It is well known that soundbars can provide a solid upgrade to the TV sound. Nevertheless, some people are reluctant to put a large and bulky speaker together with the TV screen – especially when it is to be hung neatly on the wall.
The solution could be a designer soundbar with compact dimensions and a living room-friendly appearance, but these can often be deficient. Both in terms of functionality, and not least sound quality. But Samsung obviously wanted to change this with the HW-S810B!
The new soundbar has been given a slim design to match popular TV screens such as The Frame. At the same time, it boasts support for modern sound formats such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. In addition, we were impressed by the sound reproduction when we challenged it with several demanding test tracks…
Samsung HW-S810B: Design
The Samsung bar comes in both black (HW-S810B) and white (HW-S811B), and the nickname Ultra Slim Soundbar seems quite apt. With its 116 x 4 x 4 cm, it is as wide as one Sonos Arcbut significantly thinner.
The slim shape gives the soundbar a visually appealing appearance, in addition to making it easier to fit under the TV screen. Whether you prefer to place it on a table or hang it on the wall, the HW-S810B will stick out very little. By the way, wall mounting is included, and we’re guessing many will take advantage of this option.
Another thing that – happily – is included in the box, is the wireless subwoofer. It comes in black or white to match the soundbar, and at 24 x 24 x 24 it’s pretty compact, too. But at the same time absolutely necessary in order to get significant bass out of the system.
Note! In addition to two different colours, it is also rumored that the Samsung S810B will be available with covers (skins) in different colors to match The Frame even better. We do not know the details of these at the time of writing, but will update when we know more!
The wireless subwoofer is included in the box, and uses an active and a passive bass element to create life and stir in the sound effects. (Photo: Audun Hage)
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Five sound channels – including Dolby Atmos
The Samsung S810B is equipped with 8 tiny speaker elements, 2 of which point up towards the ceiling. The soundbar has a so-called 3.1.2 configuration, which means that it has its own dedicated speaker elements for both right, left and center channels.
The two additional speakers on the top contribute with sound that is reflected via the ceiling, and should give additional height perspective to the Dolby Atmos soundtrack. This is something you will also find on the Sonos Arc, while smaller models such as the Beam have to make do with “virtual” height channels.
With small speaker elements like this, the soundbar is dependent on a subwoofer to be able to provide usable bass response. Samsung’s subwoofer is equipped with two bass elements, where an active unit pushes a passive slave element.
You may be wondering if it is possible to supplement the HW-S810B with additional rear speakers for full 5.1 surround, and you can – with the help of the wireless rear speakers SWA-9100S. However, these have a bulkier form factor than the S810B, and as far as we know only come in black.
Supports wireless TV sound
The Samsung plank is easy to set up via their own Smarthings app. Depending on which TV model you have, you can choose to connect it to the screen via the supplied HDMI cable, or via Bluetooth. Alternatively, if you have a newer Samsung TV, you can take advantage of a third possibility: Wireless sound over Wi-Fi!
The latter is extra nice, as it provides sufficient bandwidth to transmit Dolby Atmos audio signals wirelessly. Which in turn means that you can ditch the HDMI cable and still get the full benefit of the surround sound.
Note: to transmit Atmos sound signals wirelessly, Samsung uses the compressed Dolby Digital+ standard. The same goes for the HDMI connection, which is of the HDMI ARC type, not the newer eARC type.
Less cable clutter is of course a big advantage, especially if you’re going to pair the soundbar with an elegant TV like The Frame or a razor-thin OLED screen. The only flaw with the Wi-Fi finesse is that it also requires a Samsung 2022 model TV to work. We tested by pairing the soundbar with one The Frame QE55LS03B and a QE65S95B OLED, and it worked smoothly, without any sync problems between picture and sound. Then we could also take advantage of the sound quality Q Symphony, which uses the TV’s built-in speakers in combination with the soundbar’s own.
The Samsung HW-S810B supports wireless audio transmission via Wi-Fi, but it requires that you also have a 2022 model TV from Samsung. (Photo: Audun Hage)
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Easy to operate
The sound bar comes with its own remote control, plus operating buttons on top of the speaker. But it can also be controlled remotely with the TV’s remote control (via HDMI CEC).
It has no screen, but instead uses small color LEDs to indicate status. In addition, you will hear a voice when selecting input, sound mode and the like.
You can also control the HW-S810B via Samsung’s SmartThings app on mobile. Then you get access to several music services over Wi-Fi. The sound bar also supports Airplay II, Spotify Connect and Chromecast Audio, so there are plenty of playback options here.
Sound quality
Compared to other compact soundbars out there, Samsung has chosen a slightly special design for the HW-S810B. Why so thin and wide? This is probably primarily due to the sound they wanted to achieve. By keeping the width – about the same as a 55” TV – good separation between the speaker channels is ensured, instead of squeezing them together in a bundle.
The result can also be heard: the HW-S810 creates a large and convincing sound image, which extends well in both height and width. The way the sound image unfolds is clearly reminiscent of a “full-size” soundboard. Quite impressive!
The Samsung plank also excels with a good voice reproduction: On the Netflix newcomer The Gray Man we can easily hear that the dialogue between Ryan Gosling and Billy Bob Thornton sits properly, with strong and clear diction.
At the same time, there is a good sense of reverberation from the surroundings. We can easily hear the small details in the sound mix, while the film music gets plenty of space in the soundscape. You get information here, which is easily lost on many other soundboards.
The HW-S810B is not afraid of a bit of action either: When Gosling has to eliminate a number of thugs (in the role of CIA agent Sierra Six), the soundboard acknowledges with proper pressure in the sound effects, and plenty of splash in the surround channels. Here, the subwoofer also has a bit to work with, but it delivers juicy and full bass, while at the same time fitting in well with the rest of the soundscape.
Gosling vs. Evans!
The Russo brothers deliver their answer to the raucous spy movie, but forget the human aspect.
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Usable for music
Of course, we had to check out the HW-S810B with music as well, and it performs well here as well. With Metallica’s latest live concert on YouTube, we are served a big and juicy soundscape with a real splash in the guitar riffs, at the same time there is steady rhythm from the bass and drums. Easy to like!
At the same time, we notice a point about the subwoofer: Due to the soundboard’s tiny speakers, it is clear that Samsung has chosen a rather high crossover frequency in the bass (the point where the subwoofer takes over). Which in turn can make the bass sounds easier to locate. We achieved the best coherence in the sound image by placing the subwoofer close to the TV and the soundbar, rather than hiding it in a corner.
Good, but not unlimited sound pressure
When the sound reproduction is so convincing, it is naturally tempting to turn up the volume even more! Here we can hear that the Samsung soundbar meets the “wall” a little earlier than the really big soundbars out there. Although the volume is juicy enough, it does come at the expense of sound quality over time. The voice reproduction becomes a little mushy, and the sound effects can become a little fussy.
Nevertheless: If you are on good terms with the neighbors and like to play really loudly regularly with both movies, gaming and music on the menu, you may want to consider a larger soundbar. For example, the Samsung HW-Q810B, which is in the same price range as this slim variant.
Conclusion
Samsung’s Ultra Slim Soundbar isn’t necessarily the roughest soundbar we’ve tested when it comes to sound pressure, bass or surround effects, but compared to its slim appearance, we think the HW-S810B does an excellent job.
The soundbar creates a large and wide soundstage with clear and distinct voice reproduction, while the compact subwoofer contributes rich bass to music and sound effects – as long as you are not tempted to play too loudly. It is primarily the volume that reveals that we are not dealing with a really large and powerful soundbar.
Those looking for the ultimate soundbar for home cinema and Dolby Atmos are probably better off choosing something bigger. But for a slim and discreet TV installation (for example with a Frame on the wall) the S810B fits perfectly!
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