Samsung HT-X810T
Manufacturer: Samsung Part number: HT-X810T
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- While we've heard better virtual surround sound, the Samsung HT-X810T's easy setup and dearth of wires will appeal to those searching for simplicity and a minimalist aesthetic.
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CNET editors' review
Samsung HT-X810T price range: $299.95 - $499.98
- Reviewed by: Steve Guttenberg
- Edited by: John P. Falcone
- Reviewed on: 06/23/2008
- Released on: 05/26/2008
The good: Soundbar surround system with built-in DVD player and wireless powered subwoofer; eliminates the need for an AV receiver; HDMI output; easy setup; streams Bluetooth audio from compatible A2DP sources; good digital media support.
The bad: Virtual surround sound delivers minimal impact; very limited connectivity for additional external devices; the DVD player's nice, but a Blu-ray player would have been even better; uneven HDMI video quality.
The bottom line: While we've heard better virtual surround sound, the Samsung HT-X810T's easy setup and dearth of wires will appeal to those searching for simplicity and a minimalist aesthetic.
Editors' note: The rating of the Samsung HT-X810T has been changed since publication to better reflect its value compared to competing home theater systems.
If the primary appeal of soundbar speakers is based on their significant reduction of wires and clutter--as compared with 5.1-channel home theater-in-a-box systems--then Samsung's new HT-X810T soundbar should be a winner. While it's not the first single-speaker system with a built-in DVD player or a wireless subwoofer--that'd be the Philips SoundBar HTS8100 and the Boston Acoustics TVee Model Two, respectively--it is the first such unit to combine both of those features in one product. That means--if you're not hooking up any other AV sources to the Samsung--you can get away with hooking it up with just three wires: an HDMI cable from the speaker bar to the TV, and two power cables (one each for the speaker and the subwoofer). Toss in the built-in FM radio and Bluetooth receiver capability (letting you stream A2DP Bluetooth sources, such as many music phones and some MP3 players), and you've got an all-in-one entertainment system that's about as compact and easy to set up as can be expected. The major spoilers are the system's sparse connectivity options (you can only connect three audio-only sources plus a USB drive--and doing so will ruin the system's sexy lines with more dreaded cables), so-so surround effects, and occasionally uneven HDMI video quality. None of them, however, is likely to dissuade those searching for a quick and easy all-in-one home theater solution, which the HT-X810T capably provides.
Design
As mentioned, the HT-X810T is a two-part device: the main speakerbar and the subwoofer. The speaker bar's curvaceous black cabinet is significantly taller than most soundbar speakers; it's 7.1 inches tall, 5.6 inches deep, and 39.3 inches wide. You can mount the speaker on a wall with the included bracket, or place it on a shelf above or below your TV. It weighs 17.5 pounds.
The top edge of the speaker has a small readout display, a motorized, flip-down door that reveals the disc-loading slot, and touch controls for the player, power, and volume. Most of the speaker's front baffle is covered with a black perforated metal grille (nonremovable). It's attractive, but the HT-X810T's may be a bit bulbous for those who are into minimizing the footprint of their flat-panel TV.
The subwoofer's black gloss front and top panels are handsome, but the medium-density fiberboard cabinet feels a bit lightweight. The black box measures 10 inches wide, 16.2 high tall and 12.7 deep, and weighs 19.6 pounds. A nonremovable grille covers the woofer on the right side of the box. Of course, the main attraction here is the sub's wireless operation--the power cable is the only wire, and there are no inputs or connections whatsoever. The built-in 150 watt amplifier drives the sub's woofer (size isn't specified). In most circumstances, there won't be any need to adjust or tweak any sub controls. Setup was plug and play--just power up the speaker and the subwoofer--and the wireless connection was glitch free. That said, the user manual acknowledges the sub's 5.8GHz wireless transmission system might be susceptible to interference with Bluetooth, microwave, or Wi-Fi devices. In those cases, you can change the sub's ID settings via the remote.
The remote control looks much like Samsung's TV and Blu-ray player's remotes, so it was easy to use. You can adjust the center channel and subwoofer volumes directly from the remote. It controls Samsung TVs right out of the box and can be programmed easily to control sets from other manufacturers.
Features
The HT-X810T is an all-in-one home theater system that can play DVDs, CDs, and a variety of digital media formats. The unit can also wirelessly stream Bluetooth audio from any A2DP-compatible source, as well as a built-in FM radio with 15 presets.
The built-in slot-loading disc player will play all manner of DVDs and audio CDs. DVDs can be upscaled to 720p, 1080i, or 1080p resolution via the HDMI output. While most varieties of home-burned discs will work just fine, don't look for compatibility with Blu-ray or SACD discs. The Samsung does work with DVD-Audio discs, however.
The HT-X810T supports a better-than-average selection of digital file formats: DivX, Xvid, and WMV video files; MP3 and WMA audio; and JPEG photos. These files can be played off recordable CDs, DVDs, or from flash drives plugged into the USB port found on the unit's right-hand side.
Connectivity is not the strong point of the Samsung HT-X810T. Because it's an integrated system, it has just the bare minimum of outputs for connecting to a TV: composite, component, and HDMI. Inputs are limited to just three audio-only connectors: two analog (one pair of analog stereo jacks on the rear panel, one minijack input on the right side) and a single optical digital in. That means you could have, say, a cable/satellite box connected to the optical in (for surround sound) and game console plugged into the analog jacks, with the side port open for temporary connections to an iPod. The dearth of video inputs means that video switching duties will fall on the TV. In other words, if you have more than two or three AV sources in your home entertainment system, the HT-X810T probably isn't your best bet.
That said, the Samsung does offer quick and easy hookups with any A2DP Bluetooth audio source, which includes many music phones and a growing number of portable media players. Unfortunately, Apple portables aren't compatible unless you add an adapter dongle.
Performance
Our initial impression of the HT-X810T's sound was very positive. CDs were clear and clean, and that's not always the case for single speaker surround systems. There was a fullness to the HT-X810's sound that brought out the best from K.D Lang's Ingenue CD. The CD's lush orchestrations sounded rich and Lang's vocals were natural.
Rocking out with Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run CD, we noted the sub was powerful, if not all that clear. All in all, the sound seemed to come from a much larger speaker system, but we did note the stereo spread barely extended beyond the edges of the speaker.
We certainly felt the sub's contributions when we played the Star Trek: Insurrection DVD. The ship engine's low drone during the scenes inside the Enterprise were nicely handled, but we could sense the sub's distress during the big battles when we cranked the volume. We also noted the HT-X810T's dynamic oomph was in short supply. Easing back a bit on the volume helped, and the sound improved.
We were even less pleased with the HT-X810T's capability to conjure some semblance of surround sound. There was precious little surround until we switched on the HT-X810T's Virtual Sound processing, which did provide an increased sense of spaciousness, but it also had more echoes, which we didn't like. If you tend to play movies that rely on a lot of surround effects, the HT-X810 may not be the best choice.
On the digital media side, things were quite positive. We had no trouble setting the Sprint Mogul to stream music to the Samsung system in less than a minute. And the system's digital media playback was excellent: plug in a USB drive or an optical disc with digital images, music, and video, and it's dead simple to play all of them back. The interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, and the system even played back MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 videos, in addition to the other formats listed. That's a major contrast to the overly complex digital media interface found on the JVC TH-F3.
On the video quality front, we had an interesting experience with the unit's HDMI output. At first glance--when viewed on a 56-inch Samsung DLP rear-projection TV--it looked abysmal: edges displayed noticeable stair stepping, and the overall image looked very dull--not unlike what you'd expect from maximizing a YouTube video on your computer screen. The artifacts were more than enough to detract from Pirates of the Caribbean and Aeon Flux, even for casual viewers. Before we trashed the system, though, we gave it another chance on a wider selection of flat panels (50-inch plasmas and 52-inch LCDs). Across the board, the images were significantly improved. While it didn't measure up to the best upconverting images we've seen from better Blu-ray and DVD players, it was more than adequate for casual viewers sitting at a reasonable distance from the TV. In other words, the HDMI image will probably suffice for most folks, but if it looks funky on your TV--as it did on our first attempt--you'll want to go component instead.
In the final analysis, we felt the Samsung's all-in-one luster was somewhat supplanted by the Sony HT-CT100, which delivers a soundbar plus subwoofer setup for almost half the price. However, that system requires quite a few more wires, as it lacks the wireless subwoofer and built-in DVD player. By contrast, the HT-X810T will primarily appeal to buyers who want to keep clutter down to a bare minimum and who don't have many other AV sources in their living room. Just be aware that it's better suited to small rooms where its sonic limitations will be less apparent.
User reviews
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DVD drive door won't always open
by SLOdonkey on October 10, 2008
Pros: Minimilistic, good sound, sleek, bluetooth works well
Cons: Apparently, the DVD drive door has to be in a very good mood to open. Initially, a standard (not burned) DVD got stuck in there for 2 weeks. Then, one magical day, I pushed eject and the DVD came out! Worked for a few weeks, then stopped again!!!
Summary: This thing would be better if it eliminated the mechanical DVD door, which looks cool but doen't function well.
Summary: This thing would be better if it eliminated the mechanical DVD door, which looks cool but doen't function well.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Don't buy this product
by jenlmulder on December 6, 2009
Pros: Sound is okay, functioned properly for the most part.
Cons: The only trouble we've had is with the motorized DVD door sticking, but it always worked...eventually. Until yesterday, when it stopped completely. Worth paying to have it fixed?
Summary: Samsung claimed that they haven't had any complaints about the motorized DVD door being a problem, which seems unusual when 4 out of 7 reviewers on CNET mentioned the ...
Summary: Samsung claimed that they haven't had any complaints about the motorized DVD door being a problem, which seems unusual when 4 out of 7 reviewers on CNET mentioned the problem. I doubt this is worth paying to have it fixed, but we'll ship it off and see what they say.
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Great sound from a 2.1 home theatre system
by azza85 on August 26, 2009
Pros: Simple setup with minimal cables to deal with. Great sound for movies
of all types. If you are into gaming this is a good system for you.
HDMI input, seamless integration with Samsung HDTV. A good looking system.Cons: No blu-ray, controller is not universal.
Summary: If you are into Action movies and gaming this system will not dissapoint. With a loud centre piece and a deep bass sub you cant go wrong. At the end ...
Summary: If you are into Action movies and gaming this system will not dissapoint. With a loud centre piece and a deep bass sub you cant go wrong. At the end of the day if you want to buy a $1,000+ home speaker system by all means go for it, but you would be silly not to take a look at this amazing, simple system.
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lots of problems in two months
by tmrdrm on July 3, 2009
Pros: I see no pros in this product
Cons: too much uncontrollable bass in CD experience, almost none surround effect, starts each day with a brand new problem
Summary: I bought one HTX810 in Jan 2009 and couldn't enjoy any of the features since then. First problem came in the second week which was the regular unsliding sliding ...
Summary: I bought one HTX810 in Jan 2009 and couldn't enjoy any of the features since then. First problem came in the second week which was the regular unsliding sliding door issue and I took it to the service to be repaired. They said it was OK but it was not. I agree a lot on the existence of a door mood which decides to open or not. Then sometime later I realized that the sub has also its mood to sound or not. And the last incidence was that some DVDswere read properly and some were not. As a result this device is too much moody for me and I congratulate samsung technology for building such an androidsome device which has the ability to decide to work or not(each part of it has this ability seperately.)
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Extremely bad experience with this product
by exexpat on April 2, 2009
Pros: Looks nice.Integration and wireless subwoofer sold me.
Cons: DVD player stopped working within 2 months of purchase.
Summary: I opened a support case with Samsung in late December and was happy to hear they would dispatch a pre-paid shipping label. After mutliple phone calls and finally determining the ...
Summary: I opened a support case with Samsung in late December and was happy to hear they would dispatch a pre-paid shipping label. After mutliple phone calls and finally determining the shipping label would never arrive, they decided to send via email.
On Feb 1, 2009 I sent the main unit in and received confirmation it had arrived on Feb 4. On Feb 23, I received notice that the main unit would require replacement and would arrive in 5-10 business days. Finally, on March 16, I received notice that the unit had shipped. Suspecting that something had gone awry, I phoned Samsung on March 27 and was told to call back on the 30th to speak with their ECR department.
On March 30, I reached the ECR department to get status on the item. Apparently it was sent and mysteriously returned to their warehouse on 3/20 at which time they closed my service ticket as resolved. They then reopened a new service ticket on 4/1.
As of 4/2 (today), they are waiting for me to send in the speaker to process the return, which had already shipped on 3/16 or conversely are asking for a retail deposit for the value of the item to process shipping. The great thing here is that I needed to phone them to know that I was supposed to send in the speaker.
After 4 months, still nothing. Stay away from this product and Samsung AV products in general if you can. -
Great sound, lots of features
by bezerker77 on March 31, 2009
Pros: HDMI input, seamless integration with Samsung HDTV Series 6, Great sound, wireless sub woofer, FM/AM receiver, looks great, easy to setup and mount on the wall, Up converts all the movies to 1080p, looks as good as Blue Ray
Cons: DVD door gets stuck once in a while, DVD player started skipping after 4 months, needed cleaning. If ever need repairs you will have to ship it yourself to NJ
Summary: Great product, a little overpriced, wish had less DVD issues
Summary: Great product, a little overpriced, wish had less DVD issues
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For my needs, the best 2.1 system available
by jlfoxworthy on December 23, 2008
Pros: Quick and super clean installation
Versatile sub placementCons: Base-heavy sound & poor sub volume control
Bigger soundbar than other than other 2.1 systems
No BluRaySummary: The problem with all 2.1 systems was their flat sound reproduction in comparison to true 5.1 systems. Convenience does come with a price but the inherent sound limitation ...
Summary: The problem with all 2.1 systems was their flat sound reproduction in comparison to true 5.1 systems. Convenience does come with a price but the inherent sound limitation of 2.1 systems can be minimized through placement of the sub. The most obvious weakness of 2.1 systems is the lack of genuine rear stage sound and the best way to overcome this is to place the sub opposite the TV and near the listeners. In terms of sound, convenience and aesthetics then, the most significant problem with most systems is the wired connection that must be made between their soundbars and their subs. The length of these cables limits the distance that the sub can be place away from the soundbar, which hurts sound quality. Additionally, and with varying degrees of severity due to where digital AV connections are made and whether or not a dvd player must be connected, running AV cables takes away from the convenience and clean lines that drew me to a 2.1 system in the first place. My conclusion then, was to get a 2.1 system with a wireless sub and an integrated dvd player so that I could best mimic rear stage sound and not have to worry about using a separate dvd player, extending the sub-soundbar cable of a wired 2.1 systems for better sub placement, or hiding wires throughout the living room. As there are only two companies offering 2.1 systems with wireless subs and only one company offering a 2.1 system with both a wireless sub and an integrated dvd player, my choice was easy.
Boston Acoustics TVee Model 2: The Good: 1) Has the wireless sub needed for most easily diminishing the weaknesses of 2.1 sound. The Bad: Requires connecting a separate dvd player.
Samsung HT-X810: The Good: 1) Has the wireless sub needed for most easily diminishing the weaknesses of 2.1 sound. 2) Has an integrated dvd player that upscales to 1080 resolution. 3) Has an SPDIF input for directing broadcast TV audio through the receiver in digital format rather than 2-channel RCA stereo. 4) Has an HDMI connection for good digital picture reproduction during dvd playback. The Bad: 1) Base-heavy sound and limited adjustability of the sub volume. 2) Its bigger than the other systems. 3) It doesn?t have BluRay.
The Others
Yamaha YAS-70/1BL: The Good: 1) Has an SPDIF (digital optical audio) input for directing broadcast TV audio through the receiver in digital format rather than simple RCA 2-channel stereo. The Bad: 1) Requires not one but two 13-foot cables (control & speaker) between the sub and the soundbar/display, which requires hiding wires and, more importantly, limits placement of the sub. 2) The digital AV connections are on the sub so, depending on sub placement, the cables to the TV may have to be relatively long (i.e. 13 feet) and, like the control and speaker cables, also require hiding. 3) You must use a separate dvd player, which 'ruins' the clean wall-mount look unless you have a TV with an integrated dvd player or a piece of furniture. 4) The number of digital AV connection ports is very limited so you?ll have to connect components (dvd player, game consul, etc?) through the TV and then onto the receiver via the SPDIF, which means more wires.
Sony HT-CT100: The Good: 1) Can make the SPDIF connection to the TV for good sound on broadcast TV. 2) The sub/receiver has plenty of HDMI connection ports for connecting the TV and additional components. The Bad: 1) Requires a 10-foot cable between the sub/receiver and the soundbar, which raises the problems of hiding the cable and even more limited sub placement than the Yamaha. The cable is a standard PC 9-pin serial cable and so can be swapped out for something longer for better sub placement but it still needs hiding. 2) The digital AV connections are on the sub so there are more wires to hide and the farther away the sub is from the TV, the longer these must be. 3) You must use a separate dvd player. 4) The remote sensor is on the sub/receiver so unless its placed on the same wall as the TV, using the remote can be a bit counter-intuitive. 4) The porthole is on the front of the sub and looks a bit odd.
Philips HTS8100: The Good: 1) Has an integrated 1080 resolution dvd player. 2) Has an HDMI connection port to send digital video signal to the TV for dvd playback. The Bad: 1) Requires a clunky 15-foot cable between the sub/receiver and the soundbar, which raises the problems of hiding wires and limited sub placement. 2) Has no SPDIF connection for digital audio from the TV and instead offers a pair of RCA stereo inputs on the soundbar plus another pair of RCAs and a single coaxial digital audio input on the sub/receiver. This likely means buying an SPDIF-to-coaxial adapter and using the input on the sub to get digital audio for either broadcast TV or game console play. Even with this ?fix? you?ll have to choose which gets stuck with simple 2-channel RCA sound and again, you?re adding more wire between the sub and the TV/soundbar that will need hiding. -
Great sound, Great convenience
by techdan88 on December 6, 2008
Pros: Really Great Sound Quality, Wireless Subwoofer is a really nice feature, Enough Inputs for the average person
Cons: Motorized Door on DVD player is a little annoying, but has nice video quality
Summary: The store I bought this at had about 10 different "Sound Bar" systems available for trial. This one sounded the best of any there. The price was decent compared to ...
Summary: The store I bought this at had about 10 different "Sound Bar" systems available for trial. This one sounded the best of any there. The price was decent compared to what I could have paid for a full on receiver and speakers. It produces excellent sound. The other great feature about this is the wireless sub. You just have to plug it into the wall. I am really happy about this.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Samsung
- Part number: HT-X810T
- Description: This sleek 2-piece unit simplifies your home theater experience and lets you enjoy the same powerful surround sound without the hassle of setting up speakers and running wires. It has all the features you want like 5.1 virtual surround sound and a 5.8GHz wireless subwoofer that delivers rich, high-quality audio. Plus, the built-in 1080p upconverting DVD player will transform your standard DVDs to beautiful high definition. The wall-mountable Samsung HT-X810T is the ideal home theater system for your wall-mounted HDTV.
General
- Product Type Home theater system
- Dimensions (WxDxH) / Weight Main unit : 39.3 in x 6.4 in x 7.5 in, Speaker system : Subwoofer : 7 in x 15 in x 12.7 in
Audio System
- Sound Output Mode Stereo
- Signal-To-Noise Ratio 70 dB
- Input Sensitivity 600 mV
- Amplifier Output Details 75 Watt - 3 Ohm - 2 channel(s) ( Main ), 150 Watt - 3 Ohm - 1 channel(s) ( Subwoofer )
- Timer Sleep
- Additional Features USB host function, Built-in Bluetooth transmitter
Connectors
- Headphone Jack Yes
- Optical Digital Input Yes
Speaker System
- Speaker(s) 2 x Right/left channel speaker - Built-in - 140 - 20000 Hz - 3 Ohm - Wired, 1 x Subwoofer - External - 35 - 160 Hz - 3 Ohm - Wireless
Radio
- Type Radio tuner - FM - Digital
- Preset Station Qty 15
Turntable
- Type None
CD System
- CD system type None
DVD
- Type DVD player
- Media Format CD, DVD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW
- Supported Digital Audio Standards MP3, WMA
- Supported Digital Video Standards DivX
- Upscaling Yes
- Output Resolution 1080p
- Additional Features JPEG photo playback, Progressive scanning
Cassette System
- Cassette system type None
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type Digital player
- Supported Digital Audio Standards MP3, WMA
- Additional Features JPEG photo playback
MD System
- MD system type None
Remote Control
- Remote Control Universal remote control - Infrared
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ), 1 x Composite video output ( RCA phono ), 1 x Component video output ( RCA phono x 3 ), 1 x HDMI output ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ), 1 x SPDIF input, 1 x USB ( 4 pin USB Type A )
Power
- Power Device Power supply - Internal
Manufacturer info
- Samsung
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Samsung products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.samsungusa.com/
- Address:
105 Challenger Road, Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660 - Phone: 1-800-726-7864
- Fax: 1-973-601-6001
