Samsung brings Dolby Atmos cinema sound to your home
Dig those curves: Samsung’s curved soundbar models, which match up with its popular Smart Curved TVs, boast Sound+ technology, with embedded subwoofers and five channels of sound.
We’ve all experienced ground-shaking home entertainment sound with Samsung’s HD TVs and soundbars before.
So now, are you ready to get Atmosed?
Partnering with Dolby Atmos, Samsung now delivers one of the most hair-bristling, teeth-rattling cinematic-immersive experiences with its HW-K950 Soundbar, packed with 15 separate speakers, each with dedicated amplifiers to boost and control your television sound.
Samsung’s system is so smart, it can detect separate layers in a digital audio source (such as a Blu-ray video of, say, Star Wars: Rogue One) and adjust those levels during the action — something they call “object-based sound” — so you will feel the Rebel fleet zipping straight over your head, and hear the splashing of waves around the Imperial garrison. All of it will feel as vivid as being in a Dolby Atmos cinema.
Samsung proved this to us in a blindfold test, of sorts. Inside a small, private listening room in One Global Place, we listened to the sounds of a rain forest, complete with bugs chirping, thunder booming and lightning cracking in the distance. With the woofers belting out in back of us, it felt like being in a THX cineplex. Or, for those willing to take the financial plunge, like being in your own TV room.
Samsung has long taken sound quite seriously. With its successful fleet of Smart TVs and soundbars that harness technology developed in Samsung Audio Labs in Valencia, California (not to mention their March 2017 acquisition of Harman International Industries, makers of primo JBL speakers), it’s clear that Samsung is serious about becoming a permanent fixture in your home entertainment galaxy.
Filipinos, we know, care a lot about sound and music. For the Samsung demo, product marketing manager for audio Mahir Al-Rubah walked us through which systems might be best for entry-level millennials looking for a strong soundbar experience to binge on Netflix — that would be the HW-j250, HW-K350 and HW-M360, perfect for modest 32-inch to respectable 55-inch sets, and attractively promo priced from P5,499 to P9,999.
One strong feature of all Samsung soundbars is the wireless experience. No more wire octopi occupying your TV zone. Bluetooth to the world! Even the entry-level models pack two built-in speakers (in front) and 6.5-inch passive subwoofers.
The three big promises from Samsung’s advanced line of soundbars are 1) ultra-clear sound — thanks to multiple built-in dedicated speakers, including “up-firing” speakers that bounce sound off your ceiling, providing a truly immersive experience; 2) massive bass, thanks to strong front-facing subwoofers; and 3) wireless connectivity for even external rear speakers to make even your Spotify playlists sound larger than life.
Moving up in sound, we liked the curved soundbar models, which match up well with Samsung’s popular Smart Curved TVs. They boast Sound+ technology, with embedded subwoofers and five channels (front left, front right, center, top left and top right) of sound for better clarity.
Best of all was saved for last. If you crave a perfect venue to blast Kong: Skull Island or Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, then look no further than the HW-K950: for P54,999 (promo price), this baby is yours.
Soundbars are the new urban home necessity. They’re like power bars, but packed with sound. And Samsung, we have to admit, makes a strong case that the HW-K950 Dolby Atmos model is a new gold standard.
