The Samsung HW-B650 could be one of thebest soundbarsbelow $500 and its only $249.
The HW-B650 is pretty unassuming visually, but it sounds fantastic.
For just $249, this is one of the most impressive soundbars Ive come across.
Find out all the details in this Samsung HW-B650 soundbar review.
Its$267 at Amazon U.S.and187 at Amazon U.K., whereas atSamsung U.K. its 299.
The $249/299 MSRP puts this 3.1 channel setup as a pretty heckin cheap soundbar combo.
ThePolk Signa S4, which I reviewed recently and loved, is $399 for a 3.1.2 channel.
Its quite unassuming in appearance, with a hard mesh exterior and four small buttons on the top.
The subwoofer is pretty tall, at 13 inches high.
The 6 woofer provides great bass with some DSP adjustments.
The HW-B650 is compatible withSamsungs $149 9200Sspeakers.
The soundbar itself is controlled via a nice, weighty remote that uses 2 x AAA batteries.
Youll need it for the sound controls, however.
Samsung HW-B650 review: Features & setup
The Samsung HW-B650 is super easy to set up.
I found that DTS Virtual X with increased bass provided the most cinematic experience.
There arent really any more features, which is expected on a soundbar + subwoofer at this price point.
However, it still sounded powerful and dramatic for the most part.
In the following scene, where Maverick enters the restaurant, the bluegrass guitar notes swam around my head.
I was pretty impressed with the surround-sound in these two scenes.
I upped the treble to attempt to improve the high-frequency sound effects.
But despite these small inconsistencies, my overall viewing experience wasnt impacted negatively.
I switched to DTS Virtual X to make the most of the Dolby Atmos surround sound.
For the price, Im really impressed with the Samsung HW-B650.
No, its not true 360, but thats very difficult without dedicated surround speakers.
The dialogue was very clear and I never struggled to hear, even when the soundtrack was pretty loud.
I changed to Standard mode halfway through testing for direct comparison.
This immediately lowered speech volume, but I never struggled to understand.
I wouldnt recommend listening to music in any playback mode other than Bass.
However, Bass was groovy, thumping, and frenetic.
I played Toy Boy by Confidence Man, which is a soulful house track.
For a soundbar a cheap soundbar, too the HW-B650 was epic.
You mean to tell me, Samsung, that this thing is under $250?
I couldnt believe my eyes.
The audio quality is phenomenal with a little mode adjustment.
you should probably shuffle through the listening modes to find your ideal preference that suits whatever youre watching.
For TV, I found standard and adaptive were both excellent.
Its a major yes from me.
