The Samsung HW-Q80R is a great performing 5.1.2 soundbar. Its audio reproduction is accurate, well-balanced, and clean, even at very high volumes. This soundbar also supports Atmos and its up-firing speakers use the ceiling to give you an immersive impression of height. The soundstage is also quite wide due to the side-firing speakers. The setup is well-built and feels high-end, but lacks rear speakers like the ones the HW-Q90R has.
Our Verdict
Great for mixed usage. The Samsung HW-Q80R soundbar has a very good, neutral and accurate sound profile. It'll perform well with all sorts of content such as dialogue, a wide variety of music genres, and movies. You can also get an immersive listening experience since it supports Atmos on its 5.1.2 setup, but it lacks rear satellites. On the upside, this soundbar performs well even at a very high volume, and it offers decent manual sound customization.
- Great audio reproduction.
- Multiple connection options.
- Great performance at high volume.
- Supports Atmos and height channels for immersive experience.
- Small interface screen.
- Very wide bar.
- No room correction.
Great for dialogue and watching TV shows. The Samsung HW-Q80R soundbar is also great for podcasts and audiobooks. It sounds neutral and the overall reproduction of voices is accurate. It gets very loud and has a feature to make dialogue clearer at low volumes too. You can also easily stream audio content from your phone to the bar via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
Great for music. The Samsung HW-Q80R soundbar system has an accurate and neutral sound profile which is suitable for a wide variety of music genres. It also has a good soundstage size and it's focused. This setup can get very loud and doesn't compress, even at higher volumes, which is great. You can easily EQ and set the level of the subwoofer separately to your liking.
Great for movies. The Samsung HW-Q80R soundbar sounds great and also supports Atmos, which gives you a more immersive experience when compared to some other soundbars. However, it won't sound as realistic as a setup with down-firing speakers and it lacks rear satellites. You'll still be able to play surround sound content with a good sound quality. There are also a few features to customize the sound to your liking, and you can easily set the amount of bass you want from the sub.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 22, 2021: Added third-party voice assistant support.
- Updated Feb 24, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Jun 08, 2020: We've tested the new eARC support after updating to the latest firmware.
- Updated Sep 27, 2019: Review published.
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Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The Samsung HW-Q80R is one of the better sounding 5.1 soundbars we've tested so far. It has a neutral and accurate audio reproduction, is very well-built, and has a great soundstage and immersive listening experience with its Atmos support. However, it's a high-end setup that lacks dedicated rear speakers like other similar soundbars. See our recommendations for the best soundbars, the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, and the best soundbars 5.1.
The Samsung HW-Q90R is basically the Samsung HW-Q80R, but with rear satellites that have up firing speakers. They both perform quite similarly, but the Q90R has a small edge over the Q80R. The 7.1.4 Q90R has a better overall surrounds performance thanks to the rear speakers, which is the main difference. Both bars are very similar and your choice will come down to personal budget and preference of content.
The Samsung HW-Q80R is a slightly better setup than the Samsung HW-Q70R. It can get louder and its stereo soundstage feels a bit wider too. However, we didn’t test either with satellites. The Q80R soundstage sounds a bit wider, and it has side-firing speakers on the bar to play surround content, which the Q70R can’t do. The Q80R also has a better Atmos performance and gives you a better height impression, which is great for movies.
The Samsung HW-Q80R is better than the standalone Sonos Arc. The Samsung has a dedicated sub that helps reproduce a more extended low-bass. It also has a graphic EQ for sound customization. However, the Sonos has better soundstage and surround performances. It comes with room correction and built-in voice assistant support. You can also upgrade it to the Sonos Arc with Sub + One SL Speakers for better performance.
The Samsung HW-Q80R is a much better soundbar setup than the Samsung HW-Q60R. The Q80R is a 5.1.2 soundbar that using up and side-firing speakers to simulate an Atmos-like experience. The Q80R also has a much better bass response, a wider stereo soundstage, more connectivity options, and has less artifacts when pushed to louder volumes. On the other hand, the Q60R is a smaller soundbar that still has side-firing speakers to simulate surround sound, though it isn't Atmos-enabled.
Test Results
