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
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.
- Doesn't support Atmos.
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.
- Dedicated center channel.
- Dialogue enhancement feature.
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.
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.
- Doesn't support Atmos.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 13, 2025:
This review has been updated to include information about the graphic equalizer in the Sound Enhancement Features and Remote sections.
- Updated Jul 26, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Mar 03, 2021: Updated latency measurements with new testing method.
- Updated Feb 09, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Test Results

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