Home > Consumer Reviews > Samsung HT-A100T 2.1-Channel Bluetooth Home Theater Surround Sound System (Set of Four, Black)

Before owning this system, I owned the Sony Bravia DAV-HDX576WF Theater System. I wasn't pleased with it. The amplifier kept shutting on and off by itself, and the rear speakers crackled terribly. Also, I wasn't impressed enough with the sound quality for the amount of money I spent. I will admit that this very well could have been due to my own error or inexperience. However, while audio isn't exactly my area of expertise, I'm not incompetent, either; I was a film major in college, so I know my way around wires, etc., fairly well. In my opinion, the whole thing was a huge hassle, and not worth the time and trouble. I have two Bose Companion 2 speakers for my laptop that I think are fabulous (I wouldn't exactly say that they're comparable to the Sony unit as they're not nearly as powerful, but they sound great), and I only spent $100 on them!

Now, onto the Samsung HT-A100T... I never buy anything without reading countless user reviews from numerous sources. This product caught my eye on the Samsung Web site. I couldn't find reviews for it anywhere. I figured that it's so new that it hadn't yet been widely tested. Well, my impatience got the best of me and I decided to order it based on the fact that it looked like it would suit my needs. Wires being strewn all over my bedroom were making me feel a bit obsessive compulsive. Yes, even the rear wireless speakers of the Sony unit were making me feel hayWIRE (pun intended). FYI: They weren't wired to the receiver, but the rear left and right speakers were wired to the amplifier, which was plugged into a power supply. It was just too overwhelming. I wanted something smaller, more sleek, but with impressive sound. Plus, the Bluetooth feature sounded enticing. My laptop is on the opposite side of my bedroom from where the home theater would be. I thought it would be great to be able to stream music from my laptop or BlackBerry through the home theater without using extra wires or having to buy extra equipment.

Well, I have to say that I'm extremely satisfied with this product! I almost never write user reviews, but this product compelled me to do so. The components are small yet powerful, and the black, high-gloss finish makes it look very sleek. The system looks great with my Samsung LN40A550 40'' 1080p LCD HDTV. I don't have to turn the volume up very loud to feel the power of this system. Even though it's not a 5.1 surround sound system, these speakers are powerful, and I certainly feel "surrounded" by the sound. I LOVE the Bluetooth feature. The quality is superb when I stream music from my laptop through the system. Very, very rarely the music will pause for a moment. I don't know enough about Bluetooth technology to comment on whether it's the home theater system or my computer causing the "lag" or whatever it is. It only happened twice for all of two seconds so it's barely worth mentioning.

The picture looks great. The DVD player upscales to 1080p. I purchased an HDMI cable, and while my standard definition DVDs don't quite match the quality of high definition or Blu-Ray, the upscaling is very nice. I do notice a difference when watching DVDs on this system versus playing my DVDs through a DVD player that doesn't upscale to 1080p.

All right, so I'm not able to throw around technical jargon like some, but I will say this: What's important to me is that when I listen to songs that I love, I want to feel enveloped by them and get chills. This system does it for me!

Highly recommended!

I bought this recently to match my newly purchased Samsung LN32A450 LCD, and I'm very satisfied.

I was in the market for a 2.1 or sound bar system. The Sony HT-CT100 got good reviews so I went to a local store to check it out. I was very disappointed. The max volume was ridiculously low and the sound clarity was unimpressive. It was to the point that i thought it was a defective unit on display, so I went directly to the Sony store to listen again in a more private room. It was the same!

Then I saw this Samsung unit on sale at a local store for $299. The sound clarity was much better than the Sony's. The bass from the subwoofer is very respectable as well. This unit also has a unique bluetooth feature which is very cool. I connect my laptop through bluetooth and play music through the system. There is a couple seconds of lag like the previous reviewer noted but nothing unbearable. The greatest part about this unit is the design, however. It simply looks great. The black gloss matches perfectly with my Samsung LCD. I haven't tried the upconverting DVD player through HDMI yet (my HDMI cables should be arriving tomorrow) but I found nothing to complain about while running it through component.

Anyone interested in purchasing this should really remember that it is a 2.1 with VIRTUAL surround. It's definitely not going to sound like a true 5.1. Also, there are ZERO video inputs on the unit. It has 1 composite out, 1 component out, 1 hdmi out, and 1 digital optical input. THAT'S IT! However, this seems to be common in all HTIB's in this price range. The only exception I found was the Sony HT-CT100 mentioned earlier (3 HDMI inputs and 1 hdmi out) that produced subpar sound (and no DVD player -- which may not be an issue for many).

Bottom line: Anyone interested in a great looking 2.1 HTIB under $400 would be hard pressed to find a better system. I sure couldn't!

I'll make it quick:
Pros:
- great sound
- good looking
- quite compact
- nice features (usb, hdmi-cec with samsung tv)
Cons:
- impossible to unlock region
- the usb browsing is a joke
- quality when paying usb from file is not great (divx codec and cpu power)

I bought this as a Christmas present for my father in law for his new home theater in a very small room. He had just bought a Samsung LCD HDTV that matches the finish of this unit. (piano black - not the touch of color series) My father in law likes Samsung in general, did not have room for a 5.1 setup and I thought that this would be an ideal solution for him. This review is coming from a mid level audiophile.

First, let me say that the sound that comes out of the system is acceptable. For most people, this will be a huge improvement over their existing systems. The quality of sound over most entry level systems is actually pretty high. The satellite speakers can push out some pretty good sound. Certain frequencies will let you know that they are coming from plastic speakers, but this is not as pronounced as in some other budget systems.

The DVD (once set up properly) looks like an entry level upconverting DVD player. For most people, I doubt they will notice the difference between this and very good upconverting DVD player. It is acceptable

The unit is very attractive, and externally it is designed well. The top loading DVD will be a deal breaker for some, but while it looks different, it is very clean and sits well in the right environment. It interacts with Samsung equipment well, for instance - when the unit is connected to the TV via a DVI cable, the TV sound does not operate and the TV volume control triggers the receiver. Turn the power off on the receiver, and the TV volume immediately kicks in.

My issues, and there are a lot, are that the user interaction, remote design, and optimization setup are bad. The unit should be easy to use, but it really isn't. Here are my gripes:
1. Assuming you have a cable box input, you will have to select it using the Aux button on the remote. But on the receiver, there are really 4 Aux inputs (Digital Input (Digital Optical Cable), Aux 1 (1/8" jack on side of unit), Aux 2 (RCA), and Bluetooth. Selecting your input is one of the most basic features on the remote, and some users will need to click the "Aux" button on the remote three times to get sound from their cable box to come through. SAMSUNG - Add all the source buttons to the remote
2. The audio is not adjustable. There are no subwoofer output settings!!! This is mind numbing. How is this possible? This essentially means that if the sub is too weak or powerful for your setup, you are stuck with it. I have never seen this feature missing in an All in One setup. Also, there are no graphic equalizer settings. There is a P-Bass adjustment which really pumps up the bass- it should never be turned on. There is a Virtual Headphone setting which will never be used by 97% of people who buy this unit.
3. The TV setup and DVD output is totally not user intuitive. You have to hold down a button on the remote for 5 seconds to change the output from 480p to 780p, then another 5 to 1080i, then another 5 to 1080p. Totally not intuitive. I bet 80% of users are watching this on HDTVs with 480p output. SAMSUNG - This setting belongs in the onscreen menu. No button on the remote necessary. Unless you read the manual, most people will never know to change this setting.
4. The onscreen menu is only available when the DVD is in stop mode, and not available in any other mode. This is where all the audio adjustments should be. Samsung actually included a cool feature which is typically called dynamic compression - generally used at night when you don't want to bother people in the house. The feature allows you to amplify speech and reduce the volume of the effects. This setting is in the menu, but no Bass, Midrange or Treble settings? And even if you want to use this setting, you have to stop the movie to do it. SAMSUNG - Let the Onscreen menu work during playback. Add some traditional audio adjustment features. (+/- 5 for L, R, Sub, Treble, Mid, Base)
5. The device comes with a standard RCA video cable. SAMSUNG - Most people buying this have HDTV. Why else would they buy a premium entry level device that matches your HDTV? Include a DVI cable so they don't get suckered into paying $80 for a monster cable which is just as good as the one I bought online for $8

Overall, it's a decent unit, but these issues keep it from getting a great buy rating.

Regards,
Ben

Update 5/1/09: The DVD player started having issues... noises... not being able to read the disc... and now its totally non functional as a DVD player. After minimal use, this unit is now just a receiver. It isn't worth it to send it back. We just bought another DVD player and run it into this as a receiver. Sad.

I purchased this product less than a week ago from Sears store, for under $200. My plan was to use this for my master bedroom (2 speakers). I already have a Pioneer Elite 5.1 channel in my main family room/big screen TV...so I didn't need anything fancy for the bedroom.

I was pleasantly surprised first by this units appearance. Very sleek, black glossy finish. Small yet powerful 2 speakers that I was able to mount on my wall. I have vaulted ceilings, and so plenty of space to mount the speakers. The sub gives off awesome, room-shaking base, the speakers are crisp, clean sounding.

The main think I liked about this unit is that:

1) Its very compact, no room-taking bulky speakers
2) Comes with a sub-woofer (again, 2.1 setup perfect for a large bedroom/small family room)
3) Bluetooth connectivity. I can (though haven't done this yet) connect to my blackberry phone and should play audio off this unit
4) MP3 CD playback capability (burned CD/DVD) in all formats
5) HDMI connectivity, 1080p upconversion (also component/composite capability)
6) Speakers already have mounting holes built in
7) Price is awesome for a 300w upconversion DVD/speakers/sub
8) Samsung brand name

Some things I don't like about this unit (during the first experimental few days):
1) The buttons are very sensitive on the unit. A slight brush of the finger or hair will trigger the action of that button.
2) The virtual surround sound didn't sound so great, though I need to experiment with some original quality DVDs
3) As opposed to a DVD player (which lays flat/thin), this unit is bulky upwards - so it's tough to put directly in front of a TV as it will partially block off the front of the TV (unit is tall from the front).

Overall, as you can see from more positives, I'm very pleased with this unit and setup.

Next step: Upgrade my bedroom TV to a Samsung 40" 120hz!!!