It has multiple listening modes, including a Night Mode for capping how loud things can be, a DTS Virtual:X mode for upscaling stereo to 3D sound, and a Game mode, among others. It also includes Samsung's SpaceFit tech, which listens to the output of the soundbar and adjust it to compensate for any quirks caused by the layout of your room. Depending on your source, this may not be much of a problem – the Dolby Atmos version used by streaming services is 'lossy' anyway, so not having eARC isn't the end of the world. But if you love 4K Blu-rays for their maximum fidelity, which offer lossless Atmos sound, you don't quite get the best of them here.

As part of keeping the subwoofer small, there's actually an external power box, which is unusual for products like this. It's no problem, but will want hiding away. But here's the best part about the Samsung HW-S800B: it sounds pretty damn incredible despite being so small. I was worried that the small size of the soundbar working with a subwoofer would mean the sound is top and bottom heavy, without much strength in the mid-range, but that's no problem at all. Standard’ mode seemed the clearest rendition of 5.1 material, even though the top drivers are out of action in this mode.The S800B is designed to deliver 3.1.2 channels of Dolby Atmos or DTS:X audio, which means front, center and right sound, the subwoofer bass channel, and two upfiring Dolby Atmos channels. Converted to Test Bench 1.2. Updated the results for audio format support via ARC/eARC, HDMI In, and Optical. Added Video Passthrough to TV results as well. Q-Symphony is compatible with 2022 Samsung TV (AU7000 TV and above). For a complete list of compatible models, please refer to samsung.com for more information. Other ways to get sound over to the S800B include Bluetooth, and if you fire up the Samsung SmartThings app, you can connect the soundbar to your Wi-Fi network, enabling Apple AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect streaming (but no Google Cast). It also has Alexa built-in, including a mic, so it functions fully as a smart speaker. Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 28th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.)

If you're looking for a relatively discreet soundbar that still provides a showpiece Dolby Atmos experience, this is absolutely it. There's width, there's height, there's movement in scenes… it really makes the most of object-based audio. Treble-led effects especially always lift right out of the mix – in some cases, this just serves to make it even clearer when the mid-range struggles to quite do the same. But the strong treble adds prominence and thrills in many cases – a brighter and sharper effect to gunshots, laser fire or the a door slam. Samsung S801B 3.1.2ch Lifestyle Ultra Slim Soundbar in White with Subwoofer Alexa Voice Control Built-in and Dolby Atmos I had a problem where it didn’t show up consistently as a Bluetooth target on my iPhone, despite being connected in the Bluetooth settings, but it's hard to know whether to blame Apple or Samsung. It was frustrating, either way. It’s certainly worth doing, because Samsung has delivered another dynamite soundbar performance for the price, and it’s a success of teamwork, with both the bar and the subwoofer being essential to the sound.

Samsung HW-S801B review

that violates any law, statute, ordinance or regulation (including, but not limited to, those governing export control, consumer protection, unfair competition, anti-discrimination or false advertising); But it's still a problem I have with using the Arc, and might be something that might (fairly) put people with a low-slung TV off the idea of a Dolby Atmos soundbar. The mini-HDMI used on the Samsung S800B is very rare – and it really looks like a full-size one could fit… (Image credit: Future)

The gentle rumble of Kingpin's machine in Into The Spider-verse really shows the subtle power of a subwoofer. Without being loud and without shaking the room, it makes clear the scale of the giant spinning machine as the sub gently thrums in the corner, in a way that a single-unit soundbar can't really match.There’s a moment 1:16 into Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle where a deep chugging shakes a huge shed before a helicopter bursts through its timbers: the chugging not only had huge weight but stopped and started within each chugbeat, where many small subs deliver this as a blur.