Sony HT-A5000 vs Samsung HW-A550

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Being able to compare Sony HT-A5000 and Samsung HW-A550 gave us an insight into what features and technologies these devices offer. HT-A5000 turned out to be a more technological and better-sounding device than the HW-A550. According to the results of our comparison, HT-A5000 received 7.8 points out of 10 possible, and HW-A550 was rated 4.6 points.

Advantages Sony HT-A5000 over Samsung HW-A550

Advantages Samsung HW-A550 over Sony HT-A5000

Audio features

The HT-A5000 is rated 8 of 10 against 5 for the HW-A550 according to the audio features rating.

It worth understanding the difference between the two types of amplification: a passive soundbar does not have its own amplifier and receives amplification from the signal source, while an active soundbar has a built-in amplifier. The same active type of amplification is used in the HT-A5000 and the HW-A550.

There are stereo soundbars and multichannel ones. It is with the help of multichannel devices that you can get volumetric sound. It is worth noting one of the main differences, the HT-A5000 has 5.1.2 channels, while the HW-A550 has 2.1 channels. Also, the output power of the soundbars under consideration is different, Sony HT-A5000 has 450 (overall) W, and 410 (overall) W has the competitor.

Subwoofers

Soundbars can have a built-in or external subwoofer. The first type is inseparable from the soundbar body, but for the second, you can choose a good location for deep bass. A built-in subwoofer is only present in the HT-A5000. The HW-A550 comes with an external subwoofer.

Multichannel surround

Unlike stereo, when reproducing multichannel sound, each specific direction of sound corresponds to its dedicated channel with a separate independent loudspeaker, which creates a three-dimensional sound stage. The HT-A5000 received rating 10 out of 10 for multichannel audio processing, but the HW-A550, in the same category, earned 6 out of 10 points.

The peculiarity of Dolby Atmos is that this format is object-oriented, that is, each object of the audio signal is sounded separately and linked to its spatial location. Dolby Atmos surround sound support is implemented only in Sony HT-A5000.

DTS:X is an algorithm for processing sound scenes by the processor, linking directly to objects, rather than channels, and calculating the optimal distribution of sound output in a room. The manufacturer has implemented DTS:X technology only in HT-A5000.

Streaming services

The possibility to listen online to millions of songs from one device has become a reality thanks to streaming services.

The popular Spotify service is available on the HT-A5000.

Connectivity

The existence of a sufficient number of current connectors significantly expands the functionality of the device. For example, only through HDMI is it possible to implement the transfer of object-oriented formats, and the presence of a Bluetooth connection will allow remote control, etc. The devices received different ratings for connectivity: Sony HT-A5000 was rated 7 out of 10, and Samsung HW-A550 was rated 8 out of 10.

The presence of Wi-Fi in the soundbar allows you to get rid of wires when connected to a sound source and get minimal audio latency when playing content from streaming services. Wireless connection via Wi-Fi is possible on the HT-A5000.

Bluetooth connection is now one of the main communication protocols for speaker systems, which provides excellent quality and minimal audio latency. The availability of Bluetooth protocol, we can see in both models. The competitors in this comparison has 1/1 HDMI inputs/outputs.

HDMI ARC is a very usefull technology that creates a two-way communication channel between a TV and another device. This is convenient since there is no need to use optical and other cables in the system. HDMI ARC is basic for both soundbars.

Features

Voice control is designed to make operating the device more convenient. This allows you to control basic soundbar functions from anywhere in the room.

Proprietary applications allow you to control your soundbars remotely. This is possible both via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. In our case, the ability to control the soundbar using the app is not implemented in any of the competitors. None of these soundbars have a built-in microphone.

Some soundbars can be part of a multi-room system and it is an affordable solution for sounding the whole house. However, it is impossible to create a multiroom system based on each of these soundbars.

Dimensions