Sound quality: Samsung's HW-S50B/ZA would have scored in the Good range but the issue with the audio cutting out when playing 5.1 channel program material in the Standard sound mode when the Voice Enhancement or Night modes are used drops the overall score to Fair. In the Standard Sound mode with the tone controls set to provide the most even tonal balance the bass has good impact, but deep bass is lacking and the sound ranges from a bit tubby to compressed and dry depending on the program material. Midrange is fairly even, but is somewhat hazy and grainy, and a touch etched. Treble is extended but is a bit smeared and a touch sizzly and papery. Does a so-so to decent job of recovering room ambience depending on how dynamics of the program material, and the overall sound is somewhat congested. With stereo program material the field extends somewhat above, and high frequency notes (but not midrange and bass) extend somewhat beyond the sides of the speaker array but the overall sound lacks depth. The various sound modes and the Voice Enhancement and Night modes have a noticeable effect on the sound field and/or tonal balance. When 5.1 channel program material is played back in the Standard Sound mode the width and height of the sound stage expands, and depending on the program material extends well beyond the height and width of the sound bar enclosure but still lacks depth. The various sound modes have a noticeable effect on the sound field and/or tonal balance, but when 5.1 channel program material is played back in the Standard Sound mode the audio cuts out repeatedly when the Voice Enhancement or Night modes are turned on. The Voice Enhancement and Night modes have a noticeable effect but did not cause the sound to cut out when sound modes other than Standard were used when playing back 5.1 channel program material. There was no significant difference in sound quality between the HDMI, optical, USB, and Bluetooth inputs. Of special note: The setting change voice announcements are much louder than the program material volume, and there is no way to reduce the announcement volume relative to the program material volume. The system can provide satisfying volume in a medium sized room.
TV ease of use: Very good overall. This model can work seamlessly with most TVs - the soundbar's volume and mute functions can be controlled by a HDMI CEC compatible TV's remote when connected via an HDMI cable. If an HDMI connection is not used the soundbar's volume and mute functions can be directly controlled by the IR remotes (the typical remote that comes with a TV) of Samsung and other major brand TVs. The soundbar's own physical remote is easy to use - although the area around the volume and mute buttons is a bit cluttered, all of the major controls are clearly labeled. The soundbar console was not particularly user friendly - the console display lacks a persistent power on indication. The input source and sound mode displays consisted of very loud voice announcements (which can not be disabled) relative to the volume that the soundbar is playing at and unlabeled patterns of lights that were generally momentary. The volume display shows if it is being increased or decreased, but does not show the level except for maximum and minimum. Only the mute display was clear and persistent. All controls are adequately identified and are easy to access. Use with a Bluetooth connected TV is a bit convoluted - if you turn the soundbar off and on, or switch from the Bluetooth connection to another source and then back again you have to manually re-connect the TV to the Bluetooth input.
Features ease of use: Acceptable overall. The soundbar's physical remote is easy to use - although the area around the volume and mute buttons is a bit cluttered, all of the major controls are clearly labeled. The soundbar console was not particularly user friendly - the console display lacks a persistent power on indication. The input source and sound mode displays consisted of very loud voice announcements (which can not be disabled) relative to the volume that the soundbar is playing at and unlabeled patterns of lights that were generally momentary. The volume display shows if it is being increased or decreased, but does not show the level except for maximum and minimum. Only the mute display was clear and persistent. All controls are adequately identified and are easy to access. Use with Bluetooth sources is a bit convoluted - if you turn the soundbar off and on, or switch from the Bluetooth source to another source and then back again you have to manually re-connect the Bluetooth source device.
