Samsung HT-BD8200

The Samsung HT-BDS200 soundbar is a stylish and well-built home theatre system with a wireless subwoofer and an integrated Blu-ray disc player. It may be a bit large and imposing if you are pairing it with a smaller screen, but it is a good match with Samsung's LED TVs and will give you a massive sound quality boost.

Surprisingly, unpacking and installing the Samsung HT-BDS200 soundbar is not the ordeal we thought it would be. It arrives in a reasonably large box, but to get it up and running all that’s required is connecting the soundbar to your television via HDMI and plugging in the power. No fiddling around with running wires or threading cables through your living room — compared to the Sony Super MU.TE.KI with its 11 speakers, this is bliss.

The design of the Samsung HT-BDS200 may turn off some people. Sure, it’s definitely stylish, modern and attractive, but with its crystal rim and sheen of glossy black it’s only a perfect match to a Samsung television. Because the soundbar sits directly underneath your TV it may look slightly out of place. We had the system paired with a Pioneer PDP-LX509A plasma television and while the glossy blacks were similar, the wavy translucent rim of the HT-BDS200 was a poor match.

Once you’ve set the HT-BDS200 up, chuck on a Blu-ray disc — we opted for a 1080p copy of The Dark Knight — and sit back to enjoy the sound. We directly compared the system to a Panasonic DMR-BW750 Blu-ray disc player and didn’t notice a difference in picture quality, even on our very expensive Pioneer plasma screen. Colours were vibrant and well saturated, and there was a high level of detail.

The Samsung HT-BDS200 has good sound quality given its compact size. When teamed with the wireless subwoofer, common frequencies are covered well. Treble is a particular standout, with dialogue and musical notes easily audible during our low volume listening tests.

Treble remained consistent at all volumes — even at painfully loud volume levels it was balanced and doesn’t become harsh. Mid-range is probably the weakest area. Because the soundbar’s small speakers can’t reproduce low frequency ranges this responsibility is palmed off to the subwoofer, which does an adequate but unspectacular job. At louder volumes the subwoofer struggles with higher mid-range notes — a few small frequency holes start to appear. Bass is also acceptable, with lower registers simulated well by the ported subwoofer. You’re not going to get floor-shaking reverberations until very high volumes, though — a proper subwoofer is your best bet for that.

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