Verdict
The Samsung HW - Q800C is another convincing , potent , and satisfy immersive soundbar from Samsung with better bass performance than its predecessor . If you have a late Samsung QLED or OLED TV , this is a fire - redneck of a soundbar to cooperator with .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Samsung has been the market place king of TVs for well over a decade and has had a similarly farsighted run with its soundbars . The HW - Q800C shows it ’s in no pastime of letting its jacket crown slip .
Sandwiched between the Q930C and step - downQ700CQ - series soundbars , the HW - Q800C is a soundbar and subwoofer jazz band , with 5.1.2 channels of sound to bear immersive audio from Dolby Atmos and DTS :X soundtracks .
The HW - Q700C was very upright , and I ’m pleased to say the Samsung Q800C is even good . Here ’s my full review .
Design
Like with its TVs , Samsung has converged on a homogeneous design for its 2023 soundbar line - up . This is another cock-a-hoop , angulate slab of soundbar design that at the same time does n’t need to hog care from the images on the TV above it .
It ’s over a metre wide and as such is best suit to55 - in TVs and bigger . In fact , it has the same dimension as the HW - Q700C but weighs more – 5.1 kg for the main unit and 9.8 kilogram for the gigantic subwoofer . Wall - mount square bracket are included for those who desire to hang the principal saloon on a wall .
Physical inputs are on top and cover power , volume , and germ input , which are all ingeminate on the elegant One Remote Control that have more buttons for Bluetooth mating , pilotage , and context . Underneath the measure is a recessed arena withHDMI eARCout to a TV , HDMI stimulus , and digital ocular stimulus for older non - HDMI boob tube .
You ’ll find the light-emitting diode display conceal behind the grille on the right - hand side , and it flags when a Dolby Atmos soundtrack is eat to the soundbar but wo n’t repeat the favour for DTS : X. That continue to hit me as odd .
At either ending of the bar are the upfiring drive units , as well as the side - firing utterer , so you ’ll need to keep these area free from blockage .
The subwoofer is something of a monster , both wireless and rearward ported . While it does n’t need to be next to the soundbar , the predilection is to place it near a rampart for the best bass response .
Features
law of similarity between the Q700C and Q800C go on with the specification , with some upgrades and a curious downgrade . The downgrade is that there ’s no Chromecast sustenance despite its visual aspect on the Q700C.
Nevertheless , there’sAirPlay 2andSpotify Connectover a Wi - Fi connection . Other means of connection includeBluetooth 5.0(only SBC codec ) , and if you want to plug a source into the HDMI comment , it can pass - through 4KHDR10 + , although 4 K / 120Hz seems off the menu for gaming . The USB port is for service manipulation only , and if you have a Galaxy Android smartphone you may beg it on the bar and send euphony wirelessly .
The 5.1.2 channels equate to 11 Speaker , the two side - firing speakers push the enumeration above the HW - Q700C ’s 9 . By adding the SWA-9200S ( £ 199.99 / $ 149.99 ) , you may increase the numeration even further with wireless rear verbaliser .
owner of recent Samsung TVs pocketbook exclusive features in Q - Symphony , SpaceFit Sound Pro , Active Voice Amplifier and Adaptive Sound 2.0 .
Q - Symphony syncs the soundbar and TV speakers to produce a bigger auditory sensation and accurately put dialogue and effects on blind . SpaceFit Sound Pro optimize the delivery of audio from the soundbar with a built - in mike . Through this , Samsung claims the sound recording will be “ absolutely calibrated ” to the dimension of your elbow room .
Active Voice Amplifier can detect noise in a room and raise the loudness of dialogue so it ’s still intelligible , while Adaptive Sound 2.0 analysis what you ’re watching and adapts it using artificial intelligence . If you ’re view a programme at a low mass , Samsung articulate the bar will emphasise dialogue to remain audible .
Another feature is the Game Mode Pro 2.0 , which is a dedicated gambling mode to increase immersion .
There are Alexa smarts , and she is built in so you may require her to operate bulk , play / break Spotify streams and whatnot . With the soundbar Seth at loudness 30 and standing about 8 - 10 foot away from it , she could n’t hear me during a loud tantrum from Dune , but a shuffle frontwards and she did . Unless you are miles away , Alexa should be able to get word your commands .
Alexa and the soundbar bail bond through Samsung’sSmartThingsapp , a utile hub for operate on the ginmill with the ability to click through inputs , alter the EQ , trade sound way and controller music playback . If you have other smart intersection in the home , it ’s worth make whether they ’re app - compatible to tie twist together .
Wireless Dolby Atmos is supported , though this is n’t supported with any TV . It ’s compatible with Samsung TVs from 2022 and 2023 . For whatever reason I could not enable it , as the cognitive operation would always crash during setup .
When it comes to soundtrack there ’s way for Dolby Atmos ( Dolby TrueHD , Dolby Digital+ ) , Dolby 5.1ch ; DTS :X , DTS - HD Master Audio , DTS 5.1 , DTS HD and multi - channel LPCM up to eight television channel . For cyclosis it can decode AAC , MP3 , OGG , WAV , FLAC , ALAC and AIFF , as well asHi - Res Audio .
Sound Quality
The Samsung HW - Q700C is an excellent soundbar for its price , but the few qualm I had related to its lack of subtlety and more or less misaligned freshwater bass desegregation . Those are not yield for the Samsung HW - Q800C.
The tone of the Q800C is like the Q700C soundbar but gestate more refinement , clearness , and naturalism . The ‘ interlinked ’ scene from Blade Runner 2049 , where K perish through his baseline test , features higher levels of lucidness . The unsettling telephone issue is a little sharper to reinforce that sense of discomfort .
The way the soundbar projects sound from its upfiring drivers is clear too , the height channel in the scenes I pick from the film are better delineate and have a bighearted presence .
It ’s a active performing artist : zippy , impactful but also control in handling transitions from subdued to garish and frailty versa . This wreak well for horror moment ( like the prospect in Kong : Skull Island where a lineament happens on a massive stick louse ) , but also military action scene and other moments that carry force play and punch – whether it ’s a deadening , rising progress or a scene with snappy , quick shifts , the HW - Q800C is watchful and describes them by nature .
With its centre channel , reproduction of dialog is excellent ; clearer and more natural in capturing the whole step of actors than the HW - Q700C. Tenet and Dune have particularly troublesome scenes and the Q800C sails through both without issue .
In oecumenical , dialog is bring sharply and clearly but also with a eloquence that avoids sounding too keen or fricative . Engaging Voice Enhancement introduces more sharpness , and I noted sibilance from metre to time , but this outspoken cost increase work well . It does n’t elevate other effect in the scene as much , nor elevate the haphazardness floor like the Q700C did .
basso and sub - sea bass are brightly do . Dune is , again , a film that have a lot of low relative frequency heft ( the ‘ voice ’ view are a particular favourite of mine ) and the HW - Q800C is more than up to the task at handling them .
Batman vs Superman is another big bass film , the fight between the two sub is a full - blooded encounter with lot of force and power to the blast that Batman send Superman ’s way . But there ’s always a degree of ascendance about the Q800C ’s public presentation . It never gets too activated or fanatical .
The bass part is integrate with more clarity and definition than on the Q700C , the 8 - inch subwoofer does n’t hog the direction aside from what else require attending .
The fight between K and Sapper at the beginning of Blade Runner 2049 feels more violent , the hits are bludgeoning and heart - wincing , as good a sign as any in my book that the subwoofer is doing a good job . There ’s a Bass Enhancement mount , but honestly that sounds like overkill . And in the way I test in , I never needed to go above intensity 30 – 15 is perhaps the scummy you ’ll want to go . Below that there ’s less zip and scale to the strait .
So far it ’s all been Dolby Atmos , but with DTS tracks you may gestate a similar operation once the volume is raise . At the same volume , DTS : Xsound is gentler and less intense . I ’m not certain if it ’s to do with the soundbar processing or that DTS tracks have large headroom .
Regardless , watch over Jumanji : The Next Level and dialog is again kinky and clearly delivered , there ’s good dynamical reach , and strong panning across the soundstage . The open view of the photographic film are n’t that interesting from a sound breaker point of perspective , but as soon as it steps into the world of Jumanji the height and side transmission channel become much more fighting . accept the side - firing speakers helps to draw you into the world .
require more plaudits ? The size and scale of this soundbar impresses too . Kong : Skull Island is full of Kaiju monsters , and with the side - firing speakers I get the sense of exfoliation and expansion that was n’t there with the HW - Q700C. The phone expand beyond the borders of the screen , and though this is a front - hard soundstage , it ’s a giving and all-inclusive one .
When trigger off Q - Symphony , the dialogue feels more exact in its placement on screen , though it lacks the weight the soundbar on its own provides . The overall tone is crisper , probably because of the telly ’s speakers , but some may prefer that as it evoke a little more clarity and detail to make up for the loss in weightiness .
With medicine the Samsung HW - Q800C is an assured performing artist . ASpotify Connectstream is frizzy , clear , and sharp , with pot of pizzaz and dynamic in evidence with a undimmed response in the top end of the frequency range and depth to bass . It ’s good than the Bluetooth execution , which itself is no slouch , specially when Adaptive Sound is lam , which gives it more focus and asperity . I would n’t use the Adaptive Mode over Wi - Fi though ; it does n’t sound as good .
The two issues I have with its music performance is the slim fogginess that can certify in the upper midrange to highs – cymbal crashes are an object lesson of this lack of detail . The other is that , like with movies , there ’s no indigence to go above book 30 as it becomes overly fully grown and loud .
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Should you buy it?
You ’ll want to hear your best-loved films and television receiver render at their good , and with telling clarity , realism , just duologue facts of life and magnanimous but hold bass .
The Samsung HW - Q800C is a nifty pick if you do n’t have elbow room for rears , but if you do , theHW - Q930Ccan be had for less than the Q800C + beleaguer speakers combined .
Final Thoughts
The one facet I was n’t as rhapsodic about theHW - Q800Bwas its freshwater bass carrying out , as it was too overtake in some obedience . Arguably the Samsung HW - Q800C suffers from the same complaint but only when crank up the volume up to unnecessary levels . You wo n’t need to do that , it ’s plenty loud enough .
It ’s yet another satisfy immersive soundbar from Samsung , perhaps not as exciting or as immersive as the one - boxSennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus , but not as expensive and it comes with a subwoofer whereas it ’s optional with Sennheiser .
The want of Chromecast is a pose omission considering the step downHW - Q700Cfeatures it , but the overall performance is excellent , and a step up from that bar .
The only matter that gives me break is the toll , which at the prison term of review is close to the HW - Q930C that includes rear speakers for a true immersive experience . That said , if you do n’t have space for rear speakers , the HW - Q800C is another talented , cinematic soundbar delicacy to delight from Samsung . suss out out ourBest Soundbarguide for more options .
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How we test
We try every soundbar system we review good over an extended period of time . We apply diligence standard tests to compare features properly . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to review a product .
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FAQs
There ’s no Chromecast funding for the HW - Q800C , but in a eldritch quirk , there is Chromecast on the cheaper , step - down HW - Q700C.
