With its Q-Series range, Samsung has a wide range of soundbars ready to offer a home cinema experience worthy of the name. After the incomparable HW-Q990C, it’s time to look at a more compact model, with the HW-Q800C soundbar. Without a rear speaker, it does however include side and vertical transducers to perfect the listening quality as well as the surround sound.

As in the television market, Samsung claims to be the world’s number 1 on soundbar. It must be said that the Korean manufacturer has the means, with an extremely wide and varied catalog to meet the needs of everyone. Designated as ideal with the brand’s QLED televisions, the Q-Series soundbars are suitable for most uses and primarily target cinema lovers. With its 5.1.2 system without a rear speaker, the HW-Q800C seems to be a relevant choice to accompany a television in a medium-sized living room.

Convincing and unsurprising design

Samsung produces quite qualitative sound bars in terms of construction and design. This one leaves no room for eccentricity, with a microperforated coating along its entire length and a color that could not be more classic.

More compact than the HW-990C, this sound bar fits easily in front of a television set as long as a space of at least 110 centimeters is available to accommodate it. From an aesthetic point of view, this HW-Q800C plays the card of discretion. The subwoofer takes up little space and should be easy to accommodate with its dimensions of 40 centimeters in height and depth, of 21 centimeters in thickness.

The soundbar also has four small, discreet controls. Handling is still simpler thanks to the supplied remote control, or even thanks to Samsung’s SmartThings application for more precise settings (calibration, Auto EQ, equalization, etc.). A small LED display allows you to control the actions performed on the right of the soundbar.

Inside the beast are a total of 7 channels, with 2 vertical transducers to accompany the 5 horizontal transducers. This is its difference compared to a more accessible model like the HW-Q600C: its two vertical channels will logically allow it to offer better surround rendering with the DTS: X and Dolby Atmos formats.

Connectors and features

The connection of this sound bar consists of two HDMI ports, one input, and the other output. The first accepts 4K signals up to 60 Hz as well as HDR and HDR10+ formats, and not Dolby Vision. We also benefit from CEC compatibility, as well as with the ARC and eARC functions. Finally, there is an optical input and a Bluetooth chip with the SBC codec.

A little extra compared to the models that precede this soundbar in Samsung’s catalog, the HW-Q800C is well equipped with Wi-Fi, with which comes a myriad of connected features. We are thinking in particular of compatibility with voice assistants from Google and Amazon, but also and above all of the support for AirPlay2, Spotify Connect, and Chromecast. In addition, two other major advantages are on the program for owners of a compatible Samsung television: wireless transmission for audio, even in Dolby Atmos, as well as the Q-Symphony function which allows the speakers to be synchronized with the TV with the soundbar.

Precise and powerful sound

Associated with the Samsung Neo QLED 50QN90C television in the context of this test, this sound bar revealed its full potential in the living room which hosted it for a few days. Its 11 loudspeakers produce a very balanced sound, with great precision in both the treble and the low frequencies of the subwoofer. The woofer delivers perfectly homogeneous bass, which results in an excellent harmony between the soundbar and the subwoofer. Pushing the volume up a little also allows us to better appreciate the qualities of this set, the sound fills the room without any harm while the bass manages to make us live the scenes of films with intensity, something impossible with a bar of sound that would not be accompanied by a woofer.

The HW-Q800C is also very eclectic, we appreciated it as well for listening to music, electro through classical music and metal, as for the clarity of the dialogues or the cinema. The sound stage is finally ample, the details stand out without problem while the side and vertical effects are very present. Obviously, in the absence of an additional rear speaker, the immersive bubble seems less significant to us than during our test of the excellent HW-Q990C.

The vertical speakers play an important role in giving breadth and depth to the sound stage, but we are still far from a truly soaring sound that would reproduce everything that can be expected with Dolby Atmos. Nevertheless, this soundbar remains recommendable to start enjoying a convincing and qualitative surround experience. Note that this will be all the more true if we add the surround kit (SWA-9200S) sold as an option and consisting of two wireless speakers.

Finally, those who own the latest generation Samsung TV can rejoice! The Q-Symphony function is far from being a gimmick and can improve the experience to a greater or lesser extent depending on the TV in question. In our case, adding the four speakers to this TV proved to be very pleasant for the cinema experience. The spatialization seems better from the outset, with a very interesting reinforcement of certain effects, in particular by offering a wider front scene, but above all a verticality that is much more noticeable after activating Q-Symphony!

Samsung HW-Q800C review: TechAint’s opinion

This HW-Q800C represents the ideal compromise to benefit from a high-performance and efficient audio system in a generously sized room, up to 30 or even 40 m 2. Offering a perfectly balanced rendering with great power and precision, even at high volume, it only needs a pair of rear speakers to really shine. Vertical effects remain light, which limits the surround experience with this bar. On the other hand, the Q-Symphony function with Samsung TVs offers an excellent harmony between the soundbar, the subwoofer, and the speakers of the TV, making it possible to improve the immersion in a very perceptible way.

The HW-Q800C is finally a complete and versatile soundbar, which will be suitable for all uses, including music, cinema, sports, gaming, or TV broadcast. Its scalability makes it a model with serious potential, first thanks to Q-Symphony, but also thanks to the possibility of adding a rear speaker kit for a few tens of euros more.

Most

• Controlled sound signature
• Deep and precise bass
• Excellent box/bar harmony
• Great advantages of a Samsung TV

The lessers

• Vertical effects are present but limited