Samsung
DVD-HD841 Universal Audio/Video Player
Part of my routine biweekly trip to
Costco is a quick walk through the electronics section to see what astonishingly
inexpensive things they’re selling. This past week I was surprised to find stacks and
stacks of the Samsung DVD-HD841 universal audio/video player for less than a C-note. I had
briefly looked at the player when it came out and was selling for about twice this, but
hadn’t given it much thought since then. (The DVD-HD841 lists for $199.95 USD but is
widely discounted to $99.) The Samsung had seemed rich in features for $200 -- but for $99
I couldn’t resist bringing one home. I wasn’t convinced that I’d want to
keep it after evaluating it (thanks to Costco’s generous return policy, that
wouldn’t be a problem), but I had to see for myself just how much you can get for so
little money and, if it was any good, to pass along this hot tip to GoodSound!
readers before the DVD-HD841 disappears from the shelves.
How’d they do that?
I’m still trying to figure out how anyone is able to
produce a player that plays CDs, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, SACD, JPEG picture discs, and MP3
discs for such a reasonable price. It’s even more baffling when you consider how
attractive the slim little DVD-HD841 is. It’s almost 17" wide but less than
2" tall and 10" deep, and while it weighs only 4.5 pounds, its plastic faceplate
could be mistaken for an expensive brushed-metal one even from up close.
On the far left of that faceplate is a Power button whose
LED outline glows cool blue when the unit is on. Next to this is a small red LED that
glows when the unit is in standby. Next to these are the disc tray and a tiny Open/Close
button. The good-sized display tells you, in nice blue lettering, what kind of disc is
playing and how much of its playing time has elapsed. It doesn’t display as much
information as other players, which seems consistent with the overall design of the
DVD-HD841 -- its operation requires a remote control and a video screen. The display
greets you with "Hello" when you turn the player on. I’m not sure I like
appliances that greet me, but it’s inoffensive enough.
On the right end of the faceplate is a large round button
that allows you to play or pause a disc if you hit it on top, stop a disc by hitting the
bottom, and go forward or back if you hit the sides. The shiny silver button looks for all
the world like metal, but a touch reveals it to be plastic. It’s not the most
ergonomic control; sometimes it didn’t register my pressing of it, and I had to press
it again. This won’t matter to most people, who will control the DVD-HD841 via its
remote. Still, I’d have preferred more controls on the faceplate.
The remote control itself is sleek and good-looking but
something of a pain to use -- it must be aimed directly at the player when sending
commands. In my home theater, the equipment is behind me, which meant I had to keep
turning around to change settings. The remote control of my Denon DVD-2900 DVD player
works just fine pointed any which way. But if you position the Samsung in front of you,
this won’t be a problem, and eventually I got used to it. The Samsung’s remote
seemed to have more buttons than I could count, and not in the most intuitive layout
I’ve ever seen. There are lots of little buttons that require you to read the labels
to know what they do, so I haven’t got the hang of using it in the dark. Frequently
used buttons such as Stop and Play/Pause are slightly bigger, and red instead of gray, but
that doesn’t help in the dark. The Denon’s remote glows in the dark, and has a
better layout with fewer buttons.
The rear-panel outputs comprise two digital (TosLink and
coaxial), a set of six-channel analog for multichannel playback, S-video, composite video,
component video, and DVI. Yep, that’s right -- you can get a DVI-equipped player for
less than a hundred bucks that also upconverts the video signal from 480p to 720p, 768p,
and 1080i. Oh, and it includes a DVI cable, which, if purchased separately, would cost
$40-$50.
Listening
To test out the little Samsung, I gathered a couple of
discs of each variety that the DVD-HD841 can play, except for picture and MP3. I set it up
in my home theater, connecting it to my Harman Kardon AVR-100 receiver with a pair of
Analysis Plus Solo Crystal interconnects. (I’m aware of the apparent absurdity of
using $300 cables on a $99 player, but they were all I had.) Kimber Kable 4PR speaker
cables ran to my Axiom home-theater speakers: M22tis in front, VP100 center, and QS8
surrounds. I didn’t have three pairs of the same interconnects on hand for
multichannel playback, so the center-channel and subwoofer were handled by a second pair
of Analysis Plus Solo Crystal cables, and the surrounds were connected with a pair of
Kimber Silver Streaks. Because I was interested in the Samsung as an audio player and not
as a transport or video player, I didn’t use its digital outs, nor did I review its
Dolby Digital performance. Those interested should note that it decodes Dolby Digital
signals but only passes along digital DTS signals.
The first disc I played was Madeleine Peyroux’s recent
Careless Love [CD, Rounder 11661-3192-2], which I’d just been playing on my
Rotel RCD-1070. The Rotel was much better in many ways; most notably, the instruments
seemed to better occupy the physical space, and the overall sound was much smoother. The
Samsung, in comparison, sounded a bit grainy and congested. Peyroux’s vocal on Bob
Dylan’s "You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" simply wasn’t
as organic, and sounded more strained than with the Rotel. Sometimes, with the Rotel and
other players, it’s easy to imagine that the musicians are in the room with me; that
didn’t happen with the Samsung. Still, I found the Samsung to be better than expected
and, at its price, a good value as a CD player.
While I wasn’t so impressed by the DVD-HD841’s CD
performance, I was amazed at its SACD and DVD-A playback. It wasn’t the state of the
art, but this player is probably the cheapest way to get a taste of these two formats. For
fun, I put on the SACD edition of the classic Getz/Gilberto [Verve 314 589 595-2].
The sound was not thin like the CD playback, and the instruments had a smooth, hefty
sound. Getz’s saxophone had a deep resonance on such tracks as "The Girl from
Ipanema" and "So Danco Samba." I ended up listening to most of this short
album through the Samsung, and after a while stopped being critical and just enjoyed the
music.
To try out the DVD-HD841’s multichannel capabilities I
put on "Rocket Man," from the recent SACD reissue of Elton John’s Honky
Chateau [Island B0003609-36]. I don’t much like the mix, which puts the guitars
in the surround channels, but the Samsung did alright here. Everything seemed less
lifelike than I’m used to, but there were no unforgivable sins.
I haven’t yet committed to DVD-A and own only two
DVD-As: Frank Sinatra’s Sinatra at the Sands with Count Basie and the Orchestra
[Reprise R9 73777] and Björk’s Vespertine [Elektra 62653-9]. For this review,
I concentrated on the Sinatra and found that the DVD-HD841’s DVD-A playback was close
to its SACD playback but seemed more sterile, as if some of the music’s life had been
sucked out. Sinatra’s voice seemed a bit recessed and the orchestra was slightly
lean, but these characteristics didn’t stop me from enjoying the music. Vespertine’s
dynamic shifts and deep bass gave the Samsung a good workout, but I found my general
impression of the Samsung’s sound remained the same: thin and delicate, but with deep
bass.
When I played these same discs on the Denon DVD-2900, I
found that it provided better soundstaging, a more believable timbre, and simply more
realism. Everything -- from Getz’s saxophone to John’s piano to Sinatra’s
voice -- sounded more believable, closer to the real thing, than through the Samsung.
Getz’s notes, for example, seemed to move from one to the next with a more lifelike
sound. Sinatra’s performance in particular had a deeper soundstage. I felt as if the
orchestra members weren’t as on top of each other as I had with the Samsung.
The DVD-HD841 is not going to give you state-of-the-art
performance, but it will give decent performance for not a lot of money. Less critical
listeners could be very happy with it. Soundwise, the Samsung and Denon are in different
leagues, but that’s as it should be, given the difference in cost. The Denon’s
price has recently been reduced; you can now find it for around $500, which is still five
times as much as the Samsung. I think the $400 difference is worth it, but there’s no
doubt that Samsung gives you a lot for your $100.
Watching
Because this is GoodSound! and not our sister site Home Theater & Sound,
I won’t give a complete review of the DVD-HD841’s video quality, but I’d be
remiss if I didn’t say something. Most important, you’ll need to connect this
player to a video source if you want to play DVD-Audio discs because, unlike with the
Denon DVD-2900, I could find no way to access the groups on a DVD-A without a display.
But this was the first time I’d gotten to use my
projector’s DVI input, and I was pleased with the results, particularly when the
video was upconverted to 768p. Objects seemed much more distinct, with sharper edges, than
via the component outs, but the color seemed a bit more washed-out than the Denon’s
480p output. The Denon was better able to handle blacks, but the upconverted Samsung
picture was sharp and clear. The Denon’s picture may be preferable, but I could watch
the Samsung and not think I was missing out on a good, vivid picture. It wasn’t the
best video I’ve seen, but it was much better than some DVD players that cost at least
twice the Samsung’s price.
Conclusion
Recently we reviewed a pair of loudspeakers, the Magnepan MG1.6/QRs, that we said might
stretch the definition of affordable but whose quality made them worth covering by GoodSound!.
In some ways, the Samsung DVD-HD841 is the converse of that review. It’s not the best
CD player, SACD player, or DVD-Audio/Video player I’ve heard, but it may well be the
cheapest player to wear so many hats so acceptably well. The facts that it will upconvert
your video signal and comes with a DVI cable make it easy to recommend for a variety of
uses. Need an inexpensive player for the bedroom, office, guest room, kid’s room,
etc.? Don’t want to commit to the floundering SACD and DVD-A formats but still want
to try multichannel music? Need a birthday present for a loved one? If so, the Samsung
DVD-HD841 may be just what you’re looking for.
...Eric D. Hetherington
Price of equipment reviewed
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