“…we have no hesitation in wholeheartedly recommending it to owners of 40-inch or larger HDTVs…”
Avg
-
Excellent audio and video quality; good connectivity options; simple installation
Against
-
Slow input switching; confusing audio settings; the remote is not universal
Abstract
The Samsung HT-X810 was one of the coolest soundbars announced at CES 2008, mostly due to its 5.8GHz wireless subwoofer. That plus Bluetooth connectivity, a USB port, HDMI output and a built-in DVD/CD player put it ahead of most competitors, and the glossy black styling is a perfect match for Samsung’s HDTV line-up (especially our 40-incher). At nearly $700, it’s not an entry-level product, but it’s a low-key, badass home theater system that can eliminate a lot of the clutter of more traditional setups.
Features and design
The HT-X810 consists of a full-size soundbar (39.3 x 7.1 x 5.6 inches) and a large powered subwoofer (10 x 12.7 x 16.2 inches). The bar has a flat front that curves very gently, while the back is a convex arc, and the width is equal to the width of our 40-inch Samsung HDTV. The soundbar is taller than many other models we’ve seen, but it fits very nicely in our living room.
On the front along the top is a small blue LED readout, a slotted DVD player door, and a series of touch-sensitive controls. Behind the black metal grills are a pair of full-range speakers (75 W each). On the back there are outputs for component video, composite video and HDMI, as well as analog (RCA) and optical audio inputs and a coaxial antenna connector. On the right side of the unit there is a 3.5 mm audio input jack and a USB port for connecting a camera, MP3 player or flash drive.
We’re impressed with some of the soundbar’s extras: Built-in Bluetooth lets you wirelessly connect stereo Bluetooth-enabled devices for audio playback. There is also a built-in digital FM tuner that supports up to 15 presets. But most important is the 5.8GHz transmitter that sends low frequencies to the 150W subwoofer.
The included wireless remote has controls for the sound bar, but it can also control HDTVs from Samsung and several other companies. Unfortunately, it’s not a universal remote, so we couldn’t use it to control our cable box. It runs on two AAA batteries (included).
Setup and use
Aside from performance, the key to any multi-function home theater system is ease of setup, and the X810 does it admirably. All we had to do was plug in both components, connect the soundbar to our TV and turn everything on. Unfortunately, the only cable that comes with the X810 is for composite video. For $700, we’d like at least component cables, or better yet, an HDMI cable.
The soundbar automatically detected the sub and paired with it within seconds, indicated by a steady blue LED on the front of the sub. And since the system uses the 5.8 GHz frequency band, you don’t have to worry about interference from WiFi networks or cell phones. Our only gripe is that you can’t turn on the subwoofer via the remote control; you must use the power switch on the back of the unit.
There are a pair of screw holes on the back of the main unit for mounting studs and a bracket, although screws for mounting the bracket to your wall are not included. The system weighs 16.4 pounds, so assembly is a one-person job.
Operation
The controls on the remote are a little less than intuitive, but the documentation provides adequate help. The soundbar’s menu system isn’t great, mostly because the LED readout is tiny and hard to see from 10 feet away; this was less of an issue when we used the soundbar’s HDMI output to see the settings on the TV screen.
The X810 requires some patience: when changing inputs, it takes about 5 seconds after you press a button for the new input to start coming through the speakers. Also, whenever you change the sound settings, the sound cuts out for a few seconds. Loading and ejecting CDs and DVDs is also quite slow. And when the soundbar was connected to our TV via HDMI, it automatically changed our TV’s input when we put in a CD or connected a USB device, so listening to music while watching a TV show with the sound off became a chore.
While this seems like a minor gripe, it prevents the soundbar from being smooth to operate.
Testing
We tested the X810 with a wide variety of content from our high-definition cable box, built-in DVD/CD player, Samsung P2 portable media player, and our laptop. We used an HDMI cable to connect the unit to our Samsung 40-inch HDTV.
Overall, we favored the unit’s P-Bass setting over Audio Upscale, which sounded a bit thin despite being intended to interpolate missing information in compressed music. The V-Sound setting worked well for most music and movies, giving the impression of a wider soundstage. The smart volume feature doesn’t seem to do much more than increase the overall volume; we did not notice any “equalization” of levels between programs or content.
DVD video quality via the X810’s built-in player was excellent across the board, and the unit easily automatically adjusted to our Samsung TV’s 1080p resolution.
Movies and TV
The 2008 NBA Playoffs in HD was a joy to listen to through the X810, especially after we turned on the Smart Volume, V-Sound, and P-Bass features. The announcers’ voices were clear even through the intense crowd noise, which was partially resolved by the powerful subwoofer. Some sounds seem to come from behind the right and left edges of the soundbar, indicating competent virtual surround processing.
Action movies like Matrix had an excellent effect; we didn’t have to adjust the subwoofer output to achieve explosive bass levels in the lobby shooting scene. Dialogues were extremely clear despite the lack of a center channel, although for some films (esp The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) we had to adjust the audio settings to improve the balance between action and conversation.
music, music
The subwoofer produces such powerful bass that we actually had to reduce its output a bit in the Sound Edit settings for acoustic jazz, folk and blues tracks. But for most other music, including reggae, R&B, soul, rap and rock, we left the subwoofer output at its default setting. Our overall impression of the sound is very positive for any genre.
While the sound edit menu gives you access to subwoofer level and left/right soundbar balance, there are no treble and bass controls. Fortunately, the X810’s highs and mids are powerful and clear enough that we didn’t mind the lack of precise control.
We connected our Samsung P2 portable media player to the soundbar’s USB port, but the soundbar only reads content from devices that support USB mass storage, so it didn’t work. Our Sony Walkman NWZ-S718F, however, worked well and we used the cheap menus displayed on our TV to navigate the player. The sound quality of the USB input was indistinguishable from the sound quality of the soundbar’s built-in CD player.
We were pleasantly surprised by the sound quality of Bluetooth audio when we paired a Bluetooth-equipped Samsung P2 — a very easy process, as the X810 automatically switches to discovery mode when you switch its input to BT Audio. Most music genres sounded better than we expected, given the highly compressed Bluetooth signal, although acoustic jazz still suffered from sonic distortion in the cymbals.
The FM tuner worked great after we connected an external antenna, picking up stronger local stations (WNYC 93.9FM in New York). Some people might be disappointed by the soundbar’s lack of XM or AM support, but that’s not a problem for us.
Conclusion
The X810 isn’t cheap at around $700, but given its extensive features and excellent sound quality, we have no reason to wholeheartedly recommend it to owners of 40-inch or larger HDTVs from any manufacturer. Still, we’d like to see future iterations that feature a more polished TV screen menu, a larger dashboard display, and faster switching between inputs and audio settings.
Advantages:
• Excellent audio and video quality • Good connectivity options, including optical HDMI, USB and Bluetooth • Easy setup and automatic pairing with a wireless subwoofer • The main unit is easy to wall mount
Against:
• Slow input switching • Audio settings can be confusing • Included remote cannot control cable boxes
Editor’s recommendations
Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn