Design and build:

Samsung Q700B and Q800B are almost similar sized soundbars. They are large in size and can pair up well with large TVs of 65 to 75”. The soundbars come with a subwoofer which is wireless and can be placed anywhere in the room. Both the soundbars are wall mountable in case you think they are taking up all the space, you have the option to mount them on the walls. Samsung HW-Q800B is made of plastic and has metal grilles. Overall, the build quality is good and feels sturdy.

Performance:

Comparing Samsung Q700B vs Q800B, the 700B model is a 3.1.2 channel bar whereas the Q800B has 5.1.2 channels. The HW-Q700B has a 6.5” subwoofer compared to the Samsung Q800B that has an 8” subwoofer. This difference indicates the low ends will be punchier with the Q800B than the Q700B.

Samsung HW-Q700B has front left, right and center channels along with 2 upward-firing drivers. It has a total of 8 drivers and delivers a pretty decent performance. Upscaling sound is quite good too. While the subwoofer does not deliver room shaking bass, it is adequate for enjoying the low end effects like explosions. It has a broad soundstage and will deliver sound in all corners of the rooms. Surrounds are average as expected, for that there are dedicated surround speakers.

To boost the sound or change it, try using the Adaptive sound mode. Along with movies, the bar shows decent performance with music. Up-firing drivers deliver a good ambient sound making contents engaging. This soundbar is great for small rooms.  

Samsung HW-Q800B can produce a spacious performance. It has a total of 10 drivers and compared to the Q700B, there are side-firing drivers. The subwoofer delivers good punch that is quite impactful. It has crystal-clear dialogues that remains intelligible at all volumes. Atmos effects stretches around the user making movie effects more enjoyable and accurate. The bar has good dynamics and can easily play quite to loud scenes.

For music, the bar handles different genres quite well. The bar has SPL that exceeds 90 dB which means it will be large enough for large rooms. However, since playing at mid-volumes is always encouraged, we suggest moderate sized living or bed rooms. Surrounds are decent yet enjoyable with side-firing drivers. In terms of soundstage, it is wide and quite accurate. Sound follows the action on screen and it seems quite convincing.

The soundbars have room calibration feature. They have excellent center channel performance thanks to the dedicated driver. There is voice enhancement mode for both, but only the Q800B has Active Voice Amplifier is also available that will enhance the voices in all cases. To get immersive surrounds and a complete home theater system, users can add Samsung SWA-9500S surround speakers.

Features: 

The bars have features like Tap sound where users need to tap their mobile phones on the bar to play contents instantly. They can connect to Bluetooth enabled TVs wirelessly. They work with Apple Airplay 2 that gives users the flexibility to stream contents from iOS and Apple apps. Chromecast in Samsung Q700B offers multiroom system. It has Q-Symphony feature where the TV (specific Samsung QLED models) and the bar will play in sync resulting in a more natural and realistic performance.

Connectivity:

The soundbars have similar connection ports including HDMI eARC, 1 HDMI In and optical. There is also Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. With Wi-Fi streaming from online music apps and internet radio is much easier.

Control options:

While both the bars have Amazon Alexa built-in, with Chromecast, the Q700B will also work with Google Assistant. For that you will need 3^rd party enabled devices. They have remotes as well along with basic physical controls like volume, mic mute/unmute and input.

Settings:

Samsung HW-Q800B and Q700B are similar in terms of audio settings and options. They have night mode, voice improvement mode, virtual surround option, bass and treble options. You can adjust the following: surround, height, rear, subwoofer channels from -6 to +6. They have multiple sound modes that are suitable for different contents: 3D Surround, Adaptive, Game Pro and Stereo.

Cost:

These soundbars are similar priced. There is a minor difference of less than $100 between them. The soundbars are great for budget-friendly users.

FAQ:

Who is Samsung soundbars best for?

Samsung is a top-class brand, and everyone can choose it. However, Samsung soundbars are great for users who have Samsung TVs. In that case they can take advantage of features like Q-Symphony, SpaceFit, etc.

How to improve the surround performance without adding dedicated surround speakers?

If you do not have the budget or space to add dedicated surround speakers, then the Samsung Q990B is a great soundbar for you. It a 11.1.4 channel soundbar that delivers good surrounds. With more number of channels, the soundbar will produce powerful sound.