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The Samsung HW-Q800C is the best movie performer we've heard for the price. (Image credit: Future) Samsung HW-Q800C review: Value The Q930B delivers a huge 9.1.4-channel count, courtesy of a 7.2-channel main soundbar, a large wireless subwoofer, and wireless rear speakers equipped with two channels each. It also spreads a healthy 540W across all those channels, while its connections include an HDMI passthrough capable of supporting 4K HDR signals up to 60Hz. Key specs – Elements: Soundbar, subwoofer; Channel configuration: 3.1; Stated power: 430W; Connections: 1 x HDMI input, 1 x HDMI output, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, optical digital audio input; HDMI passthrough support: HD, SDR (no 4K or HDR); HDMI ARC support: Yes; Dimensions (WDH): Soundbar: 1030 x 105 x 60mm, subwoofer – 184 x 295 x 346mm; Weight: Soundbar – 3.1kg, subwoofer – 5.1kg Given the simple nature of the product, there’s very little installation and setup involved. The subwoofer connects automatically with the soundbar (a little blue light indicates a connection has been made) and once rigged up the only speaker configuration you need to worry about is the subwoofer level – settings range from -6 up to +6. If there are lip sync problems, the AV Sync mode allows you to set a delay of up to 300ms. So, you need to make a decision as to what your priority with a soundbar is. If it’s chiefly sound quality, especially with films, you should look at a system with sub and rear speakers included. If your budget can’t stretch to a system with rears, at least look for a relatively meaty soundbar and subwoofer combination. If your priority is minimising the impact of your sound system on room decor, you’ll probably want to focus on a single soundbar solution. Take the size of your room into account
If you want a soundbar that’s more hi-fi oriented, even though it’s much more musical than its predecessors the Q800C can be bettered by some rivals, this is true. But for movies, at this price, nothing does it better. Delivering Dolby Atmos from a small chassis is no mean feat, but the 2023 What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Sonos Beam Gen 2 achieves a convincing, immersive performance without so much as a vertical speaker in sight. Instead, when watching Atmos content, two of the soundbar's five front-facing arrays are dedicated to reproducing overhead and surround sounds. With its hefty processing power, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 uses psychoacoustic HRTF (head-related transfer function) technology to give the impression of height without needing to get vertical. If high-quality 3D sound is important to you, then you'll want to make sure both your TV and potential soundbar support Dolby TrueHD and eARC. The ARC standard can handle Dolby Atmos, but only in its Dolby Digital Plus form, which is lossy, whereas Dolby TrueHD can deliver full-fat Dolby Atmos in all its lossless glory. Forceful and exuberant though the Q800C’s main soundbar component is, it never lets its meatiness get in the way of detail. On the contrary, the sensitivity of the Q800C’s 11 drivers, together with some excellent steering of the five main and two up-firing channels, produces an exceptionally busy, clean and involving sound stage in which details are both beautifully placed and well balanced. Especially with Dolby Atmos mixes. There’s no sense of specific details or effects becoming either too bright or overwhelmed by bass. SpaceFit Sound Pro has been enhanced to automatically optimise the audio in your room to correct dialogue, surround effects and bass. Adaptive Sound 2.0 uses AI-enhanced processing to give content an added boost and has been upgraded to provide clearer sound at lower volumes. In addition to Adaptive Sound 2.0, there are other sound modes that include Standard, Surround Sound and Game Pro 2.0. There’s also a Night mode if you need to flatten the dynamic range so you don’t disturb others, and a Voice Enhancement mode to boost hard-to-hear dialogue.The Ray marks something of a departure for Sonos. It can form part of a wireless multi-room system using Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and the Sonos S2 app (though users should note there’s no Bluetooth streaming onboard). Similarly, it can be partnered with other Sonos speakers for a complete 5.1 surround system. For those who want compelling 3D sound without all the speakers, this is the best soundbar with a premium price tag that we've ever tested, which is why it retained its title once again at the 2023 What Hi-Fi? Awards. With its wide range of supported audio formats, the A7000 excels itself and includesDolby Atmos(in both the Digital+ and TrueHD formats),DTS:X, LPCM, hi-res wireless audio and Sony 360 Reality Audio.
That's even though the bass features some truly epic rumbles from the Q800C’s subwoofer. The 8-inch driver reaches prodigious low frequency depths that provide action scenes with a huge sense of scale and heft. It does so, moreover, without either hanging too loosely off the bottom of the main soundbar’s lowest frequencies, or sounding flattened or compressed when the going gets really tough. Key specs – Elements: Soundbar, subwoofer, two rear speakers; Channel configuration: 9.1.4; Stated power: 540W; Connections: 1 x HDMI input, 1 x HDMI output, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, optical digital audio input; HDMI passthrough support: 4K/60Hz, HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision, HDR10+; HDMI ARC/eARC support: Yes/yes; Dimensions (WDH): Soundbar – 1111 x 120 x 60mm, subwoofer – 210 x 403 x 403mm, rears – 201 x 140 x 130mm; Weight: Soundbar – 9.87kg, subwoofer – 9.8kg, rears – 3.1kg each Key specs – Elements: Soundbar, subwoofer, two rear speakers; Channel configuration: 11.1.4; Stated power: 656W; Connections: 2 x HDMI inputs, 1 x HDMI output, optical digital audio input, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi; HDMI passthrough support: Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 4K at 60Hz, HDR10+; HDMI ARC/eARC support: eARC; Dimensions (WDH): Soundbar – 1232 x 138 x 70mm, subwoofer – 220 x 410 X 413mm, rears – 1230 x 140 x 201mm each; Weight: Soundbar – 7.7kg, subwoofer – 11.7kg, rears – 3.4kg eachPerhaps best of all, though, is the way the subwoofer is nimble and adaptive enough to avoid sounding droney or over-dominant. The main bar component features a very angular look emphasised by the sharpness of its edges, and the pointed look of each of its ends. Some might have preferred a softer look, but I kind of like the aggressiveness of it. And the angling of the end portions has a practical aspect to it, of course, as it enables the soundbar to optimize the positioning of its side-channel effects. The key thing to know about optical is that it's restricted in bandwidth compared to ARC/eARC. So if you have the choice between the two and opt for optical, you might not be making the most of the audio decoding built into your soundbar. The most advanced immersive formats optical can handle are compressed Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 surround sound, so that means no Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. Additional HDMI inputs are very useful too, as they let you pass audio from other sources through your soundbar. Such HDMI passthrough doesn’t always support all the video features you may want, however. Some soundbars won’t pass through Dolby Vision HDR or HDR10+ HDR signals, or the 4K/120Hz feeds now output by the latest games consoles and premium PCs.
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