Samsung HW-Q800C Soundbar Review

The bar has a similar design to the previous Samsung HW-Q800C. It's a sleek plastic soundbar with metal grilles covering the bar's front, sides, and top. The physical controls are on top of the bar, and the inputs are underneath.

The bar comes with a sub that's mostly made of wood. A plastic plate covers the back, where you also find the port. One side is covered in a round piece of fabric, too.

You can add a separate wireless speaker kit via the manufacturer. You can also check out models like the Samsung HW-Q990C which come with satellites included with purchase.

The bar is rather long, so it doesn't fit between the legs of an average 55" TV. It isn't very tall, so unless your TV sits flush on your table, your screen isn't obscured.

The sub's size is comparable to an average desktop computer. It's wireless, too, so it only needs to be plugged into a power outlet to work.

Included brackets make it easy to mount the soundbar to your wall. Screws are included, too, so you don't need to purchase anything separately.

The Samsung HW-Q800C has excellent build quality. The bar itself has a solid and durable feel. It's mostly made of plastic, and the metal grilles covering the bar help to protect the drivers inside. The wooden sub feels sturdy, too. However, the fabric circle covering one side is prone to collecting dust and debris over time.

• User Manual
• Remote with batteries (2x AAA)
• 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 bar has a great stereo frequency response. Its room correction feature puts it on par with other premium models on the market, as it automatically optimizes the bar's sound based on your room's unique acoustics. With it on, you get a good, well-balanced sound, especially in the mids, where vocals and lead instruments are reproduced. The sub brings plenty of rumble in the bass, too, and while it struggles with very low-bass on some tracks, it's not very noticeable to those who aren't avid audiophiles. Overall, it's suitable for listening to lots of different audio content.

We recommend using the bar's default settings if you prefer a more neutral sound with stereo content. However, as you can see here, our treble level adjustment didn't change the bar's sound when on Standard mode. We aren't sure if this issue is unique to our model, but you can leave a comment in the forums if you experience a similar issue.

The Samsung HW-Q800C has a good stereo soundstage. The soundstage is perceived to be about the size of the bar itself, and the bar is rather wide, to begin with. Plus, focus is very good. This means that instruments are clearly separated into the left or right channels based on how the original audio engineers mix the audio.

The Samsung HW-Q800C gets loud enough for larger and more open living rooms. It does have some compression when you push it to max volume, which impacts the overall sound clarity, so you may prefer to listen at a more moderate volume.

The Samsung HW-Q800C is a 5.1.2 soundbar, and it comes with a discrete center channel to improve vocal reproduction in the mix. The frequency response on this channel is very even and balanced, especially in the mids, where most voices are reproduced. Dialogue is clear and easy to follow as a result.

The Samsung HW-Q800C uses two side-firing drivers built into the bar to simulate a phantom surround sound. Since the frequency response on these channels is quite even, sound effects are clear and easy to hear. However, a phantom surround doesn't provide as clear or real a feel as you find with discrete satellite speakers like those with the Samsung HW-Q990C. You can always add a compatible model to the bar separately.

The Samsung HW-Q800C uses two up-firing drivers built into the bar to bounce sound off the ceiling for the illusion of height. The frequency response on these channels is even, though it falls below our target curve, so some effects are less clear in the mix. It doesn't come with rear speakers, so unless you add them on separately, you don't notice the same all-around feel with sound effects.

Subjectively, we found the bar provides a pleasant listening experience. Details are crisp and clean in the mix, so you notice sound effects with clarity. The sub provides good rumble in the bass, too. As expected, though, there's only some feeling of height, but you don't get a very overhead feel, especially compared to more premium bars like the Samsung HW-Q900C or the Samsung HW-Q990C. For example, a helicopter flying overhead seems like it's coming from a place in front of you instead.

The bar comes with lots of different enhancement features. Like many premium bars on the market, it has a room correction feature designed to optimize its sound based on your room's unique acoustics—it's called SpaceFit Sound. If you prefer to manually adjust the bar's sound, a 7-band graphic EQ is available on Standard mode, as well as bass and treble adjustments. The treble adjustment tool didn't work for us on Standard mode. If you watch a lot of dialogue-heavy content, you can use the Voice Enhance feature to enhance dialogue or the Active Voice Amplifier tool, which analyzes noise in real-time to ensure voices remain clear in the mix. If you choose to add rear speakers separately, their levels are adjustable, too.

You can connect the bar to your TV via Optical or HDMI. Plus, the HDMI In port means that you can use the bar as a hub between different devices for video passthrough, which is handy if you want to reduce the number of cables in your setup.

The Samsung Q800C supports common 5.1 surround sound formats like Dolby Digital via ARC and lossless and object-based formats like Dolby Atmos.

The Samsung Q800C supports many different audio formats that you'll likely come across on both streaming platforms and Blu-rays via HDMI In.

The Samsung Q800C supports many common surround sound formats over an Optical connection. Dolby Digital is the more common of the two, but DTS is often used as a fallback for higher-quality formats on Blu-rays, so you may encounter it there.

Audio latency is excellent over an ARC connection. Though some apps and TVs compensate for latency differently, you aren't likely to notice much delay between the audio you hear and the visuals on screen. If you run into lip-synching issues, you can manually adjust the delay using the app's AV Sync feature.

Over HDMI In, audio latency is fantastic. You aren't likely to come across lip-synching errors with common audio formats like Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos. The AV Sync feature in the app lets you manually adjust the delay, too.

Audio latency is good over an Optical connection. You aren't likely to notice delays, even with dialogue-heavy content like TV shows. Some apps and TVs compensate for latency differently, but if you have any issues, you can manually adjust the delay with the bar's AV Sync feature.

The bar can passthrough many high-resolution video signals that you come across on streaming platforms, Blu-rays, and gaming consoles. It can even passthrough some variable refresh rate technologies that ensure a tear-free gaming experience, like HDMI Forum VRR. It can't passthrough 4k @ 120Hz, so your screen isn't as natural-looking with 4k content.

Streaming audio from your mobile devices to the bar is easy over a variety of wireless connectivity options. Chromecast is only available in some regions, though, so you'll want to check the manufacturer's website for more information.

A four-character display on the front of the bar shows settings like the volume level and the current input. If you press the 'i' button on the remote, the bar also shows the format you're playing. It scrolls to display longer words if needed.

A few physical buttons are on top of the bar to access basic controls. You can change the input, adjust the volume, and mute and unmute the microphone for Amazon Alexa.

The remote is a simple way to control the bar from the comfort of your couch. You can also use the Samsung SmartThings app if you prefer, and there's a video of what it looks like here.

Built-in Alexa lets you control this soundbar using your voice. In some regions, you'll find Google Assistant support, too. You can mute the microphone if you don't want to use this feature.