Samsung HW-A550 Sound Bar Review (A Powerful Soundbar)

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In this Samsung HW A550 review, we take a closer look at this 2.1 channel system that’s intent on improving upon its predecessors in the T series.

But how does it compare with other soundbars in the series, and most importantly, how does it actually perform?

Let’s find out!

Samsung HW-A550 Sound Bar Review

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The Samsung HW-A550 is a fantastic soundbar that handles movies, music, & even gaming with impressive audio quality.
Setup is easy too since it can be done via HDMI, optical, or Bluetooth. There’s even wall mount support and a slim design, making it an easy recommendation.

 

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Design/Appearance Of The Device

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As the successor to the T-650, the design of the Samsung HW A550 doesn’t actually deviate all that much.

It measures 33.9 x 2.2 x 3.3 inches and weighs about 4.63 pounds.

This slim design is compact enough to fit under TVs larger than 43 inches which is helpful and makes it a viable option for those constrained on space.

Now in terms of its appearance, I noticed that the exterior of the device looked really subdued; going for subtle detailing rather than full blown opulence.

But it’s when you look closer that you begin to appreciate the aesthetic that Samsung went for that really gives that premium feeling.

The front of the sound bar has a black non removable, diamond pattern magnetic grille that stops before the bottom and sides of the unit.

Beneath the grille is a helpful LED display placed in the center of the unit since there isn’t a center channel.

I noticed that the LED display was bright and easily visible in a bright room.

The display only showed 3 letters at a time though, so messages had to scroll sideways across it whenever I changed a setting.

Chamfered upper corners also bevel towards the top, which I felt gave it that distinctive flair that Samsung soundbars are often known for.

Even though the top of it is made of plastic, it still had an almost brushed metal texture to it that felt really cool.

Plus there was a unique thing I noticed that I felt was worth mentioning — that material helped mitigate fingerprints!

Nothing ruins a nice design like unsightly fingerprints, so you’ll be happy to know that the A550 does a great job in that regard.

On the back of the soundbar was simply where all the connection ports were located.

Do note there isn’t any internal IR tech in it so if it blocks any part of the bottom of your TV, it may not be able to communicate with it.

Or you could always wall mount it since there’s holes on the back that would allow for that.

The subwoofer also has similar design language to the A550, what with its subtle yet refined aesthetic that opts for blending in.

Theres a large reflex port on the back to help with reducing chuffing at higher volumes, along with the pairing button and the connection for powering the sub.

It’s also made of wood which is even better for bass.

The simple design it sports forgoes additional buttons besides the pairing button, and gives it a cleaner look which I think looks good.

At about 11.7 pounds and 14 inches tall, I’d say it’s a pretty manageable and placeable sub (especially when compared with some of the more gargantuan subs out there)

So when it comes to overall looks, the HW A550 easily blends in with most rooms due to its subtle visual presentation, harboring a design language that screams quiet confidence.

 

Features

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Bass Boost For Harder Bass

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With an already impressive 250 watts of power from the subwoofer alone, if that’s not enough, enjoy an additional boost in bass with the press of a button

 

160 Watts For Powerful Sound

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Touting a dual driver & tweeter combo, each of the 4 drivers is capable of 40 watts each or 160 in total — which provides for an extremely powerful sound that fully immerses you in the action

 

Virtual 3D Surround Sound

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Utilizing DTS Virtual:X technology, experience a thrilling surround sound experience without the need for external speakers

 

Great For Gaming

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Your gaming experience is completely transformed with synced directional audio that moves with the on screen action, and crosstalk cancelation that minimizes distractions, giving you a gaming experience like no other

 

Optimized Sound For Various Types Of Content

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It’s not only gaming that’s optimized with the A550, but other types of content too including sports, movies, and more

 

Multiple Connection Options

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Whether it’s through wireless with Bluetooth/Wifi, or a wired connection via HDMI, optical, or USB playback for Hi-Res audio, the way you enjoy your content is truly up to you

 

Full Control With One Remote

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With compatible Samsung TVs, streamline control of both your soundbar and television with the included Samsung remote

 

Wall Mountable

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Using the included brackets, wall mounting this soundbar is an option also available to you, providing a true level of convenience

 

Can Be Used With Additional Samsung Speakers

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Should you wish to go for a more traditional setup, the HW A550 can used with additional rear Samsung speakers to further enhance immersion

 

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How To Set It Up

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Thankfully, the process of setting up the A550 is pretty easy, and can be done in a wide variety of ways.

Should you wish to go the wireless route, getting things up and running is as simple as pairing the soundbar via Bluetooth, holding the button on the back of the subwoofer to pair it, and adjusting the treble and bass to your liking.

Should you opt for the wired route, you can connect the soundbar with an HDMI or optical cable from your television to the unit.

Something important to note is that this sound bar in particular utilizes ARC instead of eARC; meaning there isn’t Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio pass-through.

Luckily it can still play the most common audio formats like LPCM 2 ch, Dolby Audio, Dolby Digital, DTS, and even Dolby Digital Plus which is utilized by most streaming services.

But as far hooking up this device, it’s very accessible and user friendly which is definitely a plus.

 

Performance/Sound Quality

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So what’s the performance like on the Samsung HW A550?

Honestly, it’s really solid to put it shortly — with great sound and really impactful bass. However my opinion on it is a little more nuanced than that so I’ll explain my experience further.

Performance With Movies

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For listening to movies, the A550 is a massive step up from a TV speakers, and it was really easy to see the difference.

Listening to a wide variety of movies from Star Wars to Spiderman first in standard mode, what was immediately apparent was just how versatile this thing is.

Despite not having a dedicated center channel, dialogue still came through crystal clear and highly intelligible.

There wasn’t a need to crank the volume high to understand what characters were actually saying even in quiet scenes.

I know that’s sometimes a complaint with some soundbars, however there’s enough power here to completely avoid that issue.

The overall soundstage just had a certain sense of depth and presence — even though it’s not that big which was a surprise.

Sound effects were crisp and convincing, and it really just made movie watching a treat.

From a surround sound perspective though,  you could still tell that the sound originated from the front of the room.

It was to be expected since there aren’t any physical side firing drivers to remedy that.

Trying the surround sound mode next, I did notice an improvement for sure, but it wasn’t a markedly drastic one. It was a similar story with the Virtual DTS:X mode too.

However there were times were the emulation of the surround sound was actually convincing, so I’d expect it heavily depends on the type of content you watch and even the room.

The good thing about there being different sound modes and settings is you can choose the one that appropriately suits your content, which is really one of the best features you could have when limited by hardware.

I’d recommend sticking with the DTS Virtual:X mode for movies as that had the best balance of everything from what I noticed.

The subwoofer meanwhile had a lot of power and extension to it, and in real action heavy scenes, it delivered the emotional impact you’d expect.

The absolute lowest notes did bottom out a bit, but it’s not really something the average listener would even notice.

The sub managed to deliver clean engaging bass and complimented the soundbar in a way that definitely made the content fun to watch.

So to answer the question, the HW-A550 is great for movie watching.

What It’s Like Listening To Music With The A550

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Listening to music is another area where the A550 shines. Pretty much all the accolades mentioned with how it handles movies holds true with music, making a great choice in that regard as well.

The sound signature was really balanced from what I could tell, not teetering in any one specific direction harmonically.

The front 2 channels had good separation when it came to representing all the details in the track, and stereo panning effects were certainly noticeable — making this a solid 2.1 channel experience.

Sonically, music sounded accurate, with none of the important hard to miss details overshadowed by midrange or low end.

The bass wasn’t boomy or muddled at high volumes, and had an authoritative thump that you couldn’t help but want to dance to.

So in summation, for the causal music listening experience, the HW-A550 is a great option to go with.

 

How The A550 Does With Gaming

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The unique advantage that this soundbar has over others is a dedicated game mode for us gamers out there.

Utilizing stereoscopic sound, I noticed how prominent sound effects were, and it was truly a step up if you’re coming from just gaming on a TV or smaller speakers.

I liked that mode because it did a great job with immersion in action heavy sequences without losing any of those important details.

And with HDMI CEC compatibility, controlling things like volume, input, etc is made super easy.

Whether it’s the newest Madden or Elden Ring (love that game) it really does a fantastic job when it comes to gaming performance.

Being that it’s ARC and not eARC though, I’d recommend using the included optical cable if you plan on doing any gaming over 1080p or with HDR as that’ll allow you the ability to use it with 4K content.

 

My Experience Watching General TV

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What about with the most basic thing, how does the A550 do with simply watching TV shows or daytime television?

Well to no surprise, it does a remarkable job handling this type of content too.

Again dialogue was easy to hear even with basic cable, and there wasn’t any distortion or digital noise to make note of.

Here’s a quick tidbit you may find helpful though — for this type of content, I’d recommend using the adaptive mode so you don’t have to fiddle with the settings constantly.

The adaptive mode, like the name suggests, adapts the sound to whatever it is you’re watching – optimizing content on the fly and I found it to work really well surprisingly.

But as far as sound quality in general, everything sounded pristine, so no complaints there either really.

It works really well with everyday television viewing and content in general.

 

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Likes/Pros

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• 250 watt subwoofer delivers clean powerful bass
• 160 watt soundbar (410W system total) offers incredible sound quality
• Versatility that makes it a great choice for a wide range of content
• Great for movies, gaming, music, etc.
• Ease of use with regard to setup
• Choice of various sound modes
• Can be used with external Samsung speakers
• Bluetooth capability
• Wall Mountable

 

Dislikes/Cons

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• No eARC
• Doesn’t include HDMI
• USB Port Placement
• Surround sound effects sometimes narrow

 

Final Thoughts

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Overall, the Samsung HW A550 is a fantastic soundbar that passes nearly every metric upon which a quality soundbar is judged on with flying colors.

It handles movies, music, and even gaming with ease, and is super easy to set up.

The quality of the audio itself is really solid, and because of that, I have no issues with recommending it.

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Specs

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The specifications of the Samsung HW A550 are as follows:

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Color

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Black

Number of Channels

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2.1

Total Power (W)

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410W

Special Features

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Compatible with SWA-9100S

Audio Processing

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Dolby
Dolby Digital 2ch

DTS
DTS 2ch

Audio Features

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Sound Mode
Surround Sound Expansion,
Game,
Standard,
Adaptive Lite,
DTS Virtual:X,
Bass Boost

Wireless Surround Sound Ready

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Yes

Number of Speakers

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5

Subwoofer Included

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Yes

Subwoofer Type

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Wireless

AV Decoding Formats

Formats

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WAV, MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, AAC, AIFF

Connectivity

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HDMI In :1, HDMI Out: 1  Optical Inputs : 1, USB Music Playback, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Power On, One Remote Control, Power Consumption

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Stand-by Power Consumption (Main)

0.5

Stand-by Power Consumption (Subwoofer)

0.5

Operating Power Consumption (Main)

25

Operating Power Consumption (Subwoofer)

45W(36W : Dual)

Free Voltage

Rated Voltage

Energy Star

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Dimensions & Weight

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Product Dimensions (W x H x D)

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33.9″ x 2.2 “x 3.3”

Product Weight (lb.)

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16.3 lbs

Subwoofer Dimensions (W x H x D)

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7.9″ x 13.9″ x 11.4″

Subwoofer Weight

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11.7 lbs

Package Dimensions (W x H x D)

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36.5″ x 17.1″ x 10.7″

Package Weight

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21.6 lbs

Shipping Dimensions (W x H x D)

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36.5″ x 17.1″ x 10.7″

Shipping Weight (lb.)

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21.6 lbs

Accessories

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Remote Control

Wall Mount Kit

Battery for Remote Controller

Cable Included : Optical

ENERGY STAR® Certified
ENERGY STAR® Certified