Today, I shall dive right into all the minute details of the Samsung HW-T650 review for your awesome indoor movie experience.
We will start by revealing the quick features of this three-channel soundbar but will slowly get into its key features, hardware details, and performance strength.
Let’s do this!
Pros
- Five Equalizer (EQ) presets for ambient effects.
- Various sound modes.
- Sleek and elegant design.
- Strong build.
- Dialogue enhancement features are available.
- Adjustable treble and deep bass.
- Dedicated Center channel speaker for better separation.
- Flexible Bluetooth usage.
Cons
- Lacks low-bass.
- Does not support Dolby Atmos.
- Imbalanced sound intelligence.
- No voice control support or app support for mobile devices.
Its balanced sound profile has enough bass to offer an enjoyable indoor movie experience at a moderate price range. Learn more
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Samsung HW-T650 Soundbar Ratings and Analysis
Before we dive deep into the detailed review, I let you a sneak peek of my ratings here:
| Parameters | My Ratings |
| Sound Quality | 4/5 |
| Build and Design | 4.5/5 |
| Connectivity | 4/5 |
| Easy to Install | 5/5 |
| Smart Features | 4/5 |
⚖️Quick Comparison With Samsung HW-Q60T And T550 Soundbars
Before you decide on buying this model, let’s quickly compare this model with the other two popular Samsung soundbar models, which are HW-Q60T and HW-T550.
| Parameters | HW-T650 | HW-Q60T | HW-T550 |
| Dolby Atmos content supported | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Equalizer presets | 5 | 3 | 7 |
| Channel setup | 3.1 | 5.1 | 2.1 |
| Mobile application | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Dimensions (inches) | 38.6 x 2.3 x 3.6 | 38.6 x 4.1 x 2.3 | 33.9 x 2.2 x 3.4 |
| Weight (kilograms) | 2.4 | 9.5 | 2.1 |
- Samsung HW-T650 Soundbar Ratings and Analysis
- ⚖️Quick Comparison With Samsung HW-Q60T And T550 Soundbars
- My Final Verdict About Samsung HW-T650 Review!
- Into The Depth Of Samsung HW-T650 Soundbar: A Detailed Analysis
- Why We Love The Samsung HW-T650 Soundbar
- What We Do Not Like In Samsung HW-T650 Soundbar
- Samsung HW-T650 Soundbar FAQs
My Final Verdict About Samsung HW-T650 Review!
The Samsung HW-T650 Soundbar is a model from the T series of soundbars from Samsung, which comprise the more affordable products. It is the largest soundbar from that series.
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Samsung also has the Q and S series, where the former includes the premium product lineup, while the latter comprises all-around compact models.
So as per the T series lineup, Samsung HW-T650 is a decent product overall. In comparison, I find it a little pricey, but its features cover all these costs!
References For Nerds:
- About to pick up an HW-T650- A Reddit Discussion!
- Samsung Soundbar: HW-T650 vs Q60T – A Reddit Discussion!
- Samsung HW-T650 vs Yamaha YAS 209 – A Reddit Discussion!
This model offers some pro-level sound customization options for users to have better control over the output. It is accurate but does not provide real surround-sound effects, which might affect your movie experience. It also comes with a sleek and robust style while also being easy to install.
As far as the connectivity with smart devices is concerned, it is the only T series model with a built-in center speaker with a 3.1 channel configuration. The only drawback is that even though it supports Dolby Audio, Dolby Digital, and DTS sound, it does not support your favorite content in Dolby Audio.
It supports wireless connectivity using Bluetooth and wired connection through USB cables. It is the longest soundbar from the Samsung T series. However, it is still compact enough not to create any placement or storage issues.
One of the most notable features of this soundbar is that it uses DTS Virtual-X sound immersion technology, which is very rare in soundbars of such a category. Users also get various sound options like Standard Sound and Gaming Sound to dive deeper into whatever activity they use this audio device.
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In nutshell, this budget Samsung soundbar offers decent performance for music and movies. But this is not the end of the review. I still have a lot of details to let you know before you decide to buy or recommend this product to someone.
Into The Depth Of Samsung HW-T650 Soundbar: A Detailed Analysis
Now comes the most crucial section of the article, wherein I will discuss all the necessary features of the Samsung HW-T650 soundbar in detail, including some intricate specifications you would need to know to make decisions about this product.
Let us look at the specifications related to the key parameters for the judgment of this soundbar.
You Know The Results Already!
This budget Samsung Soundbar offers some of the most elite features in the market with pleasing deep bass and easy installation.
Testing HW-T650 For Sound Quality
After testing this soundbar for a few movies and songs, I have drawn some crucial insights into sound accuracy, clarity, and different sound modes.
First, let me tell you about my movie experience with this soundbar. The sound was well-balanced and adequate but had some surround sound and intelligence issues.
How’s Movie Experience With HW-T650?
Unlike most other 3.1 channel soundbars, Samsung HW-T650 does not support Dolby Audio. I tried both the sound modes suited for movies: the Standard Sound Mode and DTS Virtual: X Sound Mode.
In the standard mode, too, this soundbar gave a louder volume and directional extension from sideways, with more depth and height. As expected, the sound experience was better than the usual TV sound and not as flat as the television’s audio system.
However, the sound experience would seem fitting for whichever movie you watch, with a brilliantly immersive experience and appreciable accuracy.
As far as bass is concerned:
The wireless subwoofer does a great job of adding more vigor and reality to the entire film. It is not as effective as some other quality subwoofers, but that is entirely justified considering this is mainly a soundbar combined with a subwoofer. But don’t worry, as it gives you all the necessary shakes and real-life sound effects with natural textures during the movie.
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The center channel did a fantastic job of keeping the dialogue sounds distinguished from the background music and other sounds. You probably not find any overlapping issues in the sound while using the Samsung HW-T650.
Now comes the experience with the DTS Virtual: X Sound Mode. This mode is designed to deliver surround and immersion effects. But the surround is where this wireless subwoofer fails.
It becomes evident that the sound is not multi-directional to create a good surround sound effect.
It uses more of the stereo effect rather than surround, so the listening experience in this mode, especially if you bought this soundbar for surround sound technology, is the one thing that would disappoint you pretty badly.
Also, this soundbar with its dedicated subwoofer fails to deliver the multi-directional sound illusion using the DTS Virtual: X mode.
The Better Alternative
So, if you are keen on getting that surround effect, I suggest you buy the optional sound kit that Samsung offers, the Wireless Surround Sound Kit (SWA-8500S).
Moreover, being a DTS Virtual: X user, like other audio devices that use the same technology, Samsung HE-T650 is not the best in terms of sound accuracy and additional effects.
Some scenes and audio might sound artificial or over-processed as the sound won’t come from where it should be. This is because the soundbar detects where the sound should originate from depending on the audio, but it cannot successfully create the sound from the right places every time.
But overall:
You can feel the difference between the standard mode and the DTS Virtual: X Sound Mode. The latter gives a more captivating experience and authentic effect with higher resolution and volume levels.
How Do Different Musical Genres Sound With HW-T650?
Now let’s discuss my music listening experience with Samsung HW-T650. I tried different genres of music with high-resolution audio files and a streaming service using a USB port.
I should first talk about the dedicated center channel that produced all sounds with a balanced tonality, clarity, and energy that improved the listening experience tenfold! The frequency spectrum worked well without any significant sound alterations.
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With its budget price tag, I’m sure that buyers won’t expect many good results and high-quality performance from this soundbar. But it gives satisfactory results, which are way better than an average soundbar, and offers countless hours of listening.
How’s the gaming experience with HW-T650?
Here comes the critical issue of the soundbar. On the one hand, it does provide a great audio experience even while you play video games, but on the other, the product lacks sound intelligence.
If you use the gaming mode on this soundbar, you will get stereoscopic sound and the volume at 20 would sound like 40 in the standard mode. It sometimes gets too loud, and this difference might confuse users.
In conclusion, I can say that Samsung HW-T650 gives a quality listening experience at a reasonable price and has more good attributes than bad ones.
The best part is that you get DTS Virtual: X Sound, a subwoofer, and other features in just one soundbar! These are discussed in the appropriate section later, so keep reading.
⚙️Testing HW-T650 For Build and Design…
This section will give you an insight into the looks, design, and hardware of the Samsung HW-T650. I have divided this section into the internal and external hardware parts.
How’s This Samsung Soundbar External Hardware?
As discussed earlier, this is the longest soundbar out of all the models in the T series, with the dimensions being 38.6 x 2.3 x 3.6 inches. It is also much lighter, weighing just 2.4 kg so it can be placed anywhere in this compact size and is lightweight.
The body material is plastic, with brushed textures and a sleek design. It comes in a bold jet-black color that further enhances the attractiveness of this soundbar.
The physical buttons on the back of the soundbar look subtle, thanks to their color and size.
It comes with a combination of plastic and a full-frontal metallic grille that covers almost the entire body of the Samsung HW-T650. Unlike the circular holes in metallic grilles, it shows holes in an exciting design. This plate is non-removable, which is one thing you must know.
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The front display functions well and is located behind the metallic grille on the far right side.
There are holes for easy mounting at the bottom of the soundbar.
The backside features two big insets for the connection ports. To not obstruct the IR sensor of your television, there are no IR repeaters on the soundbar, which might cause issues with the size of the main soundbar.
The T650 subwoofer has a simplistic cubic design with rounded corners, with its driver placed at the side, and is covered by a rounded fabric grille. Its dimensions are 8.1 x 13.9 x 11.9 inches with a weight of 6.2 kg. Its relatively smaller size can be fitted anywhere in a room.
It is safe to say that the build is solid. Samsung has focused on maintaining quality even in a moderately priced product, providing a sleek, premium-looking design with all the necessary details.
How’s This Samsung Soundbar Internal Hardware?
According to the specifications by Samsung, six main drivers of 60 watts each exist for the three main channels, which make up a total of 180 watts for the soundbar.
Like many other audio devices:
Each channel uses a dual-driver configuration. The kind of drivers being used is kept secret by Samsung and not mentioned in the manual specification sheet. Due to the metallic grille, it is difficult to identify the type on our own.
The subwoofer uses 160 watts of power output, slightly less than what other devices would use with such an impact. All this adds up to 340 watts, suitable for soundbars for small or medium-sized rooms.
Testing HW-T650 For Easy Installation…
Samsung has focused on keeping things simple for all kinds of users. The installation and initial setup are very basic.
Even if you face trouble connecting the main soundbar and subwoofer, the manual that comes with it serves as an easy guide to help you with such problems.
Then you can choose your preferred channel for connecting all the devices, like HDMI Arc. If you also have the additional Wireless Surround Sound Kit, you can pair it easily with all the other devices with the help of the instruction manual.
That finishes up your installation process. It is honestly the simplest thing you could do here. And the manual that comes with the soundbar helps a lot in figuring out the solutions to any possible problems.
Testing HW-T650 For Connectivity…
Soundbars of a price, such as the Samsung HW-T650 usually do not offer basic layouts for connectivity, with minimum deviations varying from one brand to another. However, this model has decent and simplistic connectivity options for external devices that people mainly desire.
The main unit features two insets at the backside of the soundbar for all the connections. The connectivity functions are equally divided among these two insets.
Along with the HDMI input source and output ports, on the left side is a circular power connector. This HDMI output only supports ARC. It implies that it can’t playback Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, or DTS HD Master Audio content.
But many streaming services these days use Dolby Digital Plus, supported by the T650 soundbar, so it should not cause any significant problems. Similarly, since HDMI ports are the most common these days, it features only HDMI ports without analog ports.
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Testing HW-T650 For Smart Features…
Samsung gave this soundbar model some unique and notable features that differentiate it from all other soundbar models Samsung has produced.
It literally has all the functions in the simplest way and a minimum of buttons. Hence, casual users and people who would not want to handle complex settings would love it! Plus it’s black and stylish too.
You can also use your television’s remote with an HDMI cable to control basic functions like volume, as the T650 soundbar supports HDMI-CEC.
The best part is that this kit is inexpensive and creates a natural 5.1-channel surround system. So if you have extra space in your room and a little extra to spend, you can buy the kit!
The USB port helps you play audio files from external storage devices, which is very common with other soundbars. But what’s unique about T650 is that the performance of its USB port is much more enhanced than other such priced soundbars.
You can also connect your television’s Bluetooth if supported by the TV. Remember that if you’ve connected the soundbar with the TV’s Bluetooth, you can’t connect it to another device for that duration.
Moreover, this model has a unique sound feature that can reduce loud sound but might get distorted. Samsung refers to this mode as Dynamic Range Control (DRC) which lets you apply dynamic range control over all kinds of Dolby Digital content.
Testing HW-T650 For Price…
This is a crucial factor in determining whether or not you will buy a product. For the Samsung HW-T650 soundbar, you don’t need to spend a lot to get these quality features.
You can find great deals on Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and other retail sites, for under $200. This would include the main soundbar, a subwoofer, and an easy-to-read manual.
You also can buy a budget surround sound kit and the whole set to improve the surround sound quality. However, some buyers have complained that the product is pricey. For me, the features of a sound system should be worth its price.
Why We Love The Samsung HW-T650 Soundbar
7 POINTS
?Various sound modes
As discussed in the previous sections, this model offers different sound modes for an immersive home theater experience, including a special mode! These sound modes include the standard mode, gaming mode, DTS Virtual: X surround sound mode, and Dynamic Range Control (DRC).?Sleek, eye-catching design
Even at an affordable price, the Samsung HW-T650 soundbar offers a premium-looking design, a sturdy build, and all the necessary hardware requirements.?Dialogue enhancement Feature
This soundbar is perfect for watching movies, especially if you would not like to delve deep into audio functions’ technicalities and complex settings.
The various modes offer different audio quality, but none compromises dialogue clarity. The dialogues don’t get mixed with background sounds, especially in the DTS Virtual: X mode!?Adjustable treble and bass
Not only can you adjust the treble and bass during the initial setup, but you also have the option to alter these levels anytime you want and however you want to!?Center channel for better separation
The center channel helps with sound clarity and keeps the dialogue separated. It also helps in better immersion effects of the audio.?️Five EQ presets
Equalizer presets help the users gain more control over the audio using various functions along with sound enhancement. T650 has five Equalizers presets, which is more than sufficient for soundbars.?Flexible Bluetooth usage
While the wireless connection of this model is just limited to Bluetooth, it does not hold back on providing stress-free connectivity options to the users.
The Bluetooth connection is very smooth. This soundbar also offers multi-connection Bluetooth support, which means you can connect up to two Bluetooth devices with the soundbar simultaneously.
You can also connect it to your TV’s Bluetooth. But if you’re using your TV’s Bluetooth, it won’t connect to any other Bluetooth device.
What We Do Not Like In Samsung HW-T650 Soundbar
Samsung HW-T650 Soundbar FAQs
Does Samsung T650 support Atmos?
No, Dolby Atmos audios are not supported by the Samsung HW-T650 soundbar.
How to increase the volume on my Samsung soundbar?
You can use the remote to increase the volume. Otherwise, you also can use the buttons on the side panel to adjust the volume.
Why does my Samsung Soundbar keep dropping out?
Since the connection between the subwoofer and the main bar is wireless, it might drop out due to connection interference or physical obstructions. You can check the firmware version, reset, and reconnect these devices.
How to reset a Samsung T650 soundbar?
Use the power button on the remote or the main unit and press it until the display screen shows ‘INIT OK’. Then your Samsung soundbar will reset.
How do I connect Samsung HW to K360?
You can connect it using Bluetooth. If you face any trouble doing that, you can read the user manual that comes with the soundbars.