INDUSTRY COMMENTARY

Ribbon Loudspeakers by Newform Research.

Frank Alles of Stereotimes on The Panasonic XR45

Dear John Meyer,

I am a Senior Editor/Reviewer at StereoTimes.com, e-zine. A short time ago, I saw your ad on Audiogon, that gave a link to information on your website regarding the performance and background of the Panasonic SA-XR45 receiver. At the time, I was very intrigued by your assessment and description, enough so, that I ordered the XR-45 to try in my system.

When it arrived, I put it in the corner in its box and there it stayed for about six weeks. During that time, I bought a small, well-reviewed, class-A tube amplifier and a respected, class-A, solid-state amplifier, which I believed would be better choices to power my Klipsch Chorus speakers (my second system).

As it happened, I liked the little tube amp very much. It was exceedingly natural and sweet, and was also very detailed and articulate. The only area that bothered me was that it sounded a little stressed (harsh) when asked to play loud. And, the bass could've been a bit stronger, though it was well defined.

The solid-state amp was certainly an improvement in power output and in bass response, but it was not quite as natural and transparent as the tube amp. Also, because of its high input sensitivity, its "resting" noise (hum and hiss) level was noticeably higher (a factor since the Klipsch are 101 dB/W efficient).

Finally, I got tired of looking at the box containing the Panasonic, so I decided to take the receiver out and actually try to use it. I had bought an IEC adapter so that I could use a better power cord and I went through the instructions to see how to best set it up.

After some initial trial and error, I decided to use the direct digital input (coax) for CD playback, and I connected my phono stage to the direct DVD/6-channel analog main-speaker inputs. This was the best-sounding configuration in my experience.

I have to admit that this was the first time I had used a digital amplifier, and further, that I was wary of your claims of how well the Panasonic performs. But after a few days of break-in, to my surprise and delight, the lightweight XR-45 started to sing. The bass was deep and tight, and probably the most articulate of the three amps I tried. Guitar strings and vocals sounded very focused and natural and the clarity and level of detail was impressive. It sounded pretty good on brass instruments too, though perhaps not the best I've heard. Best of all, the noise level with the Klipsch was almost non-existent with my ear right on the speaker -- by far the lowest of the amps I've tried.

Aside from the unexpectedly high level of performance I achieved, I love the convenience of the remote control for volume control, muting, and switching sources.

So, my assessment is that you were not exagerating your claims. The little Panasonic appears worthy of inclusion in even high-performance systems. I believe I will be using it for some time to come. I may even try it on my Audio Physic Virgo IIs.

Many Thanks!

Frank Alles
Senior Editor
StereoTimes.com

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