Customer Reviews

Samsung HT-WS1R Soundbar

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have been looking at soundbar systems for over a year now. It all started when I decided to add an Xbox360 and a blu-ray player to my home setup. I had a specific setup and a specific list of issues I was trying to resolve and I ended up getting a full 5.1 surround system to go with my blu-ray. It was pretty good, but then we decided to move into a new place and the tv had to go in a cutout above the fireplace. This created a problem because I didn't want to run wires all over the place and there was no way to get wires run out of the fireplace cutout without putting a hole in the wall...so, these are the issues I finally ended up needed to address:

1. I needed something that would sit in front of my TV, but not be too big because it would block the view of the bottom of the screen (the TV is a little high up)
2. I needed something that would generate a better range of sound than my tv's built-in speakers (I often have trouble hearing what people are saying, especially when there's other sounds in the show or if there's background noise like my kids or my dishwasher running etc...)
3. I needed something that would generate more volume than my tv's built-in speakers (again, just want to be able to turn it out without the sound turning to crap).
4. I needed something that would put out some bass.
5. I needed something with a digital audio interface (so either optical audio or HDMI) because analog audio sounds like garbage and picks up a lot of noise from interference.
6. I didn't want to spend $500+.

So, I looked at several systems. Most of the soundbars are small enough to sit in front of my TV without blocking my view, but some of them were very big...so I eliminated them from my list. Almost all of the soundbars had better sound than my built-in TV, but I crossed the cheap-o brands off of my list. Again, volume wasn't an issue...in-store testing revealed that all of the soundbar systems available put out quite a bit more sound than my TV without any loss of quality. And again, any soundbar with an active subwoofer generate a lot more bass than my tv, but I did have an issue putting a sub up on the shelf behind my TV. A lot of these systems have an infrared receiver for use with a remote control, and several of them put it on the subwoofer. For me to use that I would have to put the subwoofer on the floor and run a cable up to the TV/Soundbar...which isn't an options for me. So I narrowed my search to system with a wireless subwoofer. The digital audio interface was a little trickier, several of the soundbars only have analog inputs (either the Red/White RCA connection or the miniplug headphone connection). This is fine if you just to hookup an ipod or something like that, but if you want it to process any digital audio (like PCM, Dolby Digital, or DTS) then you need either an optical connection or an HDMI connection. I crossed a few more off the list. The price was the biggest differentiator...there are a handful of decent soundbars under $300...and then there's a rather big jump to $600 & $900+...I don't see any reason to spend this much money on a soundbar unless you absolutely have to. That much money would be better spent installing a full surround system if you can.

So, taking all this into consideration, I ended up looking at the Samsung HT-WS1R. It is listed at $300 and comes in either Red or Grey. I went in to my local best-buy and they happened to have a Red model open box for $270. I had been waiting a long time to pull the trigger on this decision, and I decided to go for it.

A couple points:
1. The best-buy salesperson told me it was a 3.1 system...it is NOT. It is a 2.1 system, which mean it has two speakers and one subwoofer. A 3.1 system will tend to give you better stereo separation (sound moves from left to right when the car goes driving by on the tv) and the center channel will give better vocal range for voices...but in a small soundbar like this you'd hardly notice.
2. The best-buy salesperson also tried to sell me a $30 optical cable. My friend who was with me told me he had one so I didn't buy one, but when I got it home and opened the box I found that it came with a nice optical cable...so you don't need to buy anything for this to work.

The Results:

So I got this home and had it hooked up in under 30 minutes. Be careful connecting the optical cable...there are little rubber caps on the end of the cable that need to be removed, and on mine they were clear so i didn't see them...might have done some damage if I hadn't noticed.

This unit easily met all of my requirements. The volume is much greater than my TV. It is a LOT easier to understand voices. The sub puts out a lot of good, solid bass (really adds to the drama of movies etc...). It looks good, and it all fits the way I want. I put the sub on the floor next to the fireplace and it's creating great sound. I might move it behind the couch and see how that sounds.

Pros:
1. Good value for the money
2. Looks very nice
3. Easy hookup
4. Great sound (quality and volume)

Cons:
1. Can't adjust sub output. (not directly at least. The soundbar has 3 audio modes, News, Cinema, and Music. It also has Passthrough which just plays it how it gets it from the TV...so you can adjust the levels on your TV if you want)
2. Had some issues getting my logitech harmony remote to control this unit, but got that sorted by programming the remote directly using Raw commands.
3. Doesn't have HDMI pass-through which would be nice if I wanted to connect multiple devices directly to this system, but my TV has 3 so I just use the TV to pass the digital audio to the soundbar and it works great.

So, if you're in my position or something similar this is a great buy. I haven't had any issues with sound quality, volume, or subwoofer cut-out. The reviewers that claim that this puts out less volume than their TV must have set this up wrong because it puts out A LOT of volume...I can't turn it up all the way because it would be way too loud...I turn it up to about 4 out of 8.

If you don't have a universal remote and want to hook a bunch of HDMI devices to a TV that only has one or two HDMI inputs, you should look at the Sony HTCT-100 or HTCT-500. They both have multimple HDMI inputs and the subwoofer acts like an AV Receives, so you can control your inputs using it. But, it is not a wireless subwoofer so it will have to have a physical connection to the TV and the Soundbar.

10/6/2010 Update!!!

Two comments

1. I keep the unit on "News" mode all the time now. It's easiest for me to hear dialogue (I think I have a little trouble hearing in this range) and it keeps the bass at a nice level.
2. A lot of people have commented on the sub going in and out. I have discovered through usage that the sub turns off at lower volumes...specifically when the volume is two click below 4 bars (or lower). I haven't noticed any issues with sound but I hear the sub turn off and on when i toggle the volume at that level...i typically keep the volume right at 4 bars except when i'm watching dvds...the volume output of my blu-ray player is lower than the tv so i typically have to turn it up when i watch dvds.

Otherwise, i'm very happy with this purchase and won't even consider an upgrade until someone puts out a 3-channel soundbar with wireless sub + rear speakers!

End Update!!!

I added this to my Samsung LN55B650 55-Inch with Red Touch of Color. After reading some of the reviews I was in doubt about buying this soundbar, but I liked the fact it matched the TV. So far I am very happy with the sound. I have had no connectivity issues with the sub woofer, but it is only a few feet from the bar. Maybe the speakers on the LN55650 are total crap, but it makes a huge difference. The sound bar does not add a lot of volume, but it makes the sound much richer and full.

To test the sound bar I hooked it up to the TV and put on a normal TV show with lots of music and action. I set the volume on the TV to the same setting I normally would and put the sound bar about 3/4ths up. I then had my wife watch the show and asked her what she thought... she said she could not tell the difference... then I shut off the sound bar. In 2 seconds she said... keep it! It was like night and day. The sound bar really helps with the lows and music.

I do not think it is good enough to replace a home theater surround sound system, but for ever day TV when you do not want to turn on the whole home theater this is great. It will turn on and off with the TV and the volume is tied into the TV volume.

One other side benefit they do not mention is it comes with the Samsung "mini" remote. This remote has all the basic features of the main remote, but much smaller. It is great to keep out for switching inputs, and minor adjustments to the TV.

I just bought this soundbar on Amazon to pair with my new LED Luxia Samsung TV. It's better than the TV speakers but has 1 issue that is really bugging me.

Its wireless sub woofer keeps cutting in & out for no obvious reason. VERY IRRITATING. I tried pairing it again with its base and it stopped doing it for now, but if it ever happens again I will have to return it.

Also the see-through stand has a standby white light (just like the TV), but unlike the TV it only turns on when the soundbar is in standby mode and not when its actually working! There is no way to change this either.
So for now I have the white base light on, on my Luxia TV when it is on, but the speaker white base light is off and when I turn my TV off the TV's white light turns off and the speakers white base light turns on! Who the hell designed this? You should be either able to turn both the base light (for the TV and speaker) on or off whenever you want.

I'll test this thing out for another couple of days, but at this point I'm thinking I might just return this soundbar and get something from Sony or Polk Audio instead.


UPDATE 4/30/2009 - I've decided to return this soundbar and buy the Denon DHT-FS3 from Amazon instead. The subwoofer cut-out's never got fixed and it just got too irritating after a while. Also there is a fan in the sub which sounds like an engine revving everytime the channel is changed since it turns off and on depending on whether or not there is any audio. Too bad, since this thing looks really good and matches my TV, but doesn't really do what it supposed to do.

I bought this samsung soundbar to match with my NEW Samsung 42" LCD. Despite some negative reviews I was skeptical and afraid to purchase it. After researching other brands I relented and bought it anyway hoping I would not have the problems others had mentioned. Much to my surprise I am grateful to announce that it has performed out of the box exactly as it is supposed to. I was not looking for something elaborate and expensive, but something that would be vastly superior to the sound from the TV itself. I have it located in an average sized living room (Apartment) and the sound is very nice! The wireless woofer works great and have had it for 2months now with no glitches whatsoever. This thing worked right out of the box, did not have to adjust anything. I love its style and looks but more importantly it has worked reliably! My faith in Samsung remains!

UPDATE! It's been almost a year and the thing works like the day it came home!! The sound is fantastic and I'm still happy with the samsung sound bar!

This is a very good speaker system /soubdbar and woofer/ designed for the people who would like to have better sound than they ussually have on their TV units, and at the same time do not have enough room for the 5 or 7 speaker system and the AV radio.
This Samsung unit should be paired with the TV set through the video cable only. It has three modes of reproducing the sound: Movies, Music and Speech mode. If coupled correctly /which implies changing the sound mode for the watched channel, and pressing the right buttion on the remote unit, it produce flawless , rich sound worth every penny of the price payed.
I am using it with Samsung LE 32A656 TV set and I am complitely satisfied and contrary to the earlier reporters I would strongly recomend it.

After doing some research, including going to Best Buy and listening to 5 different models, decided on this one. I would have bought from Best Buy but they were back ordered 2 weeks, so I got it from Amazon.

Got it home and I have it mounted below my plasma above my fireplace in my great room which is part of a very open floor plan in my home. Take a few minutes to hook up (only one wire, which by the way, take the little black plastic tabs off the ends of the optical wire). A little confusing syncing between my samsumg tv and the soundbar, but I figure it out. Sounds great in my room when there is a full range of tones playing, whether it's music or a movie.

Here's the problem: the subwoofer it wireless. This is a great feature, but it DOES cut out. Not all of the time, but when you're watching sitcoms or something that doesn't have a full soundtrack to it, the sub will cut out. It seems to be certain frequencies of base that it doesn't like. At first I was really annoyed with it, but honestly, after a month, I barely even notice it.

The only other thing I would complain about is the fact that it has a volume limiter on it. It's got great full sound when it's turned up as high as it will go, but you don't get to decide how how that is.

I'll start off by saying the built in speakers on HDTV's are, not that great. So when you purchase any hdtv, plan on buying some type of aftermarket sound especially if you want qualtiy sound to cover a larger open space ie living room dining room. For the bedroom the installed, stock system will probably work just fine.

For our living room/dining room, my wife and I did not want to mount and wire in satallite speakers through every corner. Some sound systems also had floor speakers which meant more wires and more junk to deal with. I would have been happy with two satallite speakers but did until I found out you still needed to buy a bulky reciever.

This system worked out perfectly, Soundbar connected to our samsung HDTV flawlessly. The mount was very easy to install to our fireplace mantle. Took about 20 mins to get this hung and set up. Its a two piece system sounds like a 4.1 without the price and setup hassle. It looks really sleek and match's the design of our Samsung HDTV. Very satisfied.

Only issues I have is that on the right side of the sound bar there are two, very bright LED's which can be a distracting and there is no equalizer to control how the sound "sounds". I still give this 5 stars. We love it.

This sound bar works very well as an intermediate audio solution for my bedroom 50" Samsung plasma. It's far better than the built-in speakers, but not as great as my 7.1 surround component A/V system in the living room. So far, this is the same as the other reviews. I'm writing to add two data points to the areas that seem to be up in the air:

1. Subwoofer disconnect and hum: I don't seem to have these issues with my unit. Bass is great.

2. Stand-by light won't turn off: This is true. I was sure the other reviewers somehow missed it, maybe they didn't want to leave the sound bar on, maybe they didn't turn off the auto power link, but no dice. Once the TV is off, the sound bar goes into stand-by after 20 minutes, and that light comes on. Period.

However, the light isn't a big deal. This sound bar brings the bedroom TV and movie viewing experience up to an acceptable substitute level, and I'm very satisfied. I picked it up from another retailer since it was cheaper at the time and instant, but it looks like Amazon has come down to the same price. I'd highly recommend this sound bar to anyone with a Samsung, who also wants a discreet and aesthetically pleasing solution for tinny TV sound.

This sound bar is a great improvement over the built in speakers in my Samsung LED Television. However, it is still not loud enough on some movies to understand the dialogue without going to the "news" mode. Also, the subwoofer sometimes makes a popping sound, again when playing blu-ray/dvd. Finally, for a system built to work with a Samsung 55" Television, it partially blocks the signal from the TV/Cable Box Remote, making changing the channel or adjusting the tv more of a hassle. It sure looks good with the tv, and the sound and price are good enough that I would buy this sound system again.

I purchased the Samsung Sound Bar from Best Buy recently. The sound quality is very high for the price being paid for the system I have family that have the Bose Cinemate system that sounds about 250 dollars better than this system, but that is the price to pay for it. But the downside of the Bose is the wired sub. The wireless sub on the Samsung system can be interfered with by some wireless routers, I have a linksys wireless N router and receive no interference from this system. My only complaint is that the sound does not go as loud as I would like it to.

In conclusion I have the sound bar hooked up to a Samsung 42 inch plasma and all in all I am happy with my purchase, for the money this is a great system.

Hope this helps some of you.