Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Even Think About It!!!!!, June 18, 2009
Sorry, this is going to be a book.... If I could give this review a MINUS five stars I would. I ordered this unit as I have a LOT of other Samsung products (two flatscreens, Blueray player, monitors, washer/dryer, etc.) and have previously been happy with their products. I wish some of the other reviews had been posted when I ordered, I would have run far and fast.
First, I get the unit, what a nightmare to install, instructions are vague, and non-existent in certain areas, as others have stated, the setup procedure is flawed and isn't all in the manual to begin with. After numerous calls to tech support (in India, I assume from the accents and lack of understanding) I finally got sound out of the unit when watching cable (I had successfully figured out the Blue Ray player and my DVD recorder).
Second, the input choices and radio station presets don't stay when you power down.... I hope you enjoy or get darn good at programming that thing every time you turn it off. It takes three or four pushes and choices to get the sound working again from the cable box. The display is also dim, so if you are at all visually challenged, hang it up, put the glasses on and get real close to see what you are doing. I had this silly notion that because it was a Samsung unit, it would have onscreen display with the TV, shoot, my SONY DVD recorder does....
Third, when I ordered the unit, the Samsung website said under "specifications" that is was "wireless ready-yes" and "wireless module included-yes", well, they LIED, no wireless module in the box. I called them on this and they would supposedly send me a wireless module.... that was back in mid-May and now, over halfway through June, I get a call today that "forget it, we are out of stock on wireless modules and tough cookies, no refunds, no compensation, just tough". Oh, by the way, they changed their website now, but I have printed copies and screenshots of the website stating the wireless module was included.
Fourth, I got the unit May 13th, took me a couple days to install it and it quit working on May 19th, even with the unit completely powered off, the subwoofer had a large amount of feedback hum coming through it. Called Technical service and they said send back the amplifier and the subwoofer, keep all the rest of the stuff there and they would repair it. It takes the slow boat to Samsung in NJ, and they finally receive it on May 28th... according to UPS, because Samsung can't find it, doesn't know where it is, and isn't fixing it. After numerous calls and emails, all of which have to be initiated by me, they decide they will send me out a new unit, this is as of June 9th. I am told I will hear from Customer Executive Service within 48 hours as to what the status is. I call again on June 15th to find out what the heck... only to hear they are holding the new unit hostage until I send back their stupid speakers and remote control THEY told me not to put in the box when I sent the amp and sub back. After umpteen calls to their service, which they won't give you a supervisor, they tell me as soon as UPS shows the box in their system coming back, they will ship the new unit. Today (June 18th), after UPS shows the item in transit, they now state they won't ship the new unit until they get the old parts!!!!! Oh how I love being lied to and held hostage!
I am so sorry I spent my money on another Samsung product, I can't express how amazed I am at their utter lack of professionalism and concern for their customer. Their idea of "customer service" is to have some lackey on the phone going "I'm sorry sir, yes, that isn't right, but there is nothing I can do about it, and no, I can't transfer you to my supervisor...." So, before you spend your hard earned cash, save yourself some grief and go buy another brand, any brand, doesn't matter, can't be as bad as these folks.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A little quirky, but decent value and performance, July 2, 2009
If you're looking to add surround sound to your HDTV, the HT-AS730ST offers some nice features but is also lacking in a few areas. This should probably be expected given its relatively low price. First off, the system does not include a Blu-ray player or DVD. You'll have to supply that on your own. If you add a Blu-ray, then be sure to connect it to the 730 with an HDMI cable and set its digital audio HDMI output to PCM mode (not bitstream). This is required because the AS730 does not decode the new HD audio codecs (DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD). However, if your player *does* decode these to PCM then you can enjoy these new surround formats on the AS730 in all their lossless beauty.
The set-up (assigning HDMI inputs, etc.) is not entirely intuitive. It took me a little while to find out how to do it, and I've been doing this stuff (professionally) for a long time. Also, the AS730 does not transcode analog inputs (component, S-Video, composite) to digital HDMI outputs, so if you hook up things like a Wii or your iPod, you will also need to hook up a composite video and/or component video cable between the AS730 and your TV. I say "and/or" because for the iPod dock, it definitely requires a composite video cable to your TV but for a Wii, if you are using the component video cable adapter for the Wii then you will need a component video cable from receiver to TV as well.
As for its iPod support, this is really more limited than I expected. Yes, it is compatible with iPhones, and most iPods (except the Shuffle with its non-standard pin outs) but there was no on-screen interface while navigating through content. The Samsung remote does operate the iPod but you have to look at the little iPod display to see what's happening. And by the way, you *CAN* output video from the iPod to your TV, but to do so, you need to turn the external TV display ON in your iPod *and* you need to connect the afore-mentioned composite video cable from the AS730 receiver to your TV.
In terms of sound quality, the AS730 system is a little better than OK. It's certainly *much* better than the sound from virtually any TV and it does create a nice discrete surround sound field when watching movies or other surround-encoded content. But the subwoofer is a little boomy and not terribly extended and its integration with the small satellite speakers leaves a bit of a gap in the mid to upper bass. Also, fine details in the mix can be a bit muddy when compared to 5.1 speaker systems from known dedicated speaker brands (e.g., Polk, Boston Acoustics, Energy, Aperion Audio, NHT, etc.).
As others have pointed out, there is nothing especially "wireless" about this system. The speaker outputs are all standard speaker wire outs, and adding wireless speaker capability can be done via Samsung kits (hard to find) or 3rd party wireless speaker modules. The AS730 system comes with 5 speakers and a powered subwoofer (5.1) but the amplifier itself does support 7.1 channel output with the addition of rear channel speakers (not included). You'd be best off using 4 ohm speakers to match the impedance of the included satellite speakers.
The AS730 does have some nice features -- 3 HDMI inputs, auto-speaker calibration, 7.1-channel support, iPod integration -- and offers decent value for money, but it falls a bit short in the area of performance and usability. Prospective buyers might want to check out Panasonic's SC-BT200 instead which sells for about the same price but includes 7 speakers plus subwoofer (7.1 right out of the box) as well as better iPod integration *and* a built-in BD-Live-enabled Blu-ray player.
A full review of the AS730 system is available on Big Picture Big Sound dot com.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Very disappointed by the system, June 22, 2009
I was very disappointed by this Samsung Home Entertainment system. I initially purchased to accompany my bran new Samsung 46" LED HDTV and Samsung Blu-Ray player. The promise of the Anynet integration was very appealing to me, and this was THE reason I purchased this specific system. Unfortunately there is a very poor integration of Anynet (basically supposed to be a full integration of the Samsung components, using a single remote). There were too many buttons to push when switching from the TV to the Blu-Ray to the gaming system, and my kids simply could not use it. I expected a one button switch in such an integrated system, not three or four buttons on two different remotes. Furthermore, the system always reverted to a default configuration I did not like whenever switched off and on, something for which I was told there was a recall from Samsung, but the unit I purchased still had that problem. The sound was also extremely weak for a system of that price. To hear anything I had to set at 90-95% of the maximum volume. Anything lower than that and I did not hear well (and I am not deaf).
I ended up returning it and purchasing the Denon AVR790 7.1-Channel Multi-Zone Home Theater Receiver with 1080p HDMI Connectivity receiver for the exact same price (without speakers) and used my old speakers from 15 years ago. With the Denon, I now have a one button switch between the different components, that the kids have no problem using, and the sound is about 10 times louder and better than with the Samsung system. Not even remotely comparable in quality of the two systems. I listen to it at 10-15% of maximum volume, and I crank up if I want to make the roof vibrate.
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