Samsung HT-X810T

Reviewed by

Steve Guttenberg

on 06/23/2008

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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.