Samsung HW-S800B  Soundbar Review

The Samsung S80CB has a unique design compared to other bars in Samsung's 2022 lineup. It's slim, so it takes up much less space on your entertainment stand. With a plastic build, you also find metal grilles on the front of the bar and covering the two up-firing drivers on top. You can find it in either black or white color variants.

The sub is also quite different than other 2022 Samsung models. It has a cube-like design with a wood build, and its small size takes up less space in your room. There are also feet on the bottom to keep it in place.

You can buy compatible satellites from the manufacturer separately, according to the manual.

The bar is rather wide, so it doesn't fit between the legs of a 55" TV stand. It's not very deep, though, and it's also not very tall, so it maintains a small footprint.

The small size of the subwoofer is ideal for smaller living spaces. It's roughly the same width as an average desktop computer, but it isn't as tall, so it's easier to integrate into your setup.

You can mount the bar to the wall using the included brackets.

The Samsung HW-S80CB/ZA has great build quality. The bar is well-built, with a sturdy plastic build that includes metal grilles to help protect the drivers within. The sub is mostly made of wood, too.

• Manuals
• Remote control
• 2x power cables (4.9 ft / 1.5m)
• AC/DC adapter (4.9 ft / 1.5m)
• HDMI to Micro HDMI cable (4.9 ft / 1.5m)
• Wall Mount guide
• 4x screws
• 4x screw anchors
• 2x holder screws
• 2x wall-mount bracket

It has a very good stereo frequency response. Its sound profile is quite balanced, especially in the mid-range, which is where most voices and lead instruments reproduce. As a result, these qualities are clear and present in the mix, and the bar is suitable for listening to many different types of audio content. There's a little extra punch in the bass range that brings some excitement to the mix. Like other Samsung bars, we prefer listening to stereo content like music in its 'Standard' mode, as 'Adaptive Sound' results in a pitchier sound.

Its sound is balanced out-of-the-box, but if you want a sound that's even closer to our neutral target curve, we recommend setting its bass to '-3' and its treble to '-3'. Voices and lead instruments remain clear in the mix, and you have a little less thump in the bass range.

The Samsung HW-S800B has a good stereo soundstage. It has good focus, so you can pinpoint certain instruments to particular locations in the space around you. The soundstage itself is perceived to be a little wider than the bar itself, but unfortunately, it doesn't have any tricks to make it seem larger than that.

The bar gets loud enough to fill an average-sized living room with sound. There's slight compression when you push it to max volume. It's not really loud enough to fill up larger and more open rooms, either.

It's a 3.1.2 bar with a discrete center channel to enhance vocal clarity in the mix. The channel's frequency response is quite balanced, too, meaning that voices reproduce with accuracy and detail. You have no trouble following the action on your screen.

This soundbar can playback 5.1 surround sound formats like Dolby Digital and DTS, which are both commonly found on streaming platforms and Blu-ray discs. However, since it's a 3.1.2 bar, it has to downmix this content into stereo to play it. It means that you can't take advantage of the technology that makes this audio seem like it stretches into the space around you—instead, audio seems like it's just coming from a speaker placed in front of you.

Two up-firing channels built into the bar are designed to create the illusion of height with content like Dolby Atmos. The frequency response on these channels is quite balanced, so sound effects are reproduced with clarity and accuracy.

Additionally, we established subjective impressions of the bar's soundstage. Unfortunately, it falls short of more premium Atmos bars from this manufacturer. Since it lacks satellites, it can't bring the same all-around feel as other models. This is especially noticeable in movies like Interstellar, as the expansive score from Hans Zimmer feels more narrow and concentrated to the space in front of your couch. The Vizio M Series Elevate M512E-K6 is a similarly-priced bar with satellites that does a better job with Atmos content, while the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 is a good pick for those who don't have space for rear speakers.

The Samsung S80CB has many of the same sound enhancement features as the manufacturer's more premium models. For example, you can use SpaceFit Sound, a room correction tool that automatically optimizes the bar's sound based on your room's unique acoustics. If you prefer a different sound, there's a 7-band graphic EQ available, as well as some preset modes like Standard', 'Surround Sound', 'Game', 'Adaptive Sound', and 'DTS Virtual X'.

You can pair the Samsung HW-S800B to a compatible Samsung TV to use Q-Symphony. Like many other soundbar manufacturers, Samsung advertises this feature as a way to enhance the immersive quality of the sound. In practice, it slightly increases the volume, but otherwise, it doesn't make much difference in the sound quality. If you don't have a compatible TV, you can still get a similar experience with this bar.

The bar connects to your TV over an HDMI connection. Most TVs support HDMI; however, if you have an older model with Optical only, you'll need to find a different cable to connect these devices. There's also a micro-USB port, but it's only for servicing the bar.

The bar supports many of the common audio formats found on streaming platforms and Blu-ray discs via ARC. For example, you can watch 5.1 surround sound formats like Dolby Digital and object-based formats like Dolby Atmos. However, there's no eARC support, unlike with the LG SC9S.

This bar doesn't feature an optical port. If you have an older TV and want a similarly spec'd soundbar with optical connectivity, it's worth taking a look at the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6 instead. 

This bar has a fair latency performance via ARC. Audio delay is low when it comes to PCM content but other commonly found formats like Dolby Digital have higher lip syncing delay. It's worth mentioning that some apps and TVs compensate for latency, though. If you notice any lag, the AV Sync feature in the SmartThings app lets you manually adjust the delay for improved performance.

There's no Full HDMI In port, so the bar can't passthrough high-quality bandwidth signals.

Thanks to its Tap Sound feature, you can mirror audio from compatible mobile devices right to the bar itself. You can still wirelessly stream over Bluetooth or other connections if you don't have a compatible device. Check your country's product page to see if Chromecast is available, as its support is region-specific.

The bar doesn't have a display; however, some LED lights on the right side of the bar blink in different patterns based on the settings you adjust. You'll find a list of all the different patterns and their meanings in the manual.

There are some touch-sensitive controls on top of the bar. The multifunction button lets you change the input or wake up the bar when it's in "Off" mode. Also, you can adjust the volume and turn the microphone on and off.

The remote lets you control most of the bar's features. It's unique compared to other Samsung remotes, as it has a built-in rechargeable battery. You have to use a USB-C cable to charge the remote; however, this isn't included in the box, so you need to buy it separately. If you prefer, the Samsung SmartThings app also acts as a remote, so you can control the bar through your smartphone.

Thanks to built-in Alexa, you can control the bar with your voice. Google Assistant is also available in some regions, but not others. Also, you can mute the microphone for more private moments.