Verdict
A compact soundbar with a sharp , elaborated , and punchy position to its delivery , at its current Mary Leontyne Price this is a super choice for those looking to upgrade their TV ’s audio , though those with compatible Samsung tv will get more value from it .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
It ’s enounce imitation is the solemn form of flattery – but would you call Samsung ’s dogged pursuit of Sonos in the compact soundbar market an act of flattery , or an attempt to depose the Californian company ?
Samsung has had two seek to dethrone the compact soundbar champ inthe S61AandS60 T , and with each endeavor it ’s get closer and closer .
With the S61B the life-style esthetic has been ditch , while Dolby Atmos ( and DTS Virtual :X ) lend along with features Sonos does n’t ( and ca n’t ) reenforcement , such as wireless Atmos and Samsung ’s Q Symphony technical school .
With the HW - S61B , Samsung is looking to seize Sonos at its own game .
Design
The Sonos soundbar the S61B bet like is not theGen 2 Beambut a large version ofthe Raywith its rounded edges , a grill that covers the entirety of its front and similar white and mordant finishes ( the S60B is the black version of the S61B ) .
At 670 x 62 x 105 mm ( WHD ) it ’s a shade liberal than the Beam 2 in width and profoundness ( but not as magniloquent ) . Regardless , its sizing makes it sluttish to splay beneath most tv set and its footprint is small enough that it should be comfortably accommodated on the same piece of Ab furniture your TV sit on . There ’s no need to stump for a paries - mount bracket as the fixing and screws are included as criterion .
The S61B suffer from the same issue asthe S800Bwith its LED menu system . Made up of five light-emitting diode sitting ( somewhere ) in the middle of the bar ’s wicket , it ’s tricky to see them from a standard seating place , an issue combine by the bar ’s blanched finish .
On top are playback / ability , volume , and microphone buttons for operation in case the remote goes missing . The control condition apes Samsung ’s smart TV remotes in its elegantly slim coming into court and it ’s simple enough to operate with intensity rocker for the chief unit and subwoofer ( should you choose to add a Samsung theoretical account to your set - up ) .
Housed in a recess area areHDMI ARCand digital visual connections . The presence of ARC is a little disappointment considering other saloon of its like in the Beam 2,Bose Smart Soundbar 600andDenon Home 550all jactitation eARC for high quality lossless Atmos playback . It ’s the first marker this bar ’s intention are n’t necessarily with household cinema set - ups foremost in mind , built with streaming as its raison d’être .
Features
The S61B covers similar ground as the S60A and a trivial more . What ’s novel is support for wirelessDolby Atmoswith a compatible Samsung TV , let Atmos tracks to be beamed to the soundbar without having to swear on a cablegram .
There is Alexa support though I ’m still confused as to which variant . Samsung saysAlexa is built - in , but the web site say it ’s the ‘ Works with ’ translation that requires another Alexa gimmick to complete voice commands to . Whatever the case , having signed into Alexa my request to the bar have been encounter with a parky reception . The bar also has Hey Google support to keep in line it with your voice by connecting aGoogleAssistant - enable twist .
For music there’sAirPlay 2for cyclosis from iOS gadget , Chromecast ( although , again , the Samsung website says otherwise ) , Spotify Connect ( which can be enabled in the SmartThings app ) andBluetooth . If you have a Samsung Galaxy smartphone at your garbage disposal , a tap on the bar can send out euphony straight from the speech sound to the S61B.
With its support for SmartThings it offers a straightaway means of countersink the bar up and connecting to the Wi - Fi web , with playback command , equaliser options , auditory sensation modes and Samsung ’s SpaceFit mode present . SpaceFit apply the bar ’s microphones to optimize the performance and compensate for the acoustics of the room .
If at a later date there ’s a wish to work up a bigger phone system , there ’s the option of add SWA-9200S wireless rearward speaker unit to the HW - S61B. At the time of review , they were price at $ 149.99 / £ 199.99 .
For those with compatible Samsung tv , Q Symphony hand over some of the action from the bar to the TV with effects match their placement on the screen as well as a wider , tall soundstage evoked . Enable Active Voice Amplifier and the S61B will promote dialog above other noise it senses in a room , so conversation in TV display and films can always be heard .
Sound Quality
Crisp , readable and punchy are all lyric to key the S61B ’s carrying into action , and you may tote up elaborate and spacious to that listing too . The S61B is a ginmill with plenty of energy and flack , a definite increase in scale and power compared to a TV .
High relative frequency are detailed and crisp , producing a nice , bright quality to the top remainder of the frequency stove , while the S61B radiates a punchy attitude to low frequencies , and though the mix subwoofer is unsurprisingly lacking in sea bass extension , its punchiness is self-assertive , contribute shock to tantrum that require it .
It can playact Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual :X , the latter option available in the background when in its ‘ HDMI ’ mode ( it wo n’t kill up if you ’re using Q - Symphony ) . Wireless Atmos is also provided with compatible set , though I did n’t get the chance to examine this as the bar would n’t connect despite several attempts .
With The Tomorrow War on Prime Video in Atmos there ’s deal of power and a razor - penetrative sense of dynamism as the conscripts make their way through the portal to a next Miami ; the musical scale of the soundstage is well bigger than the width of the soundbar , stretching out to just beyond the edges of a 55 - inch QN95B TV . Detail fizzes with energy during that successiveness too , the crunch and crack of bones as mass collide with building is wincingly communicate .
Dialogue is clear and positioned well on - screen , and most importantly reference sound as they should do – there ’s no processing that mucks up the tone in this regard . For the majority of examination , I used the Voice Enhancement setting and I ’d urge having that on from the get - go – it aid the speaker unit ’s centre channel project voices above the natural action better , and it does so without amplifying other sounds around vocalization , managing a better problem than Samsung ’s HW - S800B I test around the same time .
Watching Scott Pilgrim vs the World ( in Atmos ) and the attributes the S61B showcased with The Tomorrow War are supply in ample amount of money . It ’s another dynamic , punchy and attacking listen , dynamically the bar goes from 0 - 60 like a race cable car ; tongue ’ ‘ monster out ’ instantly snap up my care and the music performances litter throughout the film ( We Are Sex Bob - omb , Garbage Track ) , are full of energy from the crashing cymbals , bass distortion and guitar riffs – it ’s a lively , exciting performance .
The fights are just as fluid and intense . Pilgrim ’s fighting against ‘ evil ex no.1 ’ Matthew Patel is loud and exciting during the slugfest but nicely ramps down in the quiet moments such as the enliven flashback . Where the HW - S61B perhaps suffers in compare to the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is that there ’s no sense of burden fired into the room . Q - Symphony reinforcement plant dialogue and burden with more potency on the screen , and the crossover between bar and TV is swimmingly handle .
DTS tracks are n’t left behind , the DTS Virtual :X presentation of Steven Spielberg ’s E.T. , is all-inclusive , sharp and crisp , more talkative in scale leaf compared to Standard and Adaptive mode . With Dialogue , the bar ’s sense of detail is exculpated and bigger and the giving soundstage also allows other aspects of the auditory sensation mixture more room to breathe – such as John Williams ’ excellent score .
There is a ‘ Music ’ modality but the biggest difference you ’ll hear will be down to the method acting of flinging track to the S61B. The Roots ’ You catch Me fed over Spotify Connect is crisp and dynamic , the percussion is given plenty of kick and impact , and when plight the Music musical mode puts more of a focus on Erikah Badu ’s vocals .
With Bluetooth , the same track takes on a smoother tone , with less of a clout to low frequencies and more of a fond , rounded take on bass . It ’s less dynamic , though still altogether listenable .
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Should you buy it?
None of Samsung ’s principal challenger has toy with toll less than £ 350 . The S61B is the cheapest of a high - quality bunch .
The HW - S61B stomach HDMI ARC , which mean the lossy , lesser quality translation of Atmos / DTS . Sonos , Denon and Pol do tender eARC , although for substantially more money .
Final Thoughts
apply it is currently usable for less than £ 350 , this is an excellent compact soundbar and one well worth considering if you have a small Samsung TV to partner it with . It ’ll elevate its performance massively .
No eARC imply no lossless Dolby Atmos but if your concern is mainly streaming from the like of Netflix , Disney+ and Prime Video , this soundbar will fit your habits to a tee . bring in decent smarts , a small footprint , and the opportunity to elevate to a surround arrangement later , and the HW - S61B is a tempting suggestion .
Trusted Score
How we test
We examine every soundbar we look back thoroughly over an extended menses of fourth dimension . We apply industry received exam to equate features properly . We ’ll always state you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to review a product .
find oneself out more about how we try out in ourethics insurance .
FAQs
There ’s no support for DTS ’ immersive audio format on this bar , but there is practical :X support , which upmixes DTS audio into a more immersive , spatial audio mix .
Full Specs
Sustainability
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