Samsung HW-K950 vs Vizio SB3821-D6

This soundbar can produce cinema-like surround sound using the latest Dolby Atmos standard. Aside from the rear speakers, it also adds height by producing sound above the listener’s head, through extra speakers that reflect it from the ceiling. The ceiling needs to be flat and relatively shallow for this to work best, though. The sheer number of speakers together creates a more realistic sound bubble around the listener, as opposed to soundbars that can only emulate it with limited speakers. While only Dolby Atmos content takes full advantage of these extra speakers, even standard Stereo or Dolby Digital can benefit from this extra dimension.

Samsung has included an application that you can use to stream music from your phone, online streaming services and even media servers in your home network to the soundbar via Wi-Fi. It’s also possible to set up a multi-room system with other Samsung audio products that are compatible with the app.

The 8-inch driver of the subwoofer outputs 165W and is powerful enough to make windows shake. Since this can be overkill in some use cases, like music listening, you can easily control the subwoofer levels through the soundbar.

There are dedicated digital sound processing modes that can be used to enhance audio from movies, sports or music.

The easy-to-read front OLED display gives you all the relevant status information.

The soundbar notifies you and switches automatically to Atmos mode when it detects a Dolby Atmos signal.

If you have an HDMI-CEC compatible device, you can use it to control the soundbar.

There are two HDMI 2.0 inputs and an HDMI ARC output with 4K HDR passthrough capabilities, as well as an optical and an analog input.

The HW-K950 has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support, for wireless media streaming from external devices. It also supports connecting wirelessly to Samsung TVs that support it.

This soundbar supports Dolby Atmos, which has been becoming more popular in streaming services and new Blu-ray releases.

This soundbar has a classic black look with a steel mesh around the unit with brushed aluminum ends. The screen is hidden behind the mesh and illuminates only when there is a change in input or a button is pressed. A blue LED indicates Dolby Atmos signal input.

The rear speakers are approximately the size of average desktop speakers.

Software updates can be done automatically over Wi-Fi, using a dedicated Samsung app.

The main unit can be wall mounted, using the included bracket, but you need to buy separate wall mounts for the rear speakers if you wish to mount them.

It has 16 speakers that combine to deliver the best audio experience for watching and listening to music. Combined, they have a power rating of 500W for a system that consists of a center channel, two front channels, two rear channels, four vertical channels and a low frequency channel. The highs and mids sound clean and clear, without being flat. Movie dialogue is clear and distinguishable thanks to the added central channel.

When compared to other soundbars within the same price range, the Vizio does an excellent job in generating detailed sound and a wide sound stage.

Built-in sound processing in movie mode does an excellent job expanding the sound and leveling the volume of dialogue and action scenes.

Built-in sound processing in music mode widens the soundstage for a greater stereo effect. It makes each instrument individually distinguishable.

This soundbar can easily fill a large room with crystal clear sound and clearly distinguishable left and right channels, improving the cinematic experience.

The Vizio ships with various connection cables, so there's no need to purchase additional input cables.

This soundbar comes with a Vizio companion app.

This soundbar can be wall mounted using the included mounts.

Both the soundbar and the subwoofer are compact, so the main unit doesn't require a large stand and the subwoofer can be hidden easily.

You can connect to this soundbar via Wi-Fi, for media streaming, a feature that is usually only available on soundbards in more expensive price ranges. Bluetooth is also supported.

The Visio has an optical, a coaxial and two analog sound inputs and also an Ethernet input to connect it to your home network.

This soundbar has integrated Chromecast support. Its allows streaming media over Wi-Fi and is easy to set up and use.

The remote control is intuitive and easy to understand.