Samsung HW-MS550

VERDICT

This all-in-one soundbar has some nice features for the money, but audio quality could be better

- Christopher Minasians

EARLY IN 2017, Samsung came out with the superb HW-MS650 soundbar, which combined impressive sound quality with effective distortion cancelling for less than £550. Now, an even cheaper model in the series has arrived, the HW-MS550. This is the most affordable soundbar Samsung makes in an all-in-one design, and it offers the same technology found in its pricier brother.

Indeed, at £299 this is far from an extravagance, though there is some stiff competition that costs even less –take the £229 Q Acoustics M3 (Shopper 352), for instance, orthe £200 Cambridge Audio TV V2 sound base (Shopper 353). What, then, can Samsung’s soundbar offer?

SLIMMING DOWN

For starters, the HW-MS550 has the same swish-brushed aluminium design as the HW-MS650; here, Samsung hasn’t skimped on quality. It’s slightly smaller than the HW-MS650, measuring only 890mm across, but retains the same 131mm depth and, at 71mm, it’s roughly the same height as well.

If you don’t like the idea of placing the MS550 on top of a fire place or cluttering up your AV rack, you can attach it to your wall-mounted TV with the One Mount Kit, which costs an additional £70.