If you wish to deliver wealthy, detailed, and immersive sound into your front room with a minimal of parts and fuss, Samsung’s HW-Q70R soundbar needs to be close to the highest of your buying listing. At $700, the HW-Q70R is as expensive as some higher-end soundbars we’ve reviewed, however on condition that Samsung’s top-of-the-line soundbar sells for twice as a lot, $700 seems to be the brand new mid-range.
Price tags apart, the HW-Q70R soundbar and its wi-fi subwoofer make for a straightforward technique to get dazzling Dolby Atmos and DTS:X {surround} sound, whereas a convincing pseudo-surround mode provides shocking depth to different content material. If you need true {surround} sound, nonetheless, you’ll must drop a further $100 for Samsung’s SWA-8500S wi-fi rear speaker equipment (available on Amazon). Samsung didn’t ship the equipment for evaluate.
Configuration
Boasting Harman Kardon-designed audio (Samsung acquired Harman International in 2017), the HW-Q70R is a 3.1.2 soundbar, which implies it has devoted left, proper, and middle drivers (with the middle channel being notably necessary for delivering clear dialog); up-firing left and proper drivers for immersive, object-based Dolby Atmos and DTS:X with audio top cues achieved by bouncing pontificate your ceiling; and a wi-fi subwoofer for deep bass response and low-frequency results in film soundtracks.
Measuring 43.3 x 2.3 x 3.9 inches, the principle soundbar unit can sit straight in entrance of your TV, or you may mount it on the wall with the included bracket, whereas the 15.9 x 15.9 x 8.1-inch subwoofer can sit close by on the ground.
Inputs and outputs
On the underside of the soundbar, you’ll discover a pair of cavities the place the assorted ports and buttons sit. A button on the left-hand facet lets the soundbar hook up with your Wi-Fi community (with somewhat assist from the Samsung SmartIssues cell app), together with a microSD service port and a 19V DC energy port. The cavity on the right-hand facet hosts one HDMI enter, one HDMI-ARC (so your TV can ship audio from its onboard tuner and video-streaming apps again to the soundbar), and a TosLink (optical) digital audio enter.
Setup and set up
Setting up the HW-Q70R was a reasonably simple course of. Once I’d positioned the soundbar in entrance of my TV, I related the ability adapter after which plugged the included HDMI cable into the soundbar’s HDMI output (which helps 4K 60Hz video and HDR passthrough) and related the opposite finish to one among my TV’s HDMI inputs. I then related my Apple TV 4K (which is able to Dolby Atmos audio output) to the soundbar’s HDMI enter.
The Samsung HW-Q70R includes a single HDMI enter, an HDMI-ARC output, and a Toslink enter.
Since the HW-Q70R solely has a single HDMI enter, you’ll must manually swap out the cable if you wish to swap to a different video supply (comparable to a sport console or a Blu-ray participant).This is important if you need Dolby Atmos output by way of the lossless Dolby TrueHD format (a Toslink connection can not present sufficient bandwidth)..
If you don’t wish to be switching cables on a regular basis, you too can join all of your video sources to your TV, after which ship audio again to the soundbar utilizing HDMI-ARC. The disadvantage to counting on ARC for audio is that you just’ll should accept lossy Dolby Atmos by way of Dolby Digital Plus. If the speaker supported Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC, which presents extra bandwidth), this wouldn’t be a problem.
Last however not least, you’ll must hook up the wi-fi subwoofer, which may be the simplest step within the course of. Since the soundbar and the subwoofer are paired out of the field, the soundbar ought to mechanically join with the subwoofer as soon as they’re each powered on, and that’s precisely what occurred for me. A gentle blue mild on the again of the subwoofer signifies you might have wi-fi connection. A blinking blue or strong purple mild means the subwoofer can’t join mechanically to the soundbar, during which case you’ll must manually pair the models by urgent the “ID Set” button on the again of the subwoofer, after which press and maintain the “up” button on the distant.
SmartIssues and Alexa integration
Once you might have the soundbar related to your TV and the subwoofer, you too can join it to your Wi-Fi community utilizing the Samsung SmartIssues app. Just set up the app in your iOS or Android system, signal into or create a SmartIssues account, press the Network button on the soundbar, after which uncover it utilizing the app.
Once the SmartIssues app has the soundbar on its radar, you may join it to your Wi-Fi community, add it to a “room” in your good dwelling, after which management it like several of your different SmartIssues gadgets. You also can management your Wi-Fi-connected soundbar with Amazon Alexa voice instructions, or stream music to it by way of Spotify and different appropriate music-streaming companies. Last however not least, the SmartIssues app enables you to fiddle with the soundbar’s EQ settings.
Remote and Samsung TV integration
The AA battery-powered distant that comes with the HW-Q70R is just about equivalent to those who come bundled with different Samsung soundbars. Some TechHive contributors have praised this distant; however as a newcomer to Samsung’s ecosystem, I discovered it a bit complicated, notably when digging into the HW-Q70R’s numerous settings.
Pressing the Settings button cycles by quite a lot of choices, comparable to fidgeting with the relative ranges of the drivers, tweaking treble and bass, and toggling the Virtual setting on and off (extra on the Virtual setting in a second). But I couldn’t work out easy methods to change the settings themselves. Turns out you’re presupposed to press “Up” on the round four-way directional management, which is unmarked.
The HW-Q70R’s distant takes getting used to, however not less than it isn’t filled with buttons.
Once I figured that out, the remainder of the distant was pretty straightforward to grasp, with a pair of skinny quantity rockers for the principle speaker and the subwoofers, a mute button, a Sound Mode button that cycles by a quartet of sound profiles (we’ll get to them in a second), an enter button, and a Bluetooth pairing button (which paired the soundbar with my iPhone in a snap). Indeed, one good factor I’ll say in regards to the distant is that it isn’t filled with a complicated array of buttons.
If you might have a 2013 or newer Samsung Smart TV, you too can tinker with the soundbar’s settings utilizing the on-screen Samsung TV menu. Since I’ve a Sony TV, I wasn’t capable of take a look at this characteristic—and certainly, limiting on-screen setup for the soundbar to a selected model of TV appears needlessly restrictive.
Operation and efficiency
Once you flip in your TV, the three-character (four-character, within the case of HDMI) show on the precise entrance facet of the soundbar lights up, telling you which ones enter it’s utilizing. This show goes darkish after just a few seconds, and fortunately there aren’t any different distracting lights or indicators to pollute your darkened dwelling theater. As you’re watching TV or listening to music, you may check out the soundbar’s numerous sound modes by repeatedly urgent the Sound Mode button on the distant.
For starters, Standard places the soundstage squarely entrance and middle, with little in the best way of {surround} results. The Standard setting is a good choice for listening to music unadulterated with distracting sonic results, and I wasn’t upset as I teed up Carlos Kleiber’s thrilling interpretation of Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony on the Orfeo label, full with its wealthy, swelling strings and pulse-quickening timpani. I additionally tried the title observe from Bruce Springsteen’s The Ghost of Tom Joad and soaked in The Boss’s quiet efficiency with acoustic guitar and harmonica within the spare opening part, ultimately accompanied by punchy percussion and a heat synthesizer.
As strong because the Samsung’s Standard mode sounds, the Surround mode manages to dramatically broaden the soundstage with out sounding gimmicky. With assist from Samsung’s Acoustic Beam know-how (which channels soundwaves by an array of holes), sound results convincingly slip to the edges of the soundstage, as if there have been left and proper audio system positioned considerably ahead of the display screen.
Virtual rear results aren’t fairly as vivid as on competing soundbars with extra aggressive digital {surround} modes, however that’s really factor. Instead of overreaching, the HW-Q70R’s {surround} mode delivers a satisfying rear presence with out getting slowed down in distracting, synthetic-sounding {surround} results. As a listener who’s accustomed to a standard 5.1-speaker setup, I might actually reside with Samsung’s digital {surround} mode if I had to surrender bodily rear audio system.
There’s additionally a Game mode that takes the soundbar’s {surround} mode up just a few notches, which can be positive for gaming however begins heading into distracting territory for films and TV exhibits.
Much higher is the Adaptive mode, which adjusts the soundbar’s {surround} results relying on what’s on the display screen. After some preliminary tinkering, I parked the Samsung’s sound mode within the Adaptive setting and was fairly proud of it, with the {surround} results (as soon as once more) sounding interesting with out calling undue consideration to themselves.
Beyond the principle sound modes, there’s additionally a “Virtual” setting that upmixes a top channel for exhibits, films, and video games with 5.1 or 7.1 soundtracks. Don’t anticipate dramatic results swirling round your head with the Virtual setting on; as a substitute, it’s much more delicate, merely filling out the higher area of the soundstage, much like how the Surround sound mode fills out the rear.
Dolby Atmos efficiency
The HW-Q70R is one among many soundbars vying to deliver the immersive sound of Dolby Atmos into your front room. A sound format that goals to exactly place “audio objects” (as much as 128 at a time) in a 3D house, versus the 2D sounds you’ll hear in customary 5.1 or 7.1 {surround} techniques that lack a top channel, Dolby Atmos (and its competitor, DTS:X) extra sometimes will depend on audio system put in within the ceiling to ship the sense of sound results coming from above.
Whenever the soundbar detects Dolby Atmos content material, it’ll flash “Dolby Atmos” (no, not simply “ATM”) on its scrolling show.
For these of use who don’t have the time, cash, or inclination to chop holes within the ceilings, audio system or soundbars with up-firing drivers can simulate a bodily top speaker by bouncing pontificate the ceiling at a few 20-degree angle. For the impact to work correctly, you’re presupposed to have a flat ceiling between seven and 14 ft excessive; no peaked or dropped ceilings will do.
During my assessments, I used an Apple TV 4K plugged straight into the soundbar’s HDMI enter. When the soundbar detected a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, the phrases “Dolby Atmos” flashed briefly on the soundbar’s show.
First, I queued up one among our favourite Dolby Atmos demos: the scene in X-Men: Apocalypse the place a youthful Cyclops (a.okay.a. Scott Summers) blows a gap in a rest room ceiling with the vitality beams capturing out of his eyes, which sends particles crashing to the ground (it’s at in regards to the 10:08 mark in the event you’re ).
With audio system, this scene could make you’re feeling like plaster is falling throughout you, and the HW-Q70R does a pleasant job of placing you within the motion, with the clattering particles particles sounding distinct however not too harsh, with a deep bass layered beneath. You actually get the sensation of sound results from above, though and not using a set of rear {surround} audio system, the sounds behind you’re a lot much less distinct—once more, assume extra of a presence slightly than clear, particular audio objects.
Next, I dialed up the well-known opening credit from the Dolby Atmos-remastered Superman from 1978, and as Marlon Brando’s credit score swoops up and over the display screen, I might hear the “whoosh” over my head—and sure, I obtained chills. (I noticed Superman throughout its unique run after I was 9, so there’s a nostalgia issue at work.) And when the Superman emblem seems, there’s an appropriately deep thump of bass, together with John Williams’s crisp, clear, and triumphant rating. Pretty cool.
For one thing somewhat extra detailed, I streamed an official Dolby Atmos trailer by way of AirPlay to my Apple TV, which transmitted the Dolby Atmos soundtrack intact. In Dolby’s “Leaf” trailer, the digicam snakes by a maze of twigs and branches, lastly specializing in a leaf that detaches with a crisp snap and flutters slowly to the bottom, swirling facet to facet and above and under the body, and you may hear the leaf’s whispers all the best way down, though as earlier than, rear particulars are far much less pronounced than they’re from the entrance and above. Again, fairly spectacular.
Bottom line
Yes, it’s expensive, however the Samsung HW-Q70R soundbar enables you to add wealthy, detailed, and immersive sound, full with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X assist, to your TV in a matter of minutes. The HW-Q70R’s distant takes getting used to, and it’s annoying that you just want a appropriate Samsung TV for on-screen setup. Still, the soundbar delivers convincing {surround} sound even with out Samsung’s non-obligatory rear {surround} audio system, and you may all the time dash for an non-obligatory, fairly priced wi-fi {surround} equipment so as to add extra rear soundstage element.