Panasonic has announced five new compact stereo systems coming to the UK.

The new models all have a slimmer, flatter design than last year’s versions, and are wall-mountable. The full range is the SC-HC55 (£249), SC-HC35 (£199), SC-HC25 (£149), SC-HC15 (£99), SC-HC05 (price tbc).

Both the SC-HC35 and SC-HC05 feature a stainless speaker mesh and the SC- HC55 has a mirror coating mesh, each of which allows the speaker drivers to be partially visible.

The SC-HC55 includes a touch-free sensor door that employs a neat little trick with a motion sensor to allow the sliding door to open and close just by passing your hand over it.

The iPod/iPhone dock in the centre of the SC-HC05 opens outward with the push-open button, but is tucked away inside when it’s not in use. Both the 05 and the 55 include Bluetooth connectivity.

The iPod/iPhone dock on each of the five models uses a direct digital connection so the system can do the digital-to-analogue conversion for better sound quality.