Samsung - HW-B550D/ZC 3.1 ch Soundbar with Subwoofer

I’ll do you one better. I picked up the HW-C450 earlier this week but upon learning that it didn’t have HDMI ARC support I picked up the B550D. I’m probably going to set it up Monday so I’ll update you with my opinion on it. I picked up the rear speakers too so it’ll be a 5.1 system at that point

Hey, sorry. Forgot to update this! I ended up keeping it and it’s working fantastic for what we need it for. Im by no means an audiophile but it definitely sounds better than the built in speakers and when my wife and I are watching 5.1 enabled content, it sounds fantastic. If you have any specific questions please let me know. Otherwise, sorry for the late reply! Was too busy enjoying the thing lol

I was also comparing these 2 models because I am hard of hearing and can't do closed caption. I decided to go with the HW-B550D only because it's smaller and has a smooth top for dusting. Both have digital optical inputs, but I don't have a Q series tv and don't plan on upgrading. Just my opinion if it helps anyone.

Thanks for the detailed reply. I ended up ordering the Samsung HW-B550, it seems to be a competing/similar model and setup but it had tons of high reviews. I’ll make a post reviewing it when I receive it in a few days

Hey just wanted to let you know, I ended up buying the Samsung HW-B550D/ZC 3.1 ch. it’s also on sale from Costco for $248 CAD so I’m gonna buy that one instead just because it is highly rated and I trust Samsung a bit more than Hisense just out of lack of experience.

Ah sorry to hear that! I have the Samsung set up and so far I’m pretty pleased with it. Albeit, I don’t have any other experience with soundbars. I can say dialogue is much clear and forward compared to tv speakers (Sony x85k) although I would have been astounded if that wasn’t the case. Mids sound pretty good, and the bass is great! Very nice in an action movie. The whole set pretty well meets and even slightly exceeded my expectations for sound quality. Setup was easy, the form of the bar is nice and fits well under my 65 inch, and the sub links with the bar pretty well. Occasionally it takes a few extra seconds. Overall I’m happy with it and would recommend it at the sale price and may be worth considering if you’re going to replace the Hisense!

My experience is very limited to begin with, I somewhat agree, I have to turn volume up higher than I want mids and bass to get the dialogue to where I want it. My tv is 65” and my living room is not that big. I haven’t really messed with any equalizer yet but hearing what you said I’ll probably fiddle with it this weekend and I’ll reply what I find. I will say the speakers built into my tv are ass so my opinion on the sound bar will be positively biased. I’m still happy with it but I don’t think I would be if I didn’t pay the sale price

I can’t comment on comparing but I picked up the Samsung today and am very impressed. Soooo much better than the TV sound.

Thats the same reason I am buying mine, easy to return. I have my eyes on one double the price as the hisense one but im hoping it will sound good enough that I will want to keep it. Just bought it now as it seems to be on sale early so heres hoping for the best.

I think you made the right choice. The Hisense sound bar arrived and I found it very underwhelming, especially the sub. Since its costco I went today and bought the Samsung one you listed in store, it is so much better. I am actually finding that the sub is a bit much sometimes, like if someone has a super deep voice. Adjusting it is at least easy since there is a dedicated button for it, up for music and down for youtube. I am packing that Hisense up tonight and returning it for sure.

So, you also got the Samsung HW-B550D/ZC 3.1 ch Soundbar with Subwoofer from Costco.ca? Did you notice that the sound sounds kind of muddled especially with the mids and not very clear and full at the same time? I described my experience in a comment reply further down [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Soundbars/comments/1dl9mht/comment/leqyhfg/).

Thx! btw I tried turning on the "Voice Enhance" feature of the soundbar (press the Gear icon three times until it says the first few letters of Voice Enhance and then press up on the ring (above the play/pause button) until it says On). It was a lot clearer and better together with my EQ adjustment (mainly turning the 600Hz down to -6). It's fairly decent now, I'd say 🤷

If you’re wanting a soundbar for less than $200, get a 3.1 channel. I was in your shoes recently as the sound from the tv in my bedroom was not great. I spent a good amount of time trying to find what would be the best value for lowest price which led me to the hw-b550d. It is on sale for $179.99 on Amazon and at Bestbuy and I have been very happy with its performance. It’s basically a q600c minus the rear channels. But you can buy them later if you want to add them. If you’re wanting a 5.1 and can spend a little more $ the vizio elevate is excellent and I have been very happy with it for the several years I’ve had it now. I’m not sure it’s still sold though.