Sonos Beam vs Samsung HW-A550 review
The Sonos Beam vs Samsung HW-A550 comparison proves that these soundbars have many common features. Based on our rating, Beam has a total rating of 6 out of 10 versus 4.6 for HW-A550. The competitors' control buttons are different: volume down, volume up, microphone, play/pause and power, source, demo, volume down, volume up, respectively.
Audio features
Both soundbars have active amplification type. A significant difference between the units in the number of channels, the Sonos Beam has 3.0 versus 2.1 for the Samsung HW-A550. Competitors do not have a built-in subwoofer. Rivals have wireless connection to separate subwoofer. The Sonos Beam got our rating of 6 out of 10, and the Samsung HW-A550 5 for its audio features and specs. Spotify support not implemented in both soundbars.
Connectivity
Only the Sonos Beam can connect to the Internet via WI-FI. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Sonos Beam has 1/0 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 1/1 of the Samsung HW-A550. Only the HW-A550 supports HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). For connectivity, the Beam received a rating of 6/10 versus 8/10, respectively. App control is available for the Beam. A built-in microphone is present only on the Beam. Soundbars do not have Multi-room support.
Multichannel surround
None of soundbars equipped with Dolby Atmos multichannel audio decoder. The soundbars do not support the surround sound technology DTS:X. For multichannel surround Sonos Beam got a rating of 4, and Samsung HW-A550 6 out of 10.
Advantages Sonos Beam over Samsung HW-A550
- WI-FI enabled
- App control
- Microphone
Advantages Samsung HW-A550 over Sonos Beam
- Separate subwoofer in package
- Audio return channel (HDMI ARC) support
Common
Product
Model
Brand
Reviews
General
Placement type
Connection to source
Soundbar buttons
Audio features
Built-in channels
Amplification type
Output power, W
Separate speaker (in package)
Separate speaker connections
Subwoofer
Built-in subwoofer
Separate subwoofer (in package)
Separate subwoofer connections
Streaming services
Apple Music (AirPlay)
Amazon Music
Spotify
Other streaming services
Connectivity
WI-FI
Bluetooth
Ethernet (RJ45)
NFC
HDMI input/output
HDMI ARC
HDMI eARC
HDMI CEC
Optical digital input/output
USB
Coaxial digital input/output
Analog audio input/output (RCA)
Headphone output
Subwoofer output
Features
Voice control
App control
Microphone
Remote control
Multi-room
Multichannel surround
Dolby Atmos
Dolby (other)
DTS:X
DTS (other)
User manual
Dimensions
Size (Wx H x D), cm/in
Weight, kg/pounds
Other
Release year
Soundbars SoundStrokes Art comparison rating
- 6Sonos Beam
- 4.6Samsung HW-A550
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