Comparison Panasonic SC-AKX200E vs Philips MCM-3150

— Built-in memory. Own memory allows you to store and play music and other content directly using the audio system, without the use of external media (which can become damaged or lost). Such memory can be based on hard drives or SSD modules; the first option provides good capacity at a low cost, the second is faster and more reliable.

— USB port. A classic USB port, which in this case is usually used for flash drives, external hard drives or other devices with a storage function - for example, miniature audio players. USB functionality includes, at a minimum, direct playback, but may provide other capabilities, such as file sharing with the built-in memory (see above). In addition, if necessary, a connected device (for example, a pocket player) can be charged through this port.

- Card reader. A device for reading information from memory cards; Such media are very popular in modern electronics. Most often, card readers are designed for various versions of SD or microSD cards, but other options may also occur; This point should be clarified separately in each case. The purpose of this function is much the same as the USB port described above: it is primarily used for direct playback, but other functions may also occur.

- CD. Having a CD drive means at least the ability to work with d...iscs recorded in the CD Audio format (up to 74 minutes of high-quality audio, divided into tracks). In addition, modern audio systems often provide support for discs with MP3 files; In this format, one disc can accommodate an entire collection of albums, but the sound quality is lower. And sometimes it is possible to work with optical discs in DVD format.

- Vinyl records. Built-in player for playing music from vinyl records. Technically, such media are completely obsolete, but they still have many loyal fans. In addition, many audio systems with this function support recording to USB (see “Advanced”); this may be useful for vinyl owners who want to transfer their music libraries to more modern media.

In addition to those described above, modern audio systems may include other types of media. For example, some models are equipped with USB type B inputs, so they can connect to a computer via a USB connector and work as computer speakers with advanced capabilities (such as copying music from a PC to an external drive or vice versa).

Radio ranges received by the tuner of the music center. Today, the most common ranges supported are:

— FM. Part of the ultra-short-wave (VHF) range from 87.5 MHz to 108 MHz. Uses frequency modulation, which allows you to broadcast music in stereo with fairly high sound quality, as well as transmit RDS signals (see RDS). At the moment, most music radio stations in the CIS broadcast in this range, as a result of which FM is supported in the vast majority of audio systems. The disadvantage of this option is the limited reception area - a maximum of several dozen kilometers from the transmitter - so FM broadcasts can usually be listened to within one city and its surrounding areas.

— AM (from English amplitude modulation) — radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. Usually, this term refers to broadcasting on medium waves in the range of 520–1610 kHz; most consumer AM receivers are designed for these same frequencies. The range of AM stations can be hundreds of kilometers, but the sound quality is lower than on FM, so this format is mainly used for talk and news radio stations.

— DAB+. DAB is an abbreviation for Digital Audio Broadcasting, i.e. “digital radio broadcasting”; and “+” means an improved version of this standard. Formally, DAB+ is not only a range, but also a signal transmission format: unlike all the options described above, it is, as the name suggests, digital. This provides a number of advantages over traditional transmitter...s — in particular, a greater range at lower power and high quality of the transmitted sound. In addition, this sound is practically not subject to distortion: weak interference does not affect its quality, and with a critical decrease in transmitter power, the signal is not distorted, but disappears completely. The latter, however, can be written down as a disadvantage; but the only truly significant disadvantage of this option is its low prevalence (so far) in the CIS countries. Technically, such broadcasting can be carried out in any range above 30 MHz, but in practice, several options are used (depending on the country), related to the VHF range. Please note that DAB+ tuners are capable of receiving original DAB radio broadcasts, but not vice versa.

Tuner support for Radio Data System technology. This technology is used mainly in the FM band; it allows, in addition to the sound signal, to transmit additional textual information by radio — for example, the names of broadcast compositions, announcements, advertising messages, etc. For RDS-enabled audio systems, this information is shown on the display.

The total sound power provided by the audio system at maximum volume, in other words, the total power of all the speakers provided by the device (including the subwoofer).

The higher the power, the louder the system will sound and the larger the area it can cover. On the other hand, high power significantly affects the price, dimensions, weight and power consumption of the device. In addition, when evaluating and comparing according to this indicator, it is worth considering some nuances. Firstly, some manufacturers go to the trick and give in the characteristics not the average, but the peak sound power; such numbers can be quite impressive, but they have very little to do with real loudness. So if it seems to you that the claimed power is too high, it's ok to clarify what exactly is meant in this case. Secondly, when comparing, it is worth considering the presence of a subwoofer — it plays an auxiliary role, but it can account for more than half of the total system power. Because of this, for equal total power, a device with a subwoofer may be quieter than a model without a subwoofer: for example, a 2.0 40W system will have 20W per main channel, while a 2.1 40W model may have 20W per subwoofer, and only 10 watts for the main speakers.

Nominal sound power (see "System power") on each of the main channels of the audio system. This indicator is most often indicated in models with a subwoofer (see "Number of channels"); knowing it, you can estimate the power distribution between the main speakers and the subwoofer.

The total frequency range reproduced by the acoustics of an audio system. Measured from the lower threshold of the lowest frequency speaker to the upper threshold of the highest frequency: for example, in a 2.1 system with main speakers at 100 – 22000 Hz and a subwoofer at 20 – 150 Hz, the total value will be 20 – 22000 Hz.

In general, the wider the frequency range, the fuller the reproduced sound will be, the less low and high frequencies will be lost due to insufficient acoustic capabilities. On the other hand, do not forget that the actual sound quality also depends on a number of other parameters — primarily the frequency response. In addition, human audible frequencies range from 16 Hz to 22 kHz; deviations from these values are very small, and the upper limit also decreases with age. Therefore, from a practical point of view, it does not make sense to provide too large a frequency range; and impressive performances like 10 – 50000 Hz, found in top-class models, are usually more of a kind of "side effect" of high-quality speakers (and at the same time — a marketing ploy) than a really significant moment.

The phase inverter is a tube installed in the column housing and having an outlet to the surrounding space. The length of the tube is chosen so that a signal comes out of the outlet, inverted in phase relative to the signal from the front of the diffuser. This enhances the sound pressure and improves the sound of the speakers, including at low frequencies. Note that such audio systems should be placed at a certain distance from walls, furniture, etc. — otherwise, a hum may occur due to the movement of air through the phase inverter tube.

A similar function in some models is performed by a passive radiator (see below).

A passive radiator can be simply described as a low-frequency speaker that does not have its own reproducing system (coil with magnet). It is driven by pressure fluctuations created by active drivers and acts as a resonator to deliver deep, rich bass—especially useful for systems that do not include a subwoofer. At the same time, unlike phase inverters, passive radiators do not generate additional noise.

Bass boost function for powerful and rich bass. Often implemented as a single button, with which you can actually "turn the bass on and off." This is more convenient than adjusting the low frequencies using the equalizer; in addition, various special technologies can be used to enhance the bass.