Basic but competent unit
Written: Nov 29 '04 (Updated Dec 10 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good sound for small speakers, decent volume, nice techno looks.
Cons: AM reception weak, long telescoping FM antenna, don't buy one without factory AC unit.
The Bottom Line: Worth a look for a basic office or background radio/CD player.
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| apowell's Full Review: Panasonic SC-EN5 Micro Desk Top Audio System Micr.... |
I bought the SC-EN5 on Ebay for an office stereo. I wanted AM, FM and CD playback with a reasonably small footprint and contemporary looks, and I got them in the SC-EN5.
The unit has a silver finish with brushed aluminum cover on the face and sliding CD cover. Be aware that the CD cover slides upwards 5.5 inches to open and close the CD compartment, so if you put it on a bookshelf you MUST have sufficient clearance above the SC-EN5 to open and close the cover.
The antenna setup is a bit inconvenient, since the FM antenna is a telescoping mast which is not detachable. If used on a bookshelf one might extend it sideways and conceal it behind other items on the shelf. Extended fully, it's 37 inches long and easily gets in the way. The AM antenna is a typical "we don't really care about AM anymore, why should you" loop that plugs into the back of the radio. Don't expect to pick up signals from AM stations more than 10-15 miles away with this antenna. For local (in-town) stations near you, it will work OK, but that's all.
Panasonic doesn't publish frequency response specs in the owner's manual, but its mid-range and treble responses are fine. Volume is plentiful for an office or small room application, and if you're using this unit for background or office music and want to keep peace with your office partners, it will serve you very nicely without more bass response. There is a "3-D sound with active virtualizer" function accessed through the remote control which expands the sound stage virtually, making the sound image more pleasing.
Bass response, frankly, is minimal, even with the "D. Bass" function engaged. The factory woofer in the twin speakers is only 2.5 inches in size, so this should be no surprise!
I'm really not a bass fanatic, but I like full range sound, and the ONLY way you'll get anything like full-range low end sound from this unit is to add a subwoofer. I found an inexpensive ($19) used KLH 8 inch powered subwoofer at a nearby pawn shop and added it, running the speaker outputs through it. The result is pleasing, relatively full-range sound with nice bass.
Be aware that the remote control is absolutely required to set the internal clock in this device, to turn on and off the various sound effect settings, and to preset radio stations and access the presets. A remote is NOT optional to get the full functions of this unit. Without it, you can manually tune stations, change bands from AM to FM and play CDs, and that's it. No clock, no audio setting controls, no saving stations.
The biggest potential "gotcha" about this unit is that it takes a completely non-standard 10 Volt, 1.2 Amp AC to DC power converter. This is weird in two ways: first, most DC converters output at voltages that are multiples of a single battery's voltage (1.5V) like 3, 4.5, 6, 9 or 12 volts. 10V is a weird animal, and you won't find a power unit at Radio Shack (I tried). Also, 1.2 Amps is a lot of current, much more than most DC converters will supply. If you try to run this system from a standard 9V AC>DC converter, the radio works fine but the CD player won't function - it starts to load, then shuts down because it can't draw enough current to run. Therefore, DO NOT think that you will have an easy time finding a replacement AC>DC converter for a used SC-EN5.
For the hard core DIY types, here's some more info: after extensive research, it appears to me that the power supply for an Apple Powerbook 140 would work (rated at 7-10 volts, plus sufficient amperage to drive the CD player), but it would require changing the power connector at the radio end and making sure the polarity was correct. Such power adapters are available on Ebay, but the price varies a lot.
Paying more than about $60 for this unit is unwise, as it really doesn't do anything that a medium-quality boom box won't do, other than look shiny and aluminum. However, it has a nice techno-look and as long as the antenna setup isn't a problem for you, it performs dependably and sounds as good as any unit with similar size speakers that I've heard. It looks very much in place in an office, where a boom box might not.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
apowell
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Member: Al Powell
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Reviews written: 38
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Professional broadcaster. Educator and Ph.D. Technically oriented handyman, expert in electronics, automotive and home repair.
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