Samsung HW-Q800T Soundbar Review

The Samsung HW-Q800T is a 3.1.2 setup from Samsung's 2020 lineup. It supports Dolby Atmos content, and it has Amazon's Alexa voice assistant integrated into its design. Unlike some of the other bars in Samsung's lineup, it comes with Q-Symphony technology and Acoustic Beam 2.0 to help create a more immersive sound experience, but we don't test these features. Its main competitors are the Samsung HW-Q80R, the Samsung HW-Q70T, the Samsung HW-Q70R, and the Sonos Arc.

The Samsung HW-Q800T soundbar has a similar look to the Samsung HW-Q70T. There's a metal grille covering the top and the front of the bar, and the rest of the bar is covered with hard plastic.

The Samsung HW-Q800T's sub is made of wood, although there's a thin fabric covering one side. This fabric feels like it could easily rip or get dirty.

There aren't any satellites in this setup.

The Samsung HW-Q800T soundbar is the same size as the Samsung HW-Q70T and likely won't fit between the legs of a 55" TV. However, it isn't very tall, so it shouldn't block any part of your TV screen unless your screen sits flush on the table.

The Samsung HW-Q800T soundbar's sub is slightly taller and deeper than the Samsung HW-Q70T's sub. It connects to the bar wirelessly, so you can move it anywhere in the room.

This setup doesn't have any satellites.

There are two openings on the back of the Samsung HW-Q800T soundbar for the inputs and the power cable. On top of the bar, near the back-middle, there are touch-style control buttons. You can also mount this bar using the universal holes on the underside.

On the back of the sub, there's a plastic port. The power cable connects to the sub in the bottom-left corner, and there's a pairing button on the bottom-right.

There aren't any satellites in this setup.

The Samsung HW-Q800T soundbar has a great build quality. It's mostly made of plastic, which feels solid and sturdy, and there's a metal grille to help protect the speakers. The sub is mostly made of wood, though the thin fabric on the one side feels like it could easily rip or get dirty.

• Manual
• HDMI cable
• Remote with batteries (2x AA)
• Power cables (x2)
• Adapter for power cable
• Wall-mounting brackets
• Screws for wall-mounting brackets
• Template for wall-mounting brackets

The Samsung HW-Q800T soundbar has an excellent stereo frequency response. Its sound profile is very neutral and should suit most audio genres. Also, its bass extends low, so can do a good job reproducing the deep thumps and rumbles in music and movies. There's also a graphic EQ and presets available to help you customize the sound to your liking.

The Samsung HW-Q800T soundbar has a decent stereo soundstage performance. It sounds about as wide as the bar itself, but it doesn't do anything to make it sound larger. It also has a good focus, so objects will sound like they're coming from an accurate, pinpoint location rather than a general area.

Update 09/21/2020: We've discovered a value input bug that would cause the Dynamics box results to be slightly off. All soundbars reviewed since January 30th, 2020 have been updated.

The Samsung HW-Q800T soundbar has great stereo dynamics. It can get loud, so it can be used in crowded settings and large rooms. There's a bit of compression when you play the bar at max volume, but it likely won't be noticeable with real-life content.

The HW-Q800T soundbar has a decent THD performance. When you play the bar at normal listening volume, there's a little bit of distortion, but it may not be so noticeable. However, at max volume, there's more distortion, especially in the bass range. This can be difficult to hear with real-life content.

The Samsung HW-Q800T is a 3.1.2 setup with an excellent center channel performance. Thanks to its dedicated center channel, it can clearly and accurately reproduce the dialogue found in TV shows and movies.

The Samsung HW-Q800T's surround performance is poor. It downmixes surround content to stereo in order to play it, so it may sound like your audio is taking place in front of you instead of all around you. It also sounds quite bass-heavy.

The Samsung HW-Q800T soundbar has a poor height performance. It uses two up-firing speakers in the bar to bounce sound off the ceiling to give the impression of height. It also has Samsung Acoustic Beam technology, which uses small holes in the bar to direct sound to create a more immersive experience. However, the bar sounds quite bright, and it doesn't sound as real as discrete localization created by down-firing speakers.

This soundbar has sub-par sound enhancement features. It doesn't have a room correction feature, so the bar may sound different depending on the room you're in. On the upside, you can adjust the sound profile of the bar using the four EQ presets (Standard, Surround, Game Pro, Adaptive Sound) or the 7-band graphic EQ. The Adaptive Sound mode can analyze content in real-time to adjust the sound to optimize the content, but we currently don't test for this.

The Samsung HW-Q800T soundbar has several inputs available. With the HDMI ports, you can use the bar as a hub between different devices, such as your Blu-ray player or game console. The micro USB port is only for service and software updates, so it can't be used to play files directly from a USB device. Also, it lacks a 3.5mm Aux port, so you won't be able to plug in older smartphones.

The Samsung HW-Q800T soundbar has fantastic support for audio content over its HDMI ARC port. It supports Dolby Digital and DTS, which should please many movie fans. Its eARC support also means that it can play lossless surround formats.

This soundbar has outstanding audio format support. It can play audio from most sources, including Blu-ray discs and streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, or Disney+.

This soundbar supports both Dolby Digital and DTS content from its optical port. These formats are commonly found on Blu-ray discs and streaming platforms.

The Samsung HW-Q800T soundbar has a very good selection of wireless playback connections. You can play music, audiobooks, podcasts, and other content from your mobile devices wirelessly using a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection.

The Samsung HW-Q800T soundbar can passthrough the highest bandwidth signals. When you connect this soundbar to your TV and another source like a PC or a gaming console, the text on screen appears clear and crisp.

The Samsung HW-Q800T's subwoofer connects wirelessly to the bar. There's only an input for its power cord.

There are no satellites in this setup.

This soundbar has a simple interface. Behind the metal grille, there's a small screen that indicates the volume level and the input you're currently using. It's only a four-character display, so you may need to wait for some messages to scroll across the screen. Also, there's a red light that turns on when the bar is muted.

On the top of the soundbar, there are touch-sensitive buttons. You can turn the bar on/off, adjust the volume, turn the mic on/off, and use the multifunction button to change inputs and enable Alexa voice assistant.

The Samsung HW-Q800T's remote looks similar to the Samsung HW-Q70T's remote. You can control all the functions of the bar, but it can't be used as a universal remote.

The SmartThings app allows you to control many of the Samsung HW-Q800T soundbar's functions. You can change inputs, play music from your device, change the EQ settings, and adjust the subwoofer. However, the app doesn't have center level and front-top level adjustments like the remote.

The Samsung HW-Q800T soundbar has an auto-off function, so it turns off automatically if it doesn't receive an audio signal for 18 minutes. Also, thanks to the HDMI CEC support, you can control some basic functions of the bar using your TV remote.