I am a huge fan of soundbars, not because they are the best sounding audio system but because they are super convenient. They are easy to set up and don’t take much space in my living room. I’ve used a lot of soundbars over the past few years but I decided to try the Samsung HW-Q70R because it is among the most affordable Atmos soundbars on the market. I want to enjoy movies even more and let’s see if it is worth the upgrade.
Unboxing Video
Design & Features
It is quite straightforward to set up the Samsung HW-Q70R; Basically, I just needed to plug the soundbar and subwoofer to power outlet, then connected the soundbar to my TV via an HDMI cable (make sure to use the HDMI Out (TV-ARC port). The subwoofer automatically pairs to the soundbar and requires no extra step to set up. The whole process takes less than a minute and now you can turn on the soundbar to enjoy it. I love that the soundbar integrates very well to my TV; I even don’t need to use the remote control of the soundbar because it can turn on/off along with my TV and I can also use my TV’s remote control to adjust volume. Everything works smoothly and flawlessly every time.
There are some control buttons on the right side of the soundbar but I rarely touch them. You can adjust the bass, treble, center, subwoofer, or change between some sound presets with the remote control. An LED display on the right front will show what you are adjusting.
The soundbar has a sleek design with metal grilles on the front and top. Its size could fit 60- to 70-inch TVs perfectly. I don’t really like design of the subwoofer since it has a fabric covering on the right side; It should be placed carefully to avoid kids and cats.
Audio Quality
To get an idea of the sound of this Samsung soundbar, you can check out the demo video below.
The HW-Q70R features Samsung Acoustic Beam to deliver a panoramic audio experience, however, if you switch from a full surround system, you will be disappointed. Samsung sells a Wireless Surround Sound Kit separately for about $100 which includes two more satellite speakers to place on the back. They absolutely can expand the soundstage but I’m not prepared to spend more for the system. I played some Dolby Atmos movies on Netflix and undoubtedly, the Samsung soundbar delivers the best experience so far. It is so great that I think I might never come back to a movie theater again. The subwoofer is powerful and it creates a thunderous bass which is very entertaining for action movies. On the other hand, the deep bass is not overwhelming when playing music.
There are 4 sound profiles, which are Standard, Surround, Game and Adaptive Sound. The Adaptive mode is the most interesting one as it adjusts the EQ dynamically based on your content; You can also hear the voice clearly even on low volumes. The mode will be disabled and turns to Atmos when you play compatible content. The Adaptive mode works well most of the time, however, there are occasional bugs. For instance, when I play sports on ESPN, suddenly the commentator’s voice becomes tiny while the crowd’s noise is very loud; I often fix this by switch to another sound profile and then switch back to Adaptive.
The strength of the soundbar is a dedicated channel which really helps produce a neutral sound. The voice is pretty clear most of the time while the treble is well-managed to avoid spikes.
While the sound from this Samsung soundbar is great, I bought it because it supports Dolby Atmos. Unfortunately, the Atmos performance is subpar and I almost can’t hear the difference in height between this and other soundbars. The two up firing speakers are supposed to add the dimension of height but I don’t think Samsung is successful with the design.
Conclusion
Pros
- Premium design and build
- Easy to set up
- Amazing sound quality with deep bass and clear voice
- Affordable
Cons
- Average Atmos performance
The Samsung HW-Q70R is undoubtedly the best-sounding soundbar I’ve ever tested. It sounds way more natural and powerful than VIZIO soundbars I used earlier. However, if you only consider this because of Atmos support, you might want to pick a more capable system.
Adam Wilson says
I am still susceptible for deciding to go with Harman Kardon. It does not mean this is not good brand but it just that till now I have been using audio products from Sony and JBL only and now after reading your detailed review I am confused which brand I should for to gift a sound system to my uncle.
What will you do if you have options from Sony, JBL and Harman Kardon products with negligible price difference ?