Samsung HW-A450/ZA 2.1ch Review

While the Samsung HW-A450/ZA 2.1 ch Soundbar comes poised to bring the rumble with its included subwoofer, our testers are underwhelmed by its overall sound quality. This budget model eschews an HDMI connection for optical and USB and includes an intuitive and simple to use remote, though setting this soundbar up isn't quite as easy as true plug-and-play models

Performance Comparison

Sound Quality

This Samsung soundbar does not achieve high marks in our sound quality testing. Compared with other models (one of which is less expensive), dialogue sounds muddy, likely due to its lack of a true center channel. Though the included subwoofer gives the system a bass-heavy sound, it isn't punchy, clear, or very immersive. This model features Samsung's Adaptive Sound Lite Technology that claims to automatically equalize dialogue, noise, and background music for an optimal listening experience. In our actual listening experience, we heard a thin and echoey sound that made us question whether the subwoofer was properly in sync with the soundbar.

Ease of Use

This model isn't difficult to set up, but it lacks some key features that prevent it from being a truly plug-and-play device. The subwoofer needs to be manually linked to the soundbar, and the instructions are fairly confusing on how to do this. Again, our scoring here is relative, and its score reflects the fact that other models are significantly easier to set up.

The included remote is intuitive and simple, with power and volume toggles, and there are power, volume, and input settings that also can be adjusted via buttons on the soundbar, which has a light display to indicate which sound mode it's in.

Unfortunately, this soundbar doesn't offer digital assistant smart speaker support or WiFi connectivity, though it can connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth.

As far as EQ and sound adjustments go, this soundbar keeps things simple, limiting to just treble and bass adjustments. It also features multiple presets, including surround, a bass boost, game mode, and adaptive Sound lite. Due to its lack of an HDMI ARC connection, the surround mode isn't impressive, and while the bass boost adds some low end you can feel from the subwoofer, the overall bass sounds from the soundbar itself remain very weak.

Volume

We observed a reading of 91 dBa when operating this Samsung model at maximum volume, which is about average among the soundbars in our tests. This is plenty of volume for a theater-like experience, though the sound quality is still a limiting factor.

Design/Style

This model has an all-fabric casing with plastic end caps, giving it a classic look, though the fabric is more difficult to keep dust-free than metal or plastic surfaces. It's 33.9" long, so it won't look out of place with 40" TV, and it can be mounted to the wall. The subwoofer has a footprint of 7.1" x 10" and can be placed anywhere in the range of an electrical outlet since it connects wirelessly to the soundbar.

Value

Among the models tested, the Samsung HW-A450 is relatively inexpensive. But, several other models we tested have similar price tags while offering much better performance and features, so we don't consider this soundbar a killer value.

Conclusion