Verdict
Samsung ’s slim - visibility soundbar offers plenty of sonic firework , particularly with Dolby Atmos , but the deficiency of a mini - HDMI cable and awkward LED indicators are unneeded complications .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Recent vogue in the soundbar mart have steered towards stocky stripe , but have you ever given consideration to a slim one ? Samsung believe it ’s onto something with its ultra - thin HW - S800B.
You might presume that the idea of a thin soundbar is a gimmick , but there is sense guiding Samsung ’s design . A thin soundbar does n’t take up as much space or weigh as much as a full - sized variant when wall - put on , making for an promiscuous install and less distract presence .
The interrogation is – does such a thin visibility entail the performance take a collision ?
Design
I opine Samsung ’s Audio Labs felt it wanted a challenge with the HW - S800B. They ’ve managed to suit the various utterer into an enclosure with a deepness of 39.9 mm and a height of 38 mm . By comparability , Samsung’sHW - Q800Bis 120 mm thick and 60 mm magniloquent – the S800B is wafer thin .
Like the rest period of Samsung ’s 2022 soundbar line of business - up , the S800B ’s coming into court is discreet . It ’s another grey step finish , its intact front overcompensate by an uncomplimentary radiator grille . At either remnant of the speaker are the upfiring drivers that fervour audio towards the roof .
There ’s one connexion – a mini - HDMI ARCout to a TV – and it requires a mini - HDMI cable .
Unhelpfully , neither a mini - HDMI line nor adapter is provided , which is an oversight . Mini HDMI ports are n’t common , and there ’s no optic digital larboard either .
On top of the unit are buttons for power , volume and the S800B ’s microphones . The thin remote features volume rockers for the main unit and subwoofer , buttons for customise audio , inputs and mute buttons , along with a D - domiciliation to navigate the S800B ’s bill of fare and more besides . It ’s simple , promiscuous to use and most of all , responsive .
An area of consternation I have is Samsung ’s persistence with its LED index . It expend five light-emitting diode dots that flash and change colouring ( red , cyan , green or white ) depend on the soundbar ’s commonwealth .
Not only do I find it crafty to make sense of what the dots intend without consulting the manual , they ’re scarcely detectable at normal wake distances . Soundbars like Polk’sMagniFi Mini AXmake a better try with a cover that can be concealed and not regard the overall conception .
The accompanying subwoofer is little and nester than Samsung ’s common exertion , and it partake the main unit of measurement ’s inconspicuous show . As there ’s no reflex porthole , Samsung utilize a usance passive radiator instead . That should also propose more flexible locating options .
Features
The HW - S800B packs ten speaker system for 3.1.2 - channel set - up . This includes a centre channel for duologue and two upfiring speakers for immersive audio , while the radio subwoofer feature a long - excursion 6.5 - inch woofer . That ’s smaller than common , but Samsung is convinced it can replicate the performance of a larger woofer unit .
Though Samsung listsDTS : Xon the S800B ’s Cartesian product page , that come along to be erroneous . DTS Virtual :X is fend for , which upscales DTS racetrack into ‘ 3D ’ through digital processing .
Dolby 5.1 , Dolby Digital+ , Dolby Atmos , DTS 5.1 and 2 - channel LPCM are support . There ’s no Dolby TrueHD compatibility as the S800B ’s HDMI port is ARC and not theenhanced versionto pass - through eminent - quality audio .
Like the HW - Q800B , this S - series bar practice the built - in microphone to equalise the measure ’s performance to overcompensate for room acoustic with Samsung ’s SpaceFit standardisation .
Other technical school includes Samsung ’s Active Voice Amplifier ( AVA ) which automatically lift the volume of dialogue above unhinge dissonance in a room . Adaptive Sound uses artificial intelligence to raise sound , emphasising dialogue with news and films , or making the crowd make noise big in fun . Other audio mode let in Standard , Surround , Game and the above - mentioned DTS Virtual : X.
There isHi - res audiodecoding , so listening to lossless music is on the board . It can also decode AAC , MP3 , FLAC , ALAC , WAV , OGG and AIFF files , although as the USB port is armed service only , you ’ll have to bank on Wi - Fi for playback of in high spirits quality tracks .
Wi - Fi and Bluetooth are portray ( Bluetooth at SBC quality).Chromecastisn’t available butAirPlay 2is , and Wi - Fi also allows for Spotify Connect integration .
Wireless Atmos mean the HW - S800B can receive an Atmos signal without a physical cable . It ’s potential to rain buckets Atmos content wirelessly from Tidal andNetflix .
The SmartThings app provide control over the soundbar ’s operation , changing audio options and EQ for the measure and subwoofer . Spotify Connect and Alexa can be desegregate – Alexa is built - inand hand - free ; however , the assistant has proved unresponsive thus far .
Sound Quality
You would not think the Samsung HW - S800B to be as slim as it is once you ’ve heard it . Deepwater Horizon ( Atmos ) is an vivid , talkative and dynamic experience . Thanks to those progress - in upfiring speakers , the width and height of its strait well reaches above and beyond the Samsung BU800 Crystal UHD and QN95B Neo QLED TV we connected it to .
Either goal of the frequency range is treated with care . As the flow pipes on the oil trailer truck buckle under pressure level , the phone of debris nail windows has a laconic keenness , while the creaking and moan of the pipe are give weight by the subwoofer ; the sub - bass of the explosions as they rive through the rig is well - hold . As the torrent of clay flows upward through the pipe the bar account it as a fearsome roar – there is mogul and energy to the S800B that hold the film ’s soundtrack heft and impact .
When call upon to be dynamic , there ’s plenty of slam and intensity to jump scares . And its sense of summit convinces , though the issue with a front - heavy soundstage is that there ’s no surround speakers to create the immersive wraparound issue for ‘ true ’ Dolby Atmos ( the S800B is compatible with the SWA-9500S nates speaker unit outfit ) .
Nevertheless , direction and locating of burden is clear as the alarum go off on the Deepwater and rubble flies across the screen , the effects are heard above and to the side of the TV ’s frame .
The subwoofer is powerful for its size but does n’t outwit with Blade Runner 2049 ’s active soundtrack . It ’s well incorporate within the frequency chain , the shifts from loud to quiet and vice versa are assured , the subwoofer hit the low note of opening scenes without distorted shape . The fight between K and Sapper Morton features savage hits and the S800B lay them on with a painful sounding intensity .
Detail is good , though it miss the subtlety of a ‘ vainglorious ’ bar like the HW - Q800B. For case , in The Force Awakens ( Atmos ) the strait of the backbone as it falls to the ground after a projectile from a Tie Fighter Rock the surface of Jakku is n’t as finely detailed as I recalled from the Q800B.
Then there are moment in Blade Runner 2049 where the S800B ’s sentiency of detail is too amplified – but there are instances where it work . Where K meets Manette in an outdoor restaurant arena , the con and bustle of environment make the setting crunch with atm . As the scene ’s focalize transmutation to dialogue , the front of the rain in the background maintains the atmosphere and immersion .
Dialogue is dealt with confidence thanks to the sum channel . From the southerly accents in Deepwater Horizon ( including John Malkovich ’s near - comic delivery ) to those in theDisney+drama The Bear , the S800B anticipate upon sufficient clearness , tone and part , as well as a dynamism to voices that make it sound like a literal conversation is being had . The Voice Enhancement raises voices but also lifts background burden , spiking the twofold and introducing spirant tone .
With a Q Symphony compatible TV , I can find out a crisper tone of voice with burden constitute on the screen itself . Having tried this with Samsung TVs that support Q Symphony ( QN95B ) and the ‘ light ’ version ( BU8000 ) , the effect on both is similar , with more depth as force sit down on the screen and the soundbar projects into a elbow room . Suffice to say with a Q Symphony compatible TV , there ’s even more dimensionality to the sound .
With DTS tracks on E.T or Backdraft , the S800B is a less acute experience , and try DTS Virtual :X caused the audio would drop out altogether on some occasions .
There ’s no euphony mode forBluetooth playbackbut the S800B sounds balanced enough : good with voices , unanimous levels of lucidity and some meaty basso in Kainalu ’s Folds like Origami . It miss keenness and dynamism , and a comparison of tracks over Bluetooth and Spotify Connect shows the latter is clearer , more dynamical , and strikes a more lifelike tone .
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Should you buy it?
- An emergence with some heavyset soundbars that they contend produce a good sense of height and projecting sounds out into a way . That ’s less of an issue for the S800B.
The want of eARC is n’t a vainglorious release if you get your depicted object from stream services , but place movie house fans will discover that skip an inconvenience , along with the lack of DTS : X.
Final Thoughts
The Samsung HW - S800B is a rollicking effort for a soundbar of its visibility . It delivers a sound that ’s talkative and tall , a persuasive sense of dynamism , plus plentitude of muscularity and low frequency heft .
Its slight visibility takes up less blank on a piece of article of furniture or paries - mounted , and features such as wireless Atmos and Q Symphony provide more seamless consolidation with compatible idiot box .
The light-emitting diode menu system is puzzling , not convenient or peculiarly helpful . The want of a mini - HDMI cable’s length is a heavy omission and I encountered number with its DTS Virtual :X too . count on where you shop , the HW - Q800B andQ700Bmodels are less expensive , the former around the same Leontyne Price , and both , I ’d say , are good .
This is an impressive bar , nonetheless . It ’ll fill a niche for those who need a bar that saves some space but still offers an expansive and immersive sound .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every soundbar we survey soundly over an extended catamenia of time . We use industry received test to compare features properly . We ’ll always say you what we determine . We never , ever , bear money to review a product .
Find out more about how we try in ourethics policy .
FAQs
There ’s no native support for DTS :X on the S800B soundbar but it does support DTS Virtual :X which upscales DTS rails into 3D immersive sound via digital processing .
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Sustainability
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