SAMSUNG HW-T550 2.1ch Soundbar with Dolby Audio / DTS Virtual:X (2020)

I've listened to soundbar demos in stores for YEARS but this is my first to own. I'm no audio expert, though it seemed like the upgraded version of one of the best selling soundbars on Amazon. Overall, it sounds really great to me. Dialogue, movie sound effects, YouTube videos, and every genre of music I listen to (which is almost every genre). Sound isn't mind-blowing, but you have to pay wayyyyy more for mind-blowing.The design of it fits well with my apartment. Love that the subwoofer connects with Bluetooth so I don't have a wire running through my living room. Some people put the subwoofer behind their couch, but I read it should ideally be in front of you, too, so that's what I did.Remote looks sleek, though falls off things a little too easily because it's curved. Volume needle-thingy is pretty cool because you don't accidentally turn it down when you wanted to turn it up and vice versa in the dark, you can feel that the remote is in your hand correct and you just press the needle thingy forward/up.Also, note the separate volume needle thingy specifically for the subwoofer! I didn't see it for the first few days! You can turn the subwoofer down or up quite a bit. Turned down all the way, it sounds very tinny and empty (I think not because the soundbar sounds horrible without it, but because the soundbar is purposely leaving those frequencies to the soundbar because it's better equipped to handle it). Turned up all the way, the bass is too overpowering. I have the subwoofer turned up to +3, which seems to fit everything nicely (I'm a big fan of my Sony M3 headphones, which are a little on the bass heavy side, too)Love that I can easily connect my phone to the soundbar and play music - sounds much better than my conveniently portable UE Megaboom. It doesn't autoconnect to my phone when I turn it on like my portable speak, though that would probably be annoying anyway since it's more often used for TV.I use this soundbar for listening to music streamed through my phone while working from home, washing dishes, and cooking. I use it for streaming on my Chromecast with Google TV. And I use it for my 4k DVD player. I'm highly satisfied with it, and recommend people to not wait as long as I did to get a high quality soundbar! I hope it lasts me for years, it seems like it will.

I read a lot of reviews between all three models of this available and while I read many mixed reviews about the T450, I decided to go with it anyway. Having been a former sound engineer and a self proclaimed movie buff, I can tell you that I speak for the audiophile and the FX mixers out there looking for a great sound for a great price when I say that this is a fantastic option.I tested it with Bluetooth and Optical on my 43" UHD Crystal 4k Samsung RU8000 and could not find any discernable difference in sound quality, latency or equivalence. The optical may have a tiny bit better midrange but Its not noticeable enough to change my initial statement.Sound:1. The mids are mellow, the highs are a bit shrill almost as if that frequency band on the speaker has an exciter built in or as if the speakers dont handle highly compressed sound waves or exciters used, but when listening to music you can just kick the treble down to -1 and it goes away and cleans it all up nicely. The bass in just the sound bar alone is actually quite surprising. It sounds as if it goes down to about the 75-100hz range, which I've never found in any other soundbar without basspass. The sub has a nice even punch and from 60 - 10hz its beautifully even and you can hear it all the way down. It comes with 3 preset modes: Standard: This is the setting for music in my opinion. The adjustments to treble and bass in the settings effect standard mode. Game: This mode is a bit confusing. It seems to cut out all high end treble and low end bass and gives more of a mono sound quality. Im sure there's a technical use for this but I would just as well use the surround setting. - Surround: The soundbar does a fantastic job of reading the panning information and manages to keep the sound wide. I can hear the difference drastically from about 8 feet away but standing behind the couch (10-15') it actually seems to hold its depth.Look/Aesthetics:This is a very classy, black cloth sheen look. Very stereo theater system feel. I love it. Very discreet which I feel is important when your attention shouldn't be drawn to where the sound is coming from but the TV instead. Especially if its mounted on the wall.Overall, I'm very pleased with my purchase. I've been slowly falling in love with Samsung over the years and now I can attest that they care about sound as well.