|
Avoid them if you can. The sound was slightly better because of the improved base, but the remote was extremely difficult to switch back and forth from sound bar to the TV. Again there was great disappointment. Moreover there is a very annoying delay between the picture and the sound which varies with the channel being viewed.In summary, I am very disappointed in the Samsung products. My Samsung plasma TV was purchased because of its reputation of superior picture and sound quality, that I found out was unfortunately undeserved. To improve the sound quality I purchased the Samsung HT-X810 2.1 sound bar home theater system because it had a compatable remote control for my Samsung TV. I have to walk up to the sound bar to read the setting to make sure that proper setting has been achieved.
Amazon immediately sent out a new unit and emailed me a label to return the old one; the new one arrived the next business day, even before I shipped out the old unit. The box is HUGE.practically a coffin.so unless you have a large vehicle it's not easy to transport. I liked the features of this product and its potential to deliver an enhanced listening experience for my new plasma TV. Samsung readily had me send it in at their expense (they emailed a shipping label), and they quickly turned it around. Both Samsung and Amazon delivered excellent customer service for these problems. Sound through the optical input cut in and out. The subwoofer and simulated surround-sound are really effective in my setting. Lemons happen.
For example, I can control my TV with both my soundbar remote and my DVR remote. I was starting to rue the decision to buy it online, though, instead of a local store where I could have probably gotten it replaced upon the first problem. One of the first DVDs I watched started with a war scene in which I thought the tanks were rolling up my back hallway. Contrary to the advertising, the subwoofer is too tall to fit under, say, a typical end table.(b) Beware remote control contention if you have multiple remotes controlling common devices. After some bizarre situations in which I swear the soundbar mysteriously seized control of the TV (like HAL seizing the spacecraft in 2001 A Space Odyssey), I deprogrammed the soundbar remote from being able to control the TV.
Caveats: (a) Review the soundbar and subwoofer dimensions to determine how well they'll work in your situation. The replacement unit has exhibited no problems, so I forgive Samsung for the problems with the first unit. Alas, getting it up and running didn't go so smoothly after all. This has helped keep things a little simpler.(c) The instructions for setup and connections leave much to be desired.(d) Think twice about having this delivered somewhere other than where it's going to be used. They quickly sent out a new remote, and it didn't work, either, which tells me that the sensor in the receiver was the problem and not the remote. (e) SAVE THE PACKING MATERIALS, at least for a while, in case you get a lemon, too, and have to ship it back to Amazon or to a warranty service center. Amazon's alacrity in doing so once I finally called them really impressed me.
The wireless subwoofer was a big plus toward my decision. But when it came back, the remote control no longer worked. Moral to the story: call Amazon first if you have a problem right out of the box on a major electronic purchase from them. It's tempting to get rid of the huge box and all that styrofoam since it takes up so much room, but good luck finding something else big enough to pack all the equipment in. Like many other reviewers, I didn't want to mar my walls and floors to install a 5.1 or 7.1 home theatre system, and my home entertainment living space really isn't big enough to require one. At this point, I called Amazon and asked if they could just replace it with a brand new unit and let me send back the old one.
My soundbar is not mounted on a wall; it needs several inches of height clearance to be situated under a TV, meaning you either have to raise the TV mounting height or have a wide, dedicated shelf for the soundbar under the TV shelf.
The first time I called I was on the line for over an hour. It pairs well with my 46" Samsung TV, the sound quality is clear, controls are intuitive, and the subwoofer is really impressive. Samsung has graciously offered to refund my purchase, but I really like the product.when it's working. I called Samsung's technical support, followed all their troubleshooting steps, cleaned the interior sensors, and nothing happened. Since I live in an apartment I didn't want to have to permanently mount speakers for a more traditional setup. They agreed to repair it, but I had to ship it back at my own expense. It was perfect for about two months, until the door flap refused to open.
A month passed, and they finally sent me a new/refurbished unit. I called tech support again and once more spent over an hour trying to sort it out with them. My issue, however, is that I have had to send the unit back to Samsung three different times for service. When it's working, it's fantastic. I bought it for its small footprint. The first two were because discs (even brand new ones) were skipping, freezing, and ejecting with a mind of their own.
I received the repaired unit back three weeks later, and it worked fine for a day before having the same problem again. It's currently en route to the manufacturer for service again. I've had this product for a little less than a year. No complaints on the audio or the video. I called Samsung again, and they agreed to pay for the shipping.
The bass is a bit loud, so we had to go into the menu and change that. This works great with it. I don't think anything can get any higher quality than this. Great sound system. We recently purchased one of the new LED Samsung TV's. Other than that, it's a great DVD player as well.
It worked the first time and I haven't looked back it has almost been a month. What a look on my wall and no visible wires. I mounted it on the wall and using the optical cord and the HDMI cords all purchased from AMAZON I think now I had spent $12 on three cords.(great cords-gold plated). You saved me $500 dollars.
You need to be patient with the DVD. Back to Best Buy the price on the Home Theater sound bar was back at the $699 original price, but now I was convinced I needed it-inflation. Also the SAMSUNG customer service was very patient in helping me to understand the combination of TV and Sound Bar. 3 days later I got the bar. When I installed my Flatscreen the sound was tinny, TV sound. I Googled the Home Theater Sound Bar and saw that Amazon had 2 for sale open box. ( I don't know was "open box" It was perfectly packaged). The Sound is very good.
Thanks Amazon. I had just purchased the 52" SAMSUNG Plasma Flatscreen and looked at the Samsung Home Theater sound bar at Best Buy ($499.00 on sale)very pricey and comparison of other bar's there is no comparison in the sound of the Samsung. I was not sure that I should, but I bought the sound bar system after reviewing the return policy. the base is a little loud and I need to figure how to control the boom.
|
