Samsung HW-C450 soundbar early review: Small speaker, sizeable sound
If you're looking for a non-monstrous solution to the rubbish sound from your TV's built-in speakers, may we suggest the Samsung HW-C450? It's small, but packs a punch
Sound bars come in all sorts of sizes, but all have one goal: to make your TV sound less miserable. The Samsung HW-C450 sits firmly in the small category, with the main speaker unit measuring just 43mm in height. The width is considerably greater at 950mm, which is why they call it a bar.
The system is made up of two parts, the main speaker bar, which contains six tweeters for high and mid-range sounds. It also comes with a small, but powered, subwoofer to handle the bass aspects of the audio spectrum. The sub is wireless too, which means you can tuck it away somewhere, as long as it's near a mains socket.
Like most 2.1 systems, inputs are limited. You only get two optical digital connectors and a single 3.5mm auxiliary input, designed to accept audio from an MP3 player. On the plus side, the speaker can decode Dolby Digital, which means the sound from your DVDs will be presented clearly and with minimal quality drop.
As Samsung seems to be making a theme out of small here, the remote control is also pretty dinky. This is fine for those with delicate hands, but we're all rather ape-like around here, and prefer slightly larger controllers. Still, you're not going to be doing much detailed configuration with it, so we're guessing most people will manage.
Expect to pay around £250 for the HW-C450 when it goes on sale at the end of this month. We'll be publishing a full review of the system once we've had a chance to fully audition it, in an X Factor-style panel format where various members of the team are rude about its dress sense and ability to remember the words to famous songs. In the meantime, click through for more pics.