Panasonic Whisper Symphony Exhaust Fan Review

About the Panasonic Whisper Symphony Exhaust Fan

• Airflow: 80 CFM / 110 CFM (Pick-A-Flow selector switch)
• Noise rating: 0.4 sones (80 CFM), 1.1 sones (110 CFM)
• Motor: DC ECM motor
• Lighting: Dimmable LED
• Audio: Dual integrated Bluetooth speakers
• Bluetooth: Dual-device pairing (QuikConnect)
• Installation: Retrofit or new build; installable from below ceiling
• Duct compatibility: 3” and 4”

The Panasonic Whisper Symphony exhaust fan is a premium bathroom fan that combines ventilation, lighting, and audio in a single fixture.

The fan features Panasonic’s Pick-A-Flow speed selector, which lets users choose between 80 CFM (cubic feet per minute) and 110 CFM airflow, depending on room size and ventilation needs. At the lower setting, Panasonic rates the fan at 0.4 sones, placing it among the quieter bathroom fans available. When running at 110 CFM, airflow increases significantly, with noise rising to a still-manageable 1.1 sones, about as loud as the hum of a refrigerator.

The Whisper Symphony also includes a built-in LED light, which is dimmable with the appropriate switch. If your wiring setup allows, the light can also be configured to operate from a different switch than the fan. Audio comes from dual integrated speakers housed within the fan assembly, with Bluetooth connectivity that supports pairing up to two devices simultaneously using Panasonic’s QuikConnect system.

Installation is designed to be accessible for both remodels and new construction. Panasonic’s Flex-Z Fast brackets allow installation from below the ceiling through a small hole, and the fan is compatible with 2X6 joists, 3-inch and 4-inch ducting, and many existing duct setups.

How we tested

After a retrofit installation, we used the Whisper Symphony bathroom exhaust fan for one week, primarily running it at 80 CFM, the default setting and a common speed for standard residential bathroom use. In this case, the bathroom was a small space (less than 100 square feet), with the fan located just outside the shower. The fan was used multiple times per day, mostly during showers.

To evaluate ventilation performance under stress, we also ran the shower at full heat until hot water ran out to replicate maximum steam and fog buildup. Speaker performance was tested both in-shower and during non-shower use, including listening from the adjacent bedroom.

What we like

Installation is DIY-friendly

Whether you’re installing the fan as a one-off upgrade or incorporating it into a remodel or new build, the Whisper Symphony feels thoughtfully designed, making installation easy in typical conditions. The housing and mounting system are straightforward, and an included template helps ensure you cut the right-sized hole in your roof for a retrofit. In the test case, the previous fan was slightly smaller than the replacement going in.

Once we cut the power and removed the existing fan, it took less than half an hour to cut a larger access port, install the Flex-Z Fast bracket, reconnect the wires and exhaust to the new unit, align the fan components, and lock everything in place.

Overall, the process requires just seven screws, and the product comes with printed directions and access to a video tutorial, which greatly simplifies the process, particularly for visual learners. One thing not included, however, are installation tools, so you'll need to come ready with your own power drill, utility saw, HVAC tape, wire strippers, and other supplies.

Sound quality is better than expected

Audiophiles will tell you that expectations for sound quality from a bathroom exhaust fan are usually low, and that’s what makes the Whisper Symphony a pleasant surprise. The built-in speakers deliver more volume and clarity than you’d expect from a ventilation fan, with sound that easily fills a bathroom and remains audible at a moderate volume, even with the shower running. At full volume, the speakers carried clearly into adjacent rooms.

That said, this isn’t trying to replicate the detail or depth of a dedicated audio setup or a pair of high-end headphones. In our testing, we found that setting the speakers to around 50% volume was enough to completely drown out the fan's sound. For its intended context—music, podcasts, or ambient noise during a shower—the audio specs are more than sufficient and well-suited to the use case.

It does what matters most: moves air

At the end of the day, this is still an exhaust fan first, and the Whisper Symphony performs well in its core role. During a week of testing, the fan consistently cleared steam and defogged mirrors on the 80 CFM setting, even during intentionally fog-heavy showers. Moisture never seemed to linger longer than it should.

The higher 110 CFM setting cleared the room more quickly, as expected, but that extra airflow rarely felt necessary in practice—especially given the tradeoff of increased fan noise. For most everyday use, 80 CFM proved sufficient.

What we don’t like

It announces itself—every time

There’s not much to dislike about the Whisper Symphony, but we did encounter one notable quirk that stood out during testing: the system voice announcements that play immediately after the fan is powered on. Each time the unit is activated via the wall switch, it loudly announces Bluetooth pairing and mode changes—“Power on. Bluetooth connecting. Connected.”—with no option to lower the volume or disable the voice altogether.

This behavior exists to support Panasonic’s dual-device Bluetooth pairing system, but it can feel out of place in a bathroom setting, particularly during early mornings, late nights, or other times—_say, the baby’s naptime_—when a user might wish to use the fan more discreetly. While music volume can be adjusted normally via the Bluetooth-connected device, the system voice operates at a fairly loud fixed volume and can’t be muted.

It’s worth noting that this issue is less noticeable if the Whisper Symphony is used as a shower-specific exhaust fan. In our testing, the unit served as the primary bathroom fan rather than a dedicated shower fan, so the announcements were triggered whenever the fan was enabled, even for quick trips to the bathroom. In a setup where the fan is activated mainly during showers, the voice prompts are easier to overlook, but they’re still there.

No app control limits customization

Despite featuring Bluetooth speakers and LED lighting, the Whisper Symphony doesn’t integrate with Panasonic’s Comfort Cloud app or any broader smart-home platform. Aside from fan speed—which is set manually on the unit itself—all controls are handled via the wall switch (or switches, if your wiring allows the light to be separated).

A dimmer switch can address part of this, offering some manual control over brightness. But when the unit is powered on from a single, non-dimmer switch (as was the case during testing) flexibility is limited. And if the fan, light, and speakers are activated simultaneously, there’s no way to independently adjust or disable individual elements afterward, except to turn the entire fan off via the switch.

A companion app could address those everyday use cases, but with a switch-only setup, those options simply aren’t available.

Lighting options feel conservative

The integrated LED light on the Whisper Symphony is bright and functional, and compatibility with a dimmer switch is a welcome touch, as is the ability to connect the light to its own power source separate from the fan. Still, lighting customization is limited overall, which feels like a missed opportunity given that the product already incorporates LED and Bluetooth technology.

Users hoping for deeper color control, scene-based lighting, or more nuanced brightness adjustments may find the experience restrained for a premium-priced fan. More flexibility here would require a digital control layer, and while the absence of a companion app isn’t a dealbreaker, it's an area where the Whisper Symphony could be meaningfully improved.

Warranty

Panasonic backs the Whisper Symphony with one of the strongest warranties in the category:

• 6-year warranty on the ECM motor
• 3-year parts warranty
• 5-year warranty on the LED chip panel
• 1-year warranty on the speakers

That level of coverage reinforces Panasonic’s reputation for durability and long-term reliability, though it's worth noting that the speaker component (the main differentiator between this and other Whisper units) is covered for only a year from purchase.

Should you buy the Panasonic Whisper Symphony Exhaust Fan?

Yes—especially if it’s being used exclusively in the shower

The Whisper Symphony (available at Home Depot for $199.99) makes the most sense as a dedicated shower fan, where ventilation performance and sound quality matter most. It’s effective, well-built, and easy to use, and having a built-in light and a quality speaker in the shower is a nice bonus that keeps users from needing to add another device to the room. (That is to say: My 8-year-old loved using it, and he’s arguably never been cleaner or more excited to shower off at the end of the day.)

However, it falls short of being a full-bathroom “smart” centerpiece because of its limited controls. And the inability to adjust the system voice left me second-guessing whether I should even use it in non-shower situations, particularly depending on the time of day.