Samsung - Harman Kardon 5.1.2-Channel Soundbar System with 8" Wireless Subwoofer and 4K & HDR Support - Slate Black/Carbon Silver

If you're looking for a "hefty" sound bar, this is literally the heftiest system I have seen both in weight and sound. This system has the ability to fill a room and more. This package comes with the Samsung HW-Q80 soundbar, subwoofer, remote control (w/batteries), 2 identical power cords, HDMI cable, wall mounting brackets/hardware/guide, and user manual. Rather than go over ALL the specs which you can already find on this Bestbuy.com page, I'll try to give more observations of those specs instead. DISCLAIMER: In BT pairing, I used both a Samsung Galaxy Fold and a Samsung Galaxy S10e. PROS: ----------- * Really, really great sound. The 13 individually amplified speakers provide a clean and crisp sound with limited/no distortion, even at high levels. 9 speakers fire forward, 2 fire out the sides, and 2 fire out of the top (at an angle). Combined with HK sound processing, it truly provides a submersive 5.1.2 sound experience even without rear speakers. * The bar and subwoofer connect flawlessly upon power-up. * Bluetooth (BT) devices connect flawlessly with my Samsung Galaxy Fold and Galaxy S10e. * Remote control is similar to the Amazon Fire TV remote as many other devices are also using this "smart" design. There was quick response from the remote to sound bar and the buttons felt solid. * Durable mounting brackets and hardware are included. * Samsung SmartThings app is useful in providing a graphic equalizer if you need more than just bass/treble settings. It is also used to manually push a firmware update to the device. Out of the box, there were no OTA FW updates to be taken. * As with most newer sound bars, it provides HDMI ARC ability for digital audio. Of course, your TV will need ARC too for this functionality to work. * If you have a Samsung TV, you can control the sound bar volume with the TV remote once they are synced together. CONS: ----------- * Sound bar does not include a headphones jack or coaxial input port. Even though sound quality lessens using analog, this is sometimes desired for some applications (ie. RF headphones that connect via RCA-to-3.5mm). The only audio port available besides HDMI is 1 Optical input. * At this time, the wifi feature for the system do not offer much, other than controlling the settings of the sound bar and optional automatic updates. The "Tune-In" & "Deezer" applications are the only available wi-fi options built-in and are pay services after a free trial period. There is no Pandora or Spotify built-in. * High price point could be an issue as this sound bar may cost more than your TV, possibly even double. On the flip side, this may be the best-sounding sound bar at this price point that I have heard. You will have to be the judge. OTHER OBSERVATIONS: ------------------------------------- * This system appears IDENTICAL to last year's Samsung SW-N850 Sound bar system. The only differences I have seen between the 2 are cosmetic: (1) N850 is a dark gray, the Q80 is black (2) The Harmon-Kardon label on the top of the bar is slightly smaller on the Q80, and (3) the cloth on the N850 subwoofer covered the entire driver side, including the side of the box (rectangle area). The Q80 only covers the driver (circle area). * This is the same sound bar and subwoofer as the Samsung SW-Q90. The Q90 however, includes 2 rear speakers which have 2 drivers each that improve the sound from 5.1.2 to 7.1.4. If you don't need as much depth/rear, then the Q80 will be plenty. * This system as a whole is heavy. The bar is 19.4 lbs and the sub is 21 lbs. It's heavy-duty, but the sound created is also really good. It has rubber feet on the bottom to secure itself on most platforms without vibrating itself off the ledge (from heavy bass by the sub). The sub is also just bigger all over (~16"x16"), and the sound bar is longer than other sound bars I own. Check your area and the dimensions of each component before buying. * Dolby Atmos can only be played back via HDMI. "Digital In" via optical fiber cable will not provide you with Dolby Atmos sound. * The Soundbar only displays if the received signal is Dolby Atmos, or DTS:X. There is no display for any other received audio format. * The grill on the front/top/sides of the sound bar is not removable like some other brands. It is made of metal which does protect the individual drivers of the bar. * The system connects to the Alexa Echo via the SmartThings app; however, I don't have an Amazon Echo so did not test this functionality. * The sound bar only has 2 HDMI-in ports, so if you have 3+ items to hook up (ie. Fire TV, gaming console, blu-ray player or other IOT devices), you'll want to go with another sound bar or receiver that will allow that capability. * There is a sound port on the back of the subwoofer with the right side having circular black fabric which covers the subwoofer speaker inside the box. Keep in mind that the right side shouldn't be placed flush against something since the firing sub driver is located there. * There are 4 button controls on the top/rear part of the sound bar: power, source, vol-, and vol+. CONCLUSION: ============== When looking for a quality sound bar system, you generally look for surround quality, frequency response, and price. You just want to have a great sound that immerses you in what you are listening to. The sound bar/sub alone does a great job giving good 5.1.2 sound. The rear/surround speakers are needed to give it even more depth but are included with the Q90 package. Volumewise, this system is plenty loud - loud enough for a full sized media room. The sub is huge and creates vibrating explosions and great bass for today's music. Personally, I'd like to see this product do more with built-in internal apps, specifically Spotify and Pandora so pairing to a device via BT is not necessary. An on-screen menu might be necessary for that functionality. The only thing in the SmartThings app was the Tune-It & Deezer pay services ... and I don't need to pay for another audio service. In conclusion, the bottom line is sound. You should be more than pleased with the sound of this beast for years to come. Great job again Samsung.

So to start off, you’re getting a soundbar, subwoofer, remote, HDMI cable, and accompanying wired plugs in the box. The box for this unit is large and heavy, at appx. 50+ pounds, so be sure you have the space in your vehicle to accommodate it or someone to help you lift it. This soundbar alone will weigh about 20 pounds and is long from left to right. It’s approximately 4 feet in width, so be sure you have a stand, table, or mount that is capable of handling this. With that said, this soundbar is a beast that houses 13 internal speakers which are firing sounds straight at you, above you, and to the left/right of you. It’s an impressive experience to feel so immersed in the audio with this Q80R soundbar. I believe the total output of the soundbar and subwoofer is 372W of 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound technology. Overall this soundbar and subwoofer are very pleasing to the eye visually. They look clean and highly professional without any unsightly colors or styling. It’s tuned by Harman Kardon so you know you’re getting an audio experience that is ensuring a high quality state of the art experience. Compared to my previous soundbar which feels like a small toy compared to this Q80R, I’m very impressed with the capabilities of this Samsung soundbar. I like that I can customize the speaker controls to my liking with how much I want a center or side speaker to be pushing out. The adaptive sound feature helps to ensure you’re getting proper audio and clarity when scenes with low talking occur for example. There is even a Game Mode Pro which should ensure a game being played and help to optimize sound, but I wasn’t able to test this function out. The fact that the subwoofer is wireless and doesn’t need to be hardwired to the soundbar makes my life easier to not have run or hide a wire. The subwoofer simply plugs into an electrical outlet and pairs up with the soundbar wirelessly. It has a nice deep punch to it and is just right without being too much overkill on trying to shake a room. For my living room setting I feel it’s the perfect balance of clear sound and feeling the action. Being able to connect your phone to this soundbar adds for a nice experience because I utilize my iPhone for music streaming frequently. The one suggestion I have is to install the SmartThings app on your phone to help streamline how you stay connected with your other devices as well. I also liked the fact that I could utilize my home’s Amazon Echo Alexa commands to help change the volumes on the soundbar with my voice. Very convenient to have this option available to me. 4K video content streamed well and the sounds were movie theater like with Dolby Atmos. I truly enjoyed the experience of watching movies like Wonder Woman or Avengers Infinity War with the added depth of sound off of this Samsung Q80R soundbar. This soundbar is the one you want for your 4K content as it has a pass through to ensure you’re getting the high quality 4K video/sound experience. This is a great soundbar and it comes in with a high price tag on it. It is upgradeable to add rear speakers for an added charge, but you’re not going to get the full experience you should be getting with Dolby Atmos. Samsung offers a basic set of rear speakers that offer straight line sound firing for those wanting to add this component. Unfortunately they don’t let you upgrade to the preferred and most practical type of rear speaker that offers Dolby Atmos rear upward firing sound speakers. Those are reserved exclusively for the next model up soundbar. PRO: Impressive and immersive sound Easy to use remote 2 HDMI inputs on the soundbar 1 optical input on the soundbar Clean/upscale look Loaded with 13 speakers in one housing CON: Long soundbar at almost 4 feet wide Lack of adequate future addition to Atmos rear speakers Heavy soundbar for wall mounting

I bought this to complement our Samsung Q60T television. Though I have some harsh words to say about the "smart" functions of the TV (namely, how stupidly the software has been implemented), this soundbar is by far the most immersive piece of tech I've ever bought. The highs and mids are crisp and delicious, while the bass moves your body with every explosion and musical flourish. The upward and side-firing speakers effect a depth that I've never experienced outside of a movie theater, truly placing me in the action. I went ahead and bought the Samsung SWA-9000S Rear Wireless Speaker Kit for $150 to get all I can out of the experience. These speakers were easy to pair with the soundbar, and they work with pretty much every movie and song I play. I do wish they were a bit louder, and I might at some point buy a cheap amp and see if I can't boost them a bit more. If you are deciding between this and the cheaper models—I can only say that I'm happy with the extra couple hundred dollars I spent. If you're deciding between this and the more expensive r90, I couldn't justify the extra five hundred dollars for the rear speakers that complete the Dolby Atmos experience. My qualms: so I have my PS4 and my PC routed through the soundbar, via the eARC cable, into the television. I don't know what causes this, but I had to eventually disable Game Mode because it would reboot my screen repeatedly at odd times. I've docked this review one star for this intermittent connectivity issue—but if I had the ability to dock it just a quarter star, or half a star, I would have done that. One more note: the soundbar is quite big and heavy, so make sure you have enough room for it.

Tl:dr The soundbar delivers a big punch from pint size package. Great sound for wall mounted magnificence. The Harmon Kardon designed sound bar is big and somewhat heavy. It's about as wide as a 50 inch flat screen. The sound coming from it is about as big as the bar itself. It’s rich and full bodied. The sound is sent wide and can be heard cleanly and clearly all around the room. Frequencies were evenly amplified across the spectrum. Listening to Beethoven, I could hear the violin strings as easily the kettle drums. In movies, the sounds clearly followed objects on the screen. Connections were easy. There's 2 HDMI ports. Also a digital optical in. Bluetooth can be used to connect to phones, Alexa devices, or other electronics. Synchronization between the subwoofer and the soundbar was perfect. There was no noticeable lag as compared to a wired system. Volume for the sub can be set independently of the main volume for those who like more or less bass. I watched the same movies using a component set up in a different room. I did notice the bar was not quite as dispersive as the component system with discrete speakers. While the quality of the sound was nearly identical, the spacial spread was not as large. There was also a noted lack of sounds coming from the rear. This was abated somewhat by placing the subwoofer behind my couch (listening position). Samsung offers add on wireless rear speakers for a more complete listening experience. They’re also included with the HW-Q90R. For my taste, I know I’m not going to truly replicate the theater environment at home. From that perspective, this sound bar system does exactly the job.

I purchased a Samsung 65” Q80R TV and a week later purchase the Samsung Q60 sound bar and sub. While the sound wasn’t bad I felt it was lacking something compared to the picture quality I was now seeing. I returned the Q60 and after hearing the Q80 Sound Bar at the store I brought it home. Once connected (simple) I could not believe the sound. We watch a 4K movie and we had a feeling of being at a theater. I adjusted the upward firing speakers up and the sound was almost as good as having surround sound. I did not mount it due to its weight. I have to look into my options.

Very pleased with this sound bar/subwoofer purchase. The bar gives a very crisp sound and the subwoofer deep base. Sometimes the sounds seem to be coming from different directions just like the its advertised to do. Subwoofer is set on 1+ and the base is very deep. Im sure it would sound even better if I didnt have it in the stand. It's a great addition to our TV, 85" Q7 series. Would highly recommend this product, big Samsung fan!

If you like speakers on the brighter side, this is very good set. Clear sound and very easy setup. Provides some good life to the 82” TV that is well matched. However, I have two issues with this. That’s why no 5 star rating only 4. I have the sound bar connected via optical and since I needed more that 3 inputs on my TV I had to also connect the HDMI (ARC) from sound bar. The sound defaults to HDMI ARC always even if I switch it to Optical. I would have preferred to use optical to transfer the TV sound to the sound bar. The second problem is synchronization. You can only add more delay but cannot reduce delay even if you wire the receiver through the sound bar and if you do that then you lose smart hub capability in the TV I wish SAMSUNG/Harman fix these via firmware upgrades It is an expensive sound bar and these things become annoying.

Can I say quality sound at it's finest! I absolutely feel like I am at movies with this sound bar!