l would like to share my experience after comparing and testing two soundbars – Samsung HW-S40T vs Samsung HW-K850. The Samsung HW-S40T was rated 5, while the Samsung HW-K850 has a rating 6. The soundbars are equipped with a different number of buttons, volume down, volume up, power, source for the HW-S40T 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 HW-S40T has 2.0 and HW-K850 has 3.1.2. These rivals can be compared in terms of power, 100 versus 350 (overall) according to devices. A built-in subwoofer is available only in the Samsung HW-S40T. Audio features and specs of considered models we rated 6 out of 10 in our ranking.
Soundbars do not have AirPlay support. The HW-K850 can play audio from Spotify.
Wireless Internet connection is realized only in the HW-K850. Soundbars from this comparison have Bluetooth support. There are 1/0 HDMI inputs/outputs in the Samsung HW-S40T versus 2/1 HDMIs in the Samsung HW-K850. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) is implemented only in the HW-K850. Connecting devices via USB is possible in both models. We rated the connectivity of the HW-S40T at 6 out of 10, while the HW-K850 was rated 7/10.
The manufacturer of the HW-S40T provides a device control application. Soundbars in this review are not equipped with a microphone. The models under consideration cannot 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 HW-S40T was rated 5/10, while the HW-K850 received a mark of 4/10 for multichannel surround.