Samsung HW-A650 Review

Powerful bass for more gaming fun?

At first glance, the HW-A650 is not much different from the more expensive models from Samsung, such as the Samsung HW-Q800A, in terms of its design. With a width of just one meter, the soundbar already fits in front of smaller television models from 48 inches and even cuts a good figure in front of large inch sizes. Thanks to the low height of just 5.8 centimeters, the Samsung soundbar also covers nothing of the TV picture and integrates with its simple design inconspicuous in your room.

The surface of the soundbar is made of a metal grid, which protects the total of seven speakers inside the soundbar well, but is also a magnet for dust and dirt. At the top edge of the soundbar, this grille has a recess where the four buttons of the A650 have been placed. These can be used to turn the soundbar on and off, as well as to adjust the volume and select a source. Unlike the more expensive models, the buttons on the A650 are made of plastic instead of aluminum.

The external, wireless subwoofer of the 3.1-channel setup also comes in a sleek, black look. The woofer consists of one and does not take up too much space with a height of 35 centimeters. However, Samsung did not mount the driver on the side of this model, but on the front. This is covered with a fabric membrane, while a bass reflex port can still be found at the back.

The fact that Samsung’s budget-friendly models tend to rely on plastic rather than aluminum is also evident in the HW-A650’s included remote control. Due to the materials used, it is comparatively light – just like the soundbar itself. Nevertheless, it lies well in the hand and can be put directly into operation thanks to the included batteries.

Furthermore, the Samsung soundbar comes with the power cables of the soundbar and subwoofer, the manual, a kit for wall mounting and an optical cable. Why no HDMI cable was supplied instead is questionable. Finally, you can also use the TV remote control to operate the soundbar when connecting via HDMI thanks to Anynet+.

Despite the included optical cable, we connected the Samsung HW-A650 via HDMI in our test. An HDMI 2.0 cable is sufficient here, since the soundbar only has ARCAudio Return Chanel: With the HDMI ARC connection, the higher bandwidth allows data to be both sent and received over one HDMI cable, saving additional cables in many setups. anyway and does not support Dolby AtmosDolby Atmos is a 3D sound format that adds sounds from above to surround sound systems and can also assign additional information to sounds so that they can be reproduced even more realistically.. Instead, it plays Dolby Digital and DTS content. These can also be virtually extended in the form of DTS Virtual:XVirtual 3D sound that can be reproduced by setups without height or down-firing speakers. Psychoacoustic algorithms are used to create surround, height and overhead effects., whereby the soundbar then simulates additional channels for a 5.1.2 system. Functions like these can of course also be used when you connect the soundbar to your TV via the included optical cable. The back of the soundbar also has a HDMI 2.0 input for a console or player and a USB port.

Those who want to enjoy “real” surround sound via the Samsung HW-A650 can also expand their setup with matching rear speakers from Samsung. Just like the external woofer, these are connected wirelessly to the soundbar, which worked very easily and quickly in our test.

On its right edge, the Samsung HW-A650 has a small LED display that informs about its current status. This is easily visible despite the grille above and the compact size. But don’t worry – the display won’t distract you from the TV permanently, as it only lights up as soon as you change a setting of the soundbar.

The combination of the 180 watt soundbar with the 250 watt subwoofer promises a lot of power, which proved itself in our practical test. All in all, the 3.1-channel setup gets extremely loud, whereby the volume can be adjusted to a whole 100 levels. We could also confirm Samsung’s promise of a decent bass at the first listening impression, because it is very present. The external woofer shows clear deficiencies in the low bass area in our frequency response measurement, but it looks all the better in the bass for a soundbar in this price range. Some fluctuations can be seen there as well, but they were not too noticeable in our listening test.

In the area of high mids and trebles, especially at frequencies between 2000 and 10 000 Hz, the Samsung HW-A650 shows what it can do. The reproduction is very balanced in this section, which might be due to the installed center speaker. Since the human ear is particularly sensitive to these frequencies, this has a positive effect on the overall auditory impression. Human voices also fall into this frequency range, which is why the soundbar is especially suitable for playing TV shows and series. Even with the measured reproduction of the elevations one can not complain except for a valley at about 11 000 Hz. This could be an indication for a somewhat muffled, undynamic sound, but we did not notice this in the listening test. Overall, the Samsung HW-A650 has a fairly balanced frequency response, which makes it multifunctional in use.

Unfortunately, with the reproduction of surround sound and the virtual sound extension DTS Virtual:XVirtual 3D sound that can be reproduced by setups without height or down-firing speakers. Psychoacoustic algorithms are used to create surround, height and overhead effects. one has to accept some compromises. Surround content is converted to stereo due to the lack of side-firingThese speakers emit the sound to the side. This creates a wider soundscape and a certain surround sound. or rear speakers, which makes for a less enveloping sound. With DTS Virtual:X, an expansion of the sound is audible, but it also seems a bit flat, which is of course not particularly immersive.

The Samsung HW-A650 has a few features to customize its sound. Those who want to adjust individually can do so with the help of the graphical equalizer. On the other hand, those who prefer to rely on EQ presets can choose from three more modes on the A650: ‘Game Mode’, ‘Bass Boost’ and ‘Adaptive Sound Lite’ in addition to the already mentioned ‘Standard’, ‘Surround Sound’ and ‘DTS Virtual:X’ modes. In Game Mode, the gameplay should become even more immersive and sounds should be better located. In the Bass Boost, the external woofer is boosted once again to create some serious oomph. Finally, Adaptive Sound Lite adapts the playback to the respective content and ensures that voices are even clearer, for example.

As with most soundbars in this price category, you unfortunately have to do without smart features in the Samsung HW-A650. Thus, it neither supports the connection via Wi-Fi, nor Apple Airplay or Chromecast. Instead, the conventional Bluetooth interface is used, but it was set up very quickly and worked smoothly in our test. Even assistants like Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant are not available in the HW-A650, only Samsung’s own voice control Bixby is supported by the soundbar.