Sonos Beam vs Samsung HW-K850 review

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l would like to share my experience after comparing and testing two soundbars – Sonos Beam vs Samsung HW-K850. Both soundbars received a score of 6 in our ranking. The soundbars are equipped with a different number of buttons, volume down, volume up, microphone, play/pause for the Beam and power, volume down, volume up, source for the HW-K850.

Audio features

Each of the models under consideration has active amplification type. A noticeable difference is the number of channels that Beam has 3.0 and HW-K850 has 3.1.2. The built-in subwoofer is not implemented in any of these models. An external subwoofer can be connected to any of the units in this comparison. Audio features and specs of considered models we rated 6 out of 10 in our ranking. The HW-K850 can play audio from Spotify.

Connectivity

Both models have a wireless Wi-Fi interface. Soundbars from this comparison have Bluetooth support. There are 1/0 HDMI inputs/outputs in the Sonos Beam versus 2/1 HDMIs in the Samsung HW-K850. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) is implemented only in the HW-K850. We rated the connectivity of the Beam at 6 out of 10, while the HW-K850 was rated 7/10. The manufacturer of the Beam provides a device control application. The Sonos Beam equipped with a microphone. The models under consideration cannot become part of a multiroom system.

Multichannel surround

Dolby Atmos audio decoder is onboard the HW-K850. Devices from this comparison cannot process surround sound due to lack of DTS:X. The same score of 4/10 was put to the soundbars for multichannel surround support.

Advantages Sonos Beam over Samsung HW-K850

Advantages Samsung HW-K850 over Sonos Beam