Panasonic SC-BTT182 review

To put the speakers through their paces, we switched to using Blu-ray discs. For the most part, they coped well, filling our medium-sized test space with sound. We weren’t completely convinced by the 3D surround effect – it’s designed to eliminate the need for rear and centre speakers, and although they did extend the soundstage slightly, it won’t fool you into thinking you have speakers behind you.

Without a centre speaker, speech occasionally got lost amidst the action during busy scenes, but for the most part it was clear and easy to comprehend. It was also during the hectic moments of Casino Royale’s opening chase scene that the limitations of the system became clear. At louder volumes, the satellites struggle to keep the high end from sounding too sharp. The small passive subwoofer also lacks the finesse of an active system, making explosions and gunshots sound overblown and boomy.

Thankfully, picture quality doesn’t disappoint, with high definition images that look incredibly crisp and clear. There’s a whole host of options for tweaking picture quality, in both 2D and 3D modes, so even the most demanding cinema fan should be able to get the perfect image with very little effort. The options can all be tweaked while a disc is playing, so you don’t have to lose your place in a film just to adjust the brightness.

If you’ve yet to invest in a dedicated speaker system, the BTT182 can make a massive difference to your viewing experience. Although it lacks true surround sound, the 2.1 setup will be a huge improvement over a TV’s integrated speakers. Audio quality isn’t perfect, and we weren’t sold on the virtual surround effects, but if you’re after simplicity, this is a great first step to a home cinema setup.