Samsung HW-Q800A

The Korean company has been working hard to improve its soundbars with sonic enhancements and extra features. Here’s the result

It’s no secret that we’re big fans of Samsung’s punchy and vivid QLED TVS, but so far we haven’t been quite so enamoured of the company’s range of soundbars. Its latest soundbar offering, the Samsung HW-Q800A, looks similar to previous models, but the company has made some improvements to performance as well as adding some new intelligent features.

Like previous generations of the Q series soundbar, the HW-Q800A has a separate wireless subwoofer. That ability deftly to replicate the low frequencies that a single-unit bar couldn’t reach is what distinguishes the HW-Q800A from its closest competition, most notably the £799 Sonos Arc, which, like the Samsung, is also Dolby Atmos-enabled.

Discreet design

At only 57mm in height and 116cm wide the Q800A has been made to be heard, not seen. Its unassuming build is ideal for sitting in front of a range of TV sizes from 48in to 65in screens, or wall-mounted (fixings are included in the box).

The matt-black wraparound metal grille is smart and discreet, as is the LED display on the front face. Having a text display is more user friendly than having to decode flashing lights, though we find ourselves impatiently waiting for the words to scroll past, especially when trying to decipher if we’re in ‘Bluetooth pairing’ and ‘Bluetooth mode’.

The rear-ported active subwoofer is also modestly sized. It is finished in matt-black, and has a side-firing 20cm driver. Ideally, it should sit as close to the main soundbar as possible to ensure good integration, though it’s always worth playing around with placement to get the best balance of sound.

Across the front edge of the main soundbar are the three forward-facing channels: the left and right each consist of a tweeter and a midrange/bass race-track driver, while the centre consists of a single wide-range tweeter.

Two upward-firing tweeters provide height channels for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats; these are auto-detected by the bar and indicated on the display. The sound from these drivers is enhanced by Samsung’s ‘Acoustic Beam 2.0’ technology – two rows of 23 holes that direct the wavefront upwards and outwards at an angle of 18 degrees to bounce off your ceiling and walls.

Input connections for HDMI and power are recessed at the rear, and four touch-sensitive buttons, for volume, microphone mute and power/source, sit on top. The microphone allows for commands to the built-in Amazon Alexa voice assistant and can also be used to monitor background levels, as the Q800A has a feature that boosts the centre channel for clearer dialogue if ambient noise increases. On the underside of the soundbar, there are two fiddly buttons for connecting to wi-fi and linking the main unit to its sub, though our review sample paired automatically.

A simple, well laid out remote control is included, giving quick access to most of the system’s settings and a handy separate volume button for the sub. If you are connected to a wi-fi network, you can also control the bar using the Smartthings app.

When watching content with a standard audio format, you can choose between three different sound profiles via the ‘sound mode’ button on the remote. There’s a ‘standard’ setting, ‘game mode pro’, which claims to offer a more immersive playing experience, and ‘surround mode’ that up-mixes basic audio to use the height channels and adds more weight to the extremities of the soundfield. There’s also an ‘adaptive’ option that auto-detects what you’re watching and changes the mode to suit.

Within the settings menu, there is another upmixing mode called ‘virtual’, which is similar to ‘surround’ but uses DOLBY/DTS:X algorithms instead of Samsung’s own.

The list goes on

On the Smartthings app, there are three further sound options: a treble-boosting voice enhancement, a bass boost and a night mode that compresses the dynamics and sub frequencies – and all this before you’ve even looked at the seven-band EQ or levels for each channel.

To connect to your TV, the Q800A has two HDMI ports (one with EARC), and an optical input. For playing music from a portable device there’s Bluetooth and, once connected to wi-fi, you can stream via Spotify Connect and Airplay 2.

This year, all of Samsung’s Q soundbars offer enhanced features if used with newer TVS from within the brand’s ecosystem. The Q800A can combine with a Samsung TV’S internal speakers to add height and space to the soundfield in a feature called ‘Q-symphony’

everywhere except on the actual settings menu, where you’ll find it labelled as ‘TV+AV soundbar’.

Another symbiotic feature is ‘Spacefit’, which uses the TV’S inbuilt mic to analyse the level and direction of reflected sound waves, adjusting the audio accordingly.

Size plus detail

A lot of work has gone into developing the forthright delivery of the Q800A. Watching the Le Mans race in Ford v Ferrari, the soundbar delivers a soundstage way beyond its size. In amongst the sound of the rain, cars and crashes, small touches such as the seat noise or fingers tapping on the steering wheel are well projected, while dialogue is clear and direct. The effect of the height channels is moderate and at times feels front-heavy rather than airy. We try Q-symphony and get a more noticeable dispersion of the field that gives more space to the forward-facing channels.

We play the opening to Blade Runner 2049 and the subwoofer gets a chance to shine with the bassy Dolby Atmos soundtrack. It handles the pulsing score with an epic sense of scale that a solo soundbar couldn’t hope to match. While we aren’t straining to hear the different elements of the orchestration, there’s a slight lack of definition. In the quieter scenes, higher frequency sounds have an unwanted hard, sharp edge to them.

Shifting gears completely, we play the archaeology drama The Dig; the scene with Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan in the caravan. As heavy rain beats on the corrugated roof, there’s a real sense of the reverberant space that the characters are in versus the weather outside. We give Spacefit a try and, while it’s only a subtle tweak, there’s a tightening of the dynamics and spot sound effects sit more cohesively within the soundscape. As soon as we watch the same film with the class-leading Sonos Arc, we miss some low end in the underscore and distant thunder, though its handling of the atmospheric effects and dialogue is notably crisper and more precise.

The sound of music

To test the Q800AS musical chops, we stream The Duke Spirit’s The Step And Walk and we’re back in the soundbar’s comfort zone. The guitars have a harmonious bite, and as the vocal flits between crooning and snarling, it feels present without becoming harsh, even when the level is pushed.

Swapping to the more sparse The Cool, Cool River by Paul Simon, like most soundbars, the Q800A struggles in terms of rhythmic cohesion, but it holds together and in the final section as the brass kicks in, the dynamic shift is strident and incisive.

The Q800A offers powerful overall performance and a comprehensive set of features, especially if you’re planning on buying a 2021 Samsung TV. It makes a decent attempt at Dolby Atmos too, but if your primary concern is accomplished handling of height channels, we’d suggest considering the Sony HT-ST5000 or Sonos Arc, or even adding the compatible upward-firing surrounds (SWA-9000S) to boost it to a 5.1.4 system.

But when it comes to room-filling sound and a gut-busting bass, the Q800A is more than capable. It marks a clear step forward for Samsung’s soundbars by offering all-round performance and an enjoyable, present and compelling listening experience, especially if you value the low end of the sonic spectrum.

“We play the opening to Blade

Runner 2049 and the sub gets a chance to shine with the bassy Dolby Atmos soundtrack. It handles the pulsing score with an epic sense of scale that a solo soundbar couldn’t hope to match”