The Samsung HW-A450 is a budget 2021 soundbar with a 2.1 sound scheme. After unpacking and without any additional settings, it has a neutral sound profile with some tinge of bass. If the user prefers a different sound, the soundbar has quite a few features to improve the sound. For example, a graphic equalizer and presets.

But no matter what you say and no matter how you tune it, this speaker lacks low bass, even after tuning and calibration. Consider a review of the Samsung HW-A450 soundbar that sounds loud and without too much frequency clipping.

The HW-A450 bar model has a simple design with an optical input and USB port. The predecessor is considered to be the Samsung HW-T450, which has a similar design. The speaker supports Bluetooth for wireless streaming from a mobile device. However, the model in question does not support Dolby Atmos. Therefore, the quality of surround sound leaves much to be desired.

Design

The new Samsung A450 model is very similar to the Samsung T450. The bar has the same rectangular design. The front and top sides are covered with a thin, slightly shiny fabric. The material on all other sides is black plastic. The subwoofer is wooden. Its front side is covered with a thin cloth that can easily get dusty or dirty.

The Samsung HW-A450 soundboard does not come with satellites, but they can be purchased separately as a set of Samsung wireless rear speakers. The Samsung A450 is relatively long, although it should fit between the legs of most 55-inch TVs. The dimensions of the soundbar are 86 x 5.3 x 7.6 cm.

The back of the Samsung A-450 is very simple. There are only two connections. The left side connects the power and the right side has additional interface inputs. On the underside of the bar, there are universal holes for wall mounting.

The Samsung A450 subwoofer is the same size as a typical desktop case. Since it connects to the bar wirelessly, it can be placed anywhere in the room, just need to provide a power outlet. Its dimensions are 18 x 34 x 27 cm.

The back of the subwoofer is uncomplicated. At the top there is a phase-inverter output. At the bottom is the power cable inlet and the wireless connection button.

 

Sound

The Samsung A450 soundbar has a very good frequency response for a stereo system. Although the sound profile is thought to be fairly neutral with a touch of some bass. Perhaps, for watching regular movies with various sound effects this is enough. Nevertheless, once again, the soundbar lacks loud low frequencies.

It may disappoint the user if one wants to feel deep rumble in heavy bass music. But on the other hand, this soundbar comes with a variety of sound enhancement features, including a graphic equalizer and various presets. Unfortunately, the HW-A450 soundbar is a typical stereo system that won’t have the ability to achieve an extended soundstage.

As the 2.1 soundscape suggests, the A-450 soundbar has no separate center channel. Instead, the bar uses the left and right radiators to create sound in the center. As a result, this “imaginary channel” sounds more diffuse and less clear than other systems with a discrete center speaker.

The Samsung A450 soundboard under consideration has various sound enhancement features. For example, a graphic equalizer. Various presets help to adjust the sound to your liking: “Standard”, “Surround Sound”, “Bass Boost”, “Game” and “Adaptive Sound Lite”.

Recall that the Adaptive Sound Lite preset acts as a dialog enhancement feature. If you press and hold the “Sound Mode” button when the sound bar is off, you can enable or disable Auto Volume mode.

Connections and Controls

The number of ports in the A450 sound panel is limited. There is only an optical audio input and a USB input. Since the soundbar doesn’t have a full-fledged HDMI interface, you can’t use the device as a hub. The Samsung HW A450 supports Dolby Digital and DTS content on the optical audio input.

This is usually Blu-ray discs and some streaming platforms. But how do you enjoy that, knowing that the content is turned into 2.1 audio? The HW A450 speaker panel has a simple interface in the form of a small screen in the middle of the case behind a fabric cover. It can display no more than six characters at a time, so it uses a ticker.

When the user is not setting anything up, the screen is extinguished. The sound bar has four buttons at the top of the case. These can be used to turn the panel on or off, adjust the volume, and switch inputs. The remote control is in the same style as the Samsung HW-T450. It allows you to control all the settings of the sound bar.

 

Samsung advertises a “One Remote Control” feature that allows you to use the sound panel remote to control compatible Samsung TVs. However, there is currently no positive feedback that this works correctly.

Samsung HW-A450 Specifications

HW-A450 Price

As for the price category of the Samsung HW-A450/RU soundbar, it can be noted that at the beginning of summer 2021 the minimum price is 11000 rubles in some online stores. This price is specified with discounts. Usually the HW-A450/RU soundbar has a price tag of up to 15 thousand rubles.

Summary of the HW-A450 review

In conclusion of the review of HW-A450 from Samsung, let’s summarize what was said. As we understand it, the Samsung A450 acoustic panel is adapted for music. It has a neutral sound profile, well suited to many genres, and it writes out the soundstage decently.

It can be loud enough for a house party and fill a large room. However, while its sound is lacking in bass components, the soundbar lacks low-end bass.

Pros
Graphic equalizer and presets.
Loud enough.
Cons
No support for Wi-Fi, Chromecast and Apple AirPlay.