Samsung HW-S800B review: Big sound in a slim package

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$749.99

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$747.99

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$800

If you’re looking for a slim and trim soundbar that doesn’t compromise—well, not too much, anyway—on audio performance, the Samsung HW-S800B might be your best bet.  

Slim enough to pinch between your fingertips, this super-thin, 3.1.2-channel soundbar packs in plenty of high-end features, including Samsung’s TV speaker-syncing Q Symphony technology, wireless Dolby Atmos support, Apple AirPlay 2 casting, and built-in Alexa. More importantly, the S800B sounds much better than one might expect given its size. 

Still, there are some compromises you’ll have to settle for, such as a dearth of audio inputs, a lack of eARC support, and the inherent sonic limitations of a soundbar that’s this skinny. Also, at nearly $900, the Samsung S800B isn’t cheap. (Thankfully, Samsung is currently offering a $150 discount on the unit.) 

Pricey though it is, the Samsung S800B delivers on its promise of big sound from a slim package, making it a great addition to a smaller listening space. You can also upgrade it to a full-on 5.1.4-channel configuration with an optional rear speaker kit. 

Design 

Detailing the dimensions of the 3.1-pound Samsung HW-S800B doesn’t really do it justice, but for the record, the soundbar measures 45.7 x 1.5 x 1.6 inches (WxHxD). Seeing—and holding—the S800B in person makes you realize just how impossibly slim and light this soundbar is, and indeed, I can’t recall another soundbar I’ve tested that I actually wanted to feel in my hands. The S800B so thin, Samsung should just call it a soundstick. 

Ben Patterson/Foundry

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best soundbars.

Slim though it is, the Samsung S800B is fairly wide at 45.7 inches; to put that in perspective, it’s nearly as wide as my 55-inch LG C9. Of course, one of the benefits of such a wide design is that it boosts the separation of the left- and right-channel drivers, which can help widen the soundstage. (I’ll delve into the S800B’s real-world performance shortly.) 

The 14-pound subwoofer that comes with the S800B is somewhat more substantial, although it’s still relatively compact at 9.4 x 9.5 x 9.4 inches (WxDxH). The square-shaped sub has a pair of exposed woofers, one each on the left and right sides, while a rear panel with the power port and a manual pairing button sits in the rear.  

In all, the S800B packs 10 total drivers, bringing the soundbar/subwoofer combo to a 3.1.2-channel configuration (Samsung didn’t detail the exact dimensions of each driver). Impressively, the S800B’s height channels for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are supplied by actual up-firing drivers, not through virtualization. There’s also a dedicated driver for the center channel. 

Ben Patterson/Foundry

If you wish, you can upgrade the S800B with Samsung’s optional SWA-9500S rear wireless speaker kit, which includes a pair of rear speakers equipped with front- and up-firing drivers. This $300 speaker pair would up the S800B’s channel configuration to 5.1.4, including a quartet of up-firing speakers for Atmos height cues. 

Inputs 

To accommodate its super-slim design, the Samsung S800B cuts the number of available inputs down to the bone. We’re talking a single HDMI-ARC input that employs the uncommon Micro HDMI interface; an HDMI-to-Micro-HDMI cable is supplied in the box. That means you’ll need an adapter if you want to use the S800B with a standard HDMI cable. 

It’s also worth noting that the S800B is one of the few newer higher-end soundbars that doesn’t support HDMI-eARC, an enhanced version of HDMI-ARC (hence the “e” in “eARC”). HDMI eARC, among other things, allows for the transmission of the lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio formats on Blu-ray discs. If you’ve moved on from physical media, the S800B’s missing eARC support won’t matter to you much, given that the biggest streaming services don’t offer lossless audio anyway, but audiophiles with Blu-ray players should take heed. 

Ben Patterson/Foundry

Also missing from the Samsung S800B are any other types of video or audio inputs, including optical (Toslink) and analog RCA and 3.5mm jacks. In other words, if you want to use the S800B with an older TV that doesn’t support HDMI, you’re out of luck. 

Buttons, remote, and app control 

On top of the Samsung S800B are four touch-sensitive buttons: a multifunction button that powers the soundbar on and off, volume down, volume up, and microphone mute. 

A slimmed-down version of Samsung’s standard soundbar remote offers all the basics, including prominent rockers for the main volume and subwoofer levels, along with buttons for mute, input select, Bluetooth pairing, settings, and sound mode select. There’s even a button that lets you cycle through each of the audio channels to trim their sound levels. But while the remote will let you dip into the S800B’s settings, the soundbar’s spare set of tiny LED indicators means it must rely on voiced audio cues to let you know which setting you’re tweaking. 

Ben Patterson/Foundry

Luckily, you can also control and adjust the S800B via an app—specifically, the Samsung SmartThings app, which now performs app control duties for all of Samsung’s recent soundbars. The SmartThings app offers clear, intuitive menus for all the S800B’s various settings.   

Setup 

You have options in terms of placement for the Samsung S800B. The easiest way is to simply place it in front of your TV—and given that the S800B is so slim and trim, there’s little chance it will block your screen. The other option is to mount the soundbar beneath your wall-mounted TV (a kit is included), and since much of the S800B’s appeal lies with its stylish design aesthetic, mounting the unit on the wall might be your best bet.  

Both the soundbar and the wireless subwoofer come with their own 5-foot power cords. The subwoofer’s power cord plugs directly into the sub, while the power cord for the main soundbar unit plugs into an external power brick, which in turn connects to the soundbar via a cable with a slim barrel-shaped connector. Once powered up, the soundbar and the subwoofer should pair automatically—or at least, they did for me.  

Ben Patterson/Foundry

Next, you use the Samsung SmartThings app to connect the soundbar to your home Wi-Fi. As it did with other Samsung soundbars I’ve tested, the SmartThings app quickly detected the S800B, and after following the prompts, I managed to connect the soundbar to my Wi-Fi network on the first try. The app will also prompt you to select a room for the S800B (such as your living room), same as you would for any other home entertainment components or smart devices connected via SmartThings. 

Finally, it’s time to connect the S800B to your TV. One option is to use the included HDMI cable, just as you would with any other soundbar (you just connect the cable to the respective HDMI-ARC ports on the soundbar and your TV). If you have a supported Samsung TV, you also have two wireless options: either Bluetooth (for stereo sound only), or via Wi-Fi, complete with wireless Dolby Atmos support. Those wireless connectivity options are terrific for those who’d rather skip any unsightly wires, but again, a Samsung TV is required. 

Smart features 

Despite its slim profile, the S800B manages to pack in most of Samsung’s signature soundbar features, including Q Symphony, which allows the S800B to sync its drivers with the built-in speakers on a supported Samsung TV. That feature could potentially make the super-slim S800B sound bigger than it is, but Q Symphony only works on select high-end Samsung TVs. Given that I own an LG TV, I was unable to test the feature. 

One Samsung soundbar feature that will work with any TV is SpaceFit Sound, which calibrates the S800B’s audio in real time depending on the acoustics in the room; all you need to do is enable the feature using either the SmartThings app or the remote. SpaceFit Sound works silently in the background, meaning there are no beeps or blips during the calibration process, nor must you worry about microphone placements. Of course, SpaceFit Sound probably isn’t as accurate as, say, a full-on (and lengthy) Audyssey calibration session, but it’s much more convenient. 

Ben Patterson/Foundry

You can cast audio to the soundbar via Apple’s AirPlay 2 protocol, allowing you to use the S800B in AirPlay 2 speaker groups, or you can simply toss tunes to the soundbar over Bluetooth. (A Tap Sound feature lets you tap a Samsung-made Android phone on the S800B to initiate pairing.) Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect are also supported, but not Chromecast. 

Like many of Samsung’s pricier soundbars, the S800B comes with built-in Alexa. Just sign in using the SmartThings app, and you can use Alexa on the soundbar just as you can on an Amazon Echo speaker. For example, you can ask Alexa to set a timer, tell you the weather, add a reminder, or control a smart device; you can also ask Alexa to adjust the S800B’s volume. Just be aware that Alexa’s volume is tied to the soundbar’s main volume level, and if you have the S800B dialed up to an even moderate level, Alexa’s voice can become jarringly loud. 

Among the S800B’s various sound modes (Standard, Surround, Game, and so on) is an Adaptive Sound mode, which analyses and adjusts the audio in real time; I’ve been impressed with this smart sound mode on other Samsung sound bars, and it worked well on the S800B, too (so much so that I kept it on during most of my performance testing). Also effective is the Adaptive Voice mode, which boosts the dialogue without making it sound harsh or unnatural.   

Performance 

Unsurprisingly, the Samsung HW-S800B’s audio quality is limited by its size; at only 1.5 inches high, the soundbar can only accommodate the tiniest of drivers, whereas a garden-variety soundbar will be an inch or more taller. 

So yes, the S800B pays a price for being as crazy thin as it is. Compared to Samsung’s top-of-the-line HW-Q990C (which is 2.7 inches tall), the S800B sounds somewhat thinner, as it’s lacking the mid-range drivers that would typically add more warmth. And yet, the Samsung S800B sounds a heck of a lot better than one might expect, with clean, detailed sonics bolstered by a powerful-for-its size subwoofer, which reliably served up big, tight bass. 

Dialing up Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back on iTunes, I was impressed by the deep rumble as the Rebel base on Hoth gets pounded by Imperial laser blasts, as well as the realistic hiss of ice crystals falling through the crushed ceiling. There were also clear Dolby Atmos height cues as the foot of an Imperial Walker nearly crushes Luke, and again as pursuing Tie Fighters buzz the Milennium Falcon in an asteroid field.  

Next up was Top Gun: Maverick, with the S800B ably handling the booming flyover of Mav’s Darkstar jet as it hurtles over Ed Harris’s dome. Also impressive was the dogfight training sequence, as Maverick expertly inverts his F/A-18 over Rooster’s jets, a moment that gives the S800B’s upfiring drivers quite the workout.  

Nimble though it is, the S800B’s subwoofer met its match with Blade Runner 2049, with the thudding booms of Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack sending the sub into too-boomy territory. Dialing down the subwoofer level a tad managed to reign in the boominess without putting too much of a dent in the sub’s bass performance.  

Moving along to music, “Style” from Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) in Dolby Atmos sounded clean and clear, with satisfyingly punchy percussion, while “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” by Crosby, Stills & Nash delivered smooth and balanced vocals, with both tracks serving up a pleasingly wide soundstage. 

The more I listened to the S800B, the more I liked it—but again, if you switch to Samsung’s much larger Q990C (or, as I did, to my own 5.1.2-channel system) and back again, you’ll hear the slimmer S800B straining a tad when it comes to mid-range frequencies.  

Should you buy the Samsung HW-S800B?

While it’s impressive how much performance Samsung managed to cram into the super-slim HW-S800B, this soundbar isn’t for everyone. Those looking for the very best audio performance should go for something bigger, like Samsung’s massive HW-Q990C flagship, while the Roku Streambar might be a better choice for an affordable bedroom soundbar.

But if you have a particular need for a soundbar that’s this slim and you have a generous budget to play with, you won’t do much better than the Samsung HW-S800B. It delivers superb audio performance for its size and doesn’t skimp on high-end features (well, optical and analog inputs aside). And while the lack of eARC support is a bummer, the S800B does boast wireless Dolby Atmos, provided you have a Samsung TV that supports it.