Samsung HW-N950: Dolby Atmos at home at last
The Samsung HW-N950 is not just a sound bar, but a 7.1.4 home cinema system. Samsung is finally offering the sound bar I've been waiting for at a reasonable price: Dolby Atmos with up-firing.
"This box is bloody heavy."
That was the first thing I thought when I had to drag the package to my living room. But inside, there's a soundbar, a subwoofer and two rear speakers. At first, I didn't quite realise that I was getting a whole home cinema to test.
It should go well. Especially, if sound quality and weight go hand in hand. Samsung's best argument for the HW-N950 home cinema is Dolby Atmos. How does it work? The speakers send sound to the ceiling, which then reflects it back to the viewer. In this way, we should be able to hear the "voice of God", which is what Dolby calls indirect radiation, in our living rooms.
I can't wait.
It's all in the equipment
The soundbar alone already weighs 13 kilos. That's more than double my Sonos Playbar and those five kilos or the HT-ZF9 from Sony, which I tested a few weeks ago.
The HW-N950 has six midranges and three tweeters built in. Exactly like the Sonos Playbar speaker. In the centre of the bar, two midranges and a tweeter ensure dialogue is clear. The other speakers on the left and right are designed to produce stereo sound. Incidentally, the tweeters are full-range and distribute the sound correctly even if you're not quite facing the TV.
In addition to the three trios of front speakers, the speaker has a side speaker and two more on its top. It is these that provide the up-firing, meaning that the sound is sent towards the ceiling, which reflects it back towards the viewer. The side speakers perform the same role, sending the sound towards the walls. This provides two additional side channels.
Then comes the subwoofer. Weighing in at five kilos and measuring 20×40×42 cm (W×H×L), it's rather imposing and hums along nicely with the music or film.
The two rear speakers each have two small drivers: one sends the sound towards the viewer, the other towards the ceiling. As it's harder for our ears to identify the exact source of sounds coming from behind, the position of the rear speakers doesn't have to be as precise. The main thing is that they are behind the viewer.
In brief:
- three pairs of front speakers,
- two rear speakers,
- two side-firing channels on the main bar,
- one subwoofer,
- four channels of ceiling radiation thanks to the two up-firing speakers on the soundbar and the two up-firing speakers on the rear speakers.
So we have a 7.1.4 audio system.
The HW-N950 is equipped with two HDMI inputs for external devices, as well as an HDMI ARC output. The latter connects the TV and soundbar: video signals from external devices can be sent to the TV and audio signals from the TV to the soundbar. There is also an optical audio input to which the TV can be connected. Only thing is: the bandwidth of an optical cable isn't enough for Dolby Atmos.
You won't find a USB port or 3.5mm jack, let alone a LAN connector on the speakers. Three things Sony's HT-ZF9 gives you, taking an advantage over Samsung's speaker. However, the soundbar connects to the subwoofer and rear speakers via wifi.
First impressions
I begin my test with Dolby's famous 'Amaze' trailer. From the first second, one thing is clear: this is a good soundbar. No. A sensational soundbar. The sound is powerful, clear, detailed and extremely accurate, especially towards the middle of the video, when the bird describes a circle around the viewer.
The rain above my head is clearly defined and I can almost feel it falling from the ceiling to the floor, while the bass emits a powerful yet gentle hum without overdoing it with each thunderclap.
If you too want to test your Atmos sound system, you'll find here some demos available to download.
The HW-N950 speakers also do well for music. I listened to "This is Berk" from John Powell's soundtrack for the animated film "Dragons". I've listened to it dozens of times before, so I know exactly how each passage is supposed to sound: when the bass should hum, when I want it to be punchier. I quickly notice that the instruments are clearly distinguishable, especially the brass and strings, as if the orchestra were right in front of me. I'm just slightly disappointed from 1:10 onwards.
At this point, the music doesn't fill the room as well as it does with my Sonos bar even though both speakers have the same number of drivers. Especially as the bass isn't as warm as I like. I'm not surprised. Music streaming is clearly a Sonos strong point, whereas Samsung designed the HW-N950 specifically for cinema. Time to test the home cinema.
At the heart of the action: The Legend of Tarzan
In David Yates' "The Legend of Tarzan", Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgard) has left the jungles of Africa to come and live in England with his wife, Jane Porter (Margot Robbie). When he learns that the Congolese population has been reduced to slavery, he returns to the jungle with George Williams (Samuel L. Jackson), an American diplomat, and Jane.
This film won't go down in cinematic history, but it offers beautiful images, raw music and a script that's more interesting than it looks. I chose this film for its soundtrack available in Dolby Atmos on the Blu-ray, something you usually only see on UHD Blu-rays.
The film opens with Tarzan hearing Jane calling for help in the distance. Yep, Jane's been kidnapped again. Her screams echo off my right shoulder. Tarzan throws himself off the cliff. For a short while, there is nothing but silence. Then the music starts. Grandiose. I feel the vibrations of the bass in my chest. Tarzan is swinging from vine to vine in the jungle and I can hear the wind whistling in my ears. I get goose bumps.
Calls for help come from a dark corner of the jungle. Armed men and gorillas are fighting. Jane is in the middle. In my living room, raindrops fall from the ceiling. Then I hear Tarzan's footsteps coming closer and closer behind me. To the left. Then to the right. As frightened as I am, the gunmen turn around: a gorilla. The gunfire rains down and the bass returns. I really do feel like I'm in the heart of the Congo.
Overview
With the HW-N950 home cinema, Samsung delivers on its promises. All thanks to up-firing technology. Something that only existed in cinemas a while back has now become possible in our living rooms. By the way, from Dolby Atmos to DTS via HDR10 or Dolby Vision, the soundbar supports all the main audio and video formats.
Side-firing was the big news for me, supposedly offering the same experience as up-firing, but towards the sides. Supposedly, because I didn't really hear the difference between the 5.1.4 and 7.1.4 audio demos. But maybe that's due to the way my flat is furnished. This just goes to show that for the home cinema experience to be perfect, there are a lot of conditions to be met: position of the TV, the viewer's back, the height and texture of the ceiling and walls to the left and right of the TV. Windows or bookshelves seem to suck in sound, or at least reflect it badly.
However, the sound is good. The mid and high frequencies are impressively clear and fill the whole room, especially in films, less so for music. The bass shakes the walls. And price-wise, the soundbar, rear speakers and subwoofer package isn't overkill.
In short: pretty good.
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Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»
