Samsung HT-Q70 Home Theater System

Excellent

Strengths: Pure digital sound, great looking

Weaknesses: Nothing

Summary: I bought SAMSUNG HL-S6188W DLP TV. After that I was looking for a home theater system. I tried Panasonic, Sony, even ONKYO. Based on price SAMSUNG HT-Q70 is the best. It has everything including HDMI, optical, Component, Composite. You can feel the difference. My wife and I are enjoying every moment with this sound. I strongly recommend this product.

77% of People (10/13) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?

  Report this as inappropriate.

 There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.

Works well with Samsung HDTVs, has HDMI and DIVX from disc or USB

Strengths: plays DIVX movies from DVD-Rs and MP3s from CDRs well, remote glow-in-the-dark buttons, good bass, sharp looking

Weaknesses: way too many tiny buttons on the remote, not very loud for a 1000W rating, limited sound adjustments

Summary: I'll start with my only real letdown: sound level. Back in college, a 300W stereo would shake the walls of the dorm; this "1000 Watt" HTIAB sounds (subjectively) more like 100 Watts; enough for me 90% of the time, but it is a bit disappointing. The provided wires are very thin, and I'm not sure what kind of voltage/currents are used with the 3 ohm impedance satellites and sub to get 140W per speaker.

The sound quality is good (although you can't adjust bass and treble independently, just cycle through DSP settings like "Pop", "Jazz", "Rock" etc.), and the bass is pretty strong for the small ported subwoofer. No AM radio, but the FM tuner picks up signals well. Haven't tried the XM; note it requires an optional antenna in addition to the monthly subscription fee.

Picture quality at 480p through the Composite Video is very good, and I've heard that the 1280i upconverted DVD picture through the HDMI connector on this unit is excellent; can hardly wait for my cables (ordered a 6 ft. HDMI cable for $13 shipped from svideo.com).

I'd considered the more expensive HT-Q80 or HT-TQ85 since they also have an HDMI input (would make connecting an HDTV set-top box easier), and the HT-TQ85 has the "Tall Boy" floor standing speakers. I couldn't justify the extra money, and my wife didn't want to try a refurbished HT-TQ85 (available from amazon.com for less that what I paid for my HT-Q70 locally at Circuit City after $50 in coupons and a $40 on-line rebate). Your milage may vary.

Overall recommended, but only if on a good sale. If you want wall rattling power, I'd suggest a separate 5.1 amp with bigger speakers, an upconverting DVD and a powered sub.

61% of People (14/23) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?

  Report this as inappropriate.

 There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.

Service Dept is good

Strengths: HDMI in & outputs, price, size (not too tall, much lower so it fits in smaller shelves.

Weaknesses: Returned for repair 5 times in 11 months

Summary: When I bought this it was the best bang for the buck and it was one of only 3 that had HDMI in & out. Right out of the box it was broken, I returned it. The next one worked for 3 weeks before it broke. Sent in for warranty repair that took 2 weeks. Unit worked for 7 months then broke. Repaired under warranty, then broke again after 7 weeks. It is now in for repair again.

Every time it has broken it is a different problem which makes me believe Samsung did not design this device well. I have a 56" Samsung TFT TV that has been flawless so I know Samsung makes some good stuff.

When the warranty is over I'll Try a Sony or Bose.

33% of People (1/3) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?

  Report this as inappropriate.

 There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.