Home > Consumer Reviews > Samsung HT-TZ515T 5.1-Channel 5 Disc Home Theater Surround Sound System (Set of Seven, Black)

I bought this system to use with my Samsung 61 inch TV(model A750)and am delighted with it. Aside from matching the TV perfectly, it is easy to set up, easy to use, and produces great sound. I feel like I am at the movies.

The wireless receiver for the rear speakers worked like a charm.

I offer the following suggestions:

1. To hook this system to your TV you will need both a video cable(I use an HDMI cable) and audio cable(I use a standard red and white cable). Neither cable comes with the system(which is the norm), so make sure you buy them.

2. Before using the system, press the menu button on the remote(your TV must be turned on), go to audio setup, and do the tone test to make sure that each of your speakers is working. Initially I did not insert one of the speaker wires enough, and did not get a sound.

IMPORTANT: The tone test will not work unless you use the Mode button on the remote control and choose Matrix as your setting. I learned this the hard way when I could not get tones from all the speakers and called Samsung tech support, who were helpful.

I use this system in an 18x14 room with lots of windows and skylights and get great sound. If you hook your ipod into this system(an adaptor is provided) you will think that you are at a concert. I highly recommend this.

What detered me from purchasing it's brother system, the HT-TX75, was that the wireless rear speaker module was included. The setup is very simple. The wireless rear speaker module means no more tripping over or trying to hide wires. The woofer puts out quality bass. Earlier today, I put in a cd and put the volume on 32. My neighbor from 2 HOUSES DOWN asked me to cut it down. The 5 disc changer makes it easy to enjoy a day of watching movies. The system is also has an ipod/mp3 dock as well as one for XM satelite radio. The remote can be programmed to control your TV as well. Great product.

For starters, as soon as i took this system out of the box i was blinded by beauty. Every piece is glossy black and sleek. Very nice.

Hooked it all up and everything was very straight-forward. The instructions are very simple to follow. All screws and such were there. No problems...yet.

Now, the main problem i had that almost caused me to pull my hair out is the wireless reciever. When i first got the system fired up and running everything worked great. Watched a movie and got about 3/4 the way through and the rear speakers went out. Got the flashing CHK REAR. So i checked everything and all was connected fine. So, i turned off the system and turned it back on and the rears worked great once again. So, i decided to play some Xbox 360 using this system. Again, worked great for about an hour or so and then got the CHK REAR flashes again. by this time i got really frustrated. I went through all the troubleshooting steps in the manual, looked everywhere online for help and found nothing. I moved the wireless reciever to different locations thinking mabye it wasn't getting a clear connection to the main reciever. No luck! I did not want to call Samsung because i knew they'd make me go through all the steps once again, but i was at wits end and thought it was my last resort. So, before i decied to make the call i started fooling around with the wirless card that plugs into the back of the main unit. I noticed that if i pushed in and held the card that the rear speakers would connect and remain connected. So, i got some clear shipping tape and put a couple strips on the card positioning it so that it is being forced into the main reciever. After doing this i haven't had 1 issue out of the rear speakers. Everything sounds beautiful. I use my PS3, Xbox 360, Cable TV with it and they all sound superb. Its a great system, but the wireless troubles need to be addressed with Samsung.

All in all, i would definitly recommend this system but beware of the rear wireless hacks that may have to be done to get it to work properly. Also, the rears aren't really wirless as they are wired to the wireless reciever. Saves from having to run wires from the tv to the rears though. If anyone has any questions or would like pics then message me and i'll be happy to assist ya. :-)

Well I read a lot of reviews of the HT-Z515T, other Samsung models, the Panasonic and Sony models of similar specs. This is a really good sounding unit with some really silly flaws that make daily use bothersome. Still a great bargain and would recommend if you don't mind the flaws I list.

Pros
*Excellent sound, especially for this price range. I don't think there is a product with comparable sound without paying several hundred more.
*Very good dvd/cd playback. It doeas have some difficulty with dirty or moderately scratched disks that my Sony 5 disk player had no trouble with, but this may be a function of the higher quality of the reader.
*small footprint of speakers, player and wireless unit.
*mostly good coordination with Samsung tv
*Excellent combatibility with ipod

Cons
*1st problem is it is really difficult to compare the various models of Samsung ht's.
*terible remote - no backlight, small buttons that are pourly laid out.
*sometimes disconnects from Samsung tv when changing from dvd to cable input.
*no hdmi input
*does not display the track number in cd play (just stupid!!)
*displays static samsung logo while playing cd's. No screen save in this mode.

*** UPDATE *** 2/20/2009 **
This machine has stopped working - the drive motor won't spin the discs. Samsung will only repair if I ship the entire unit to LA (about $100 in postage) so I'm putting the whole thing in the trash. I bought a Philips system last week which has been infinitely better for half the price. I'm tempted to say I'll never buy Samsung again...
***

I really wanted to like this unit, since the sound is really excellent for the price, and the speakers and small and unobtrusive. But after all the problems I've had, I definitely wouldn't buy this again.

- The wireless speakers disconnect continuously. I've tried turning off wireless routers in my house and it makes no difference. The only thing that works is resetting the rear speakers and entering a "secret reset password" on the main unit to get everything back in sync. I do this every time I watch a film. If I don't do this the unit flashes "REAR CHK" and pauses the sounds every 30 seconds until I do.

- The "secret reset password" is something you'll only find by Googling problems with the unit (turn off, type 0-1-3-5 and everything resets). There's nothing in the manual or on Samsung's support site. In fact, all the documentation has as much value as firepaper.

- There's no input for cable TV - why?

On the plus side, here are the steps for unlocking the unit to become multiregion (you have to follow the steps precisely):

1. Remove disc from tray.
2. Switch off player and unplug from mains.
3. Wait 30 seconds, then reconnect mains.
4. Turn on player with remote. Wait for player to finish loading and display 'no disc'.
5. Press enter on remote. (There will be no on-screen response.)
6. Press 8, 4, 2, 6, 9 on the remote. (There will be no on-screen response.)
7. Press enter on the remote. Player will automatically shut off.
8. Turn player on.
9. Turn off.
10. Turn player on then off again.