Deciding on whether to buy a product like PANASONIC SC-HTB488EBK 2.1 Wireless Sound Bar, Silver or perhaps SONY HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar, Silver? You’re in the right place as we’ll take you through all of the specs, features and look at the quality, pricing and reviews of both to help you make the decision on which one to go for.

Discover all reviews at Currys PC World:

View Reviews

PANASONIC SC-HTB488EBK 2.1 Wireless Sound Bar, Silver vs SONY HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar, Silver

PANASONIC SC-HTB488EBK 2.1 Wireless Sound Bar, Silver specs

PANASONIC SC-HTB488EBK 2.1 Wireless Sound Bar, Silver
 SONY HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar, Silver specs

SONY HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar, Silver
Type: Sound bar with wireless subwoofer

Type: Sound bar with wired subwoofer

Number of channels: 2.1

Number of channels: 5.1

Total power output: 200 W

Total power output: 600 W

SPEAKERS

SPEAKERS

Configuration: – Sound bar
– Wireless subwoofer

Configuration: – Sound bar x 1
– Rear x 2
– Wired subwoofer x 1

Power: – Sound bar: 100 W
– Wireless subwoofer: 100 W

Power: – Sound bar: 430 W
– Wired subwoofer: 170 W

Wireless capability: – Wireless subwoofer x 1

PLEASE NOTE: Wireless capability requires compatible devices and a wired connection is still required between the TV and player. All wireless units still require a power source.

AV FUNCTIONS
AV FUNCTIONS

Audio features: – Clearaudio+
– S-Master Surround

Preset sound modes: – Standard
– Music
– Cinema
– Voice
– News

Preset sound modes: – Game
– Movie
– Music
– Sports
– Standard

Audio processing: – Dolby Digital
– DTS Digital Surround

Audio processing: – Dolby Digital
– Dolby Dual Mono

CONNECTIVITY

CONNECTIVITY

Inputs: – HDMI x 1 (ARC x 1)
– Optical x 1

Inputs: Optical x 1

WiFi: No

Outputs: HDMI x 1 (ARC x 1)

Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0

WiFi: No

USB: No

Bluetooth: Yes

GENERAL

NFC: Yes

USB: USB 2.0 x 1

Power consumption: – On mode: 37 W
– Standby: 0.5 W

GENERAL
Colour: Black

Box contents: – Panasonic SC-HTB488EBK 2.1 Wireless Sound Bar
– Remote control
– AC mains lead
– Instruction book
– Brackets and screws

Power consumption: – On mode: 85 W
– Standby: 0.4 W

Dimensions: – Sound bar: 60.5 x 853 x 90 mm (H x W x D)
– Wireless subwoofer: 303 x 185 x 337 mm (H x W x D)

Colour: Black

Boxed dimensions: 240 x 1010 x 460 mm (H x W x D)

Box contents: – Sony HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar
– Subwoofer
– Rear speakers x 2
– Optical cable
– Quick setup guide

Weight: – Sound bar: 1.9 kg
– Wireless subwoofer: 4.3 kg

Dimensions: – Sound bar: 52 x 900 x 70 mm (H x W x D)
– Subwoofer: 392 x 190 x 315 mm (H x W x D)

Boxed weight: 10.14 kg

Boxed dimensions: 250 x 470 x 995 mm (H x W x D)

Manufacturer’s guarantee: 1 year

Weight: – Sound bar: 2.1 kg
– Subwoofer: 7.8 kg

Boxed weight: 13.92 kg

Manufacturer’s guarantee: 1 year

Price: £169

Price: £189

Number of Reviews:

Number of Reviews:

Review Score: 9.2 / 10

Review Score: 9.1 / 10


When deciding on whether to buy PANASONIC SC-HTB488EBK 2.1 Wireless Sound Bar, Silver or SONY HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar, Silver, a very important consideration is the price. So we’re going to spend a bit of time looking at the price of both.

To start with, we looked at the price of the 173 products in the same category as PANASONIC SC-HTB488EBK 2.1 Wireless Sound Bar, Silver, which is the Home cinema systems and sound bars category. Of these 173 products the average price was £542.45, the most expensive was £9999.99 and the cheapest was just £24.99. We then looked at the price of the 173 in the same as the SONY HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar, Silver, which of course the average was £542.45, top price was £9999.99 and cheapest £24.99.

We then looked specifically at the average price of products from Panasonic and Sony, the average was £378.99 for Panasonic, £414.71 for Sony. The max for each was £4299/£13999 and minimum was £19.99/£7.49

Price analysis of PANASONIC SC-HTB488EBK 2.1 Wireless Sound Bar, Silver

Price analysis of SONY HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar, Silver

  • PANASONIC SC-HTB488EBK 2.1 Wireless Sound Bar, Silver
  • 200 W
  • Wireless subwoofer
  • Bluetooth
  • HDMI / Optical
  • Top features:- Powerful sound output to boost your home audio – Bluetooth streaming to play your favourite music – Wireless subwoofer allows you to create a flexible setup Powerful sound outputThe Panasonic SC-HTB488EBK 2.1 Wireless Sound Bar has a 200 W output to fill your room with sound. With balanced sound production for movies, TV and music, the sound bar and wireless subwoofer combine to deliver clear and precise audio along with impressive bass.Bluetooth streamingIn addition to enhancing your home viewing entertainment, the sound bar can be used as a Bluetooth speaker for clear and enjoyable home audio. Simply connect your smartphone or tablet to enjoy your favourite music and playlists.The sound bar connects to your TV using a wired connection. In addition to an optical port, it also has ARC HDMI to send both video and audio signals to your TV. For added convenience, you can control the basic functions of the sound bar using your TV remote when using a CEC compatible TV.Wireless subwooferYou can create your ideal home entertainment setup using the HTB488 as it features a wireless subwoofer which can be placed in the most convenient position. Since you don’t have to worry about wires, you can simply enjoy tight and powerful bass sounds no matter where the subwoofer is in the room.Don’t forget your cablesCheck out our range of HDMI and optical cables to connect your input devices and to make sure your new SC-HTB488EBK works perfectly, with improved transfer speeds. Look out for the Sandstrom Silver Series HDMI cables with their lifetime warranty.
  • Product codes: 5025232858385
  • SONY HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar, Silver
  • 600 W with dialogue enhancement
  • Wired subwoofer
  • Bluetooth / NFC
  • HDMI / Optical
  • Add immersive audio to your home entertainment setup with the Sony HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar with wired subwoofer and two rear speakers.Surround soundThe HTRT3 allows you to enjoy 5.1 channel surround sound for an excellent audio experience. The compact setup consists of a slim sound bar, along with two rear speakers and an external subwoofer.S-Master digital amplifier creates refined, clear sound quality which can enhance your entertainment, whatever you happen to be watching.ConnectivityAn ARC compatible HDMI connection allows you to connect the sound bar to your TV, while Bluetooth with NFC lets you easily link your smart device to the audio setup. This means that you can play music stored on the device to enjoy quality, immersive audio.With a USB 2.0 port on the RT3, you can also connect other devices to enjoy video and audio playback.Don’t forget your HDMI cables Check out our range of HDMI cables to connect your input devices and to make sure your new sound bar works perfectly, with improved transfer speeds. Look out for the Sandstrom Silver Series HDMI cables with their lifetime warranty.Enhance your home entertainment with the Sony HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar with wired subwoofer and two rear speakers.
  • Product codes: 4548736018617

What’s better PANASONIC SC-HTB488EBK 2.1 Wireless Sound Bar, Silver or SONY HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar, Silver?

There are obviously a number of differences between PANASONIC SC-HTB488EBK 2.1 Wireless Sound Bar, Silver and SONY HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar, Silver, but there are several things that you can use when comparing the two. The first of these, which we’ve already covered, is price. Make sure you spend a bit of time deciding how much you are willing and able to spend on your product to really get a good idea if the £169 cost of PANASONIC SC-HTB488EBK 2.1 Wireless Sound Bar, Silver is closer to the expectation you had than the £189 pricep point of SONY HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar, Silver.

Once you’ve nailed down everything there is to know on the price of both, the next step is to really study the reviews. Taking the time to read reviews of both will really help you to decide which is a better product between PANASONIC SC-HTB488EBK 2.1 Wireless Sound Bar, Silver and SONY HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar, Silver. We looked at the reviews over at Currys PC World for both products and found that PANASONIC SC-HTB488EBK 2.1 Wireless Sound Bar, Silver scores out of 10 from reviews. Whereas SONY HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar, Silver scores out of 10 from reviews.

It’s also really worthwhile spending the time to look at the key differences between the two products. For that you can use our comparison table about which looks at the main features of both products to give you a clear idea of where one product perhaps benefits over another. When comparing the two it’s a really good idea to have an idea in your mind of the key features that you need from your Home cinema systems and sound bars as this will help you to narrow down the products that do or don’t meet your criteria.



PANASONIC SC-HTB488EBK 2.1 Wireless Sound Bar, Silver



Rating:
9.00 out of
10