Notice: Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.

Samsung HW-T650  Soundbar Review

Review updated Jul 26, 2021 at 02:55pm
Tested using methodology v1.0 
Samsung HW-T650
7.4
Mixed Usage 
8.0
Dialogue/TV Shows 
7.6
Music 
6.8
Movies 
 0
Notice: This soundbars was replaced by Samsung HW-A650

The Samsung HW-T650 soundbar is a 3.1 setup from Samsung's 2020 lineup. It has a neutral and well-balanced sound profile that's suitable for a variety of music and movie genres. Also, it has a dedicated center channel, which helps make voices and dialogue sound clearer and more accurate. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the most immersive surround performance, and it doesn't support Atmos, which may be disappointing for movie fans. However, this soundbar can get pretty loud without creating a lot of distortion, resulting in clean audio reproduction. You also have some ability to customize the sound to your liking, thanks to its five EQ presets.

Our Verdict

7.4
Mixed Usage 

The Samsung HW-T650 3.1Ch Soundbar is satisfactory for mixed usage. Its balanced, neutral sound profile is suitable for listening to most types of audio content. This 3.1 setup has a center channel that makes dialogue and voices sound clear and accurate. Unfortunately, it has to downmix surround content to stereo, which doesn't provide the most immersive movie-watching experience. Movie fans may also be disappointed by the fact that it doesn't support Atmos content. However, there are a few sound customization options, so you have some control over the bar's audio reproduction.

Pros
None
Cons
  • Doesn't support Atmos.
8.0
Dialogue/TV Shows 

The Samsung HW-T650 soundbar is great for dialogue-centric content like TV shows. Its balanced mid-range can reproduce voices clearly and accurately, and thanks to its discrete center channel, dialogue is accurately localized to a pinpoint location in the sound image. There's also a 'Smart Sound' feature available that can make dialogue more crisp and clear, as well as a Dynamic Range Control feature that balances the volume level across different programs.

Pros
  • Dedicated center channel.
  • Dialogue enhancement feature.
Cons
None
7.6
Music 

The Samsung HW-T650 soundbar is good for music. It has a pretty neutral, though slightly boomy sound profile out-of-the-box, and it comes with bass and treble adjustments as well as EQ presets to help you get a more balanced sound. As a result, it's suitable for listening to most music genres. However, it lacks some low-bass, so you don't feel the deep rumble in bass-heavy genres like EDM and hip-hop.

6.8
Movies 

The Samsung HW-T650 soundbar has an adequate movie performance. The sound profile is fairly neutral and well-balanced. However, it lacks a bit of sub-bass, so it may not be able to fully reproduce the lowest thumps and rumbles in action-packed scenes. This soundbar can get loud, and there aren't a lot of compression artifacts at max volume, resulting in clean audio reproduction. Unfortunately, it downmixes surround content to stereo, which isn't very immersive. Unlike some of the other 3.1 setups we've tested, it doesn't support Dolby Atmos content.

Pros
None
Cons
  • Doesn't support Atmos.
  • 7.4
    Mixed Usage
  • 8.0
    Dialogue/TV Shows
  • 7.6
    Music
  • 6.8
    Movies
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Mar 13, 2025: 

      This review has been updated to include information about the graphic equalizer in the Sound Enhancement Features and Remote sections.

    2.  Updated Jul 26, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
    3.  Updated Mar 03, 2021: Updated latency measurements with new testing method.
    4.  Updated Feb 09, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.

    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    This soundbar comes in one color variant: 'Black'. However, some retailers sell a model known as the Samsung HW-T60M, which seems to be the same soundbar. You can see the label for the model we tested here.

    If you come across another version of this soundbar, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.

    Popular Soundbar Comparisons

    The Samsung HW-T650 is a 3.1 soundbar from Samsung's 2020 lineup. Overall, it has a decent performance that makes it versatile for a variety of different uses. Unlike the 2020 Sony HT-G700, it doesn't support Dolby Atmos or 4k passthrough. However, it has a much better-balanced sound out-of-the-box than similar 3.1 setups like the LG SN6Y.

    If you're looking for more soundbars, see our reviews for the best soundbars, the best soundbars for dialogue, and the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.

    Samsung HW-R650

    The Samsung HW-T650 is the 2020 version of the Samsung HW-R650, and these bars perform very similarly. Both lack a bit of sub-bass, though the HW-T650 has a slightly better performance. The HW-T650 also supports Dolby Digital Plus, unlike the HW-R650, and its stereo soundstage sounds a bit more focused. The HW-R650 has a better-sounding, less bass-heavy surround performance that may be preferred by avid movie watchers. The HW-R650 also has a dedicated companion app, which the HW-T650 lacks.

    Samsung HW-Q800T

    The Samsung HW-Q800T is a better soundbar than the Samsung HW-T650. The HW-Q800T supports Dolby Atmos content and comes with built-in voice assistant support, unlike the HW-T650. Also, it's better-built, with a better surround performance and a more extended low-bass. It even comes with a graphic EQ for sound customization. That said, the HW-T650 has a better soundstage performance, and it comes with an auto-volume mode.

    Samsung HW-Q70T

    The Samsung HW-Q70T is a better soundbar than the Samsung HW-T650. The HW-Q70T is better built, and it supports Dolby Atmos content. It also comes with more wireless playback options. However, the HW-T650 has a better soundstage performance.

    LG SN6Y

    The Samsung HW-T650 is a slightly better overall soundbar than the LG SN6Y. Overall, the LG has a bass-heavy sound profile that can sound muddy with certain tracks. The Samsung's more neutral, better-balanced sound is better suited to a wide range of music and movie genres. Unlike the LG, it also supports Dolby Digital Plus. The LG supports 4k passthrough, which may be preferred by users who want to connect the bar to their game console or PC.

    Show more 

    Test Results

    perceptual testing image
    Sort:
    RATINGS
    Category:
    All
    Design
    Style - Bar

    The Samsung HW-T60M has a simple, sleek design. It's mainly made of plastic, and there's a metal grille in the front that covers the channels and display. On the top-center of the bar, towards the back, there are four physical buttons that allow you to control the bar.

    Style - Subwoofer

    The subwoofer is mostly made of wood. There's a speaker on the left-hand side, and it's covered in a thin fabric that could get dirty or rip easily. The port is on the back side.

    Style - Satellites

    This soundbar doesn't come with satellites. However, it's compatible with the Wireless Surround Kit, which is sold separately.

    Dimensions - Bar
    Width38.5" (97.8 cm)
    Height2.2" (5.6 cm)
    Depth3.5" (9.0 cm)

    The Samsung HW-T60M is a fairly wide bar, so it likely won't fit between the legs of a 55 inch TV. That said, the bar isn't very tall, so it likely won't cover your screen unless your TV sits flush on the table.

    Dimensions - Subwoofer
    Width8.1" (20.6 cm)
    Height13.9" (35.3 cm)
    Depth11.9" (30.2 cm)

    The Samsung HW-T650's sub is about the size of an average desktop PC. It connects wirelessly to the system, so you can place it anywhere in your room.

    Dimensions - Satellites
    WidthN/A
    HeightN/A
    DepthN/A
    Back - Bar
    Bar Mounting
    Universal (holes on underside)

    On the back of the bar, there are two openings for the input ports and the power cable. There are also universal wall-mounting holes on the underside of the bar.

    Back - Subwoofer
    Enclosure
    Ported

    The back of the sub is made of wood. There's a plastic port at the top. On the bottom, there's a connection for the power cable. There's also a pairing button on the bottom-right.

    Back - Satellites
    Mounting
    No
    7.5
    Build Quality

    The Samsung HWT650 has a good build quality. The bar is primarily made of plastic, with a metal grille in the front to help protect the drivers. The sub is primarily made of wood, though the speaker is covered with a thin fabric that could easily get dirty or damaged.

    In The Box
    HDMI Cable Length
    N/A
    Digital Optical Cable Length
    1.5 m (4.9 ft)

    • Manual
    • Remote with batteries (2x AA)
    • Optical cable
    • Power cable (2x)
    • Adapter (for soundbar)
    • Wall-mounting brackets, screws, and template

    Sound
    7.7
    Stereo Frequency Response
    See details on graph tool
    See details on graph tool
    Tested Preset
    Standard
    Slope
    -0.67
    Std. Err.
    2.54 dB
    Channels
    3.1
    Low-Frequency Extension
    43.0 Hz
    High-Frequency Extension
    19.9 kHz

    The Samsung HW-T650 has a good stereo frequency response out-of-the-box. It has a fairly neutral sound profile that's suitable for most types of audio content, though the treble range is a bit underemphasized, so audio may be a bit dark. There's a little extra boom in the bass range that can please fans of bass-heavy music, but its low-bass isn't very extended, so you don't feel thump and rumble. It also has bass and treble adjustments as well as five EQ presets (Standard, Surround Sound, Game, Smart Sound, DTS: Virtual X) to help you customize the sound to your liking.

    7.8
    Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibration
    See details on graph tool
    Suggested Preset
    Standard
    Suggested Bass Setting
    -4
    Suggested Treble Setting
    3
    Slope
    -0.14
    Std. Err.
    2.13 dB
    Low-Frequency Extension
    43.0 Hz
    High-Frequency Extension
    19.9 kHz

    With calibration, the Samsung HW-T650 has a very good stereo frequency response. With its bass set to '-4' and its treble set to '3', it has a very neutral, balanced sound profile that's suitable for listening to lots of different types of audio content. That said, it still struggles to reproduce a thumpy low-bass, so you don't feel the deep rumble in bass-heavy music or action-packed movies.

    7.5
    Stereo Soundstage
    See details on graph tool
    Crosstalk Error
    2.87 dB

    The Samsung HW-T650 has a good stereo soundstage performance. The soundstage feels slightly wider than the bar itself, though it doesn't have any tricks to make it sound wider than that. It also has a slightly better focus than the Samsung HW-R650, and objects seem to come from an accurate pinpoint location instead of a more general area, which is good.

    8.1
    Stereo Dynamics
    See details on graph tool
    SPL @ Max Volume
    94.9 dB SPL
    DRC @ Max Volume
    1.38 dB

    Update 09/22/2020: We've discovered a value input bug that would cause the Dynamics box results to be slightly off. All soundbars tested since January 30th, 2020 have been updated.

    The Samsung HW-T650 can get loud, making it ideal for use in a large, crowded room or at parties. When you play content at max volume, there isn't a lot of compression, so audio reproduction is clean and pure.

    7.7
    Stereo Total Harmonic Distortion
    See details on graph tool
    Weighted THD @ 80dB
    0.43
    Weighted THD @ Max Volume
    1.56

    The Samsung HW-T650 has a very good THD performance. At normal listening volumes, there isn't a lot of distortion, meaning that you'll get a clean and pure sound. Unfortunately, when you play the bar at max volume, there's a bit more distortion. However, most of the time, this won't be audible with real-life content.

    8.1
    Center
    See details on graph tool
    Localization
    Discrete
    Slope
    -1.03
    Std. Err.
    3.32 dB
    SPL @ Max Volume
    88.5 dB SPL
    Weighted THD @ 80dB
    0.34
    Weighted THD @ Max Volume
    1.80

    The Samsung HW-T650 3.1Ch Soundbar has a great center channel performance. Due to its 3.1 configuration, it has a dedicated center channel, so dialogue is accurately localized to a pinpoint location in the sound image. Also, its frequency response is quite balanced in the mid-range where vocals are reproduced, so dialogue is clear and detailed.

    3.0
    Surround 5.1
    See details on graph tool
    Localization
    Stereo (Downmix)
    Slope
    -2.19
    Std. Err.
    6.11 dB
    SPL @ Max Volume
    89.0 dB SPL
    Weighted THD @ 80dB
    0.39
    Weighted THD @ Max Volume
    2.65
    7.1 Rears
    No

    The Samsung HW-T650 has a poor surround performance. It has to downmix surround content into stereo in order to play it. Unfortunately, this doesn't sound as immersive, and surround objects aren't as clear or real as they are with a discrete localization. Also, its frequency response is quite bass-heavy, so your audio may be boomy and muddy.

    0.0
    Height (Atmos)
    Localization
    Not Supported
    Slope
    N/A
    Std. Err.
    N/A
    SPL @ Max Volume
    N/A
    Weighted THD @ 80dB
    N/A
    Weighted THD @ Max Volume
    N/A
    6.7
    Sound Enhancement Features
    Room Correction
    No
    Dialogue Enhancement
    Yes
    Auto-Volume/Night Mode
    Yes
    Subwoofer Level Adjustment
    Yes
    Bass Adjustment
    Yes
    Treble Adjustment
    Yes
    EQ
    Graphic + Presets
    Surround Level Adjustment
    No
    Rear Level Adjustment
    No
    Height Level Adjustment
    No
    Virtual Surround
    Yes

    This soundbar has an alright selection of sound enhancement features. There are bass and treble adjustments, EQ presets, and a graphic EQ to help you customize its sound to taste. The EQ presets include 'Standard,' 'Surround Sound,' 'Game,' 'Smart Sound,' and 'DTS: Virtual X.' Accessing the graphic EQ requires pressing the gear icon on the remote for five seconds and using the directional buttons to make changes.

    Its 'Smart Sound' preset doubles as a dialogue enhancement feature, so voices are more crisp and clear in your audio. It also has a dynamic range compression (DRC) mode, which can help reduce loud sounds so you can watch shows without riding the volume buttons. However, it lacks some more premium features like room correction or the ease of an app.

    Connectivity
    Physical Inputs - Bar
    Optical Audio In
    1
    HDMI ARC
    1 (shared)
    HDMI Out
    1 (shared)
    Full HDMI In
    1
    Analog Audio In 3.5mm (Aux)
    No
    RCA In
    No
    USB for Files
    1
    Ethernet
    No

    The Samsung T650 has several input options to connect with your external devices. It has some HDMI ports, so you can use the soundbar as a hub for different devices, like your Blu-ray player, your game console, and your PC. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a 3.5mm AUX port, so you can't plug in your phone.

    7.6
    Audio Format Support - ARC
    eARC
    No
    Dolby Atmos
    No
    Dolby Digital
    Yes
    Dolby Digital Plus
    Yes
    DTS
    Yes
    DTS:X (eARC only)
    No
    Dolby TrueHD (eARC only)
    No
    DTS-HD MA (eARC only)
    No
    5.1 PCM (eARC only)
    No

    Update 10/22/2020: After receiving feedback from our users, we retested and confirmed that the bar plays sound while playing Dolby Digital Plus files via ARC.

    This soundbar's HDMI ARC port supports Dolby Digital and DTS formats, which are commonly used in Blu-ray discs and streaming platforms like Netflix. However, it doesn't support Dolby Atmos, which may be disappointing for movie fans looking to use their soundbar for a more immersive listening experience.

    8.0
    Audio Format Support - Full HDMI In
    Dolby Atmos
    No
    DTS:X
    No
    Dolby Digital
    Yes
    Dolby Digital Plus
    Yes
    DTS
    Yes
    Dolby TrueHD
    No
    DTS-HD MA
    No
    5.1 PCM
    No

    The Samsung HW-T650 supports Dolby Digital and DTS content through its Full HDMI In port. However, it'll downmix surround content to stereo, so it won't provide the most immersive experience.

    10
    Audio Format Support - Optical
    Dolby Digital
    Yes
    DTS
    Yes

    The Optical port on this soundbar can play both Dolby Digital and DTS content, which are commonly found on Blu-ray discs and streaming platforms.

    9.1
    Latency
    ARC
    20 ms
    Optical
    16 ms
    Full HDMI In
    -45 ms

    The Samsung HW-T650 has an incredible latency performance. It has fairly low latency via ARC, Optical, and Full HDMI In, so the audio you hear is in sync with the video you see. As a result, it's likely suitable for watching movies over these connections. However, some apps and TVs compensate for latency differently, so your real-world experience may vary.

    6.0
    Wireless Playback
    Bluetooth
    Yes
    Wi-Fi
    No
    Chromecast built-in
    No
    Apple AirPlay
    No

    The Samsung HW-T650 can be wirelessly connected to your phone or tablet using Bluetooth. Unfortunately, it doesn't support Wi-Fi, Chromecast built-in, or AirPlay.

    Other Input Specifications
    4k @ 60 Hz Passthrough
    No
    4k @ 60 Hz @ 10 bit Passthrough
    No
    4k @ 60 Hz @ 4:4:4 Passthrough
    No
    HDR10 Passthrough
    No

    The Samsung T650 can't passthrough the highest bandwidth signals, which may be disappointing if you want to connect the soundbar to your PC or your game console. If you're looking for a 3.1 setup that can pass 4k @ 60Hz, check out the LG GX Soundbar.

    Connectivity - Subwoofer
    Sub Wireless
    Yes

    The subwoofer connects wirelessly to the bar and only needs a cord for power.

    Connectivity - Satellites
    Sat Wireless
    No
    Additional Features
    Interface
    Display
    Yes

    The Samsung HW-T650 3.1Ch Soundbar has a small screen on the left side of the bar behind the metal grill. It indicates the volume level and the current input. The screen is very small and it may need to scroll to display the entire message.

    Bar Controls

    The Samsung HW-T650's controls are located on the top-center of the bar, towards the back. There are four physical buttons that let you control the volume, the power, and let you switch the input source.

    Remote
    Universal Remote
    No

    The Samsung HWT650 soundbar has a similar remote to the previous year's Samsung HW-R650. It has a simple and sleek design, and you can use it to control the settings of your soundbar. It also has secondary controls for accessing features like the graphic equalizer.

    Voice Assistants Support
    Amazon Alexa
    No
    Google Assistant
    No
    Apple Siri
    No
    App
    App NameNo App
    iOSNo
    AndroidNo
    Acts As A Remote
    No
    Controls Soundbar's Settings
    No
    Casts Device Files
    No
    Other Features
    Power Saving
    Auto-off
    HDMI CEC (TV Remote Control)
    Yes

    The Samsung HW-T650 will turn off automatically if it doesn't receive an audio signal for 20 minutes. Thanks to HDMI CEC, you can use your TV remote to control some of the bar's basic functions.

    Comments

    1. Product

    Samsung HW-T650: Main Discussion

    Let us know why you want us to review the product here, or encourage others to vote for this product.

    PreviewBack to editorFormat guide
    Sort by:
    newest first
    1. How does this headset compare to the current top headsets? If I look at the numbers, these score better then most new headsets (except the Maxwell)

      Hello! Help with personalized buying advice is something our experts offer only via our insider forums. We do have lots of self-service tools and recommendation articles that should be helpful as well though!

    2. 2
      1
      0
      1
      0

      How does this headset compare to the current top headsets? If I look at the numbers, these score better then most new headsets (except the Maxwell)

    You have 9/10 free reviews left
    To access
    unlimited full product reviews,
    product prices
    and
    other exclusive site features
    Become an Insider