Samsung HT-TQ85 Home Theater In A Box Review

[admin]

It is amazing how far a dollar will go these days, especially when it comes to home theater. It seems only a few years ago that in order to have a respectable sounding, complete home theater system of any size that included a receiver, CD/DVD changer, five speakers and subwoofer would easily cost well over $1000. Fast forward to today, where you can find "home theater in a box" systems for sale at your local drug store for as little as $100. In many cases, you get what you pay for. But these days, it is actually possible to get a lot more than what you pay for.


Discuss "Samsung HT-TQ85 Home Theater In A Box Review" here. Read the article.

[mr-ben]

I don't think I saw this in the review - can the speakers be replaced? I'm wondering if a person who buys this has the option to replace the speakers down the road if they decide to get more serious, or if they're stuck with the speakers it came with due to some strange impedence, equalization, or connectors. I figure the subwoofer would be more difficult since it sounds like it's not powered itself.

[davidtwotrees]

We see this alot in the audiophile world-is it about the gear, or the music/movies? Could someone do better by buying seperately and doing research and talking on message boards? Sure. But some people aren't as "into" it as we are. To be able to get all that in one box and be able to set it up in one fell swoop is what many people are looking for. The reviewer said it provided the home theatre surround experience just fine. Was it the same as using Meridian and Krell through Sonus Faber loudspeakers? Or even Denon and Pioneer through Paradigms? Of course not. But it fills the void and let's non enthusiasts enjoy surround sound, which is what it's all about!

So good for HomeTheatre in a Box!

[autoboy]

I would favor the computer speakers that include a digital input. Logitech and creative make systems that cost b/w $200 to $300 and actually sound pretty decent. I got the logitech z-5500 for my brother's meduim/small room. He paired it with his 360 and plays music from his ipod, dvds, and downloaded content through the system and it sounds great for $250 It gets loud enough and he is very happy with his setup. The only disadvantage for the system is the lack of a single remote like the all samsung setup in the review.

Is the sound out of these systems really ok even for non-audio people? I checked out this system at the store when I was shopping for his system and the speakers were hollow sounding, lightweight, and had oddly shapped 2x4" paper cones. It all just looked cheap, while the logitech had a solid feel and quality construction.

[birdonthebeach]

Originally Posted by davidtwotrees

To be able to get all that in one box and be able to set it up in one fell swoop is what many people are looking for. The reviewer said it provided the home theatre surround experience just fine. Was it the same as using Meridian and Krell through Sonus Faber loudspeakers? Or even Denon and Pioneer through Paradigms? Of course not. But it fills the void and let's non enthusiasts enjoy surround sound, which is what it's all about!

YOU get it. Thanks for understanding the purpose of the review. The goal is to provide information not only to Audioholics, but their friends and family members who are not.

[Davemcc]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

I'm very afraid of disagreeing with a mod, never mind Admin, but I had an HT-TQ75 (same thing except for the surrounds) that came in a package with my TV before I found this site. This was the single worst consumer electronics product I've ever owned, bar none. I found the video grainy and discoloured, even using HDMI and I could not adjust it so the picture looked even decent. I compared it directly back to back with the Samsung DVD player I got free with my previous TV and the player won hands down every time. The sound was equally bad. The cheap Sony HTIB I had previously absolutely blew this thing away, Ferrari vs. Chevette style. I bought two of the Sony's because they were so cheap on sale, one for me, one for my son. He still loves the Sony, even though he now has a H/K-Nuance tower style audio system. The Sony I got for myself is still performing yeoman's duty at my in-laws, who also love it.

Three things are most telling about this Samsung system. 1) I gave it away to a neighbor with the dread that I would feel great embarrassment at how bad it was when he hooked it up. 2) I had it in the same room at the same time as the two speaker Bose 321 and the Bose simply blew it away sound quality wise. 3) I like Samsung products in general and Samsung has treated me well, corporately, but I wouldn't want this one in my home.

With all due respect to Admin, my experience and opinion is that this is a terrible product to recommend. Any decent reciever based HTIB with a stand-alone cheap DVD player would be a better choice.

[mr-ben]

Originally Posted by mr-ben

can the speakers be replaced?

I was able to find the answer to my question in the manual online. I figured I'd post it here incase anyone is interested. The speakers are all 3Ω, so it's going to be difficult to replace them. The cables seem fine, but I still don't know if there is any unusual equalization.

I have one friend and one family member with home theater in a box systems (I don't remember the brands). Both broke within a few months, and both asked for my help in fixing them. In one case, a speaker broke and needed replacement. In the other, there was a special cable that linked all the speakers to the player-part of the package that looked kinda like svideo, and the cable lost some of the pins. Fixing these problems was really painful, because the manufacturers don't supply replacement parts, and it was not possible to just go to the local electronics store and purchase a cheap replacement cable or pair of cheap speakers.

So now I don't recommend anything to my friends or family that can't have parts swapped out easily. With 3Ω speakers, this system isn't something I'll recommend. Unless someone knows from personal experience that Samsung will send replacement components without hassle.

[birdonthebeach]

Originally Posted by Davemcc

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

I'm very afraid of disagreeing with a mod, never mind Admin,

DaveMcc,

I welcome your input and opinion. I am sorry you had such a bad experience with this (or similar) product. If I had experienced similar issues, I would feel the same way.

The purpose of these "gear" reviews is to hightlight products on the market and try to evaluate them considering their intended purpose/audience. It sounds to me as though you had legitmate issues. I did not compare the quality of this to a stand-alone dvd player, for example, because I was not attempting to compare it to a component system, rather I was reviewing it on it's own merits. My experience using component and HDMI video connections was a positive one, so I stand by my review.

But your comments and experiences are encouraged on the forums - I am glad to get an alternate opinion of the product on the boards. It will give people yet another view to consider. I especially appreciate the civilized tone with which you disagree!

[Davemcc]

Originally Posted by birdonthebeach

DaveMcc,

I welcome your input and opinion. I am sorry you had such a bad experience with this (or similar) product. If I had experienced similar issues, I would feel the same way.

The purpose of these "gear" reviews is to hightlight products on the market and try to evaluate them considering their intended purpose/audience. It sounds to me as though you had legitmate issues. I did not compare the quality of this to a stand-alone dvd player, for example, because I was not attempting to compare it to a component system, rather I was reviewing it on it's own merits. My experience using component and HDMI video connections was a positive one, so I stand by my review.

But your comments and experiences are encouraged on the forums - I am glad to get an alternate opinion of the product on the boards. It will give people yet another view to consider. I especially appreciate the civilized tone with which you disagree!

I've been through a few HTIB's before I found this site. Up until the interval between Christmas and New Years (when I found this site), I was the target market for this product. So far, the Sony ($350 cdn) was the best I've had, followed by the Bose ($1100 cdn), then the Samsung. When I found this site, I had already ordered a Yamaha HTIB ($199 cdn), but never took it out of the box because once I started reading here, I realized that no HTIB was going to satisfy me, so the binge had to end and I returned it.

My brother has the same Yamaha, my neighbor has the Samsung, my in-laws have the Sony and I still have the Bose. Maybe I should work out with them to arrange a little HTIB shootout. I could even throw the HSU Ventriloquist into the mix, as well. Man, what is it with me and HTIB's.

[no. 5]

What! No bench test?