Samsung HW-Q800B Soundbar Review

The Samsung HW-Q800B has a similar design to the Samsung HW-Q930B. It's made of plastic, and there are metal grills covering the front, sides, and top of the bar. The angled edges give it a unique look compared to last year's models.

The Samsung Q800B's sub looks like most Samsung subs on the market. It's mostly made of wood, and there's a plastic plate on the back. A round piece of fabric covers the speaker, though it's rather thin.

You can add on a Wireless Rear Speaker kit from the manufacturer separately. If you prefer a setup with rear speakers included, check out the Samsung HW-Q910B.

The Samsung HW-Q800B is rather wide, so it doesn't fit between the legs of a 55-inch TV. That said, it's not very tall, so it doesn't block out your TV screen. If you're looking for a similar bar that's taller and thinner, you can check out the Samsung HW-S800B.

The Samsung Q800B's sub is about the same size as a desktop computer. With its wireless design, you're able to place it anywhere in your living room.

The Samsung HW-Q800B has an excellent build quality. The plastic on the bar feels very premium and solid, and the metal grilles help to protect the drivers inside. The sub's wood build is sturdy, too. However, the fabric over the speaker represents a potential weak point. Since the fabric is quite thin, it seems like it could rip or collect dust easily.

• User Manual
• Remote with batteries (2xAAA)
• HDMI cable (4.9 ft / 1.5m)
• 2x power cord (4.9 ft / 1.5m)
• 4x rubber feet
• Wall mount template
• 2x wall-mount brackets
• 2x holder screws
• 2x screws

The Samsung Q800B performs similarly to the Samsung HW-Q930B with stereo content. The response is quite neutral, especially in the mids where most voices and lead instruments are reproduced. As a result, these instruments are clear and present in the mix, and it's suitable for lots of different types of audio content. There's a little extra punch added in the bass range, too. It's ideal if you like bass-heavy genres like EDM and hip-hop, though fans of a more neutral sound can find it a little bassy.

This bar comes with lots of different sound enhancement features, but with stereo content, 'Standard' mode sounds best. The 'Adaptive Sound' feature is better suited for multi-channel content, as it makes stereo audio sound more boxy and filtered.

If you prefer a more neutral sound, you can set the bar's bass adjustment feature to '-2'. The resulting sound is very balanced, and you notice less emphasis in the bass range, so audio in the bass range is more accurately reproduced. Voices and lead instruments are still clear and detailed in the mix, too.

The Samsung Q800B has a good stereo soundstage. It has very good focus, and sound effects are localized to pinpoint locations in the soundstage. For example, if you listen to an orchestral recording, each instrument seems like it comes from a specific location that matches where the musician sits on stage. On 'Standard' mode, the soundstage is about as wide as the bar itself. 'Adaptive Sound' uses some tricks to make it seem a little wider, but it's not necessarily a better choice. With stereo content, this mode makes audio seem diffused and filtered. 'Standard' sounded best in our subjective tests, though your own subjective impressions can vary.

The Samsung Q800B has a decent stereo dynamics performance. Even if you have a larger living room, it gets loud enough to fill your room with sound. However, if you push it to max volume, there's some compression that distorts the sound, especially in the bass range. The next-generation Samsung HW-Q800C does offer an improvement in this regard.

The Samsung Q800B has a great stereo THD performance. At normal listening volumes, it falls within good limits, so your audio is reproduced with clarity. There's a small jump in THD at max volume, which is typical for most bars we test. That said, distortion is really hard to hear with real-life content. Unless you're a really astute audiophile, you don't notice much difference in the sound.

The Samsung Q800B has a great center channel performance. It's a 5.1.2 setup, meaning that there's a discrete center channel in the bar. This channel improves the reproduction of dialogue in your audio, so voices are more accurately localized within the soundstage. Given the neutral frequency response of this channel, voices remain clear and present in the mix, too. You don't have issues following the action in your favorite movies and TV shows.

The Samsung Q800B has an acceptable surround sound performance. When you listen to 5.1 surround sound formats like Dolby Digital, side-firing drivers in the bar are used to represent sound effects in the soundstage. These channels have a balanced frequency response, so sound effects are reproduced with clarity and detail. That said, the representation doesn't seem as clear or as real as what you get with discrete surround speakers. Audio just seems like it's coming from a speaker placed in front of you, rather than from speakers placed all around you. You can always add on rear speakers sold by the manufacturer separately if you want to improve its performance.

The Samsung Q800B has two up-firing drivers built into the bar, which ricochet sound off the ceiling to create the illusion of height. Again, these channels have a balanced frequency response, so sound effects are reproduced accurately, which is good. There's plenty of bass, so you feel the deep rumble in your seat during action-packed scenes and intense movie scores, just like at the movie theater.

Subjectively, the Samsung HW-Q800B offers a very good listening experience. It provides decent height, and sound effects seem to come from the space beside you, too. You have no issues following voices and details in the scene. That said, compared to bars with rear speakers, it doesn't perform quite as well. It doesn't get as much height as the Samsung HW-Q930B, for example, so it doesn't seem quite as immersive. If you don't have room for rear satellites, though, it's a good alternative.

The Samsung Q800B offers lots of different sound enhancement features to help you customize its sound. There's a 7-band graphic EQ as well as bass and treble adjustments on hand, and you can choose between lots of different EQ presets: 'Standard', 'Adaptive Sound', 'Game', 'Surround Sound'. As with most premium bars on the market, there's a room correction tool to optimize audio reproduction based on your room's unique acoustics. It's called SpaceFit Sound, and you can access it via the remote or the app.

A lot of manufacturers offer unique enhancement features designed to pair the bar with their brand of TVs, and Samsung is no different. If you have a compatible Samsung TV, you can use the Q-Symphony feature, which uses the TV's speakers in tandem with the Samsung Q800B. There's no real difference in the sound when you use this feature, though. It doesn't even impact the volume. It's not really worth it to get a Samsung TV specifically to use this feature.

You can connect the Samsung HW-Q800B to your TV using either an Optical or HDMI connection. There's an HDMI cable included in the box, which is handy. You also find a USB input under the bar, but it's only for service and software updates, so you can't use it to play audio.

The Samsung HW-Q800B supports lots of different audio formats via ARC. It can playback Dolby Digital, which is the most common surround sound format, as well as lossless and object-based formats like Dolby Atmos.

The Samsung Q800B supports lots of audio formats via HDMI In, too. If you watch a lot of content on streaming platforms, you're likely to come across Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos content, both of which are supported by the bar.

Over Optical, the Samsung Q800B supports both Dolby Digital and DTS content. Dolby Digital is more common, and it's found on lots of streaming platforms, whereas DTS is more commonly used with Blu-rays.

The Samsung Q800B has a fantastic latency performance. Thanks to its low latency, you don't notice a delay between the audio you hear and the video you see, and there are no lip-synching issues. If you have a compatible Samsung TV, you can even stream to the bar over a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection, and there aren't latency issues with these formats, either. That said, latency can vary depending on the app or the TV you use. Your real-world experience can vary, but if you have issues, check out the AV Sync feature in the app, which lets you control the delay.

The Samsung Q800B can passthrough some of the highest-quality bandwidth signals, allowing you to connect it between your TV and your PC to get clear and crisp text on the screen. Gamers can also use variable refresh rate technologies for a tear-free experience, like HDMI Forum VRR.

The Samsung Q800B lets you wirelessly stream audio from your mobile devices to the bar. It also supports Samsung's Tap Sound feature, which lets you "tap" a compatible smartphone against the bar to mirror sound over its speakers. It's a fun tool, but you can still stream over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Apple AirPlay 2 if you don't have a compatible phone. Chromecast support is even available in some regions, and you can check your country's product page to see if it's included.

There's a small four-character display on the right side of the bar, located just behind the metal grille. It shows the volume level and the current input as you adjust these settings, and you can also press the "i" button on the remote to show the format that's playing. It scrolls for longer messages, too.

The controls are on top of the bar. They let you change the input, adjust the volume, and turn the microphone on and off.

The remote has the same design as the remote with other bars from Samsung's 2022 lineup. It's simple and sleek, and you get access to lots of different enhancement tools. If you'd rather control the bar from your phone, you can download the Samsung SmartThings app.

You can also control the bar with your voice from the comfort of your couch using its built-in Alexa feature. Google Assistant is available in some regions as well. If you don't want it to listen to you, simply mute the microphone using the button on the bar.