Sections
- Page 1 Panasonic TX-50CS520 Review
- Page 2 Picture Quality Review
- Page 3 Sound and Conclusions Review
Panasonic TX-50CS520 – Sound Quality
The 50CS520 sounds far better than we would have expected considering its skinny frame and plasticky build.
It’s capable of going pretty loud and delivering a large, detailed soundstage without the speakers succumbing to phutting noise or starting to suffer with mid-range compression. Voices sound clear at all times while also enjoying nicely rounded tones and always appearing accurately positioned in the image. There’s even a pretty expansive dynamic range that combines plenty of harshness-free treble detail at one end with a satisfying amount of rumble at the other.
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Other things to consider
Good quality but affordable big-screen TVs like the 50CS520 clearly have potentially massive appeal as gaming monitors. Happily the 50CS520 underlines its gaming potential admirably by suffering only around 30ms of input lag – so long as you keep most of its image processing circuitry switched off.
The only other couple of points worth covering here are the inclusion on the 50CS520’s remote control of a direct access Netflix button, and the fact that while clean and friendly, the my Home Screen interface – and some of the Freetime functionality – can sometimes be a little sluggish to load and navigate.
Should I buy a Panasonic TX-50CS520?
In what’s going to become a phrase common to all of our HD TV reviews this year, you need to ask yourself how bothered you are by the impending 4K UHD revolution. Because if you do think you are now or might soon be excited by it, then there perhaps isn’t much point buying an HD TV now unless you can’t afford anything else or you’re thinking you could upgrade again in a year or two’s time.
Taken on its own merits, though, the 50CS520 is a very accomplished HD TV indeed that’s a massive leap forward in picture quality from the majority of Panasonic’s affordable TVs of last year.
SEE ALSO: Best TVs 2015
Verdict
With so many outstanding 4K and even HDR TVs coming our way already this year, we couldn’t help but fear that the first of 2015’s HD TVs would just end up feeling dull and outdated. Fortunately the 50CS520 is good enough to escape that fate comfortably, combining great colour, contrast and sharpness to deliver genuine HD thrills at a price that would have been unthinkable in the pre-4K age.
How we test televisions
We test every TV we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Trusted Score
Score in detail
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Value 9
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Smart TV 8
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Image Quality 8
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Design 8
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Sound Quality 8
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.