Panasonic SC-GA10
GOOGLE FINDS A HOME WITH PANASONIC.
PANASONIC’S SC-GA10 COULD be a gamechanger: this Google Assistant-based wireless speaker can not only hold a tune like more traditional Bluetooth speakers, it actually sounds better than some of them.
With Chromecast built in, the speaker can receive audio directly from apps like Deezer, TuneIn, Google Play and Spotify. The GA10 can also merge into a wider Chromecast multiroom speaker network.
The speaker’s finish, from metallic base to fabric cover, is reassuringly premium. It’s also surprisingly big for a desktop speaker. It stands at 284mm tall and weighs 1.7kg. And that’s without the external power brick.
This is essentially a wireless speaker, but you also get a 3.5mm stereo input jack, and there’s Bluetooth, which may occasionally be more convenient than Wi-Fi or streaming from the internet directly. The touchpad on top controls volume and input selection.
Setting up is brilliantly simple. You’ll have your Google Assistant online and yakking shortly after downloading the Google Home app. Panasonic’s Music Control app can be used for direct control, and offers bass and treble adjustment.
The sound stage is wider and more insistent than you might expect from the vertical design, thanks to custom diffusers spreading the output of the tweeters. The SC-GA10 doesn’t just go loud, however — it has punch and musicality. The mid range is smooth, while treble is given the headroom to shine. It’s also fast enough for rhythmic bass.
Inside the speaker is an ingenious driver stack that looks like it should be on stage at a Lilliputian Glastonbury Festival! Two offset 2cm soft dome tweeters sit atop an 8cm woofer; a contorted bass reflex port has been tuned for richness and balance. The speaker can’t really distinguish instruments spatially, an inevitable consequence of its form factor.
The power output of the speaker is rated at 2 x 20W, but this rather undersells its performance. It can definitely fill the average living room with enough energy and clout to satisfy most.
The SC-GA10 is one of the best sounding smart speakers currently available. It’s immeasurably better than the (admittedly cheaper) Google Home. The problem, though, is that the speaker often turns a deaf ear to voice commands when playing music. It’s as if its noise-cancelling microphone array just can’t cope with volume.
When it won’t respond to “Hey, Google” hails, you’ll have to fumble around for the on-body controls, or go to Panasonic’s own app, and this rather spoils the illusion of futuristic control. But if you can live with that, it’s a really nice speaker.
THE SOUND STAGE IS WIDER AND MORE INSISTENT THAN YOU MIGHT EXPECT FROM THE VERTICAL DESIGN, THANKS TO CUSTOM DIFFUSERS SPREADING THE OUTPUT OF THE TWEETERS.