Samsung HW-Q800A Review
Verdict
While the Q800A's speaker ready and power hasn't changed significantly from that of its impressive Q800T predecessor, a couple of key extra features and improvements to its optional rear speakers make it ultimately a more substantial footstep forwards than it initially appears.
Pros
- Sound has plenty power and projection to make full a good-sized room despite the lack of rear speakers
- Strong upgrade path available
- Surprisingly compact design for the amount of power information technology delivers
Cons
- Needs a Samsung Television set as well to unlock its best performance
- No 4K/120 pass through
- Not quite as good for music equally movies
Availability
- Britain RRP: £649
- USA RRP: $699
- Europe RRP: €595
Fundamental Features
- Upgrade path Optional 2.2 rear channels speakers available
- Samsung TV back up Q Symphony characteristic with uniform Samsung TVs
- Audio formats Dolby Atmos and DTS:Ten playback
Introduction
Samsung currently rules the high-cease soundbar marketplace – at least for AV fans who value moving picture sound above music – with its phenomenal, sixteen-aqueduct HW-Q950A.
At the time of writing, though, the Q950A volition set you back a cool £i,300. A cost likely to be far beyond the budget of most movie-loving households.
Cue the Samsung HW-Q800A. This nevertheless delivers that combination of epic, action movie-loving power and detail that's become something of a Samsung trademark while costing barely one-half every bit much equally its flagship sibling. The only catch existence that you won't hear anything coming from backside yous.
Design
- 2-component system
- Two HDM inputs, with eARC back up
- Up- and side-firing drivers in the rears
The Q800A comprises two components: the main soundbar and a chunky wireless subwoofer. The main soundbar is slim enough to slot below most of today'southward TVs – though annotation that since it carries two upward-firing height channel drivers, its top border needs to stand forrard of the Television'south front rather than actually pushing under it.
The soundbar's robust grilled finish looks serious but attractive, and the top edge angles down cutely at the front of the top edge. At that place'due south no angling of the soundbar's ends like there is with the master soundbar on the Q950A, reflecting the fact that information technology delivers fewer channels.
The subwoofer sports nearly the verbal contrary of the slender, refined look of the primary soundbar. It's chunky, angular, and basically looks as if Samsung expects it to be tucked down the side of a sofa or under a sideboard rather than left in plain sight. Personally, I don't mind the subwoofer's relative bulk, though, as you unremarkably need plenty of space for lots of bass. Plus the pleasingly epic viii-inch commuter congenital into its side had to go somewhere!
Connections tucked away in a slightly tight space on the soundbar'southward underside are 2 HDMI inputs, an HDMI output, an optical digital audio input, and a 5V USB port. The HDMI output supports eARC for lossless Dolby Atmos or DTS:X sound from eARC-capable TVs, while the HDMI passthrough can carry the HDR10+ and Dolby Vision active HDR formats, too as the standard HDR10 organisation.
The Q800A will non, however, pass on 4K/120Hz or variable refresh rate signals from the latest generation of consoles. So you'll accept to attach these devices directly to your suitably capable TV, and use the eARC feature to pass the audio from the Goggle box to the soundbar.
I terminal happy annotation finds the Q800A conveying a minor LED read out on its front edge. In that location'due south no repeat of the daft Q950A situation where the read out sits in the top edge of the soundbar, where yous can't see information technology while sat on your sofa.
Features
- Dolby Atmos and DTS:X playback
- 330W full power beyond iii.one.two channels
- Optional rear speakers bachelor
The Samsung HW-Q800A delivers 330W of total audio output across a 3.1.2 channel configuration. That breaks downwardly as front left, front correct, front centre and 2 upward-firing drivers in the main soundbar, plus the external subwoofer delivering the '.one' bass channel. The up-firing drivers are designed to bounce their sound off your ceiling to create a sense of the overhead effects associated with Dolby Atmos sound mixes.
The Q800A can play DTS:Ten object-based sound also as Dolby Atmos – though it doesn't bring together one or two soundbar rivals in supporting the IMAX Enhanced version of DTS:10.
You'd be forgiven at first glance for thinking that the Q800A is just a rebadge of its Q800T predecessor. The blueprint, power, and channel count are the same. At that place are a couple of new features, though, that should give the Q800A an advantage.
First, if you make up one's mind at some point that yous'd similar to add some rear aqueduct activity to the Q800A, Samsung now provides an improved upgrade path in the shape of the £249 SWA-9500S optional rear speakers. These improve over the optional rears made bachelor for the Q800A's HW-Q800T predecessor by including upwards-firing drivers besides as the expected forwards facing drivers. This enables an upgraded Q800A to produce a more consummate Dolby Atmos 3D 'dome' of audio, where peak effects from the optional rears meet the top effects from the chief soundbar.
The other significant area of comeback comes from new Adaptive Sound+/Space Fit features. These are designed to offer a caste of room optimisation for the Q800A's audio – though they only piece of work if you're got the Q800A connected to a compatible recent Samsung Television receiver, since the soundbar doesn't have its ain built-in mic or source-analysing 'brain'.
Likewise, the 'calibration system' is in truth more about achieving the optimal functioning balance between the soundbar and a compatible TV when using Samsung'southward Q-Symphony feature. Q-Symphony, if you lot're not familiar with it, allows the speakers in a Samsung TV to join those in the soundbar, expanding the soundstage.
Another new feature for the Q800A that's been borrowed from Samsung's TVs is the Automated Voice Amplifier. When active, this monitors levels of background noise and increases the volume of dialogue to compensate, so you lot don't miss anything important.
Setting the Q800A up is much easier than it has been with previous Samsung generations thanks to its compatibility with Samsung's SmartThings app. Bachelor for iOS as well as the Android platform preferred by Samsung phone and tablets, SmartThings is also your route to streaming music to the soundbar from services such as Deezer, Amazon Music, Spotify and fifty-fifty Samsung's own Samsung Music service.
As you would expect of whatever premium modern soundbar, the Q800A supports Bluetooth and AirPlay2 besides as Wi-Fi.
When you're listening to a Dolby Atmos or DTS:Ten soundtrack on the Q800A, it locks you into that. You can't switch to whatsoever other setting. With any lesser source, though, you can choose to enjoy information technology in a variety of different modes beyond the Standard one that merely plays information technology in its original format.
These modes essentially effort to remix the audio so that it takes more advantage of all the power and channels the soundbar has at its disposal.
Gamers, finally, may be pleased to learn the audio presets include a Game Pro option that does a pretty nice task of making gaming environments sound more than intense, immersive, and immediate.
Performance
- Powerful, aggressive operation
- Sounds tall and wide
- Non every bit musical every bit rivals
The HW-Q800A rips into a good movie mix with all the gusto I've come to wait from a premium Samsung soundbar. This is especially true, as you'd hope, if that mix is a Dolby Atmos one. Not least because the Q800A's upfiring drivers do an impressively aggressive and detailed job of calculation 18-carat verticality to the presentation.
In fact, the Q800A does such a nifty task all round of casting sound away from its bodywork that yous no longer feel as if yous're listening to a speaker. Instead you lot feel like y'all're just immersed in a moving-picture show'south sound globe. Exactly as you lot should be.
It's not just that the Q800A has the power and dispersive characteristics to throw sound high and wide that makes it and so effective, either. It besides does impressively well at both presenting very subtle details in a mix, and accurately positioning specific placement details to create a sense of space beyond the onscreen action.
The handling of details extends to potent, seamless, and apparent transitions around the sound phase, no matter what management a noisy object might be travelling in.
Dialogue ever sounds supremely articulate and natural, as well. Shrill female voices don't slide into harshness, while deep, rounded male person voices never sound boxed in, buzzy or 'boomy'. Song tracks sound pleasingly contextualized too, rather than as if they've been artificially dubbed over the rest of the activity.
Bass handling is outstanding by soundbar standards. Rumbles run deep and sustain that depth without crackling or dropouts under even the most farthermost pressure. Withal the subwoofer is also nimble enough to provide some genuine flexibility in how deep it runs and how much weight information technology has in the mix. This means information technology near always feels like it'due south part of the wider mix, rather than only hanging baggily off the bottom of it.
Underpinning all of the audio quality strengths I've only described is an exceptional amount of power and aggression. It'south hard to think of whatsoever other soundbar brand that moves every bit much air from compact enclosures every bit Samsung, or which delivers such an extreme dynamic range at volume without harshness or imbalances colouring the presentation. This helps the sound bar deliver a properly room filling sound, too, despite its lack of whatever rear channel speakers as standard.
Given how powerful the Q800A is, I hadn't expected its Q Symphony feature to work very well. Simply because I'd imagined that the soundbar's speakers would overwhelm those built into a Samsung TV. Though, having tried the feature out with one high-end and i mid-range Samsung TV, Q Symphony is surprisingly constructive. The soundstage does get bigger, dialogue seems better positioned (as in, more than at the level of the on-screen activeness), and the Television set speakers blend surprisingly naturally with those of the soundbar.
The but result with Q Symphony fashion is that the mid-range loses some oomph – presumably because information technology has to rein in a scrap of horsepower so as not to overwhelm the balance of the mix. This might be enough to persuade activity movie fans to plow the characteristic off, but for much of the time, especially with relatively 'gentle' films, Q Symphony is a great addition to the Q800A's feature count.
Q Symphony isn't the only reason to exist especially interested in a Q800A, either, if y'all have a newish Samsung TV. For while it may non be a fully-fledged car calibration system, the Sound Fit organisation the Q800A can deploy in connection with the mic in your Boob tube improves sound quality, improving the balance of the various elements in the mix and enhancing the delivery of small audio details.
The Q800A's ability to 'upgrade' non-Atmos or DTS:X sources to accept advantage of all of its available speaker channels works well for the most part, also. Specially when it comes to giving 5.1 and 7.i Dolby Digital or DTS-HD Master Audio tracks a more Atmos-like experience.
While the Q800A is a mostly fantastic picture show partner for its money, it does take a trio of flaws. First, dialogue, especially male person dialogue, tin occasionally sound as if it'due south coming from slightly below the onscreen action. Unless you're using the Q Symphony manner.
Second, given how developed and big the Q800A's front soundstage is, it most feels a chip foreign not to take it joined by whatsoever activity coming from behind you (unless you add the optional rears). But I gauge y'all could argue this feeling is only a result of the Q800A beingness so good.
Finally, as usual with Samsung mid-range and loftier-end soundbars, the Q800A isn't every bit musical as some rivals. Music sounds powerful and dynamic, for sure, but the Q800A tin't accommodate its innately muscular approach to music's often more delicate demands every bit Ill as some rivals. Though of form, well-nigh if not all of those more than musical soundbar rivals will struggle to sound as potent with films as the Q800A.
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Should you lot purchase it?
You want bang for your buck The Q800A is more powerful than whatever other soundbar in its price range.
You take a vaulted or heavily beamed ceiling The Q800A'due south upfiring speakers won't deliver skillful results if you lot have don't accept a flat and fairly beam-free ceiling.
Last Thoughts
While hi-fi fans might want to remember about more than musical rivals such as the Sonos Arc, if you're looking for a soundbar that'south capable of doing justice to even the loudest and nearly dynamic motion-picture show soundtracks, there's nothing out in that location correct now that gives you lot more bang for your buck than the Samsung Q800A.
Information technology delivers huge volume levels without succumbing to distortion, while its stiff upwardly-firing speakers contribute to a much larger and more than immersive soundstage with Dolby Atmos soundtracks than you normally become with a mid-range soundbar. Information technology too offers a much better upgrade path than its predecessor thanks to optional rears that now include up-firing drivers, and the extra features bachelor to owners of Samsung Goggle box prove to be much more than than mere gimmicks.
How nosotros examination
We exam every soundbar we review thoroughly over an extended menstruation of time. We use manufacture standard tests to compare features properly. Nosotros'll always tell you what we notice. Nosotros never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more than about how we test in our ideals policy.
Tested with a range of soundtracks
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FAQs
How many speakers does the Samsung HW-Q800A accept?
Across its 3.1.2 channel configuration, the HW-Q800A has a forepart left, forepart right, front centre and two up-firing drivers in the main soundbar, plus the external subwoofer delivering the '.one' bass channel
What is the audio output of the HW-Q800A?
The HW-Q800A has 330W of power at its disposal
Total specs
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Britain RRP
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Source: https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/samsung-hw-q800a
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