Samsung HWN950

Fantastic bit of kit

This surround system only works with its rear & subwoofer speakers producing sound if you have special movies with Doubly ATMOS content (which most likely you will never have when you watch movies from TV or platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime or Spotify). If you are a user such as me that only watches Freeview TV channels, Spotify music, Amazon Prime and Netflix movies (even under 5.1 audio content aiming for surround), then it will NEVER work in regards to rear speakers and subwoofer speaker. Basically, you will end up with a suppose cinema surround that does NOT work and rear speaker and subwoofer speaker are just decorating your living room. A complete waste of money and this product should be removed from the market by Samsung OR at minimum a proper explanation for when it will be able to perform. There is a need for a clear explanation that for an average user it won't work at all. Stay away from it.

I've had the N950 for six months, in combination with my LG 55OLEDB7, Nvidia Shield and Sky Q Box. Here's my experience so far.As you'd expect for the price, sound quality is very good. Detailed and balanced, reaching loud levels of cinematic sound when you need it.Dolby ATMOS takes this experience to another level, it has been implemented extremely well. The difference between ATMOS and regular surround is difficult to express in words; the stage opens right up and you become enveloped in sound whizzing around the listening area. There is a real sense of vertical sound but keep in mind this is 'only' a sound bar, expectations should be realistic, but Samsung/Harmon Kardon have really set the bar here!The volume of each channel (centre, side, front top, rear, rear top) can be adjusted. My sub-woofer is placed in the corner of the room behind the TV unit, set to -6 and shakes the house without breaking a sweat.PROS:- Easy set-up, Nvidia Shield connected to N950 HDMI port, with LG TV & Sky Q connected over ARC for TV Apps (the Shield doesn't support Dolby Vision from Netflix but LG's OLED range does)- No trouble playing TrueHD Dolby ATMOS and DTS-X content from the Shield.- No trouble streaming Dolby Digital Plus ATMOS with Dolby Vision from the TV's Netflix app over ARC.- Switching sources is simple (and family friendly) - pressing any button on the Sky or Shield remote does the job.- Clarity of sound. Crystal clear dialogue with regular TV viewing and movies alike.- Dolby ATMOS. Wow, the rear speakers explode into action compared to regular surround. The race scene at the start of Ready Player One is a showcase for the ATMOS capabilities of this sound bar.CONS:- SmartThings App: Bit of a pointless app but necessary to use features of the sound bar such as updating firmware or using the graphic equaliser.- HDMI Handshake issues with Sky Q connected to N950 HDMI input (similar complaints on Sky Community website about other TV and AVR brands). It's a Sky problem, but one you should be aware of if wanting ATMOS from Sky (currently only available with movies or sports subscription). Irrelevant if connecting Sky box direct to TV.Tips to get the most out of this sound bar:You'll get the best possible sound with Dolby ATMOS, it can reach the N950 in two ways:1) Dolby TrueHD: Lossless 7.1 format contained in Blu-ray discs or MKV files, can be played from a capable streaming device (Nvidia Shield or Blu-ray player) but cannot be streamed over ARC* so must be connected to N950 HDMI inputs. *eARC supports TrueHD, but the N950 and LG B7 don't have it at time of review.2) Dolby Digital Plus: Compressed 7.1 format used by Netflix, Amazon etc, can be streamed over ARC from TV to N950. Lower bit-rate sound quality, but still sounds fantastic and certainly better than no ATMOS at all. Ensure TV sound output settings are set to 'auto', PCM won't work.Use Smart mode: There's little info in the manual about the three different sound modes, but Smart mode is definitely the better sounding option for regular surround sound (Dolby Digital). Sounding louder and clearer than standard mode, it uses DSP to send discrete audio to the rear channels when there would otherwise be no signal there. Not available with ATMOS or DTS-X. . Unlike most sound bars, this is a true 7.1.4 system, meaning you WILL need content encoded with 7.1 or 5.1 surround for the rear speakers to receive signal.Ignore reviewers complaining they "can't hear voices" or "can't hear music" from the rear speakers. Simply put, if you're not playing 7.1 or 5.1 content, there IS NO SIGNAL for the rear speakers (unless you switch to 'virtual surround' mode, urgh). Do yourself a favour and do plenty of research on surround sound and where you'll source it from, before spending this kind of money.