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]

Replaceable speakers?

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]

somebody is paying attention!!!

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]

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]

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]

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?

 

[birdonthebeach]

What! No bench test?

I sent it Gene. He should have the bench test numbers up any day now.....

 

[DMcV]

yes i have one....

Here is my reason for buying a Samsung HT-Q85.
I was always turning up my old Dolby system enjoying the THUMP out of my
12 inch PSB subwoofer and my tower Energy Speakers were nice and clear filling in the rest of the Movie experience.
Then my wife would come to watch...turn down the volume...thus, the thrill of the 'sound' was diminished..might as well use the TV speakers
We decided to get a new TV. I wanted the Samsung 42 inch but the wife wanted the Samsung 50 inch Plasma...what could I say ?
I knew that if I wanted surround sound I would have to go 'small' because the wife doesn't like it too loud, also we upgraded the whole room with new furniture so the budget was tight.
The TQ-85 fills our room nicely with 5.1 surround, Yes, the subwoofer is not as clear as some, however,the other speakers do the job very well. The DVD has lots of options and it looks good with my TV. I removed the bottom portion of the tower stands and wall mounted them beside the TV, as the TV it up quite high.
Conclusion: For casual Movie and general TV watching it is a good bang for the dollar.
DMcV

 

[Liquidoodle]

Something Doesn't Add Up About This System!!

I don't know if anyone else noticed this but if the speakers are 140 watt each and the sub is 160 watts thats a total of 860 watts not 1000 watts.

I feel samsung could be telling porky pies!!!!

One of my ex-workmates just bought this and after hearing that it was 1000 watt total power I started to question if an all in one would be better than a seperates system of less power like my own. But i'm sumwhat doubting the power handling of this system now lol!

 

[avaserfi]

If you did a little research you would also know the the number of watts a system puts out has nothing to do with sound quality at all if anything its just how loud you can turn up the system and even then it has no correlation with sound quality at high levels.

 

[no. 5]

I don't know if anyone else noticed this but if the speakers are 140 watt each and the sub is 160 watts thats a total of 860 watts not 1000 watts.

I bet it's WAY less than 860 watts.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I tell all my friends that my system has 100 watts. They dont understand why their HTIBs with 1000 watts dont sound as good or as loud as mine...

 

[Liquidoodle]

Hehe I knew all that stuff but not enough to be sure that a thousand watt system would or wouldn't kick my systems butt... hence the looking into it now all those numbers are confusing.

I did just find this which revealed a lot for me though http://www.axiomaudio.com/power.html

Back to the Samsung thing tho, it is a nice looking system and my mate seems to be overly very chuffed with it

 

[mhoffa]

My USB memory stick won't work in the tq-85. Anybody have a USB stick that works and plays DVD's and music and so on. If so could you please give me the model name and type.

 

[birdonthebeach]

Back when I reviewed the Samsung, I tried a USB thumb drive and it worked. I wish I could tell you what brand - it has been too long. Sorry.

 

[Davemcc]

IIRC, there is a list of compatible USB devices in the manual. If you don't have a manual, I can run over to my neighbor's and get the list from his manual.