The Panasonic SC-HT40: The Most Affordable Home Theater in a Box

If you're looking for a very affordable and branded Home Theater System in a Box for your dorm room or loft which has a good sound quality, then the Panasonic SC-HT40 will probably be the right choice. The Panasonic SC-HT40 only cost less than $200 dollars but delivers good sounds if you're going to use it in a small room.

The Panasonic SC-HT40 consists of an AV receiver, right and left channel speakers, satellite speakers, center channel speakers, and subwoofer speakers. The Panasonic SC-HT40 has a total of 800 watts output and 5.1 Channel Surround Sound. There's no DVD included with the Panasonic SC-HT40 which is probably a plus for those who already own a DVD player. The Panasonic SC-HT40 has built in DTS, Dolby Digital, and Dolby Pro Logic II audio decoders, since the Panasonic SC-HT40 is only under $200, input options is pretty limited. You will get two analog stereo inputs, one analog stereo output, a coaxial digital input, three digital inputs and two optical digital inputs. There's also no video inputs and outputs so you're limited to using your TV for your video connections.

The set-up is pretty simple, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to set-up the Panasonic SC-HT40. I had my brother's running in just a few minutes. So we tested the Panasonic SC-HT40 by watching Spider-Man III, lots of actions and sounds and I was hoping to replicate watching it on the big screen in my brother's dorm room. The Panasonic SC-HT40 was able to deliver great sounds, it surprised me that a Home Theater System this cheap was able to deliver. Music wise, I don't recommend listening to your rock albums on full volume with the Panasonic SC-HT40 because it won't sound as great as the other expensive home theater systems.

If you want to go wireless, the Panasonic SC-HT40 offers optional wireless accessories. The Panasonic SH-FX60 allows the two surround speakers to be wirelessly connected to the system's main head while the SH-FX80 can be used as a wireless B-speaker to be used in a another room. Both of these devices can be purchased for around $60-$100 each. If you live in a tropical country or in one of the sunny states, you might find that the Panasonic SC-HT40 would tend to go hot so be sure to turn on your air conditioner or adjust your room temperature.

All in all, for under $200 dollars, the Panasonic SC-HT40 would be able to deliver a good home theater experience compared with some of the more expensive systems in the market. If you have a child, brother or sister in College who has their own dorm room, this would be a good Christmas gift.