Samsung HW-A450/ZA

Soundbars

A full featured sound bar with 2.1 non-surround channels, a wireless subwoofer.

Unlock to see our ratings and compare products side by side

CR Expert Take

How did it perform in our expert lab testing?

Overall Score

The Overall Score for this model is derived from our expert lab test results.

Unlock ratingswith membership.

Current Range of Tested Soundbars

What goes into the Overall Score?

Sound quality

/ 5

Ease of use (TV)

/ 5

Ease of use (Features)

/ 5

Versatility

/ 5

Ease of use

/ 5

480i DVD picture quality

/ 5

HD picture quality

/ 5

Upconverted DVD picture quality

/ 5

Surround sound system

/ 5

WIFI audio streaming content

/ 5

Built-in digital assistant / voice control

/ 5

Surround sound

/ 5

Type (bar or base)

/ 5

Height channels

/ 5

System type

/ 5

Number of channels

/ 5

Built-in digital assistant

/ 5

Internet streaming

/ 5

Number of speakers supplied

/ 5

Detailed Test Results

Sound quality: Samsung's HW-A450/ZA has Good overall sound quality. In the Standard sound mode, the bass has good impact and goes fairly deep, but is somewhat prominent and boomy. Midrange is fairly even, but is somewhat hazy, grainy, and slightly dark. Treble is fairly extended, but is somewhat subdued and smeared, and the upper treble is a bit sizzly. Does a decent job of recovering room ambience and sounds somewhat congested. The various sound modes have a noticeable effect on the sound field and tonal balance. In the Standard sound mode with Dolby digital and DTS multi-channel program material the sound image may extend well past the sides and above the soundbar, but still lacks depth. The other sound mode settings didn't significantly effect the sound field, but to varying degrees effected the tonal balance. There was no significant difference in sound quality between the optical, USB and BT inputs. The system can provide satisfying volume in a medium sized room.

TV setup and ease of use: Good overall. Setup: Ease of Use:

Features setup and ease of use: Fair overall.

About

A full featured sound bar system with 2.1 non-surround expandable to 4.1 surround channels and a wireless active subwoofer. The HW-A450/ZA It can also play audio from wirelessly connected Bluetooth devices.

Features & Specs

Features

No. of channels

2.1 non-surround expandable to 4.1 surround

Number of speakers, as supplied

Active subwoofer

Yes

Wireless subwoofer

Yes

Wireless surround speakers

Dolby Atmos

DTS:X

Virtual surround sound

Yes

Dialog enhancement

Has "Night" Mode and/or Dynamic Range Compression

Tone adjustments

Multi-band EQ, Treble, Bass

Built-in digital assistant mic mute indicator

Works with the following digital assistant(s)

Can respond to remote controls from TVs with HDMI ARC CEC

Available app remote control(s)

Maximum pass-through HDMI video resolution

HDR video HDMI pass-through

Dolby Vision video HDMI pass-through

Included accessories

HDMI digital video/audio connecting cable, wall mount brackets, remote control, speaker cables.

Auto speaker calibration

Surround speakers are wall-mountable

Audio USB host mode

DTS digital audio decoding

Yes

Updatable software/firmware

Yes

PCM digital audio decoding

Yes

Programmable to respond to TV remote controls

Ultra HD video HDMI pass-through

Other features

Reads MP3, WMA, OGG, AAC, M4A, MP4, .WAV, .FLAC, .AIFF files. Auto on when a previously paired Bluetooth device is reconnected. Auto turn off if no digital or BT/Optical/HDMI/USB audio signal for 20 min. Has "Tap Sound" feature where users may tap the sound bar with an Android mobile device using the Samsung SmartThings app allowing users to play audio from their mobile device. Has multi connect feature where 2 Bluetooth devices can be connected to the soundbar at once. Sound bar can wirelessly connect to one Samsung TV at a time if the TV has Bluetooth capabilities. Compatible with the Q-Symphony feature of some 2020 or later Samsung TV models; when the soundbar is connected to one of these TVs using a HDMI or Optical Cable the TV can be set to output sound from both the TV and the soundbar for a claimed optimum surround effect. Optical input and HDMI ARC input are both covered under one source selection (D.in); the optical input is intended to be used as alternate for HDMI ARC connection for TVs that lack HDMI ARC capability, if both are connected HDMI ARC has priority. The number of Bluetooth devices that can be retained in the pairing memory is not specified.

DTS-HD High Res. audio digital audio decoding

Optional multi-room sharing

Remote control app operating system(s)

WiFi streaming audio services

HDMI Output with Audio Return Channel (ARC) capability

App operating system(s)

Can respond to remote controls of some major brand TVs

Yes

Included surround speakers are wall-mountable

Can respond to remote controls of some same-brand TVs

Yes

No. of speakers supplied

1.1

Sound bar/base is wall-mountable

3D video HDMI pass-through

DTS:X digital audio decoding

Has On Screen Display (OSD) Feature

Sleep timer function

Voice control

Accessible Internet content providers

Dolby Digital digital audio decoding

Yes

DTS-HD Master Aud Essential digital audio decoding

Dolby Digital Plus digital audio decoding

Remote also controls some same-brand TVs

WiFi audio streaming platform

Warranty (mos.): parts/labor

12/12

Simulated surround sound

Optional

Universal remote

USB host mode(s)

Audio

Dolby Atmos digital audio decoding

Network platform/content

WiFi video streaming platform

DTS-HD Master Audio digital audio decoding

Dolby True HD digital audio decoding

Wireless surround spkrs/amps

Optional

Speaker set-up test tone function

Other DSP modes

Yes

Can stream content from computer or NAS server on home network

Specs

Height (in.)

Width (in.)

Depth (in.)

Subwoofer dimensions (HxWxD)

13.5 x 7 x 11

Rear surround speaker dimensions (HxWxD)

Side surround speaker dimensions (HxWxD)

Soundbar/base dimensions (HxWxD)

2 x 34 x 3

Connections

HDMI in (quantity)

HDMI Out

Digital audio optical (input)

Stereo Analog Audio In (3.5mm jack)

Active subwoofer pre-amp out

USB port

Yes

LAN connection

WiFi connection

Bluetooth

Yes/No

Other connections

USB host mode port can also be used for firmware updates.

Bluetooth (output)

Coaxial digital audio (in/out)

0/0

Wireless connection via Bluetooth to many Bluetooth capable TVs

Wireless connection via WiFi to some WiFi capable TVs of the same brand

Ethernet connection

HDMI (in/out)

0/0

Stereo Analog Audio In (RCA jack)

Mini-jack input for portable audio player

Headphone jack

Bluetooth (input)

Wireless connection via Bluetooth to some Bluetooth capable TVs of the same brand

Optical digital audio (in/out)

1/0

Stereo analog audio (in/out)

0/0

Price & Shop

Samsung HW-A450/ZA

CR Expert Take

Overall Score

What goes into the Overall Score?

Detailed Test Results

About

Similar Products

Similar Products

Features & Specs

Features & Specs

Features

Specs

Connections

Price & Shop

Price & Shop

More From Consumer Reports