When you’re looking for a soundbar under £300, there are many different options out there for you to choose from. It can be difficult to know which one to opt for. However, sticking with a well known brand like Samsung is usually a good idea, as you know you’re going to get at least decent quality.
But, there are a few different options to choose from when you’re looking at Samsung soundbars. Over the years, many different models have been released and discontinued, and generally Samsung try to improve on their past models with a few releases each year.
As of 2020, two of the newest releases from Samsung are the HW-T420 and the S60T. They’re two well priced soundbars that although have only recently been released, are proving to be pretty popular with the public.
The Q70R was also released back in 2019, and is designed to be the perfect addition to your home cinema setup. It is designed to give you a full home surround sound experience with just the soundbar and the subwoofer that it comes with.
But how do these three different soundbars compare to one another, and what are their differences? Well, we’re going to look at all of them and compare them, so you know which one might prove to be a better option for you.
Samsung Soundbar Review: HW-T420 vs S60T vs Q70R
Overall, the S60T is the better of the two soundbars in terms of sound quality. It can cope with both television and music with ease. However, the HW-T420 does still offer pretty good value for money, so don’t write it off completely.
The Samsung HW Q70R is a good soundbar in its own right too. But, we’ll get to that in a minute. Let’s run through what they all have to offer.
Samsung HW-T420
This is one of the most recent Samsung soundbars that’s been released. The soundbar itself is pretty long in terms of length – it’s 85cm long. This makes is well suited for mid-to-large sized televisions. It’s only just over 5cm high, so it will fit easily underneath your television, and it can be easily mounted as well.
It’s simplistic design is going to suit a lot of people looking for a plain soundbar. Sometimes, companies can put a little too much effort into their soundbar, and it can end up taking up too much attention. A nice subtle model is usually best as an accompaniment to your TV.
Another thing to mention with this model is that it comes with a good remote that can be used universally to control it, along with it’s in-built functions.
Performance
In terms of performance, the HW-T420 is a little different than other soundbars. Instead of just having the soundbar, it also comes with a subwoofer too.
This is typically the case with some cheaper soundbars. It allows them to create the soundbar concentrating on dealing with mid-to-high frequencies, and to leave the bass to the subwoofer. It’s a good way to do things, as some soundbars try to deliver low frequency sounds and just can’t.
But overall, in terms of performance this soundbar is definitely at a good standard. Whilst it might not quite match those at the top of the market in terms of quality, it can certainly transform the way you watch films in your home.
Connectivity
In terms of connectivity, you can connect to this soundbar via three different methods. Of course, you have the standard optical cable connection, which is how most people will want to connect to it. This is how you’re going to get the best audio possible.
But you can also connect to the HW-T420 with a USB cable, or better yet, you can also use it with Bluetooth as well. This is really useful for when you want to listen to some music, and you can connect to it very easily.
Pros
Cons
Samsung S60T
Also released in 2020, this is an updated model based on older Samsung soundbars. It has a very high build quality, which means that it’s durable and sure to last you a while.
This soundbar is a little bit thinner than the HW-T420, as it’s only 75cm in length. This means it’s still a good size to use with.. well, pretty much any different size of television. However, this model is a lot deeper so it’s probably best to use this a level below your television.
Performance
It’s a great option to choose if you’re looking to add some depth to your television watching experience. It has a pretty neutral sound profile, and it’s very well balanced.
It’s definitely worth making the most of the presets that you can use with the soundbar. This can allow you to personalize the audio coming from it’s speakers, which it great if you want to swap between watching TV and listening to music.
Connectivity
This soundbar is probably most well known for being one of the best soundbars to use with Amazon Alexa. If you’ve already decided to fit your home out with smart Alexa devices, then this is a must have. This means that it’s a fully built-in assistant, and it’s very easy for you to control.
Another way to use this soundbar is to connect it to your Samsung Smartthings app. This is the best way to use it if you’re planning to connect it up with your Spotify. It has a lot of different integration methods that you can use.
Pros
Cons
Samsung HW Q70R
One thing that may put some people off of this soundbar is that it is pretty expensive. For this sort of price, you can start looking at full surround sound systems, which may prove to be a better option. However for what it is, the soundbar and subwoofer sound good.
It has a mixture of upward and front firing speakers, which help to produce some really immersive sound overall. It also has a dedicated center speaker, which only makes the quality of sound even better.
The setup of this soundbar is very quick and easy, even, if you’re not experienced in doing this before. The only thing I’ve noticed that I don’t really like about this soundbar is its connectivity.
Connectivity
This is definitely one area that this soundbar is let down. In the modern day, users want as much connectivity as possible. We want to be able to connect to our home speakers in a variety of different ways, whether that be wired or wirelessly.
The subwoofer is wireless, so that’s not really the problem here. The soundbar itself only comes with one HDMI input and one HDMU output for you to use. You can also connect to it wirelessly via both Bluetooth and wifi too.
The only issue is that there’s no eArc or audio return channel, which is a little bit annoying. Although it still supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS audio formats which is good.
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are quite a lot of Samsung soundbars out there to choose from. The company do well in this area of audio, with a good variety to choose from. This includes the HW-T420, which offers good value for money, and the S60T which is an excellent all-rounder for both music and television.
However if you’re looking for a soundbar for your TV, then don’t look past the Samsung HW Q70R.
