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Standard’ mode seemed the clearest rendition of 5.1 material, even though the top drivers are out of action in this mode. Object-based Dolby Atmos connects wirelessly with Samsung Soundbar. Experience the ultimate 3D sound whether it be movie or music without the need for HDMI cables. It also bests the Sonos Arc when it comes to bass, simply because it has a subwoofer and the Arc doesn't, and there's no substitute for a proper sub (well, except for the Devialet Dione, but that's a special case).
When you cycle through modes, you get a voice announcement as to what each one is, which is nice and clear. But when you cycle through options that can be turned on an off, it feels much less clear – including what you press to turn it on or off. It's all understandable with the manual and some time, but it's not what we'd call intuitive. Of course, if you don't plan to mess with the modes much, you won't need to worry. Standard’ is also the only mode which doesn’t upscale stereo content to the full driver complement; everything else plays two-channel content in 3.1.2, even, surprisingly, the Game mode, which you might expect to switch off all non-essential processing. It's full across the frequencies, and the bar and subwoofer feel really well-integrated to create a dynamic total sound. Samsung S801B 3.1.2ch Lifestyle Ultra Slim Soundbar in White with Subwoofer Alexa Voice Control Built-in and Dolby Atmos Adaptive Sound works well, automatically boosting voice clarity at low volumes, as well as optimizing audio based on frame-by-frame content analysis. This leads to an increase in overall performance. There are also Dialogue, Sports, News, and Movie settings. Q-Symphony allows owners of compatible Samsung TVs to take full advantage of their optional speakers while synchronizing audio from both devices.This soundbar offers 10 speakers in total which give out an impressive 310W of power. It also comes with a wireless subwoofer to add that little extra boost of bass to your favourite movies. It comes with many different sound modes to suit whatever it is you are watching, these include Surround Sound Expansion, Game Pro, Adaptive, DTS Virtual:X and Standard. There is also Night mode which is perfect for when the family are in bed and also Voice enhancement mode which ensures you never miss a bit of the dialogue in those important scenes. Once on Wi-Fi, the bar can be connected to and controlled from Google or Alexa voice assistants, in addition to the little physical remote control, and most likely your TV remote too. Converted to Test Bench 1.2. Updated the results for audio format support via ARC/eARC, HDMI In, and Optical. Added Video Passthrough to TV results as well. The speakers inside the soundbar are understandably small, but they do an excellent job of reproducing clean mids and nicely detailed highs. The subwoofer is surprisingly powerful given its size, and thanks to SpaceFit Sound technology, it is also well integrated with other speakers. Samsung HW-s801b subwoofer It’s certainly worth doing, because Samsung has delivered another dynamite soundbar performance for the price, and it’s a success of teamwork, with both the bar and the subwoofer being essential to the sound.
The helicopter exits and flies overhead – an Atmos treat with genuine surround, but not possible here with 3.1.2. Nevertheless, the space generated was impressive; the soundstage stretched wide beyond the bounds of the bar despite there being no side-firing speakers, and yes, large in height too, as if a large semi-circle of sound was being created up and around the screen area. Depending on your source, this may not be much of a problem – the Dolby Atmos version used by streaming services is 'lossy' anyway, so not having eARC isn't the end of the world. But if you love 4K Blu-rays for their maximum fidelity, which offer lossless Atmos sound, you don't quite get the best of them here. We've mentioned that the soundbar's remote has lots of buttons, and using them to change modes can be quite hit and miss. Part of the problem is that the soundbar doesn't have a screen, but instead a series of dots that flash in different colors and patterns to indicate things, which is… not something I'm ever going to learn. While trying modes for the review, I was sitting with the manual open on my lap, looking at diagrams of dots and flashes like I was trying to defuse a particularly whimsical bomb.
Samsung HW-S801B review
The S800B is designed to deliver 3.1.2 channels of Dolby Atmos or DTS:X audio, which means front, center and right sound, the subwoofer bass channel, and two upfiring Dolby Atmos channels.
Better still, the orchestral score sailed on unaffected above the action in the best Indiana Jones fashion. It sounded just a little thinned of lower mids, and a frequency sweep revealed a significant dip in response centred on 170Hz, just above the crossover point; this is perhaps a gap between the ability of the sub to go high and the super-thin bar to go low. To do this, it includes eight separate speaker drivers in the soundbar unit, and another two in the subwoofer. That's a huge number for the amount of space it takes up, and it explains the quality of the directional audio. The subwoofer connects wirelessly to the main unit, and both units support wireless communication with compatible 2022 Samsung TVs, as long as both are on the same Wi-Fi network, so you wouldn't need an HDMI cable at all.
Whatever you end up paying, for your money you'll get a brilliantly-engineering superslim bar, not only useful for its size but sophisticated in having Wi-Fi to allow plenty of streaming options. Its excellent little subwoofer allows the combo to deliver a high quality sound which justifies even its full price, especially given the bar’s slender dimensions and style advantages. Stream from your devices, easier than ever. This soundbar uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for easy wireless connection to other devices. Enjoy your music from the likes of Spotify, taking your mobile sound to fill your room in better audio quality on your Soundbar, no strings attached. I had a problem where it didn’t show up consistently as a Bluetooth target on my iPhone, despite being connected in the Bluetooth settings, but it's hard to know whether to blame Apple or Samsung. It was frustrating, either way.
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