9.1 Ch. 1460W LG 3D Blu-ray Home Cinema System - BH9540TW

The BH9540TW is an amazing home theater system from LG Electronics! This home cinema system certainly impresses without doubt and seamlessly completes your Ultra HDTV entertainment system.
It features a 9.1 channel 1460W Amp powering a total of 9 speaker units meticulously designed to create an enveloping sound effect around you. To reduce on the clutter of cabling, LG has introduced wireless rear surround speakers, which are easily setup through the wireless transmitter (TX) dongle and a separately powered wireless receiver (W4-4). The unit is priced at £699.99 and is available for purchase from several stores including Amazon, PC world, etc.

Attractive features of the BH950TW Home Cinema System

• 9.1 Channel 1460W Amp

The music Amplifier at the core of the BH950TW home cinema system delivers a maximum of 1460W over 9.1 channels or to 9 speakers and a single subwoofer. All values measured at 10% THD and 1kHz, the Amp is rated at; Front speakers (L/R): 180W x 2, Front Height speakers (L/R): 90W x 2, Center speaker: 180W, Wireless Surround speakers (L/R): 180W x 2, Wireless Surround Height speakers (L/R): 90W x 2 and a Subwoofer: 200W. With this Amp, you are certain to enjoy rich powerful movie sonics.

• 3D Surround Sound Processor

LG's 3D surround sound engine embedded in the Amp of the BH9540TW, presents unique sound calibration technology, which ensures you get a true 3D cinematic experience in the comfort of your living room. Coupled with the Cinema Surround Processing engine, the 3D surround sound effect on this home cinema system is made possible by the 9 speaker units, which deliver 9 discrete and highly directional sounds creating an enveloping sound effect from side-to-side and from top-to-bottom.

• Aramid Fibre Speakers

The vibration sound cones for the speakers are made from aramid fibre that is very rigid and less prone to excessive excursion. This minimizes sound distortion and ensures a clearer and precise sound reproduction.

• Wireless Rear Speakers

The connection of the Surround and surround height speakers has been made so simple and convenient for  installation with no clutter of wires running across the room. Along with the BH9540TW, a wireless Bluetooth transmitter (TX) dongle and receiver (RX) are supplied to enable the rear speaker wireless connection. At the back panel of the BH9540TW is a wireless port where the TX dongle is inserted. The wireless receiver is powered by a separate power source and the rear speakers are connected to it. The TX and RX units pair automatically upon powering up the home cinema for as long as the communication range does not exceed 20m in open space.

• 3D Blu-ray Disc Player

The BH9540TW is equipped with a 3D Blu-ray disc player. If you have a compatible TV, you can enjoy a brighter and a clearer 3D picture. This disc player is capable of Ultra HD discs or content playback and 4K up-scaling. Additionally, it plays a wide range of DVDs and CDs as explained in the full tech specs section shortly.

• LG Smart Entertainment

With the BH9540TW home cinema system, you have access to an ever growing world of entertainment bringing together all your favorite catch-up TV, Movies, Sport and Music services from LG Smart TV.

• Private Sound Mode 2.0

The Private Sound Mode 2.0 allows you to enjoy your favorite movie or TV show without disturbing the rest of the family by sending sound from your BH9540TW home cinema system to your smartphone or tablet over a Wi-Fi connection.

• Wireless Audio Streaming via Bluetooth

The BH9540TW home cinema system is enabled for Bluetooth audio streaming. Stream directly all your favourite audio playlists from your smartphone or Bluetooth enabled device to your LG Home Cinema System via Bluetooth.

• DLNA

DLNA is Digital Living Network Alliance technology, which allows you to access video, photo and audio files stored on a server and enjoy them on your TV via home networking. Before connecting to your server PC, install SmartShare PC software on your PC. SmartShare PC software is for sharing video, audio and photo files stored on your computer to this unit as a DLNA compatible digital media server.

• Miracast

The BH9540TW player is Miracast certified, which means you can display your pictures, videos, games and other content from your Miracast certified device or smartphone onto your TV screen through screen mirroring.

• WiFi Direct

WiFi Direct allows you to play movie, music and photo files located on a Wi-Fi Direct certified device without the need of connecting through a network device such as an access point or wireless router. Just like the Miracast feature, only one device can be connected at a time.

Full tech specs of the BH9540TW Home Cinema System

Amplifier section

The BH9540TW amplifier is a 9.1 channel that delivers a total RMS music power output of 1460W as already discussed in the previous section. Refer to the Attractive features of the BH950TW Home Cinema System section for details.

Input and Output Ports

• HDMI In/Out

The BH9540TW home cinema system features two HDMI input ports and one HDMI TV output port on the back panel. If you connect an HDCP compatible HDMI or DVI device to any of the HDMI input ports, it must be compatible with 720x576p, 1280x720p, 1920x1080i or 1920x1080p video input format.
On the other hand, the TV output port is enabled for HDMI-CEC, HDMI-ARC, Ultra HD 4K resolution and 4K upscaling. This feature allows you to enjoy your Ultra HD 4K movie title discs and content on your 4K HD TV.

• Analog Audio Input port

At the rear panel of the BH9540TW, there is a single stereo RCA jack for analog audio input with design specs of  2.0 Vrms (1 kHz, 0 dB) and impedance of 600Ω (Ohms).

• Digital Optical Input port

Again on the back panel there is also a digital optical interface for digital audio input with design specification of 3 Volts (peak-to-peak).

• MIC Input port

On the front panel there are two 6.3 mm jacks for microphone input. However, some models may not have this input port.

• Antenna input port

An FM Antenna input port is located at the rear panel of the BH9540TW home theater main unit. Depending on location it may be a 75-ohm unbalanced or 120-ohm balanced antenna type.

• USB Input ports

The BH9540TW features two USB input ports; one at the rear of the unit and a second one on the front panel. You can connect your flash drive media content to the USB port on the front face. This port supports only USB Flash Drive and USB External HDD with FAT32 or NTFS file format. The Bus Power Supply for this port is DC 5V, 500 mA. The USB port at the rear panel is for connecting an HID (Human Interface Device) device, namely; a USB keyboard or mouse to type text or navigate menus. Its Bus Power Supply is DC 5V, 300 mA.

• WLAN and LAN Ports

This home cinema system can be connected to your home broadband network via a wired Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN).  At the rear of the BH9540TW main unit there is an Ethernet jack, which supports Ethernet (10BASE-T) and Fast Ethernet (100BASE-TX) to which you can connect a standard LAN cable to your home network. Additionally, there is an internally integrated IEEE 802.11n (5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands) wireless networking module backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi networks, which you can interface with an Access point or Wireless Router connected to your home broadband network. By connecting your home cinema system to a broadband home network, you have access to LG services such as software updates, BD-Live interactivity and other online Smart TV content services.

Tuner or Radio

The Tuner integrated on the BH9540TW is only for FM Radio and is operational for the entire FM Tuning Range of 87.50 to 108.00 MHz. The Tuner has memory for up to 50 channel presets though with no station renaming feature.

Blu-ray Disc Player 

• System

The Blu-ray disc player features a semiconductor laser of wavelength 405nm for Blu-ray Disc playback and 650nm for DVD disc playback. The TV color signal system adopted is standard PAL/NTSC.

• Playable discs

Supported playback discs by this disc player can be grouped into three; Blu-ray, DVD and CD. For Blu-ray,  Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray 3D only and Blu-ray disc are supported. BD-R/RE discs that contain Movie, Music or Photo files and are encoded in BDAV and ISO 9660+JOLIET, UDF and UDF Bridge formats are supported. For DVD, supported discs include; DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW and  DVD+R/RW that contain movie, music or photo files and are encoded in finalized AVCHD  and ISO 9660+JOLIET, UDF and UDF Bridge file formats.
Lastly, supported CDs include Audio CDs and CD-R/RW that contain Movie, Music or Photo files and are encoded in ISO 9660+JOLIET, UDF and UDF Bridge file format.

Supported file formats

The BH9540TW home cinema system supports playback of a wide range of video and audio file formats as indicated as follows;

• Video files

File Location	File Extension	Codec Format	Audio Format	Subtitle
Disc,USB	“.avi”, “.divx”, “.mpg”, “.mpeg”, “.mkv”, “.mp4”, “.asf”, “.wmv”, “.m4v” (DRM free), “.vob”, “.3gp”, “.mov”, “.trp”, “.m2t”, “.mpe”, “.m1v”, “.m2v”, “.wm”, ”.flv”, “.ts”, “.dat”, ”.rmvb”	DIVX 3.11, DIVX4, DIVX5. DIVX6 (standard playback only) XVID, MPEG1 SS, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, MPEG2 PS, MPEG2 TS, VC-1 SM (WMV3), RV30, RV40	Dolby Digital, DTS, MP3, WMA, AAC, AC3, COOK	SubRip (.srt / .txt), SAMI (.smi), SubStation Alpha (.ssa/.txt), MicroDVD (.sub/.txt), VobSub (.sub), SubViewer 1.0 (.sub), SubViewer 2.0 (.sub/.txt), TMPlayer (.txt), DVD Subtitle System (.txt)
DLNA	“.avi”, “.divx”, “.mpg”, “.mpeg”, “.mkv”, “.mp4”, “.asf”, “.wmv”, “.m4v” (DRM free), “.3gp”, “.mov”, “.mpe”, “.m1v”, “.m2v”, ”.flv”, “.ts”, “.dat”	DIVX 3.11, DIVX4, DIVX5. DIVX6 (standard playback only) XVID, MPEG1 SS, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, MPEG2 PS, MPEG2 TS, VC-1 SM (WMV3)	Dolby Digital, DTS, MP3, WMA, AAC, AC3	SubRip (.srt / .txt), SAMI (.smi), SubStation Alpha (.ssa/.txt), MicroDVD (.sub/.txt), SubViewer 1.0 (.sub), SubViewer 2.0 (.sub/.txt), TMPlayer (.txt), DVD Subtitle System (.txt)

• Audio files

File Location	File Extension	Sampling Frequency	Bitrate	Note
Disc,USB	“mp3”, “.wma”, “.wav”, “.m4a” (DRM free), “.flac”, “.ogg”, “.aiff”	32 - 48 kHz (WMA), 16 - 48 kHz (MP3)	32 - 192 kbps (WMA),  32 - 320 kbps (MP3)	Some wav files are not supported on this player.
DLNA	“mp3”, “.wma”, “.wav”, “.m4a” (DRM free), “.flac”, “.ogg”	32 - 48 kHz (WMA), 16 - 48 kHz (MP3)	32 - 192 kbps (WMA), 32 - 320 kbps (MP3)	Some wav files are not supported on this player.

 

 

BH9540TW Speaker System specs

The BH9540TW Speaker System comprises of 2 x S94T1-S Front Speakers (Left/ Right), 1 x S94T1-C Center Speaker, 2 x S94T1-S Rear Speakers, 1 x S94T1-W Subwoofer, 2 x Front Height Speakers (Left/Right) and 2 x Rear Height Speakers (Left/Right).

• Front and Rear Speakers (S94T1-S)

The Front and Rear speakers are exactly identical and are of type 2-Way 3 speaker system with input impedance 4 Ω and rated input power of 180W with a maximum power handling capacity of 360W. Each Front and Rear speaker measures (W x H x D) 290 mm x 1220 mm x 290 mm and weighs a net weight of 5.3 kg.

• Center speaker (S94T1-C)

The Center Speaker is similarly of type 2-Way 3 speaker system with input impedance 4 Ω and rated input power of 180W and maximum power handling capacity of 360W. It measures (W x H x D) 341.5 mm X 79 mm X 81.5 mm and weighs 1.1 kg net.

• Subwoofer (S94T1-W)

The S94T1-W subwoofer is a 1-Way 1 speaker system with rated input impedance of 3 Ω and input power 200W, with a maximum power input of 400W. It measures (W x H x D) 172 mm X 379 mm X 377 mm and has a net weight of 7.1 kg.

• Front and Rear Height (Top) Speakers

Front height and Rear height speakers are 3D effect drivers built into the Front and Rear speakers respectively. Each speaker is of type 1-Way 1 speaker system with rated input impedance of 8 Ω and input power of 90W. They have a maximum power handling capacity of 180 W.

Wireless Receiver (W4-4)

The wireless receiver is used for pairing of the Rear and Rear top speakers to the main unit via the TX dongle inserted into the wireless port. It measures (W x H x D) 245 mm X 190 mm X 80.2 mm and approximately weighs 1.21 kg.

Power requirements

The power requirements of your BH9540TW main unit will vary depending on your region. Ensure you buy a unit compatible with your mains supply power. For UK, Middle East and Africa models, are rated  at AC 200-240V, 50/60Hz while US models are rated at AC 110-127V, 50/60Hz. The maximum power consumption for this unit is 130W in operation and less than 0.5W in standby mode.

BH9540TW Dimensions (W x H x D)

The main unit measures approximately 444 mm x 65 mm X 292.5 mm with a net weight of 3.3 kg.

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7.2 Channel 2450W Sony Home Theater - HT-M77

The HT-M77 home theater is an improvement of the 2012 HT-M7. Just like the HT-M7, the HT-M77 is a very loud home theater system featuring an STR-KM77 AV receiver of 2450W RMS total music power and 9 speaker units. Sony has added attractive enhancements to the 2012 HT-M7. Among them, is an enhanced bass punch, which it achieved through use 30cm subwoofer drivers instead of the 25cm drivers adopted for the HT-M7 home theater.
Secondly, if you owned an HT-M7, you know how cumbersome it was to automate and connect media sources. Thanks to Sony, the 2014 HT-M77 is enabled for Bluetooth streaming and NFC for Bluetooth pairing. This new feature allows you to effortlessly stream your favorite tunes directly from your compatible iPhone/iPod, tablet or smartphone to the HT-M77 receiver. On the HT-M7, you had to stream through a Bluetooth enabled laptop connected to the AV receiver via an HDMI connection.
What's more, Sony has added more Soundfields on the HT-M77 to spice every bit of action. You can now enjoy your favorite football games with the Football sound effect activated.

Attractive Features on the HT-M77 Home Theater

• 2450W RMS Total Amp Output Power

The HT-M77 is louder than its predecessor, the HT-M7. Sony ramped up the total RMS music power output on the HT-M7 from 2012W to a whooping 2450W. If you enjoy loud music, the HT-M77 is the one for you. It is a home theater system with a good bass response and with enough volume. To achieve these numbers, the Amp in the HT-M77 is driven too close to its limit as revealed shortly;
In stereo mode, it is rated at 120 W + 120 W (measured for 6 ohms, at 1 kHz and THD 1%) - which is the same with the HT-M7. However, in surround mode, the Amp is driven into severe distortions by as much as 30% as indicated as follows; Measured for 6 ohms at 1 kHz and THD 30% to get 264W to FRONT speakers per channel, 266W to CENTER speaker, 264W to SURROUND speakers per channel, 264W to SURROUND BACK speakers per channel, and lastly measured for 4 ohms at 100 Hz and THD 30%, to get 300W to the SUBWOOFERS per channel.

The very high THD values imply that in normal operation you will never fully enjoy Maximum volume on the HT-M77 for all media sources because at high volume the distortions become more pronounced and you experience a lot of discomfort at these volumes. However, general usage is always at about half the rated maximum volume. Even at this volume, the HT-M77 is still loud enough for a house party hosted in a large living or lounge room. Maximum volume is never really necessary!

• Bluetooth and NFC for effortless streaming

To me, the Bluetooth feature is the best improvement made on the the HT-M7. Wireless music streaming has never been made any easier! You can stream directly from your compatible smartphone or tablet with a simple touch on the NFC area of the HT-M77 AV receiver.

• Football and Digital Music Arena soundfields

On the HT-M7, there are three soundfields; Gaming, Movie and Music. Two new sound fields; Football and Digital Music Arena, have been introduced on the HT-M77. You can now enjoy football games with a live football stadium atmosphere if the Football soundfield is activated while watching your games. In addition, the Digital Music Arena DSP brings Live Music Concerts to life by mimicking arena sound effects.

• Two 30 cm Metallic Cone type Subwoofer

The two 30cm metallic cone drivers in the HT-M77 are designed to give a lower frequency response than was possible with the HT-M7 which is delivered with two 25cm metallic cone type subwoofers. The HT-M77 features slightly bigger subwoofer drivers to give you a much heavier punch to rattle rattle your windows and floor!

Full tech specs of the HT-M77 Home Theater

• 2450W Total Power Output (Measured at 1kHz, 6Ohms, 10%THD)
• 7.2 analog Amplifier channels
• Falcon 2.0 DSP
• Bass/Treble Control
• Jog Input Selector 
• Bass and Treble Equalizer
• Speaker Level Control (dB) FRT: BAL. L+1 to BAL. L+6, BALANCE, BAL R+1 to BAL. R+6 CNT: +/-6 SL, SR: +/-6 SBRL, SBR: +/-6 SW: +/-6 

Input and Output Ports

• Bluetooth(NFC) In
• 3 Audio In
• 2 Optical Digital In
• 1 Coaxial In
• 3 HDMI In
• 1 HDMI Out
• 1 USB In

Available Soundfields 

• Movie
• Music 
• Gaming 
• Football mode 
• Digital Music Arena

Decoding Sound Formats 

• LPCM (2ch / 5.1ch / 7.1ch) through HDMI
• Dolby Digital
• DTS
• DTS 96/24 
• Dolby Prologic II
• 96k/24Bit PCM 
• Dolby Dual Mono 

Tuner

• 30 AM/FM Channel presets
• Preset Channel FM/AM Station Name 
• Auto Tuning 
• Direct Tuning
• FM Mode

Video Features 

• A/V SYNC
• LPCM for HD Surround from Blu-ray Disc
• HDMI Quality - 1080p
• HDMI Quality - 1080/24p
• HDMI Quality - Deep Color
• HDMI Quality - x.v.Color (xvYCC)
• HDMI Quality - Audio Return Channel
• HDMI Quality - 3D Pass Through
• HDMI Quality - HDMI Pass Through
• HDMI Quality - 3D over HDMI

General Display 

• Union Jack Sleep Timer
• (up to 2 hours) Auto Standby 
• Pin Jack Nickel 

Speaker System 

• Subwoofer speaker system

• Bass Reflex Unit
• 30cm cone type  driver.
• 4 ohms rated impedance 

• Front Speaker system

• Bass Reflex system
• 2 way 3 driver
• 2.5cm horn type
• Two 20cm cone type Woofer
• 6 ohms rated impedance 

• Surround Speaker System 

• Bass Reflex unit
• 2 way 2 driver
• 2.5cm horn type Tweeter
• 16cm cone type Woofer
• 6 ohms rated impedance 

• Surround back speaker system

• Full range
• Closed Box Speaker unit
• 10cm cone type woofer
• 6 ohms rated impedance

• Center Speaker System

• Bass Reflex
• Full range
• Magnetically shielded
• 6 ohms rated impedance
• 10cm cone type woofer

Power requirements

• Input power: 110-127V or 220-240V AC, 50/60Hz depending on region.
• Power consumption in operation: 195W
• Power consumption in idle: 0.3W (with Ctrl HDMI set to off) 

Weight and Dimensions

• Main Unit

The main unit measures approximately 430 x 178 x 336mm (W x H x D) and weighs 10.3kg.

• Front Speaker

Front Speakers are approximately 280 x 925 x 265mm (W x H x D) and weighing roughly 15kg.

• Center Speaker

The center speaker size is roughly 430 x 182 x 178mm (W x H x D) with weight of approximately 3.3kg 

• Surround Speaker

Each Surround Speaker approximately weighs 13kg with approximate dimensions of (W x H x D) 280 x 885 x 265mm.

• Subwoofer

A single subwoofer weighs roughly 14kgs and measures approximately (W x H x D) 410 x 555 x 350mm. 

• Rear Surround Speaker

Rear Surround Speakers are the smallest with approximate dimensions 280 x 235 x 162mm (W x H x D) and weight 2.4kg

 

HT-M77 Buying Guide

• The HT-M77 is currently priced at $1399.99, which is comparatively lower than most high end home theater systems in its category. I would bet that the HT-M77 is the best home theater you can get given its power and at such a low price. 

•  Like its predecessor, the HT-M7, the quality of the media inputs affect performance of the HT-M77. So to enjoy it to the fullest always use high quality media sources, i.e HD movies, High quality audio, etc. 
• If you are to turn up the volume to maximum, set the speaker level controls at about 0dB. At this level sound distortions are less pronounced and the output is really good. Anything above 0dB makes the output sound uncomfortable to listen to.

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SanDisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 Player-SDMX18R

The SanDisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 Player is a modest and quality MP3 player that will make you enjoy quality music on the go! It only costs $39.99. Unlike many MP3 players on market today, the SanDisk Sansa Clip plus uses a Solid State Drive (SSD) as memory storage to ensure a seamless enjoyment of your music. It features a lightweight stylish design with a wearable clip, which makes it suitable for sport, exercising and traveling. Additionally, with the SanDisk Sansa Clip plus, you can never miss out on the news at the top of the hour during your workouts because it comes with a built-in FM radio to keep you updated on the go!

Attractive features of the SanDisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 Player

• Long Battery Life 

The SanDisk Sansa Clip+ has an built-in rechargeable battery with an exceptionally long battery life. The Sansa Clip+ MP3 player will keep your music playing for up to a maximum of 15 hours on a single charge. The 15 hours is measured for continuous play of 128kbps and 210 second long digital music files. So depending on which file types you play it might last you longer or slightly shorter than the 15 hours.

• Plays a Variety of File Formats 

The Sansa Clip plus MP3 Player virtually plays all your digital music files. It can playback MP3, WMA, MP4 and the high-fidelity formats; FLAC and Ogg Vorbis.You are also able to listen to your audio books and podcasts.

• Built-in FM Tuner and Microphone 

The Sansa Clip plus MP3 Player features an FM digital tuner with memory of over 40 channel presets for easy selection of your favorite radio stations. The integrated microphone allows you capture audio for your favorite moments and reminders.

• 1-Inch Bright OLED display with a Simple Interface 

The Sansa Clip+ display features Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLEDs) as the back light for the 1-inch LCD screen. An OLED is an organic compound that emits light when an electric current is allowed to to pass through it. The OLED back light gives the Sansa Clip plus a characteristic bright screen that enables to manage your audio content even in bright sunlight. Coupled with a simple, intuitive interface, you can navigate through your library content with very easily.

• Big memory Capacity with Expandable SD Memory 

The SanDisk Sansa Clip plus is manufactured in three variants; 2GB, 4GB and 8GB of on board SSD memory. With these capacities, all memory needs for your digital audio files is catered for. And if this turns out to be insufficient, the Sansa Clip+ MP3 player has an onboard microSDHC expansion slot that allows you to expand the MP3 player's capacity by up to 32GB with a microSD or microSDHC card.

• Available in a wide variety of Colors

You can get the SanDisk Sansa Clip plus in Ice Blue, Black, Teal, Purple, Red, White and Lime. Whatever your taste, you are covered.

• Headphone port

The Sansa Clip+ has a single stereo output headphone jack and no hands free speaker.

• Languages available for the screen interface

The SanDisk Sansa Clip+ screen interface navigation is available  in English, Spanish, Italian, German and French.

• SanDisk Sansa Clip+ Dimensions and weight

The player measures approximately 34.7 x 55 x 15.33 mm and weighs approximately 24g.

Minimum system requirements

To load the Sansa Clip+ MP3 Player with music files, you need Windows Media Player 10 or later, an Internet access to download the music and a USB 2.0 port on your PC to copy the music files to the MP3 player. You also need a CD-ROM drive is to instal the Sansa Media Converter software.

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8.1 Ch. 320W Curved Soundbar - HW-H7500

Samsung's 8.1 Channel Curved Soundbar -HW-H7500/ZA features an intuitive soundbar design tailored to work in tandem with the Samsung's curved TV models. You can install it as a standalone or together with a physically compatible curved Ultra HDTV. To install it to your compatible TV, you affix firmly the supplied bracket mount to the TV base to which you fix the soundbar to complete the installation.
The H7500  complements well your curved HDTV in terms of design and perfect sound. It helps eliminate the clutter of common home theater cabling and speakers. Although, it might not be a match for known powerful home theater sound systems, it 'put ups a good fight'!

Attractive features on the H7500 curved Soundbar

• Dolby Digital and DTS formats

It supports Dolby Digital and DTS Stereo audio formats. So you will still enjoy your quality DTS and Dolby digital titles.

• Active Wireless Subwoofer

You don't need cables to interface between the Subwoofer and soundbar - the two are linked via Bluetooth. Subwoofer and LFE channels are streamed via Bluetooth. With the supplied remote, you can control the subwoofer volume and bass.

• TV SoundConnect

TV SoundConnect allows you to listen and control your curved Ultra HDTV sound output through the soundbar via a Bluetooth connection with the One Connect Box.

• Surround Sound Expansion

The H7500 is designed with Sonic Emotion Absolute 3D sound enhancement technology to add sound depth and spaciousness while listening to audio from any source.

• Special Sound fields

Enjoy a superb listening experience by choosing from a multiplicity of of sound effects to match your media content, namely; MUSIC, VOICE, SPORTS, CINEMA, SMART VOLUME and STANDARD or Original Sound. When SMART VOLUME is selected, sound volume is dynamically adjusted during channel changes and scene transition.

 

Full tech specs of the HW-H7500 curved soundbar and PS-WH7500 subwoofer

• Amplifier specs

The H7500 curved soundbar Amp can output a maximum of 20W RMS into an 8 ohm driver or loudspeaker per channel, measured at 10% THD and 1kHz. On the other hand, the Amp in the WH7500 subwoofer, can output a maximum of 160W RMS into a 3 ohm subwoofer driver, as measured at 10% THD and 100Hz. In totality, the curved soundbar and subwoofer output a maximum of 320W RMS of music power.

• USB media input port

The USB media port on the backside of the curved soundbar is a bit of a disappointment because it does not support Mass Storage device class 2.0. That means, your coveted Cameras, Android or iOS smartphones and tablets are not supported by this USB media port. Only flash drives formatted with FAT16 and FAT32 file system can be read. In addition, the USB port cannot read video files and supports a limited range of audio file types which include; MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, OGG and FLAC. If I can put it more bluntly, it is a useless port!

• HDMI Connectors on the H7500

HDMI interfaces are used to transfer High-Resolution Audio and High Definition video between connected devices. There are two HDMI jacks on the H7500 curved soundbar; one for input and a second one for output to TV.  To the HDMI input jack, you may connect a compatible Blu-ray, Disc player, SAT TV, Gaming console, etc. The HDMI output to TV is enabled for HDMI-ARC (HDMI-Audio Return Channel) which means your TV sound can be output to the soundbar over the same HDMI cable. Please note that this is only possible using a cable that supports HDMI-ARC. Samsung does not supply the H7500 with these cables, so you have to verify with your supplier before buying.  Additionally, HDMI-CEC is not supported by any of these HDMI ports implying you will still need both remotes to your curved Ultra HD TV and curved soundbar. If you decide to listen to TV sound output through the curved soundbar, then you have to manually turn down TV volume.

• Bluetooth linked Subwoofer and stereo audio streaming

The PS-WH7500 Subwoofer is linked to the curved soundbar through an ID that is preset at the factory. By default, when the subwoofer and the main unit are first switched on, they connect to each other automatically. What's more you can connect Bluetooth enabled devices and stream stereo audio through the soundbar. However, Playlist control features like Play, Pause and Next are not available through the soundbar except through a connected AVRCP capable device. The soundbar can only be paired with a single Bluetooth enabled device at a time.

• Digital Optical input port

The digital optical input port at the backside of the curved soundbar is for digital audio input only; it does not support video input and neither does it support high resolution audio formats like DTS HD Master Audio, and Dolby TrueHD.

• AUX input port 

The AUX also known as an auxiliary port is an analog port for audio input only. The HW-H7500/ZA supports a 3.5mm head phone jack for analog audio input. The maximum S/N ratio for the AUX port is designed at 65dB.

• Frequency Response

The HW-H7500 drivers have been designed to respond to frequencies between 100Hz - 10kHz. The low frequencies provide deep bass notes of the subwoofer while the mid range to high frequencies provide the vocals, stereo and treble sounds.

• Power Requirement

The Curved soundbar uses an AC 120V 60Hz to 24V DC input power adapter while the active subwoofer has its own AC 120V 60Hz power input. While active, the curved soundbar and subwoofer consume 45W and 20W respectively. In idle or standby mode, this value reduces to just 0.4W.

•  Approximate Dimensions and Weight

The H7500 curved soundbar weighs approx. 8.82lbs and the PS-WH7500 subwoofer approx. 18.63lbs. The soundbar measures (W x H x D) 48.43 x 1.65 x 6.69 inches, while the subwoofer measures 11.46 x 14.6 x 11.46 inches.

Buying Guide

• The initial price of the H7500 is $799.99, which is in my opinion on the high side. In all fairness, the H7500 has two major selling features; its uniquely appealing design and convenience of  wireless connectivity. Obviously, you might argue that the H7500 sound output is superb! But I can list several other brands and models not priced at this much with even better output. The H7500 has other drawbacks as well. First, it can only pair with only one Bluetooth device at a time. secondly, it has very few HDMI input ports with none enabled for HDMI-CEC, and a 'useless' USB media port [refer to USB media input port section]. What this means is that your One Connect box hardly gets any relief from the H7500, which is why I believe it should be cheaper.

• The H7500 is compatible with Samsung's 2014 HU7, HU8 and HU9 series curved ultra HD TVs. Check the Samsung website for a full list of compatible TVs.

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2.1 Ch. Bluetooth Wireless Speaker System - GX-BT7

If you are looking for portable wireless speakers designed with elegance and class, the GX-BT7 wireless speaker system with dual subwoofers is the ultimate choice. You can use it in your bedroom, study room or home office to give you quality soft sound while you rest, work or do your private study. The GX-BT7 is manufactured by Sharp electronics and is priced at about $149.99. The GX-BT7 is a 2.1 channel Bluetooth speaker system featuring dual active subwoofers and auto sliding speakers. The GX-BT7 allows you to effortlessly stream digital music content via NFC for Bluetooth pairing from your iPod, iPhone, iPad or compatible smartphone.

Full tech specs of the GX-BT7 Wireless Speaker System

• 2.1 Channel Wireless speaker system

The GX-BT7 is a 2.1 channel Bluetooth Speaker system that is NFC-enabled for Bluetooth pairing. Effortlessly stream your favorite playlist directly from your compatible iPod, iPhone, tablet or Android phone to the GX-BT7.

• 20W Total Output Power and dual active subwoofer

The GX-BT7 wireless speaker system comprises of two front drivers and two active subwoofers. The amplifier delivers 5W (measured at 10% THD and 1kHz) per channel giving a total of 10W to the front speakers and 10W to the subwoofers or 3.5W(measured at 1% THD and 1kHz) per channel to the front speakers and 8W (measured at 1% THD and 1kHz) to the active subwoofers.

• USB media input support

The USB media port supports 2.0 Mass Storage Class and is fully backward compatible with USB 1.1. It supports bulk only and CBI protocol. USB mass storage devices formatted with Microsoft Windows/DOS/FAT12/FAT16/FAT32 are supported. The USB port is also limited on the file formats and bit rates. For MP3, a bit rate of 32-320kbps is supported while for WMA file types a bit rate of 64-160kbps is supported. Additionally, the maximum number of permissible folders on a USB mass storage device is 999 folders including the root directory and a maximum number of 62025 files.

• Headphone Audio Input

The GX-BT7 has a 3.5mm audio input jack for analogue audio input. It is rated at a sensitivity of 500mV/47k ohms.

• Bluetooth and NFC support

The GX-BT7 supports Bluetooth streaming and NFC for one touch pairing with compatible smartphones and tablets. It operates in the 2.400-2.480Ghz band and uses a communication system of Bluetooth specification version 2.1 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR).  It supports A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile), AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile)  for audio and video streaming. The GX-BT7 can be paired with a maximum of 8 compatible devices after which it begins to automatically delete, one device at a time in order of pairing as more devices are added to the pairing list.
The GX-BT7 is supplied with 2 free identical NFC tags with a unique ID for the GX-BT7. You can place these anywhere within a 10 meter distance from the wireless speaker system for your convenience. Android 4.1, Jelly bean or higher is supported by default for NFC pairing.

• Android device and iPod / iPhone / iPad USB support

The GX-BT7 allows you to connect your smartphone and Android device in accessory mode, using a USB cable, to play your most favorite tunes or digital audio files.

• Speaker Sliding Mechanism

When media content is streamed to the GX-BT7, an electromechanical motor is automatically activated that slides the speakers outwards revealing music-synching LED lights. If the system remains idle for more than 60 seconds (for Bluetooth connection) or 20 minutes (for Audio and USB inputs), the GX-BT7 enters idle mode and the speakers slide inwards.

• ARNIS Sound Technology

The GX-BT7 is designed with ARNIS 3D sound processing engine that ensures there is no loss in the sense of "stereoness" that results from closely spaced left and right front speakers. This is achieved by expanding the stereo sound to exist outside of the actual speaker position so that you enjoy high quality stereo sound. You can control the stereo widening effect created by this engine from the ESound control button on your remote. It has three modes; MODE1: the default for Stereo expansion OFF and Bass boost ON. MODE2: Stereo Expansion ON and Bass boost ON. MODE OFF: Stereo Expansion OFF and Bass boost OFF.

• Wireless Speaker System

The GX-BT7 is built as a 2-way speaker system. The front speakers comprise of two 3 ohm, 5cm, Full range drivers while the subwoofers consist of two 6 ohm, 8cm woofers.

• Power Requirements

The GX-BT7 is rated at AC input 100-240V, 50/60Hz and AC power consumption 21W while active and 0.4W on standby (Bluetooth deactivated).

• Dimensions and Weight

Unit Dimensions (w x h x d): 17-9/16 x 6-1/8 x 6-1/16. All measurements in inches. Unit Weight: 6 pounds.

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