, 2) and 5 preset equalizer settings, and there is also a surround sound feature that adds a lot of depth to certain kinds of music.

*Speakers sound best when about 5 or 6 inches away from a wall, and separated from each other by several feet.

*The FM antenna works well, for something so cheaply designed, and it is made to easily add an exterior aerial if needed. The AM antenna is one of the best I've seen, if it were built in, you would have to turn the unit to find the best reception, but this handy little exterior antenna can be raised, lowered or turned. Also included is a brief description of how to add on to both antennae to increase reception.

*Instruction manual is succinct and to the point, and gives extra pointers as it goes along such as explaining how to get the best sound by adding to your antenna. It has a good table of contents, clear pictures, and as I read it cover to cover, I found features that were not in the specs or advertised.(clock, timer for set recording, etc.)

Here are some extra features not mentioned in the specs:

*A clock with both a sleep and wake up feature--however, you must press a button on the remote to see the time. You can also set the clock to record on the tape at a certain time.

*A re-master button to correct frequencies lost when you created an MP3 or WPA recording.

*Music Port to connect your iPod (with inline cable) or MP3, CD, or tape player to either play or record to tape.

*Mute on remote

*A dimmer switch.

*Wonderful knob for volume on the unit (not digital volume button)

*Auto Off

*You can start recording from the remote

*You can change other disks while still listening to a disk

*You can do your basic playing and adjusting from the unit itself, without the remote

*Can search song to song on tapes

*It has an automatic preset function that will find and save up to 15 stations each on FM/AM or you can set manually. Important: To change radio stations (without using preset) you must make sure the Play mode is set to manual.

*FM allocation setting, this system can also receive FM broadcast allocated in 0.1 MHz steps

This is a great sounding unit and I would buy it again! I paid $134 for it.

NOW FOR THE (minor) COMPLAINTS:

*The Speakers are NOT magnetically shielded, so use caution if trying to run around a television. There are magnets in the speakers so keep away from computers, TVs and magnetically based media. Read manual for details.

*There is no auto-reverse on cassette, that would have been the icing on the cake for me.

*Noisy startup and shut down presumably due to mechanical parts, but does not affect performance in any way.

*The mechanical disk drawers feel very delicate and flimsy. I don't know how long this unit will last I bought a two year warranty for $20.00.

*Blasted red light is on 24/7 to tell you that the unit is plugged in. Annoying! Our DVD player has this too. Why? I think we can figure out that it is not plugged in when it does not turn on!

*A button on the unit is wasted on a demo feature. It is also the stop button still, the demo is useless. It would have been better used as a Play Mode button because Play Mode is very important and only found on the remote.

I've really been enjoying the great sound, one of the best sounds you can get in this price range!!

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compact size, nice sound, July 26, 2006

By 

Hei Liu - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic SC-PM53 180-Watt 5-CD Executive Micro System (Electronics)

We purchased this unit for background music at our store about 800 square feet. It comes with a music port or mini jack that could connect to one of our computer for internet broadcast. The sound quality is satisfactory. It has all the features we are looking for, like MP3, music port and separated speakers. For the price, it worths every penny.