I read the reviews, and was very hesitant in making this purchase. But due to COVID-19, I have some spare time on my hands. Let’s start with the way Samsung displays the 8500s/za model on their website. They are not true to size. I also noticed how the specs are overlooked. For example, wattage per channel and sensitivity ratings are not documented. Their competitors do. FYI: the receiver “is not” Bluetooth. It strictly WiFi. I had seen a lot of reviewers specify Bluetooth connectivity. Connecting the devices was a snap. I have a Samsung TV 8000 series connected to the HW-T650 sound bar. All options are displayed on the TV screen. However, when I connected the surround receiver to the bar, the “WiFi Speaker Surround Set Up” is greyed out. Not fully compatible. Firmware is up to date on sound bar, and TV is updated. I am surprised that the surround receiver does not have firmware update capabilities. The sound that is generated by these speakers sound exactly like a Drive-In movie speaker that you would hook onto your car window. When playing a “mono”source, the sound is also sent to the surrounds. In a true surround setup this not supposed to happen. It is like having a quadraphonic speaker setup. Volume is low, even setting the surround level at 6+. However, should you increase the sound bar volume to 25 and above, you begin to hear the background sounds in the movie from the surrounds using TV as a source. This means you can not enjoy the surround experience at low volume levels. I can understand the volume issues when using pay services, like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime etc. The best material to use for testing surround capabilities is by playing a SciFi movie from a DVD, Blu-Ray, mp4, or even a .mkv file and the surrounds liven up. I used iRobot for the source, and the surrounds became very loud. Now, they are really loud! As I have always said, it all depends on the source being used and naturally the bit rate. Speaker wire is extremely short and thin. I found it odd the the connectors on the back of the receiver are plug in. This means you would have to splice the wire to make it longer. Competition has push wire connectors. Just like on the back of an A/V Receiver. Since I have been dealing with Surround technologies since 1993, these do not exactly fit the bill. The SWA-8500S/ZA do make an ideal setup for Novices. I am beyond that point. This is the reason why I am critical. Samsung, I know you are watching. Answer my question, please. The model is 8500S. What does the ZA represent? The box indicate the “S” with no reference to the “ZA”. Is the ZA a second version of this device?

I bought these as an open box because I couldn't find anywhere that had them in stock and those who did wanted to sell them for more than they sold on Bestbuy or anywhere else. There were 2 open box deals one with a rating of 9 and these with the rating of 10. The rated 10 stated they were near near perfect and 9 they may of had cosmetic wear (scratches and such) and that they may not include all items they come with so I paid the extra and bought the rated 10 set. I have to say it was well worth the money to buy and add these to my HW-R60M Soundbar I bought 2 days before I bought these. I really had no choice for this model of rear speakers anyway because the these are the only set that work with the HW-R60M Soundbar which I was ok with. After watching some videos specifically made for DTS surround I was quite happy with how these performed. Now, for what I wanted the soundbar and these paired together does make a difference when watching a movie but the pair aren't the best but they sound great and they get the job done. I just wish I could get a bit more base from the sub that came with the soundbar without having to turn it up past 35 other than that I love the setup and am now trying to figure out how I want to mount these little babies so I can get the best surround experience with them when watching movies. I almost forgot to mention, for an open box set of speakers, I received everything that comes with them new, and these looked as if they were never opened at all. They were packed like they were never taken out the box to boot and I paid (with the already lower price for $106.99 for an open box I paid with tax $114.08 from the brand new item being $129.99 new and with the geek squad protection plan they came to a total of $135.39 so I couldn't beat the price because new at $129.99 I would have paid about $145 and change give or take so I saved $20 or so on the purchase and got a great set of speakers to compliment my audio.

I added these loud speakers to my Samsung soundbar in my garage and was not disappointed. They really gave my system the surround sound I was seeking.

Didn’t wanna spend crazy on Sonos, etc. Now, do not expect Sonos or Bose quality, as these are nowhere near. However, if you have a Samsung Soundbar and want to add a surround sound experience, this is a great option.

Very nice rear speakers for our Samsung sound bar and subwoofer. Would have liked the speakers be wireless, but they are wired to a wireless rear receiver. The sound quality is great. The speakers are pretty small.