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| Brand: Panasonic
Category: CE
This item is no longer available
Rating:  59 reviews
Sales Rank: 16736
Color: Silver
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 9.9
Dimensions (in): 16.9 x 15.5 x 4.2
MPN: SAXR55S
Model: SAXR55S
UPC: 037988252206
EAN: 0037988252206
ASIN: B0009E1YPW
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 11-15 of 59
 It's a quality product May 13, 2007
L. Miceli (The desert)
Pros-Low energy consumption and yet plenty of volume br /Many connections. Two digital coax and two optical. br /Whenever the input is digital, the display shows which speakers are receiving information from the source so you know if you are truly getting dolby digital 5.1 or dts etc. br /Does well with analog sources but fantastic with digital inputs. br /Cons-S-video inputs are a bit flimsy but once you get the signals going through it doesn't require further adjustment. Not much else.
 A Unique Value in Home Theater Audio May 7, 2007
Jack R. Tallent (Ellicott City, MD USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Panasonic receivers are "special." They are one of the few that employ Class-D amplifiers, which run cool, are inexpensive, and, according to many, are the future of audio amplification. br / br /Because it is inexpensive and utilizes less-conventional amplifier technology, Panasonic receivers are actually "controversial" among audio/home theater enthusiasts. Reviews of this receiver run the gamut from rivaling the sound of Krell separates to being completely unlistenable. What I concluded from these opinions was that the Panasonics probably sound much like any other receiver. That is to say, just fine. br / br /Well, I've lived with the unit for awhile now and can report that the XR55 does, in fact, perform just fine. It produces what I consider to be excellent sound, and does everything it needs to. (Which in my system consists of dutifully switching from stereo to Dolby Digital 5.1 when the source calls for it.) br / br /I do not use the receiver for any video switching whatsoever, as I have a stand-alone video processor for that. As such, the XR55 was a good choice for me, providing solid, no frills audio for a low price. It is also a particularly good choice for enclosed installations where heat may be a problem. (The XR55 may be the coolest-running receiver you can get.) br / br /There are some drawbacks with going with such a bargain receiver. There is no on-screen-display, making menu navigation a little cumbersome. The speaker binding posts aren't the greatest, but are serviceable. All in all, though, this is an excellent value.
Nice Unit April 3, 2007
Lloyd S. Cheairs (Los Alamos, NM USA)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Real good system, works well. I already had the full speaker sytem in place so all I had to do was hook the wires up. It didn't work at first. I had replaced the DVD player also and it used the five wire connection. I went back and read the manual and it said for the five wire you needed to chage the mode. I did so and it worked. Other than that everything when smooth. And it works great.
Musically, one of the best things I've ever done for myself February 20, 2007
R. Muir
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I used to have a similarly priced Yamaha HTR-5540 receiver, which was connected to my computer via an optical cable to a great soundcard, the turtle beach riviera. To go with this receiver, I had all of the budget audiophile components recommended by stereophile magazine. I even had grado SR-80 headphones. Despite all of this, my music sounded painfully boring. After listening to music like this for nearly 4 years, I almost stopped listening to music completely. br / br /Through experimentation, I found that if I bypassed the amplifier, and listened to music directly from my computer with headphones, my music sounded...quite exciting! Even when I used POS radio shack headphones, it sounded SO much better than when listening through my Yamaha Receiver. br / br /As a last ditch effort on music, I bought this amplifier. I had had it; if I didn't like music after buying this amp, I didn't like music anymore, and I'll find something else to spend my money on. br / br /Initially listening to this amplifier didn't bring any noticeable difference...much like switching out any audio component. However, after listening to it for a couple months now, I can honestly say that my music sounds very crisp, and very exciting. I no longer wanted to give up on music. br / br /Performing the same test by bypassing the amplifier with headphones, I can honestly say that it sounds just as good or better going through the amplifier. The panasonic neither adds nor subtracts ANYTHING to the sound. It is PERFECT. br / br /Moving on to the features, this receiver doesn't fall short. I was able to customize this system to work specifically with bookshelf speakers/subwoofer combo setup, and it can be specifically set up for just about any other speaker combination out there. br / br /One fun feature to play with is the Re-Mastering capability of this unit. This is particularly nice for MP3's, since it adds in a little bit of what was lost. It has 4 different re-mastering settings, each of which are VERY subtle in their effect. br / br /One feature that this does not have that my old yamaha did is the capability for virtual surround sound without surround speakers. I've read the instruction manual cover to cover, but it doesn't look like it can simulate surround sound with two speaker, or with headphones to create a silent cinema. br / br /I highly recommend this amplifier. For anyone using an S/PDIF signal, any of Panasonics "Full Digital Amplifier" series of amplifiers is what you need as a budget audiophile.
Excellent Product! February 15, 2007
Chris (Boston)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was easy to set up, provides many outputs and works perfectly. Some standout features are: ability to turn off/change level of subwoofer, surround sound options (can set up to hear back speakers even when program is not broadcast in surround), many inputs/outputs and an easy-to-use remote. The only thing else I would have liked to see would have been specific connections for Satellite Radio and/or iPod. You can set those up no problem, you just have to use one of the other inputs (i.e. 'Tape'). br / br /Overall this is a great value and I would highly recommend it.
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