S800B 3.1.2ch Lifestyle - HW-S800B/XU
Good, crisp sound.
14/02/2023 19:52
I've been using this for a couple of weeks now and it does give out impressive sound. Crisp, sharp tones, with good vocal clarity. I'm using it with a Samsung QN800B TV, and the TV and Soundbar "Q-Symphony" feature works very well, giving more breadth and depth of sound without rear speakers. Unfortunately, the rear sound (the .2 upwards speakers which reflect sound off the ceiling to simulate surround) do create a somewhat muffled surround effect, noticeably different to my existing 15 year old 5.1 system that I was looking to replace with this. From a sound point of view that's my only issue - otherwise the front sound certainly is far better: clearer, and less bassy.
Another disappointment is that the Soundbar supposedly offers the best output through HDMI, and advertises this as a feature with "Crystal clear audio through the use of HDMI which transmits sound digitally providing you with the best possible sound.", but Samsung neglected to provide the appropriate cable, which feels rather cheap of them, considering the price of the Soundbar. Also, the Tap Sound feature "Transfer your music with one simple tap. Just tap your smartphone anywhere on the Soundbar to hear the rich sound mirrored, without any need for manual pairing straight to your soundbar" doesn't seem to work with my 2022 Samsung flagship phone.
Update1 : I've bought the HDMI cable now, connected it to my Samsung TV, and there is some improvement in the sound quality.
Overall, it's a good device, sounds great, but has some issues which knock a star off the rating.
Update2: I'm quite annoyed to find that within a month of purchase there's a newer model, the Q800B - 5.1.2 with woofer and support for rear wireless speakers - selling for the same price I bought this one at. I'd recommend going for that instead.
Freakstone
Windsor , Spojené království
Age: 51
Gender: Female