Panasonic SA-BX500 Receiver Thread - Blu-ray Forum

MasterSandman · 05-05-2009, 09:03 PM

I'm thinking about buying this receiver as they are running around $300 on some online stores right now but I'm just worried about some of the inputs and they way everything hooks up.

The back looks like this:

The only thing I'm worried about is the way the speakers hook up...the seven speakers I have along with the sub woofer all hook up to my current receiver via the classic positive and negative double-wire. Call me naive but with this receiver it looks like it hooks up to the receiver with a positive and negative wire but with an coaxial wire input instead of the loose wire (I'm not quite up on my home theater terms yet!). I notice that lots of new receivers hook up this way...how do the speakers hook up?

SlmShdy1 · 05-06-2009, 03:36 AM

The speakers hook up the same way. It's just a different kind of connection. The ones on that receiver are called binding post terminals. All you do is unscrew it like a bottle cap, stick the speaker wire in the hole and screw it back on.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=35062

Look into using banana plugs.

Texitura · 05-06-2009, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlmShdy1

Look into using banana plugs.

I highly recommend banana plugs.

MasterSandman · 05-06-2009, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texitura

I highly recommend banana plugs.

I've been trying to find information on these but what exactly do they do?

Do they keep the sound from degrading over time? Do they just make it easier to unplug and plug when I want to move or upgrade? Or both and more?

SlmShdy1 · 05-06-2009, 10:43 PM

Overall, I'd say they make things way easier to hook up. Basically, they turn speaker wire into a RCA cable (plug and unplug). There's no twisting and untwisting so all you would have to do is plug it straight into the connection.

Texitura · 05-06-2009, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasterSandman

I've been trying to find information on these but what exactly do they do?

Do they keep the sound from degrading over time? Do they just make it easier to unplug and plug when I want to move or upgrade? Or both and more?

I find trying to use bare wire ends with that style of binding post to be inconvenient. My fat fingers make it a lot more of a hassle than it needs to be. Banana plugs are so much easier. I've swapped speakers twice, receivers once, and cables once recently, so banana plugs have been a godsend. They shouldn't affect the sound at all, it's a matter of convenience and appearance. I got Nakamichi plugs off Ebay and they're gorgeous. Too bad they don't show!

lghaze42 · 05-06-2009, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasterSandman

I'm thinking about buying this receiver as they are running around $300 on some online stores right now but I'm just worried about some of the inputs and they way everything hooks up.

The back looks like this:

The only thing I'm worried about is the way the speakers hook up...the seven speakers I have along with the sub woofer all hook up to my current receiver via the classic positive and negative double-wire. Call me naive but with this receiver it looks like it hooks up to the receiver with a positive and negative wire but with an coaxial wire input instead of the loose wire (I'm not quite up on my home theater terms yet!). I notice that lots of new receivers hook up this way...how do the speakers hook up?

I have this receiver and it is awesome.As for the speaker hookups you can stick the wire or banana plugs in the center or use the slot in the connector to stick the wire in (if it is not huge).

MasterSandman · 05-07-2009, 01:57 AM

Now...my subwoofer isn't powered and I plan to upgrade all of my speakers slowly. Should it be powered for this receiver or does it matter?

lghaze42 · 05-07-2009, 02:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasterSandman

Now...my subwoofer isn't powered and I plan to upgrade all of my speakers slowly. Should it be powered for this receiver or does it matter?

Like most receivers you will need a powered sub.

esko1 · 06-09-2009, 04:41 AM

Is this receiver any good. i found it @ 240 iam looking to buy 1, iam useing my ps3 for blus @ the moment and was wondering if anybody can tell me if its good or not. thanks

callas01 · 06-09-2009, 02:28 PM

I only remeber one person getting this receiver last year around christmas time, he liked it, Here is a review from CNET that you may want to read. Personally I would prolly get an Onkyo 507/607 or Yamaha 565/665 or Sony STR-DH700 /800 or one of the new Pioneer 919s. they can all be had around the price your talking and are all prolly a little better. But if you can listen to it and to these other receivers then I suggest going with the one you like the best, but panasonic has not been in the AVR game is some time. Originally it was an $800 receiver and not worth it when you compared it to the $500 receivers all the other manufactures were putting out. at $240, it may be a decent purchase, but personally I wouldn't buy it.

lojack1976 · 06-09-2009, 05:53 PM

You may want to check out THIS owner's thread over on AVSforum for more info on this receiver. Panasonic's line of receivers have a pretty loyal following. They apparently have very good sound quality and enthusiasts use it as an amp for 2-channel music, and for the price its a very good value. Read up on it. Also keep in mind that the Cnet review rated it lower mainly due to the initial price which was quite high for the feature set in comparison to the competition, but this receiver has been going for $300 or less lately and there are very few 7.1 options at this price point that will also decode the HD audio codecs. You should also look at THIS review in which they also started to criticize some of the omitted features at the $700-$800 initial price point, but then stated that once they actually listened to it those shortcomings could be easily forgotten.

esko1 · 06-09-2009, 05:57 PM

does anybody know if the pioneer VSX-819H-K does lpcm? i saw a good price on this 1 also.

lojack1976 · 06-09-2009, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by esko1

does anybody know if the pioneer VSX-819H-K does lpcm? i saw a good price on this 1 also.

Yes, it does. How much did you see it for? You may want to step up to the VSX-919H-K since its 7.1 and a better overall value, and its not much more. You can get it HERE for $349.99 shipped. If you are looking for the best price you can get then you can also consider THIS Sony for $239.99 shipped, but the Pioneer is a much better receiver. I would also say that the Panasonic is a better overall receiver than the Sony.

esko1 · 06-09-2009, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lojack1976

Yes, it does. How much did you see it for? You may want to step up to the VSX-919H-K since its 7.1 and a better overall value, and its not much more. You can get it HERE for $349.99 shipped. If you are looking for the best price you can get then you can also consider THIS Sony for $239.99 shipped, but the Pioneer is a much better receiver. I would also say that the Panasonic is a better overall receiver than the Sony.

I saw Pioneer VSX819HK last night for 249.99 on jr.com i checked this morning and it went up 269.99

now iam thinking i might just go with 919h-k, i will order this friday i just hope the price dosent go up

thanks alot for the help iam new to all this. now i guess speakers i was planing to go with Yamaha NS-SP7800PN, any suggestions?

lojack1976 · 06-09-2009, 07:44 PM

I think that would be the best receiver to go with. As far as speakers go, I and I'm sure others will agree that you should skip those Yamaha's. To keep your budget low get two of THESE for $240 shipped, THIS center for $80 shipped, and a pair of THESE bookshelf speakers for $70 shipped for use as surrounds. This will bring your speakers in for less than $400. You can buy a sub at a later date. THIS is becoming a popular low cost sub for $200 shipped.

MrRoy · 06-09-2009, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lojack1976

I think that would be the best receiver to go with. As far as speakers go, I and I'm sure others will agree that you should skip those Yamaha's. To keep your budget low get two of THESE for $240 shipped, THIS center for $80 shipped, and a pair of THESE bookshelf speakers for $70 shipped for use as surrounds. This will bring your speakers in for less than $400. You can buy a sub at a later date. THIS is becoming a popular low cost sub for $200 shipped.

If you buy the monitor 50's one at a time and apply EMCLTLS23 you should get them for around $95 each.

callas01 · 06-09-2009, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lojack1976

I think that would be the best receiver to go with. As far as speakers go, I and I'm sure others will agree that you should skip those Yamaha's. To keep your budget low get two of THESE for $240 shipped, THIS center for $80 shipped, and a pair of THESE bookshelf speakers for $70 shipped for use as surrounds. This will bring your speakers in for less than $400. You can buy a sub at a later date. THIS is becoming a popular low cost sub for $200 shipped.

I would agree not to go with the Yamahas, and Lojack makes a good offering with the polks, you can also go here and check out the Energy sales. Better speakers then the Polks and for just a few bucks more... all three you would need are at the top of the screen, I think they only come in black right now, but for $430 its not a bad deal at all....

lojack1976 · 06-10-2009, 01:14 AM

callas01 offered another good alternative for speakers. Energy makes very good speakers and I'm a proud owner of some very nice Energy satellites.

esko1 · 06-10-2009, 05:04 AM

well i was planing to go with the yamahas just cause i found them @ best buy for 254.99, so my question is, is it that the yamahas aint so great or that the original price is 2 high?

05-05-2009, 09:03 PM	#1
MasterSandman Senior Member Member since:Dec 2008 Home Theater Gallery:18 4K collection:17 Blu-ray collection:372 Trading Score:5	Panasonic SA-BX500 Receiver Thread I'm thinking about buying this receiver as they are running around $300 on some online stores right now but I'm just worried about some of the inputs and they way everything hooks up. The back looks like this: The only thing I'm worried about is the way the speakers hook up...the seven speakers I have along with the sub woofer all hook up to my current receiver via the classic positive and negative double-wire. Call me naive but with this receiver it looks like it hooks up to the receiver with a positive and negative wire but with an coaxial wire input instead of the loose wire (I'm not quite up on my home theater terms yet!). I notice that lots of new receivers hook up this way...how do the speakers hook up? Last edited by MasterSandman; 05-05-2009 at 09:12 PM.

06-09-2009, 04:41 AM	#10
esko1 Active Member Member since:Mar 2009 Location:Los Angeles, CA Blu-ray collection:209 Blu-ray reviews:1	Panasonic SA-BX500 Is this receiver any good. i found it @ 240 iam looking to buy 1, iam useing my ps3 for blus @ the moment and was wondering if anybody can tell me if its good or not. thanks

06-10-2009, 01:14 AM	#19
lojack1976 Blu-ray Guru Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Aug 2008 Location:7 Cities, VA Home Theater Gallery:62 Blu-ray collection:203	callas01 offered another good alternative for speakers. Energy makes very good speakers and I'm a proud owner of some very nice Energy satellites. Last edited by lojack1976; 06-10-2009 at 01:17 AM.

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05-06-2009, 03:36 AM	#2
SlmShdy1 Blu-ray Guru Top contributor Member since:Nov 2007 Location:Honolulu, HI PlayStation® PSN: SlmShdy1 Home Theater Gallery:39 Blu-ray collection:292	The speakers hook up the same way. It's just a different kind of connection. The ones on that receiver are called binding post terminals. All you do is unscrew it like a bottle cap, stick the speaker wire in the hole and screw it back on. https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=35062 Look into using banana plugs.

05-06-2009, 10:43 PM	#5
SlmShdy1 Blu-ray Guru Top contributor Member since:Nov 2007 Location:Honolulu, HI PlayStation® PSN: SlmShdy1 Home Theater Gallery:39 Blu-ray collection:292	Overall, I'd say they make things way easier to hook up. Basically, they turn speaker wire into a RCA cable (plug and unplug). There's no twisting and untwisting so all you would have to do is plug it straight into the connection.

05-07-2009, 01:57 AM	#8
MasterSandman Senior Member Member since:Dec 2008 Home Theater Gallery:18 4K collection:17 Blu-ray collection:372 Trading Score:5	Now...my subwoofer isn't powered and I plan to upgrade all of my speakers slowly. Should it be powered for this receiver or does it matter?

06-09-2009, 02:28 PM	#11
callas01 Blu-ray Prince Top contributor Member since:Jun 2008 Location:Riverside, CA Home Theater Gallery:42 Blu-ray collection:230 DVD collection:47	I only remeber one person getting this receiver last year around christmas time, he liked it, Here is a review from CNET that you may want to read. Personally I would prolly get an Onkyo 507/607 or Yamaha 565/665 or Sony STR-DH700 /800 or one of the new Pioneer 919s. they can all be had around the price your talking and are all prolly a little better. But if you can listen to it and to these other receivers then I suggest going with the one you like the best, but panasonic has not been in the AVR game is some time. Originally it was an $800 receiver and not worth it when you compared it to the $500 receivers all the other manufactures were putting out. at $240, it may be a decent purchase, but personally I wouldn't buy it.

06-09-2009, 05:53 PM	#12
lojack1976 Blu-ray Guru Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Aug 2008 Location:7 Cities, VA Home Theater Gallery:62 Blu-ray collection:203	You may want to check out THIS owner's thread over on AVSforum for more info on this receiver. Panasonic's line of receivers have a pretty loyal following. They apparently have very good sound quality and enthusiasts use it as an amp for 2-channel music, and for the price its a very good value. Read up on it. Also keep in mind that the Cnet review rated it lower mainly due to the initial price which was quite high for the feature set in comparison to the competition, but this receiver has been going for $300 or less lately and there are very few 7.1 options at this price point that will also decode the HD audio codecs. You should also look at THIS review in which they also started to criticize some of the omitted features at the $700-$800 initial price point, but then stated that once they actually listened to it those shortcomings could be easily forgotten.

06-09-2009, 05:57 PM	#13
esko1 Active Member Member since:Mar 2009 Location:Los Angeles, CA Blu-ray collection:209 Blu-ray reviews:1	does anybody know if the pioneer VSX-819H-K does lpcm? i saw a good price on this 1 also.

06-09-2009, 07:44 PM	#16
lojack1976 Blu-ray Guru Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Aug 2008 Location:7 Cities, VA Home Theater Gallery:62 Blu-ray collection:203	I think that would be the best receiver to go with. As far as speakers go, I and I'm sure others will agree that you should skip those Yamaha's. To keep your budget low get two of THESE for $240 shipped, THIS center for $80 shipped, and a pair of THESE bookshelf speakers for $70 shipped for use as surrounds. This will bring your speakers in for less than $400. You can buy a sub at a later date. THIS is becoming a popular low cost sub for $200 shipped.

06-10-2009, 05:04 AM	#20
esko1 Active Member Member since:Mar 2009 Location:Los Angeles, CA Blu-ray collection:209 Blu-ray reviews:1	well i was planing to go with the yamahas just cause i found them @ best buy for 254.99, so my question is, is it that the yamahas aint so great or that the original price is 2 high?

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