Customer Ratings & Reviews

Brought this sound bar in sale. Great sound and easy to set up.

It was Very easy to set up and quickly. The soindbar has great sound.

Easy to setup and use. Excellent sound to support a wall mounted tv.

This is my first sound bar and I purchased it with-out doing any research on it. I Purchased a Samsung 55" Class LED - 2160p - Smart - 4K Ultra HD TV and bought the high end Samsung soundbar. I really do not have any expertise with soundbars, I just wanted something better than the TV speakers. It does sound way better than the TV speakers, but sometimes it is just a pain. If you mute the sound or pause Netflix or DVR the sound bar will power off and the sound switches to TV speakers. When you un-mute or resume show the sound comes from the TV. You have to go into the TV settings and set to soundbar. I would think there would be a soundbar setting to prevent this time-out but I don't see one. I think there may be better soundbars out there, I just thought since this is a Samsung bar it would integrate well with the TV. Also there is no gui interface. it would be nice if the soundbar had a menu interface that allowed setting changes on the TV. Overall it is ok.

The notion of a big, beefy speaker that can put all your other speakers in their place can be simultaneously deliciously tempting and financially excessive. I’ve been searching for the better part of the last 5 years for a replacement to my current largest speaker, and since the portable speaker market has exploded with Hiroshima-sized output, you’d think I’d have no issue finding a suitable understudy. And throughout those 5 years I’ve purchased (and in most cases, returned) probably a half-dozen speakers that I had hoped to be contenders. The problem is, the portable speaker market is more focused on, well, portable speakers—and that’s just not what I’m looking for. I had hoped to find a slightly lower quality speaker (from a frequency balance perspective) that brought home the bacon, so to speak. Sadly, though, my expectations were too high. What I did find is a speaker that, while its price exceeds my budget, its performance far exceeds my expectations for a device in the this category. Bear in mind one caveat—I know I keep saying “speaker,” yet this is a soundbar. But soundbars can’t be great soundbars unless they are great speakers, and that is where this review comes in. The product is the Samsung HW-M5650 Soundbar, in Samsung’s Sound+ lineup. There are multiple in the lineup specifically designed for Samsung TVs, and more precisely for the 2017 or newer panels which will integrate the soundbar’s controls into your existing remote. Sadly, my panel is from Samsung’s 2016 lineup, so I’m stuck using separate stock remotes that are visually very similar…truly first-world problems. So how does one, in 2017, pick a suitable soundbar for your set up? Well, I’d look first to my surround sound manufacturer to determine if they have a soundbar option—and pick it up to maintain cohesiveness there. If you’re like me, though, and you don’t have a surround sound system, look next to your preferred speaker manufacturer and see what they have to offer. I’ll admit that Samsung’s unification of TV and Soundbar controls is a nice touch, and assume that other manufacturers either have or will follow suit…so matching your panel for design cohesiveness is always a nice approach if the others fail. From a design perspective, this soundbar is impressively sturdy. At nearly 14 pounds and 3.5 feet long, this isn’t something you’re going to want to carry around. In that sense, it fulfills its role well as a soundbar and less as a bluetooth speaker…but as I’ll cover shortly, in almost any room in my house, I can hear the thing just fine if I want to. The entire body of the unit is matte black with a solid black speaker grill on the front, and along the right side of the device are the volume, source and power buttons. On the right side of the front is a small display sitting behind the speaker grill that indicates volume levels, source choice, paired devices, and other relevant things you might want to know about your sound experience (like mode information). Although it sits behind the grill, it is perfectly visible and easy to read. From an input perspective, Samsung provided a 4K HDMI pass-through as well as a power pass-through (Samsung One Cable purchased separately) to reduce cable clutter. Otherwise, there is an optical audio input along with a 3.5mm analog jack, and the device supports both bluetooth and wi-fi connectivity. The bar combines 9 separate internal speakers, all with dedicated amps, and among other things (like HDR, a variety of sound modes and wireless surround sound support), my favorite feature by far is the built in distortion cancelling features that make this a phenomenal speaker experience. With all of the tech that Samsung packs into this speaker, the experience is every bit as rich as you’d expect from a high-quality Samsung product. At every frequency, this thing puts out some serious sound—and without heavy distortion. The bass is so heavy and full that the device will only be limited by the surface it is mounted on, as the vibration of the speaker against my TV stand is the only off-putting sound coming from that corner of my living room. The mids are clear and crisp, and the highs are sharp, pointy and precise. And, it gets loud…as in really, really loud. This is the speaker I’d use at a block party, provided I had an extension cord to power it. I’m a bit of an audio nut, and although my hearing after retirement will certainly suffer as a result, I like music, shows and movies to be loud—when it’s important (I’ve always said, The Notebook is better muted anyway). Seldom do I find a speaker or a set of headphones that get so loud that I’m not at 80% of the device’s capacity, or more. But, I’ve now met my match in the Sound+ soundbar, as I couldn’t stand 100% volume in the same room for more than a handful of seconds. That said, if I were vacuuming, or cleaning the basement—the soundbar gets plenty loud to not require I move it with me, although my neighbors may not be so appreciative. Maybe that’s why the lady next door is moving out. Well I’m sure you get it by now. Loud, great build quality, excellent balance at all frequencies. So then what? Well, if you’re in the market for a soundbar at a $400 price range, and specifically if you’re looking to match with an existing Samsung TV — and most certainly if you’re Samsung TV is a 2017 or newer model, this soundbar is a great fit. That’s not to say proud LG or Vizio owners should pass; it is a fine soundbar for just about anyone looking to spend that kind of money on some home entertainment audio quality. A nice bonus here is the ability to add wireless surround at some point in the future, as this device will integrate seamlessly with Samsung’s Rear Wireless Speaker Kit for another $180…although I’m not sure that’s a requirement considering the feature set on the device. While it doesn’t give you a true wireless experience without extra hardware, it does a great job emulating the experience regardless of where you’re sitting in the room. I’d imagine that the soundbar market is much like the portable speaker market: highly saturated and entirely subjective from a user experience perspective. At least from Best Buy, picking this one up and test driving it (with the option to return within a certain time period) is one of the better ways to give it a shot. If you’re interested, though, I doubt you’ll be disappointed. One precaution, believe it or not, is its size. At almost 42 inches long, this soundbar may be too wide for your current TV stand. A lot of this depends upon your TV size, which usually drives the TV stand’s size. I find a 49” TV to be ideally sized for my living room, and my TV stand is ideally sized for a TV up to a 49” diagonal…but not so much for a 42” sound bar. Wall mounting is certainly an option for the bar as much as it is for TVs, and with the power pass-through cable from Samsung that becomes a bit easier. Otherwise, this thing is a home run in many ways. Price seems to be the sticking point with most people, and while a good speaker is always going cost you some coin, at $399 this one may be a bit out of the price range for most people. That said, there are some soundbars that play in the $600+ range, and in that sense this soundbar (which sounds great and has a great feature set) puts you right in the middle of the field of options. You can definitely get good sound spending less, but for what you get I’d call the Samsung Sound+ competitively priced with a fair feature set.

7 months ago I purchased this with every intent of buying the Subwoofer add on. You don't need it!!! I have a 3.1 Soundbar Sub with the rear speakers in my Great room. As a test I connected just this soundbar in the same room and almost couldn't tell the difference between the 2 systems. The lows that come out of this unit without distorting are amazing. If you have an apartment or room you don't want/need a full system in this unit is the perfect setup. Loud, clear detailed sound from Reggae to Classical music or an action packed movie I've thrown it all at this unit. Good: almost perfect without a subwoofer but a large room may miss that extra umph. Almost perfect simulated surround if you never owned a full surround system this thing will surprise you. Fast connection to Bluetooth devices, and multiple choices for input and easy sync to different late model TV's. Bad: unless I missed it no onscreen menu or advanced settings. Honestly doesn't need one for most people. When turned up really loud it does flatten the base to protect the speaker and not distort (good and bad thing) Only at really high volumes though. I see why this unit was originally $400 by itself after having it would've paid full price without a doubt.

This Samsung sound bar puts out very good sound, can be expanded, is great for use in a bedroom which where these were installed. Even though they were on sale I thought they were a bit pricey compared to some others that I listened to; however, what sold me on these was center channel sound, which is where most dialogue derives. Overall I’m pleased with this unit.

Just what I was hoping for, Excellent sound and easy setup

samsung soundbar review having primarily used full sized speaker setups in the past, this is the first soundbar i've actually owned. while it won't necessarily hold up to, say, a full 7.1 speaker setup, among soundbars it's a good option to improve the overall quality of sound without going overboard on budget. the good: -sound quality - certainly not going to fill up huge rooms, but fairly good spectrum of sound from top to bottom. clear with good presence. -design - sleek, slim, and somewhat futuristic looking. should complement a flascreen nicely. -setup - hdmi, optical, bluetooth, or wifi connectivity. all but wifi were fairly intuitive, and seemed to work well (see below for wifi). -theater modes - surround sound processing for different listening tastes. the bad: -remote not intuitive at first - for the life of me i couldn't figure out how to turn up the volume...the remote button has both a press function (mute) and a click upwards/downwards function (to adjust volume). once i figured that part out, it made sense, but was a bit frustrating at first. -bass - some will want more low end, but for most uses it will probably suffice. it won't be thunderous, but it's significantly better than flatscreen speakers. -wifi connection (samsung app) - operation via wifi sounds great, but using your mobile device, you're required to go through the samsung wifi app. shouldn't be an issue, except that using a third party service for music, in my case apple music, almost all of the music errored out, only available directly through the apple music app. bluetooth works well enough for this purpose, but it is tied to the proximity of the speaker as opposed to the wifi signal range. this feature needs some work. misc: -form factor - long, slim design may not be for every setup. overall: for my taste, this soundbar is a good fit for apartments or smaller living rooms with TVs for casual viewing. it might also work well for those just not wanting a big speaker setup but still want decent sound. admittedly, i tend to gravitate towards the more wall rattling theater experience myself, but for more generic TV watching, this soundbar nicely fits the bill.

Very happy with the easy set-up. Sound is good for the price.

Great sound and really good lows from the built-in subwoofer. Easy to set up.

This is my first sound bar after having a htib for many years. It has great sound for our space as it fills the room. Very happy with the purchase.

Compared to the audio native to the TV the audio is much better. In retrospect I should have purchased a 5 channel bar.

The sound quality is good. Pairs with my phone to play music directly.

Excellent sound bar ! Has a full strong sound. No need for a separate sub woofer. The bar is build solid and heavily. Feels like a quality product. Takes some time to break in the speakers to get the best sound. The remote control is terrible ! Luckily the sound bar accepts volume control from the cable remote control. Aside from the remote I am very happy with this product.

Has great sound,sadly bass is a bit on the weak side

Easy to use, the ARC conection works Great, amazing sound !!!

The sounder is amazing! It delivers theater sound with a variety of settings for different types of programs. I can't imagine not having it.

I needed some room so I took down my 3.1 surround system and put the amp in man cave. This only lacks a little bit in bass. Great for normal listening but might lack some base rumble for games or sci-fi movies. Only my son noticed any change but he will be deaf in a couple of years from gaming.

I used to own one of those incredibly loud home theatres with 5.1 where the sound quality was just awesome....but that was when I wasn't married and could do whatever I wanted. Now a few years later, I am married (wife hates too much sound) and 2 young kids that will come running down if they realize the TV is up i.e. can't really play stuff on TV too loud . So I had to get something that was going to work the best in terms of being able to hear voices on TV and still give me a decent oomph for the thuds and the bangs....and this works with finesse. So, if you're in a similar situation where you can't play your TV too loud but don't want to miss out on good sound, then get this one. I have had this and I hear what and how I wanted to hear my TV, my wife n kids don't complain...its a win-win.