Samsung - Harmon Kardon 7.1.4-Channel Soundbar System with 8" Wireless Subwoofer and Dolby Atmos - Midnight Black

I have had the Samsung N950 hooked up for a little over a week in my main media room and have put it through all of my daily media uses. Streaming Netflix/Hulu, playing Xbox, watching movies, and listening to some music. I pitted the 7.1.4 soundbar against my traditional 7.1 speaker setup that resides in my media room before ultimately transitioning it to my den TV. My 7.1 (non-Atmos) setup includes a Yamaha Aventage RX-A750 receiver, and a full Klipsch (2 floorstanding, center, 2 bookshelf in front presence, rear surrounds, and 10" woofer) speaker system. I wanted to put them head to head out of curiosity, but also because Samsung claims this to be a suitable stand in to a traditional speaker system. I will get into my thoughts on the soundbar system, and then finish up with what I found in the comparison. Design: The system is built like a tank. I had difficulty bringing the box in and up a flight of stairs on my own. The shipping info said it was 61lbs..I believe it. Taking the speakers out of the box is a pretty simple exercise - just a couple of pieces of foam and wrapping and all of the equipment is out. I like when items are well packed because if they put some thought into something disposable like packaging then they surely put a lot of thought into the product. The soundbar, speakers, and woofer all come in an attractive black finish. The soundbar is quite sturdy feeling, and pretty hefty - it has 13 speakers in it for crying out loud! The rear surrounds also have a nice build and weight to them - the weight makes them feel more premium. The woofer is a pretty standard black box that will be fine tucked away or out in the open - nothing really special here. The soundbar and speakers have very nice metal perforated grills that live up to the systems premium price. The WAF (wife acceptance factor) for this system is pretty high, the speakers and soundbar are elegant and fit nicely with the decor. The soundbar itself is pretty large. I have a 60" TV and it is only a few inches narrower (48.25"), so make sure you have enough space for this beast to reside (dims are 48.25 W x 5.25 D x 3.25 H). The power rating, per the manual is 18W x 10 + 10W x 3. The rear speakers are larger than your standard satellites, but still weigh about 5 lbs apiece (dims are 8.25 H x 5.5 D x 4.75 W). Power rating is 35W x 2 for each speaker. The rears have threaded inserts (1/4-20 I believe) for mounting to stands or for wall mounting. If wall mounting, be sure to get mounts that can handle 15+ lbs (mounts rated to just 10 lbs will likely sag). The subwoofer dims are 8.5 W x 15.5 D x 16.5 H, and its rated to 162W peak (so probably 75-85W RMS). The remote is nicely done. It feels good in the hand and has a dead simple layout. For the most part you will be concerned with the volume button, which is a nice rocker switch that has a good tactile feedback when moved. I like when remotes have a simple layout and don't try to do too much. There is a small display on the front of the soundbar that you navigate with the remote. I didn't care for the display due to its size, and the fact it only displays 3-4 characters across at a time (longer menu items scroll). To me this is the only part of the design that feels half thought out. I understand there are constraints due to the number of speakers contained within the bar, but I felt this could have be better laid out. I had trouble navigating the menus with any sort of speed due to this limitation. This setup screams for an on-screen display (OSD) on the TV. Keep the small screen for when you are playing music (i.e. TV is off), but utilize the HDMI passthrough to add a simple OSD. It would have made configuring things so much easier. Initial Setup The initial setup was a breeze. It took me longer to unpack the speakers and necessary cords than it did to set it up. I plugged the soundbar in to power, followed by the rears, and subwoofer. They all automatically connected/paired, which was impressive. The pairing time was only a few seconds (I had to unplug and move things a few times, and they always reconnected super fast). I hooked my Xbox into HDMI1, and another cable went out to my TV. All together it took about 10 minutes to hook up. The right-angle power cord plugs made it easy to plug in behind things, which sped up the process. Sound Setup (Calibration) The sound setup for this system is pretty basic. This is a plus and a minus. On the plus side it keeps things pretty easy for people to configure. On the downside it affects your ability to truly fine tune the system. You can adjust each speaker and subwoofer to +/- 6. Same goes for bass and treble. There are also 3 sound effect modes to choose from that output different channels (2.1, 5.1, 7.1, or 7.1.4) depending on the input. The manual has a nice chart explaining this. I have my XBox set to mix Dolby Atmos for all of its output (Look for the app in the Xbox store - its $15 I believe), so these modes were unavailable to me since it will always output 7.1.4. This is as far as you can adjust the system without downloading the Samsung Smartthings app. From within the app you can adjust the equalizer settings further than just bass and treble. To be honest I would have loved to have seen a microphone calibration setup like I have had with my receivers over the years. It is such an easy way to adjust each speaker for your intended listening position, but I can understand that it may be difficult to implement due to the nature of the soundbar. Sound Quality I felt the sound quality to be, hands down, the best I have ever heard from a soundbar setup. The soundstage was broad, each speaker channel could be identified, and the Atmos mixing really made things come alive. The system filled the room with sound, and made for an immersive listening experience. Watching TV shows on Netflix/Hulu was pretty good. Dialogue came through great, and was very crisp. Some shows are mixed better than others, which is somewhat noticeable at times when the sound becomes a little too sharp. I'm not sure if this is due to the processing being done by my Xbox or the speaker system. Either way it's not too bad, but something to keep in mind. Playing games with the system was excellent, and it really added to the immersion. I played Rise of the Tomb Raider (a game that supports Atmos), and it was awesome to hear the the sounds coming from above. I played a number of other games without native Atmos support (Halo 5, Battlefield One, and PUBG), and I felt they got a little extra bump in immersion with the 'upconverted' signal. Overall pretty great gaming experience. Music reproduction was pretty good. The mids and highs were really handled well, and vocals were super crisp. The lows, and bass were a little lacking for me, but it is tough to get really good lows without larger woofers. Where the system really shined was with Atmos mixed movies. I watched several movies: Thor: Ragnarok, Skyscraper, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. The sound was fantastic for these movies! The battle at the end of Thor was made that much better with the extra Atmos channels. You could hear the T-Rex roaring above you in Jurassic World, and the helicopters flying overhead in Skyscraper. It was a pretty cool experience to say the least. My only gripe is I wish the subwoofer had a little more kick. I love bass, so this may be a personal preference coming through. At times I wish I could turn the sub up more, but I already had it maxed out. Keep in mind I still found that this subwoofer is still one of the better, if not best, I have heard from a soundbar setup. It never became muddy or overblown even at max levels, which is impressive. Comparisons I said I would wrap up with a comparison to my existing system. My current system definitely comes at a steeper price point - right around 3K, so the Samsung comes in quite a bit cheaper. The amount of setup time required for my original system is in the order of a few days. Running wiring inside walls, mounting speakers, terminating wires, etc. took so much time and effort. Am I glad I did it, yes. Would I do it again, yes - but I would loathe it. The Samsung system took 10 minutes - I can set this system up a hundred times, and still be faster. Sound quality was tough to evaluate. My media room has a vaulted ceiling and a large open area to one side This really affected the Samsung system. It still sounded great, but threw the listening positions out of whack (the ceiling-reflected sound landed up closer to the TV than it did me). My original system for sure sounded better in that room. That is why I moved the Samsung system to my den. It has a flat 8' ceiling with walls closer in on the sides. In a room like this the Samsung sounded, so much better than before. I would not recommend using this system with a vaulted ceiling unless you are able to get those listening positions just right. Overall sound quality - my original system was still better by a decent margin. It provided a richer sound across all EQ levels, a broader soundstage, and greater fine tuning. It didn't require reflecting sound, so the room config didn't hurt it. Was it a couple of grand better - no, and the effort it took to get to that point was tremendous. The Samsung system did trump my original setup with its ceiling-reflected sound, though. It was such a cool listening experience to hear things above your head like that. That is something my current system can't match. Wrap-Up So this brings me back to Samsung's claim that this soundbar system can be a good stand in for a discrete surround sound/receiver setup. To that claim I wholeheartedly agree. This is really a great system, and it is so much easier (and less expensive) to implement. I'm not sure I would have gone the full speaker setup route in the first place if this had been on the market. Take a listen and see for yourself.

==== Summary ==== The Samsung HW-N950 is a fantastic soundbar system that offers genuine 7.1.4-channel surround sound with clear and focused dialogue, crystal-clear sound, excellent dynamic range and soundstage, thundering bass, and excellent object-based audio (Dolby Atmos & DTS-X). All the hardware components are built with premium materials and the fit-and-finish is excellent. Besides the remote, the soundbar can also be controlled & updated via the intuitive SmartThings app. Samsung and Harmon Kardon have hit it out of the park with this premium and great-sounding audio system that enriches your multimedia experience at home. It is a sensational product. *Pros: -17 speakers deliver amazing surround sound - from the front, the sides, and from above. -Genuine 7.1.4 speaker configuration - no psychoacoustics or virtual audio processing trickery. -Dolby Atmos & DTS-X deliver an immersive and dimensional sound experience. No gimmicks. -Thunderous & hard-hitting bass. -4K Pass-Through. -Easy and simple setup (not even 5 minutes). -Can stream music through Bluetooth and Wifi. -The SmartThings app provides additional control over the soundbar. -Amazon Alexa integration & control. Samsung Bixby is supported as well. -Cheaper than building a comparable system using a 9-channel AV receiver with a 5.1.4 speaker package. *Neutral: -Expensive. *Cons: -None. ==== Design & Connectivity Options ===== The first thing I noticed during my unboxing was how BIG and heavy the box was. It was no wonder as each part of the system has quite a bit of weight. The main soundbar unit weighs ~20 lbs, the subwoofer weighs ~21 lbs, and the two rear speakers weigh ~9 lbs. Out of the box, the HW-N950 is a thing of beauty. It's modern, sleek, and clean in design. It is a bit minimalist but I appreciate that quality for its simplicity and ability to easily blend in. The thing feels solid and premium with metal components. It's built like a tank~! Keeping things clean, the soundbar has 4 buttons (Power, Source, Volume Down, Volume Up) and an LCD read-out display that is easy to view from afar. The Source button toggles between Optical Digital Input, ARC HDMI, HDMI, WiFi, and Bluetooth. Another thing that caught my attention was how much longer and thicker the soundbar was compared to my previous Polk MagniFi Max soundbar system. The soundbar is longer than my 55" TV~! It is understandable, however, when you look closely at the specs. Altogether, Samsung has managed to fit in 11 amplified speakers around a total of 17 drivers. After adding in the rear speakers and the subwoofer, there is a total of 512W of audio power goodness. Besides looking good, the HW-N950 is very easy to setup and control as well. As instructed in the manual, I plugged in the subwoofer first, followed by the Left and Right surround speakers and then main soundbar unit. I used the ARC HDMI port to connect to my 55" 4K Samsung TV and used one of the HDMI ports to connect to my LG 4K UHD Blu-Ray player. All the speaker components synced right up and the system was ready to play under 5 minutes. The remote controller is another item of minimalist and clean design. Besides fitting inside the hands comfortably and being pretty light, all the buttons and the general layout was intuitive in use and function. With the remote, one can control additional aspects of the sound system - Subwoofer volume level, Mute, Bluetooth pairing, Sound Mode (Standard, Surround, & Smart), track control when playing music via Bluetooth or Wifi (Play, Pause, Skip), and volume control over each of the speakers (Center, Side, Front Top, Rear, and Rear Top). In addition, Treble and Bass levels can be adjusted. If you connect the N950 to your home Wifi and launch the SmartThings app like I did, then even more configuration options are opened up. For instance, one can open the Equalizer setting and create your own custom EQ setting or select from one of the three predefined ones (Pop, Jazz, and Classic). You can also use the Sleep Timer function to automatically turn off the soundbar after a set amount of time (max of 1 hr & 30 mins). If you want to create custom voice commands to control the power state of the N950 or its volume level, you can do so via the Samsung Bixby app with a compatible Samsung phone (I have a Galaxy S9+). Amazon Alexa is onboard as well for those with an Amazon Echo device. Finally, manual firmware updates can be handled inside the SmartThings app which is very convenient. All in all, Samsung has done a tremendously good job crafting the HW-N950. It's a great-looking system with a clean design, premium build materials, and it's packed full of the latest and greatest audio components and technologies. ==== Performance ==== "Wow~!" and "Dang~!" were the first words that came out of my mouth when I watched Avengers Infinity War, a title that supports Dolby Atmos, after everything was set up. The sound quality and immersion blew me away because it was just soooo good. This is my first experience with an object-based audio technology such as Dolby Atmos and I came out of it truly impressed and awed. It really does feel like you're watching the movie inside a theater. Sound separation is excellent, soundstage is wide and accurate, dialogue is clear and focused, the bass is thunderous and yet clean, and all the environmental sound effects shift around the room seamlessly with good balance. Experiencing such high-quality and immersive audio firsthand was a definite eye-popping and ear-opening experience. Samsung has created a truly magnificent 7.1.4 audio system and I can't say enough good things about it. My wife isn't easily impressed in general when it comes to audio but she gave the N950 a complete thumbs-up. Even when watching regular content such as TV or 2-channel and 5.1/7.1 content, the N950 delivers a great auditory experience. Ditto for music and music videos. Everything just sounds fantastic on this system. ==== Verdict ==== The Samsung HW-N950 receives a 10 out 10 from me and it is a complete win from Samsung. They have created a visually appealing soundbar system that is packed with the latest & greatest audio technologies and outfitted it with premium build materials. The setup process is painless and fast, the remote control functionalities are thoughtful and intuitive in design and usage, and the additional control of the system via the SmartThings app is well-integrated and helpful. And that audio experience...what a fantastic experience it is being immersed and bathed in 7.1.4 audio bliss sound field. If the N950 fits within your budget and/or you don't want to bother with setting up a complicated receiver + multi-speaker setup with numerous wiring, do definitely add the N950 to your home and experience TV and movies in new & fresh ways. You won't be disappointed.

This soundbar is my first upgrade to the home theater I have in my master bedroom. The bedroom is about 20’x20’, so it’s a larger bedroom, but not necessarily a big room. I am using it currently with an older 52” TV and a HD player. The audio system came with one soundbar, one subwoofer, two rear wireless speakers, a hdmi cord, remote, and an owner’s manual. The box is pretty large (weighs roughly 60 pounds) and may not fit in some smaller cars. The setup was really easy. I expected the wireless connection to be more difficult, but it worked surprisingly well. Plug in the speakers in the order the manual specifies, and they connect. There are 2 HDMI inputs and 1 output. There is also an optical input. Each speaker has its own power cord, and the soundbar acts as the receiver as well as front speakers. The N950 has some extra options that give it more functionality. I was able to connect my phone through Bluetooth and play music. Also, the soundbar can connect to wi-fi and act as a wireless speaker. I was able to get Spotify to connect through “Devices Available” and play music through the system. The soundbar can also use the wireless connection to communicate directly with certain newer Samsung TVs. The wireless connection requires the use of the SmartThings app which was a little clunky to get to work with the N950. My TV is older and could not connect wirelessly this way. Also, I didn’t have a way to test the Dolby Atmos feature which is one of the better features. As I mentioned, this is the first part of upgrading the home theater system. After trying both a movie and music these were some of the pros and cons that I found: Pros The overall sound quality was really good even at low volumes. It was pleasant to listen to. The ability to use both Bluetooth and Wireless connectivity. It came with an HDMI cord (always a bonus). The optical input allows you to bring audio from the TV to the soundbar. This is useful if you just want to use the TV audio sometimes. Also, it can allow more items to be connected by going through the TV first. Cons It’s one of the higher price points for a soundbar package. It’s not a super high end audio system. The sub is good, but I like a little more lower-end bass. It’s not a true 7.1 surround sound. I feel like there’s a little missing by not having speakers between front and rear. There are only 2 HDMI inputs. Something as this level should have more capability to connect things. SmartThings app was clunky to get to connect. The owner’s manual is an abbreviated version in the box. You must go and download the full version from Samsung. I needed that extra information to get it to work on the wireless setting. Samsung should have sprung for the extra 14 pages of manual. Overall, the N950 Soundbar is a good set-up. The audio is clear, it’s easy to set up, and has a wide variety of functionality. I’d prefer to see more input/output connections, but it really depends on what you plan to hook up to it.

It’s amazing to hear how good a Soundbar can fill a room. We have a game/theatre room that has a traditional receiver with wired 6.1 speakers and have loved it. We didn’t want to wire and mount speakers in our family room but wanted the same surround sound. We weren’t very impressed with most of the soundbars we heard and didn’t trust one could accomplish what we wanted until we checked out the Samsung Harmon Kardon options they had on display at Best Buy. The HW-950 blew us away. It’s a pretty heavy bar, and looks good under our 75” Samsung TV. There are no distracting lights when it’s on, just a small display on the far right that tells you how it’s connected (HDMI, TV ARC, BT), then goes blank. It will display the sound level as a number when you adjust the volume. It was very easy to set up & easy to register with Samsung.com. We like that there are two HDMI inputs so our son can hook up his PS4. Pairing our iPhones via Bluetooth is really easy and great to listen to our library of music. (Today, I couldn’t hear sound coming from the back speakers while listening via Bluetooth/so I’ll be looking into that.) The speakers on the bar sound great!!! The two back speakers are a good size and quality. They link easily and sound pretty good. They are not really loud but provide a very good surround sound. While watching a 4K movie that was 5.1 it sounded as if we had speakers on the side of our room, as the bar has speakers that project out the side. This has Dolby Atmos and dts-x but we haven’t found a lot that’s recorded in those to enjoy. We’re still glad we have it! This is really loud too, and the sound stays clear. We think the bass is more than sufficient for movies. This does a great job with the volume of dialogue and background noise. There’s no need to constantly adjust the volume. Explosions don’t drown out conversations. It does a great job of separating everything. We bought this as open box. It’s in excellent condition. We saved a little and ended up with a sound system that really does compete with the wired set up. We’re happy and recommend this.

I tried Sonos and had a dedicated 5.1 setup. This had a better midrange and soundstage. Atmos was 4th on my priority list so it had to stand on its own. Connected to my Samsung tv it’s a better integration and the direct HDMI ports ensure my tv doesn’t downgrade the signal. I’d give it 4.5 stars if I could.

I recently purchased this soundbar to replace a Samsung receiver and Klipsch speakers. When I heard this soundbar in Best Buy on display, I knew it would make our movie nights much more enjoyable. Installation was a breeze and works with the current Samsung tv remote we have. The wireless speakers and sub sound amazing! I definitely would recommend this to bring home the theater experience!

The Samsung 7.1.4 Channel Soundbar turned our tv room into a concert hall. Wireless Surround speakers on stands and huge bass module pump up the sound. 17 speakers total are just right. Too heavy to mount to swivel mount of tv but amazing sound nonetheless.

Bought the surroundsound to match with my 82 inch Q 60 4K TV and My family an I couldn’t be any happier. Bass and back speakers sound great and perfect. One small flaw is if there is’n an audio coming out of the sound bar it turns off after five minutes. No big deal, definitely recommend this .