Panasonic SoundSlayer Dolby Atmos Soundbar for TV with Built-in Subwoofer, Small Home Audio Bluetooth-Enabled Speaker with Hi-Res Sound - SC-HTB01 (Black)

I was looking for a small form factor Soundbar that could deliver better sound than a much older Panasonic PT-660 5.1 sound system I had hooked up to my PC, which still works perfectly fine but took up to much space. This did the trick and actually blew me away in a lot of regards. The sound is much clearer and richer than my old system. The bass also gets deep and punchy, more than enough for my preferences. However, it won't get nearly as heavy as a separate subwoofer, so keep that in mind if super heavy bass is something you prioritize as this doesn't have it.The different sound modes and features do actually work for the most part too. 3d Surround should always be on in my opinion, as it emulates true surround sound and just sounds better. The Clear Dialogue option does actually make dialogue much louder and clearer if you need it. The gaming modes in particular do actually seem to work as intended. The FPS mode in particular does highlight things like footsteps better than other modes. However, it is still not as good as headphones so if you are being really competitive stick with them.The Final thing is the price. In my opinion, it is worth the roughly ~$266 I paid for it as it was exactly what I was looking for and sounds great. However, it is still a little pricy and there are other options in this price range. If it goes on sale for ~$200 I'd say you have no reason not to buy it.

I purchased this soundbar back in 2020. The sound is crisp. My setup connect is through hdmi.

This thing has great sound production given the smaller size of the box.Small size is ideal for under-monitor position which improves the experience as the stereo sound stage is front and center. Decent bass and sounds awesome.

This was purchased to replace a Bose sound bar that disappointed. After comparing many different sound bars, this was the one I settled on. Obviously, when you purchase a sound bar, the first most important quality you are looking for is in the name of the product itself: sound! This does not disappoint. Sound quality is excellent, particularly for a smaller sound bar. Installation was quick, including the eARC connection to my Hisense Roku television.The clarity of the sound is a huge step up from the Bose sound bar that we had. Speech clarity (I’m half deaf it seems) is very good on every mode. I find there are subtle differences in tones between the preset modes on the remote, but not enough that I will comment that they add or subtract from the overall sound.So, why not five stars? As electronics have improved and become “smarter” over the past several years, I’d almost expect some sort of display on the device. I had an LG entry-level sound bar over 8 years ago that had a miniature LED display that allowed you to view the different settings at a glance. So, the technology is there. However, this sound bar only has three lights on the front of the device, and it serves several different purposes; it tells you which “mode” you are in. When you increase the volume, the lights sequentially light up left to right, and when you decrease the volume they light up sequentially right to left. They flash to acknowledge a change in preset, but you have to memorize (or check the manual) to verify you are where you want to be. That is the most annoying aspect of this unit. I have to keep the manual nearby until I memorize what the lights are trying to tell me.Secondly—the remote. Yes, it does the job. At least it’s a little bit better than the Bose all-black membrane-style remote. This remote at least has a red power button that allows it to stand out a bit. However, it’s still small and easily lost. Why not at least have backlit keys to see when you are watching a movie in low-light conditions?Lastly, and it’s missing overall: Smart Control. This sound bar DOES NOT use WiFi, and therefore is not capable of device control like so many other things in our life. I have smart lamps, smart fans, and even a smart dehumidifier. Because this does not connect to house WiFi, it cannot be controlled via Alexa or any of the other smart devices out there. It also cannot be controlled via smartphone app for the same reason. So, don’t lose the remote!Overall, a solid choice for those wanting a small speaker to use with a TV without having to sacrifice sound. With the missing features addressed, though, it could be an excellent speaker. Panasonic, are you listening for a potential 2024 or 2025 product? :-)

Love this speaker! By adding a HDMI 2.0 hub, I can connect my PC PS4 Pro and Switch dock to this Sound bar, it works flawlessly! Keep the 3D surround ON and the soundstage is just amazing! Also please switch off the auto-off function to prevent troubles!PC: Install Dolby Access app to activate Dolby Atmos (Free of charge, the app only charge if you use Atmos for headphone), Netflix and PC games all sound great.PS4 Pro: Select HDMI and LPCM sound format can output lossless 7.1 to the sound bar to play with, games like Nier benefit a lot. And it still can run 4K 60fps with HDR normally.Switch: Select Surround sound format (LPCM 5.1) when dock to enjoy lossless 5.1 surround audio from Switch games!My old speaker is Creative Katana, it also sound great but only can input stereo 2.0 from Switch which kill a lots of surround effect. PS4 with Dolby digital 5.1 is also highly compressed, and for PC the virtual 7.1 surround effect design by Creative is not as natural as Dolby Atmos so in my opinion SoundSlayer is better then Katana.The downside I found at the moment is only one HDMI input so you must add some HDMI hubs if you like me got a few systems in the desk.Another problem is when using in Windows PC it tend to get into rest when there is no audio playing, so when there is audio start like playing music or YouTube video may need to wait a few secs for the sound to kick in, quite annoying, but it doesn't affect gaming as if there is constant audio it will not act this way.lastly, the Bluetooth of this sound bar is just a outdated 2.1 and poor SBC connection as shown by the third photo. So forget about the Bluetooth function, it's sucks! Use the HDMI only for best experience!