l would like to share my experience after comparing and testing two soundbars – Denon HEOS BAR vs Samsung HW-K850. The Denon HEOS BAR was rated 7, while the Samsung HW-K850 has a rating 6. The soundbars are equipped with a different number of buttons, volume down, volume up, sound off for the HEOS BAR and power, volume down, volume up, source for the HW-K850.
Each of the models under consideration has active amplification type. A noticeable difference is the number of channels that HEOS BAR 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.
Soundbars do not have AirPlay support. Each of the competitors can play content from Spotify.
Wireless Internet connection is realized only in the HW-K850. Soundbars from this comparison have Bluetooth support. There are 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs in the Denon HEOS BAR versus 2/1 HDMIs in the Samsung HW-K850. As in the HEOS BAR, so in the HW-K850 there is the HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). Connecting devices via USB is possible in both models. The connectivity of each of the models was estimated at 7/10. The manufacturer of the HEOS BAR provides a device control application. The Denon HEOS BAR equipped with a microphone. The Denon HEOS BAR may become part of a multiroom system.
Dolby Atmos audio decoder is onboard the HW-K850. Devices from this comparison cannot process surround sound due to lack of DTS:X. The HEOS BAR was rated 5/10, while the HW-K850 received a mark of 4/10 for multichannel surround.