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Samsung HT-Z310T 5.1-Channel Home Theater Surround Sound System (Set of Seven, Black)
See it at Amazon.com for $249.00Average Customer Rating
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
An excellent surround soune system for a great price
I purchased this surround sound system with my Samsung LCD 46in 750 series HDTV.
This is a great surround sound system for the price. I was not looking to spend a crazy amount of $$ for a surround sound system. Some go for over $1000.
I am overall extremely satisfied with this product. Setup was easy, but the manual is somewhat confusing.
Sound is great. I use an optical digital audio cable (NOT included--about $30-$50 depending on length) from this system to HDTV. This is the best way for me, as I then don't have to connect anything else to the surround system. Any device that I use (Cable, Wii, XBOX 360), gets connected to the TV & the sound goes from the TV to the system via the optical audio cable.
Also, has anynet+. Which means that any other Samsung device's remote with anynet+ can operate the system (& vice versa) without programming.
Had built in up-converting DVD player. Is not an HD-DVD, but will up-convert any DVD to a better digital looking & sounding DVD. The built in DVD player gives you one less device in your home theater
Issues that could be better (therefore 4 star):
Wires for rear speakers could be longer. They are only about 30ft. Need to be at least 50 feet, or maybe even longer, to adequately run the wires over doors so they don't run across the room
Also, the speaker wires that connect to the samsung system itself are attached to a special connector. Therefore, you can't just run your own speaker wire from the system. You need to "splice" additional wire to the wires provided (Samsung doesn't sell longer wires, I called them).
The wires that do come with the system are not great in terms of gauge (samsung doesn't even known what gauge they are--level 2 support had no idea), but based on the size, I'm guessing about 18, maybe even 20 gauge)
You can go wireless for the rear speakers, but that's an additional $100 for a wireless receiver. ALSO, BE AWARE, that with any wireless speaker device, it WILL INTERFERE with wireless internet (you will get bumped off router if using in same room when receiver is on), certain cordless phones & certain microwaves. For this reason, I didn't purchase the wireless receiver.
Others have mentioned issues with mounting, as the mounts cannot be turned towards a specified direction. This is NOT an issue for me, as my speakers are not mounted, so I can't comment
OVERALL, This is a great sounding system for an unbelievable price!!
If you are an audiophile, this is NOT for you. Spend over $1000 for something else. If you want great sound at a great price, then this is for you
This is a great surround sound system for the price. I was not looking to spend a crazy amount of $$ for a surround sound system. Some go for over $1000.
I am overall extremely satisfied with this product. Setup was easy, but the manual is somewhat confusing.
Sound is great. I use an optical digital audio cable (NOT included--about $30-$50 depending on length) from this system to HDTV. This is the best way for me, as I then don't have to connect anything else to the surround system. Any device that I use (Cable, Wii, XBOX 360), gets connected to the TV & the sound goes from the TV to the system via the optical audio cable.
Also, has anynet+. Which means that any other Samsung device's remote with anynet+ can operate the system (& vice versa) without programming.
Had built in up-converting DVD player. Is not an HD-DVD, but will up-convert any DVD to a better digital looking & sounding DVD. The built in DVD player gives you one less device in your home theater
Issues that could be better (therefore 4 star):
Wires for rear speakers could be longer. They are only about 30ft. Need to be at least 50 feet, or maybe even longer, to adequately run the wires over doors so they don't run across the room
Also, the speaker wires that connect to the samsung system itself are attached to a special connector. Therefore, you can't just run your own speaker wire from the system. You need to "splice" additional wire to the wires provided (Samsung doesn't sell longer wires, I called them).
The wires that do come with the system are not great in terms of gauge (samsung doesn't even known what gauge they are--level 2 support had no idea), but based on the size, I'm guessing about 18, maybe even 20 gauge)
You can go wireless for the rear speakers, but that's an additional $100 for a wireless receiver. ALSO, BE AWARE, that with any wireless speaker device, it WILL INTERFERE with wireless internet (you will get bumped off router if using in same room when receiver is on), certain cordless phones & certain microwaves. For this reason, I didn't purchase the wireless receiver.
Others have mentioned issues with mounting, as the mounts cannot be turned towards a specified direction. This is NOT an issue for me, as my speakers are not mounted, so I can't comment
OVERALL, This is a great sounding system for an unbelievable price!!
If you are an audiophile, this is NOT for you. Spend over $1000 for something else. If you want great sound at a great price, then this is for you
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
Great sound, BAD DVD upconversion
First, this system is very cheap. Even if you order the $89 wireless kit (which is a bit finicky), it is still ~$300. The sound is also AMAZING for such a cheap system. I combined it with my new Samsung LN40A550 LCD TV (which has crappy speakers) and won't go back to factory TV speakers.
Also, Anynet is better than you think. Having you Samsung TV automatically control your volume through the HDMI cable is awesome. One remote!
As mentioned elsewhere, the iPod interface is awful. As a graduate student who likes to throw parties, it was a complete annoyance to find that the interface will only play songs in alphabetical order!
BUT, the worst problem BY FAR is the upconversion of the DVDs to 1080p resolution. In short, the 1080p resolution is SO pixelated, I can see the pixels from 8 feet away. This was confirmed by other users at avsforums.cmom. To make the image slightly smoother, I have the DVD Player set to standard output at 480p (non-HD) resolution and let the TV do its best to display the signal. My TV is expensive and does a decent job. In other words: it is identical to using a $40 non-upconversion DVD player. In general this is unacceptable. But it will have to do until I graduate!
If you don't mind standard DVD image quality and just need a cheap high-quality sound system: buy it. If you need good images from your DVD collection, buy a more expensive system.
Also, Anynet is better than you think. Having you Samsung TV automatically control your volume through the HDMI cable is awesome. One remote!
As mentioned elsewhere, the iPod interface is awful. As a graduate student who likes to throw parties, it was a complete annoyance to find that the interface will only play songs in alphabetical order!
BUT, the worst problem BY FAR is the upconversion of the DVDs to 1080p resolution. In short, the 1080p resolution is SO pixelated, I can see the pixels from 8 feet away. This was confirmed by other users at avsforums.cmom. To make the image slightly smoother, I have the DVD Player set to standard output at 480p (non-HD) resolution and let the TV do its best to display the signal. My TV is expensive and does a decent job. In other words: it is identical to using a $40 non-upconversion DVD player. In general this is unacceptable. But it will have to do until I graduate!
If you don't mind standard DVD image quality and just need a cheap high-quality sound system: buy it. If you need good images from your DVD collection, buy a more expensive system.
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
Very happy so far
We have had this for about a week and are so far very pleased. I am not an expert but I think the sound quality is very good. You do have to read the instructions to figure out all the different bells and whistles (especially to figure out when to get the 5.1 vs 2 speaker sound). we have a 46" Samsung LCD so they are in sync with each other- my only complaint is that when I have them linked and I turn on the system to listen to a CD it also turns on my tv...a little gripe but I can get over it. We would have liked to have gotten the HT-Z410 with the 5 discs but the depth of that unit was too big for our entertainment system. All in all- for the price we couldn't be happier with the unit. We always buy from Amazon- wonderful service!
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
Samsung HT-Z310 (not image)
the main image for this product is 2 tall speakers for the front and 2 small rear speakers.. WARNING... that is not what you get.
you will receive 4 small speakers.. the main image is actually the (HT-Z410T)
but this product works great
Sound,look, upscale = great
sound cable length = could be better
i recommend this, if you going to go wireless or if you dont mine splicing some cable so your rear speakers...could actually reach the "rear"
you will receive 4 small speakers.. the main image is actually the (HT-Z410T)
but this product works great
Sound,look, upscale = great
sound cable length = could be better
i recommend this, if you going to go wireless or if you dont mine splicing some cable so your rear speakers...could actually reach the "rear"
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Bargain for what you get
Purchased this system with a Samsung 40" HDTV and am very pleased with both. We had a 32" Phillips and Sony 5.1 100w receiver with a powered sub woofer. The new sound system is perfect for our small family room (14x20') and the speakers, while tiny, fill the room and are barely noticable. Comments as to wire length,gage and non-generic fittings are all true but for me, were not a problem in setting up or wall mounting the speakers. Handle with care, since it is thin plastic.
I did buy the SWA-3000 remote amplifier which really cleaned up the installation. It was a refurbished unit and came without directions. (NOTE: the reset of the SWA-3000 is tricky and Samsung level 1 tech support was useless)
Since we have digital cable, I had trouble with coordinating all 3 remotes so I purchased a Harmony 550 which allows the use of one single remote. Logitech support will walk you through the set-up to customize for your specific needs. This way, the TV does not turn on when I play a CD or listen to the radio.
I have turned off the TV speakers and use this system for TV audio, finding the "matrix" mode to provide the best surround sound. Watching DVD's is a renewed pleasure, perhaps more due to the larger screen; however, the surround sound is superior to my prior system.
I believe, for the average viewer looking for quality sound and value in a very compact unit, you won't be dissapointed. Certainly, audio/videophiles might find fault with this system but for the price, I feel it offers great value, sound and image quality.
I did buy the SWA-3000 remote amplifier which really cleaned up the installation. It was a refurbished unit and came without directions. (NOTE: the reset of the SWA-3000 is tricky and Samsung level 1 tech support was useless)
Since we have digital cable, I had trouble with coordinating all 3 remotes so I purchased a Harmony 550 which allows the use of one single remote. Logitech support will walk you through the set-up to customize for your specific needs. This way, the TV does not turn on when I play a CD or listen to the radio.
I have turned off the TV speakers and use this system for TV audio, finding the "matrix" mode to provide the best surround sound. Watching DVD's is a renewed pleasure, perhaps more due to the larger screen; however, the surround sound is superior to my prior system.
I believe, for the average viewer looking for quality sound and value in a very compact unit, you won't be dissapointed. Certainly, audio/videophiles might find fault with this system but for the price, I feel it offers great value, sound and image quality.