Panasonic SC-HTB880 Review

For Wall And Bench

Panasonic SC-HTB880 review

The Panasonic SC-HTB880 sound bar lies flat when placed on a bench, so that it does not obstruct the TV, and upright when it´s hung on the wall. If it´s placed on a bench the speakers point upward. It senses what angle it is at and adjusts the sound accordingly.

Panasonic SC-HTB880
  • 62%
    Sound Quality - 62%
  • 80%
    Features - 80%
  • 70%
    Ease of Use - 70%
  • 72%
    Build Quality - 72%
71%

SUMMARY

Panasonic’s sound bar can be lying on a bench or be wall-mounted. Unfortunately, it doesn´t sound particularly good, and sounds worse lying down.

PLUS
By placing the sound bar on a bench in front of the TV gets it out of the way.
MINUS
The sound quality is mediocre, and the subwoofer is not up to par.

Bench-placement doesn´t work very well. It sounds strange, closed in and metallic. Additionally, the display is not visible when the speaker is lying down because it is placed on top. The sound bar must be angled, and thus wall mounted.

There are several sound modes. "Music" sounds best with music in stereo, it adds a little ear-friendly fullness in the midrange and the bass, while "Cinema" opens up and allows for a more dynamic midrange. Works best with movies.

That said, it doesn´t sound particularly good. Female voices should be airy, but not thin, and with SC-HTB880 it sounds thin and not very airy.

With movie in surround the dialogue level can benefit from being raised a bit. This enhances the dialogue a bit better and gives you a better simulated surround sound. But the surround sounds more 'phasy' than with Samsung and Canton. The sound stage is generally a bit narrow and thin, and there is not enough intensity in the critical midrange and sounds so flat that scenes, like when Bilbo suddenly faces a huge spider that screams at him, lacks the intended impact.

Add to this a subwoofer that is not very good. It rumbles monotonously and sounds canned and tinny.

GET IT ON eBay!

  • Features
  • Specifications
  • Low-profile sound bar sits in front of TV without blocking view
  • Bask in surround sound with 5 speakers and wireless subwoofer
  • Experience pure audio/video with 4K/3D signal pass-through
  • Connect devices via Bluetooth®, NFC, HDMI and audio inputs

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