Samsung Ventures Into Premium Audio With Two Harman Kardon Co-branded Sound Bars

What’s your impression of Samsung’s audio equipment? Good, but hardly deemed high-end or audiophile-grade, right? Well, that should change with its two new sound bars, developed in collaboration with audio equipment specialist, Harman Kardon. The pair, designated HW-N950 and HW-N850, are described as co-branded premium sound bars that flaunt Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio technology to bring about immersive sound experience.

It is a move that won’t surprise any as Samsung is, after all, the new owner of Harman International since March 2017. Already, Samsung has included AKG headphones with some high-end mobile phones and tablets that are tuned by AKG. So, a collab in the home theater system seems like a no brainer. The range topper here is clearly the HW-N950 with its 7.1.4 channels bolstered by the main unit, four speakers, two wireless surround sound speakers, and a wireless sub.

The HW-N850, on the other hand, is a simplified version of the HW-950 that touts 5.1.2 channel and comes with the main unit and a sub. It is worthy to note that the HW-N950 is a giant in the sound bar industry, boasting no less than 17 speakers, offering a total of 512 W. In addition, it gets the requisite Bluetooth technology for audio streaming, along with optical input, HDMI, support for Alexa and a USB port for software update.

As for HW-N850, its 13 speakers pumped out 382W of power and it too has the usual garden variety of connectivity, including Bluetooth, HDMI, WiFi , supports Alexa et cetera. Strangely, we can’t find the HW-N850 on the US website (its on the UK website though).

In case you are interested in these sound bars, be prepared to drop hefty amount for them. The HW-N850 costs $1,199.99 and the HW-N950 will set you back at a cool $1,699.99.

Both the Samsung Harman Kardon HW-N950 and HW-N850 Soundbar is set to be available starting August 20, 2018.

Images courtesy of Samsung.