Samsung HW-H550 2.1 Channel 320 Watt Wireless Audio Soundbar (2014 Model)

The sound is a lot better than I had expected. The small profile makes it good to have in an apartment. The sound quality for the size is great. We used this to play music for a house party and everybody was asking where we purchased it. Though you can't compare a system like this to 5.1 or 7.1, but for what it is its great.We have this hooked up with our 55" Samsung LED via Optical Toslink cable although it is possible with HDMI (Had an extra Toslink laying around). The bluetooth option is great to have when friends want to take turns at DJing, however there were times when it would cut out (possibly due to range). So make sure to keep whatever you are trying to play through bluetooth at a close visible range for it to not cut out.Secondly the wireless sub is great that it is wireless however this too has a range issue. I tried to set it a small distance away from the sound bar and the sub would cut in and out. After placing it closer the sound bar it would no longer cut out. Think Samsung needs to step up their game and provide more range. These may be some deal breakers for some people but if you are able to solve these problems by keeping them closer then it should be fine. At least for me.

I had purchased this for my parents, since their TV does not have a great set of built in speakers. Personally, I own 3 different soundbars and settled upon this one for my parents based on reviews and the many connection options for this player (as well as the fact that their TV is a Samsung). Without a doubt, this was very easy to setup. I used an Amazon Basics Optical Audio cable for the connection to the TV (and I highly recommend that cable - it was reasonably priced, and very good quality build). As for the soundbar and sub, I found the quality of sound to be good, but not great. I compare this to the ones I own which are the Klipsch SB1, Polk Audio 5000 and Polk Audio 9000 (as well as several others I listened to in store including ones by brands of Sharp, Vizio, Energy, Bose, etc). I found this Samsung model to be better than acceptable as an alternative to basic TV speakers. It has good sound and a good level of bass in comparison to voices. I wasn't blown away with it though, as I felt the audio of this set lacked crispness (which is why I removed 1 star).The best one out of the bunch that I had tested was the Polk Audio MagniFi. Hands down, that one is a fantastic soundbar/sub (if you want to pay that much - which really isn't too much more than this model). The quality of sound from that one is amazing, and it lets you amplify voice volume which I found awesome! If you are looking to spend a little less, I do recommend the lower level Polk Audio's too (as I have found their sound quality to be some of the best). However, their connectivity port locations and such may be a bit annoying for some people (which is why I stayed away from them for my parents).

The subwoofer is hardly audible. If you're looking to boost sound for your TV, I don't recommend this product at all. The soundbar is nice and the bluetooth feature is great, but if you're going for surround like sound in a soundbar...pick a different product.

I was a little skeptical of how much better the sound could be from one of these things than the tiny speakers in my new LED television. But it does sound better. I'm using this paired with a newer Samsung UN60H6350AFXZA through the HDMI-ARC port and it works well. The subwoofer was easy to pair. Though the bass response isn't as great as I'd like it to be, it is acceptable.I had to crank the treble all the way up (to it's max of +3 from default 0) to get the highs to sound decent. Since the subwoofer is a little muddy and slow, I also turned it down a couple notches (which is nice to have a separate subwoofer volume control).My biggest gripe is that, while I got this primarily for the new television, I also wanted it for a better music listening experience while working on the couch. The bluetooth connection works pretty well through my phone (Nexus 5 on Android 4.4). But I cannot get it to pair with my mid-2013 MacBook Pro. A little disappointing as that is my primary device for listening to music.The manual states that the USB port can be used for future firmware upgrades. So I hope this is just a bug that might be fixed in the future and not some "Samsung vs Apple" silliness... Being able to stream my music bluetooth from my laptop would make this a 5-star review for me.Update (4/30/14):The LCD panel has died on the unit only about a month after use. Not sure if I will try and return for this since the unit still functions fine with the TV and Bluetooth (I can't pair new devices since I can't see the LCD menu, but already paired devices still work fine). But this is annoying because I can't easily adjust the sound tone (bass and treble) or easily choose another function other than Bluetooth and HDMI. If it didn't automatically switch to the HDMI port when the TV was powered on, then this would be a show stopper.I'm also noticing now that the Bluetooth performance and distance is very poor. On the couch, I'm only about 8 or 9 feet from the sound bar (line of sight) and my phone sitting on the couch next to me, streaming to the sound bar, skips every minute or so. If i set my phone on the floor just about a foot or two closer, it works fine. I consider this range to be pretty poor compared to a Logitech Bluetooth speaker I was using before where I can be nearly 20 feet from the speaker with my phone in pocket without skipping at all.I'm torn between a 3 or 4 star review at this point. Considering the LCD issue could just be poor luck and likely not a widespread issue, I'll stand by the 4th star for now...Update (5/30/2014):There is another issue now happening which is annoying me even more than the weak Bluetooth signal. The subwoofer wireless connection seems to drop at least once during a show or movie. It drops out for about 2 seconds, which seems to be a signal issue, and then comes back. I've moved the subwoofer around a bit and now have it between my couch and chair (so that it has direct line of sight to the sound bar) and it still cuts out. I may try putting it next to the TV stand. But let's face it, I got a wireless subwoofer solution so I could put it behind the couch without running any wires!For the subwoofer cutting out, the poor Bluetooth support, and the LCD screen that no longer works, I can no longer say this is more than a three star product.