{"id":121804,"date":"2020-10-12T04:56:33","date_gmt":"2020-10-12T03:56:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techweekmag.com\/?p=121804"},"modified":"2024-02-24T15:42:44","modified_gmt":"2024-02-24T15:42:44","slug":"samsung-hw-t550-review-well-balanced-and-powerful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/speakers\/samsung-hw-t550-review-well-balanced-and-powerful\/","title":{"rendered":"Samsung HW-T550 : Well-balanced and powerful"},"content":{"rendered":"

The HW-T550 is an entry-level 2.1 soundbar from Samsung’s 2020 lineup that replaces the 2019 Samsung HW-R550 soundbar.\u00a0However, these models are slightly different from each other.\u00a0This soundbar does not have a dedicated center channel like the higher end Samsung HW-T650 with 3.1 sound.<\/p>\n

The main competitors of the Samsung HW-T550 soundbar are the LG SN5Y, Yamaha YAS-209 and Polk Audio SIGNA S2.\u00a0In this Samsung HW-T550 review, we take a look at the price-to-quality ratio to see if the HW-T550 is worth buying from Samsung.<\/p>\n

Samsung HW-T550: Design<\/h3>\n

The soundbar of the Samsung HW-T550 looks a little different than last year’s Samsung HW-R550.\u00a0The panel has no corner edges and looks more like 2019’s more expensive Samsung models like the\u00a0HW-Q90R\u00a0.\u00a0The front is covered with a metal grille and the rest is covered with good quality plastic.<\/p>\n

The subwoofer is almost identical to the previous model.\u00a0The body is made of pressed shavings and the front panel is covered with fabric.\u00a0The phase inverter is at the back.\u00a0The HW-T550 soundbar is shorter than the 2019 model.\u00a0This makes it possible to place it between the legs of some 55 “TVs.\u00a0It’s also not too tall, so it won’t cover the bottom of the screen.<\/p>\n

Similar to other models from Samsung, the subwoofer is about the same size as a desktop computer.\u00a0Since the sub connects to the bar wirelessly, it can be placed anywhere.\u00a0Like most soundbars, the back of the HW-T550 soundbar is very simple.\u00a0The port is at the top and the power cable is at the bottom.<\/p>\n

Therefore, the network cable is quite easy to “hide” from prying eyes.\u00a0If there is a need to fix the soundbar on the wall, there is a special hole on the bottom side for this.\u00a0Mounting brackets are included.\u00a0The build quality of the T550 soundbar is good.\u00a0The plastic material used seems to be durable, the speakers are covered with a metal grille.<\/p>\n

The subwoofer feels a little cheap as it is covered with a cloth on the front, which is easy to stain or damage.\u00a0In addition to the panel itself and the subwoofer, the package includes: 2 power cables, a power supply for the soundbar, an optical cable, a remote control with two batteries, a user manual and mounting brackets with screws.<\/p>\n

Display<\/h3>\n

The soundbar interface of the T550 is a small screen, which is centered on the bar compared to last year’s model.\u00a0The display shows all the settings that you change.\u00a0The screen is not very wide.\u00a0Because of this, some information will sometimes need to be scrolled to see the entire message.\u00a0The controls at the top of the panel are pretty simple.\u00a0It is possible to turn on \/ off the panel, change the volume and rewire the inputs.<\/p>\n

Remote controller<\/h3>\n

The remote, as in last year’s model, allows you to control all settings of the soundbar, but cannot be used as a universal remote.\u00a0Unfortunately, this soundbar is not compatible with any Samsung app, which is disappointing compared to last year’s model.\u00a0All settings must be done with the remote control.\u00a0Samsung HW-T550 enters Power Save Mode after 20 minutes of inactivity.<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/a><\/p>\n

Sound quality<\/h3>\n

The Samsung T550 soundbar has a good stereo frequency response.\u00a0Despite its affordable price, the subwoofer delivers powerful and deep bass.\u00a0The overall sound profile is well balanced.\u00a0Samsung HW-T550 has decent stereo sound.\u00a0The stage seems to be slightly wider than the soundbar width, which is very good.<\/p>\n

However, the panel is dormant to expand the scene even further.\u00a0On the other hand, objects in a stereo soundstage are well focused.\u00a0You can easily pinpoint their location rather than hear the sound coming from one common place.\u00a0The soundbar of the Samsung T550 can sound quite loud.\u00a0This is great for a large room.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the panel can be output at maximum volume without hearing the compressed sound.\u00a0At normal listening volume, there is almost no audible distortion.\u00a0However, there is a noticeable leap when pushing the volume to the limit.\u00a0This distortion occurs mainly at high frequencies at maximum volume, but most listeners may not hear this distortion.<\/p>\n

The HW-T550’s center channel performance is below average as this model does not have a dedicated center channel.\u00a0This 2.1 stereo system uses left and right speakers to create a center sound that doesn’t sound as clear as with a separate speaker.\u00a0However, voices still sound pretty accurate as there isn’t much bass on the center channel track.<\/p>\n

The T550’s surround sound performance is very poor as the soundbar must mix the surround sound to stereo in order to be played.\u00a0After all, the soundbar can only use the left and right speakers for playback.<\/p>\n

This arrangement does not result in an accurate and clear representation of the surrounding objects in the soundstage.\u00a0As a result, the sound appears to be coming in front of you, not around you.\u00a0In addition, the output level is much quieter than when playing stereo content.\u00a0This soundbar has no height channels and therefore does not support\u00a0Dolby Atmos\u00a0content\u00a0.<\/p>\n

Play modes<\/h3>\n

The Samsung HW-T550 has many sound enhancement features but no room correction.\u00a0This means that the sound may differ slightly depending on the size of the room.\u00a0On the other hand, the Samsung HW-T550 acoustic panel has four additional presets.<\/p>\n

These are Surround Sound, Game, Smart and DTS Virtual: X. The Smart preset uses DRC (Dynamic Range Compression) and acts as a dialogue enhancement function.\u00a0In addition, the system is equipped with a 7-band equalizer.<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/a><\/p>\n

Connections<\/h3>\n

Samsung HW-T550 has an optical audio input, one HDMI input and one output, and a USB port.\u00a0Unfortunately, the manufacturer has decided to remove the 3.5mm analog jack that was equipped with last year’s HW-R550, which is very unfortunate.\u00a0There is support for the\u00a0ARC\u00a0port\u00a0.\u00a0The unit can play both Dolby Digital and DTS files, which are often found on streaming platforms and Blu-ray discs.<\/p>\n

However, the T550 cannot play 5.1 lossless audio.\u00a0On the other hand, the soundbar can play lossless PCM 2.0 stereo content.\u00a0Like most soundbars, DTS and Dolby Digital are supported via optical cable.<\/p>\n

It is possible to transfer content via Bluetooth.\u00a0The soundbar allows you to connect up to two devices at the same time, such as mobile phones.\u00a0It is also possible to pause one playlist and start another from another device.<\/p>\n

Pros<\/strong>
\nBalanced sound profile.
\nGood build quality.
\n7-band equalizer for sound customization.
\nCons<\/strong>
\nNo support for Atmos content.
\nSurround sound loses power output.
\nNo app.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

The Samsung HW-T550 soundbar with 2.1 sound design has a well-balanced sound profile and a powerful wireless subwoofer.<\/p>\n

The soundbar delivers decently deep bass, which is pretty decent for this price point.\u00a0Unfortunately, due to the speaker configuration, the soundbar cannot support Atmos content, but it handles music quite well and is suitable for many different music genres.\u00a0The device also contains several sound enhancement features, including dialog enhancement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The HW-T550 is an entry-level 2.1 soundbar from Samsung’s 2020 lineup that replaces the 2019 Samsung HW-R550 soundbar.\u00a0However, these models are slightly different from each other.\u00a0This soundbar does not have a dedicated center channel like the higher end Samsung HW-T650 with 3.1 sound. The main competitors of the Samsung HW-T550 soundbar are the LG SN5Y, […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10404,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[646],"tags":[778],"class_list":["post-121804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-speakers","tag-reviews"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10404"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121804\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hifiratings.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}