Panasonic SC-BTT196 5.1 Channel Home Theater System with Blu-ray Player

Pros: No Pros

Cons: Sohnen has the worst customer service in history. Please do not buy from them, in my opinion they misrepresent the products and don't keep their word with replacing defective products. Use at your own peril.

Pros: None

Cons: Got the unit and it would not stay power on, got error message F61. Cost me $30 to ship unit back to Newegg and that was the money I saved for it being on sale. I will probably never by refurbished again. I think shipping should be free when you receive defective unit.

Other Thoughts: Now I am worried that I may get another bad unit and cost me shipping again. Big Mistake! Did this for a friend, never again.

Pros: - Good sound output, good baas. I had even used it in 1000 Sq feet partyhall and it filled the haal without turning to full volume.
- Nice look, specially tower speakers give a rich look.
- you can play contineously in playlists for youtube
- Iphone controller app is pretty nice. I find that much easier to use then the remote control itself.

Cons: - You can't browse or do other things while one media is playing. If you are playing music and you go back to the list to select other song, first song will stop.
- Ipod-iphone playback : The iPod/iphone connection will just let you play your content in Itune libraries. If you play youtube video on iphone (it is easier to browse and select there) and want to view/hear on system, that does not happen. For that I guess I need a iphone-hdmi converter cable or something like that.
- Build-in display is very lame. You will have to have a TV to operate the system easily. For example, If you don't connect it to TV and you are playing an Audio CD , you will have to change song one by one.
- Youtube Selection doesn't remember anything. You'll have to type all search, everything from the start.

Other Thoughts: This is my first home theater and I am not a super audio video enthugiast.

These are few pros and cons I found after using it for a week.

Overall I am happy with the system as I could buy fully functional home theater in the price of sound bar+subwoofer in nearby store. Only thing I am missing is the wireless rear speakers as now there are wires running through my drying room walls and also I could not place speaker far.

Pros: -Good sound for the money
-Integration with Panasonic TV
-Good picture quality
-Speedy load time
-Easy setup

Cons: -Subwoofer blew when cranked up. Took 2 weeks to get a replacement.
-Included Speaker wires are not long enough
-Viera link quirks. When powers on, it automatically switches the TV from whatever you are watching to the home screen. This is annoying when all I want is to use it to enhance the sound of the TV. It takes 5 steps to power on the TV and the receiver and get the TV back to the HDMI1 input.

Other Thoughts: This unit is worth $200 - not $399!! In hindsight though, I would have bought a $200 soundbar/wireless sub and a $50 blu ray player separately.

Pros: nice tall free standing speakers the sound was okay and its cheap

Cons: Not enough audio inputs when you switch inputs the home screen kept popping up when using HDMI(arc). The user profiles do not let you set custom inputs and save. Also this unit occasionally would shift the sound from the front speaker to the the rear speaker without anything being touched. User interface is a bit rough system is designed to be the hub of everything unfortunately my ps3 is the hub of my entertainment center this is just for sound. The media center portion was crude and did not display most of my files it seemed to be limited to only 1 or 2 pages common commands like FF REW are done via pop window then you may use your remote to FF or REW why??

Other Thoughts: I wanted to like this item given the great discount and the free standing speakers appearance. Buyer beware though this purchase has been nothing but trouble do yourself a favor avoid this one.

Pros: Great system. Surprising amount of bass from the subwoofer. No need for speaker stands for the front speakers it comes with. Right and left rear surrounds are small and light enough to hang from a plastic thumb tack. Lots of long speaker wire included. The Netflix app works great and allows you to play in HD and 5.1. Hardwire ethernet port in the back for hooking up to your network; you can buy a wireless adapter. Very adjustable levels for each channel, I turned up the center channel +2 to increase dialogue volume. Nice FM radio too, and inputs for iPod or USB stick in the front. I bought new for $275 so if this refurb is in good shape this is a great deal. Perfect if room is at a premium.

Cons: None yet.