Panasonic BD-BTT370 review

Unlike the larger BTT775 that we looked at last month, the speakers included with this system are much more compact and would be better suited to a small room. The rear left and right satellites are tall and slim and are the perfect size to sit either side of a sofa on a coffee table or bookshelf. Stands are included, although you can wall-mount them if you prefer.

The centre speaker and two front satellites don’t come with stands, so you’ll either need to buy some or wall-mount them to get the best angle for 5.1 audio. Each one is about the same size as a coffee cup, which is refreshingly unobtrusive, but the plastic build quality is disappointing; we would have liked to have seen more study speakers given the price, especially when compared to the superior centre and rear satellites.

The multiple drivers in each rear speaker help produce a well-rounded sound that isn’t drowned out by the downward-firing subwoofer, as well as clear high notes and a strong mid-range. Despite their small size, the front satellites still managed to produce powerful audio.

Watching our test footage, the surround sound effect in Casino Royale was very immersive, with no discernable gap in audio. Bass notes were slightly too boomy until we turned off the extra sound processing, which made gunshots and explosions reverberate through our test room. Even at higher volume, there was no loss of detail from the centre speaker behind the rumble of the subwoofer.

At roughly £100 less than the bigger Panasonic SC-BTT775, the BTT370 is an excellent value all-in-one system that does much more than just surround sound. If you want a simple system that doesn’t require a separate amplifier and don’t mind the below average build quality on the front speakers, this is certainly a great option.

The extra features such as DLNA media streaming and catch-up TV make the main unit much more than just a Blu-ray player, and audio quality from the speakers is ideally matched for a small- to medium-sized living room.