Samsung HT-X810 2.1 Channel Sound Bar Home Theater System Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm not an audiophile and found the HT-X810 quite by accident after doing a google search for 'wall mount stereo'. I'd lived in Denmark and had seen Bang & Olufsen stuff so knew that it was possible to put a stereo in a discrete shell but was hoping that some company made something that didn't require an additional mortgage. I've got cable but no set top box or TV furniture to hold components so my main objective was to find something that complimented my wall-mounted flat screen, didn't require turning my dry wall into swiss cheese to hide miles of wire, and provided some semblance of 'theater-like' sound. After trolling the web I found a number of 2.1 systems. Below is a discussion of these and the reasoning why I went with the Samsung:
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. 2) Relatively slim soundbar/display looks nice and fits inconspicuously below the TV. 3) Includes wall-mount hardware. 4) The sub has a clean look. 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. 5) As far as I could find, there is no iPOD/Mp3/USB connection dock.
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. 3) Has a nice slim speaker for mounting under the TV. 4) Includes wall-mount hardware. 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 9-pin serial cable, which is a standard PC 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. 5) The iPOD/Mp3/USB connection dock is only available separately.
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. 3) The soundbar/display is reminiscent of the Yamaha, just a bit bigger but still not obtrusive. 4) Includes wall-mount hardware. 5) The sub is smallish and looks good. 6) Has iPOD/Mp3/USB docking capability. 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. 5) The iPOD/Mp3/USB dock is a clumsy external unit.
At this point in my research, it seemed that 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 the Yamaha, Sony and Philips 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, the running of 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, 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. 5) Includes wall-mount hardware. 6) The sub looks good and is very simple to hook-up. The Bad: 1) Base-heavy sound and limited adjustability of the sub volume. 2) At 39" wide and 7" tall, its bigger than the other systems and so probably best suited for a 42" or larger TV. 3) Has USB port but iPOD/Mp3 dock requires and aftermarket wire. 4) It doesn't have BluRay but neither does the Philips. 5) It costs more than the units that don't include a dvd player but it's on par with the Philips, which does.
Happy Shopping.

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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.

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