Review: Samsung HW-S710D/HW-S711D

Samsung is a popular TV brand with a range of models in all shapes and sizes, but the common denominator for these is that – like most TV screens – they often have pretty poor sound quality. Thankfully, Samsung recognises this and offers a wide range of soundbars to suit the different series.

And while we’re most excited about the top models in the Q900 series, we realise that many people would rather have a compact speaker that doesn’t “”clutter”” the living room wall too much.

If you fall into the latter category, the HW-S710D might be an interesting candidate. This model is a new model this year and is intended as a matching companion to The Frame models.

The Samsung soundbar is available in both black and white, and with support for Dolby Atmos, an included wireless subwoofer, and several smart features, it’s capable of elevating the audio experience.

Samsung HW-S710D / HW-S711D

The Samsung bar is only 89 cm wide, which makes it a good fit for medium-sized TV screens of around 55 inches. And because it’s only 4 cm tall, it can also be placed directly under the screen without obscuring the image. Wall brackets are also included to fix the soundbar close to the wall.

The HW-S710D is clearly related to the larger S810 model, which we have previously tested with good results. It retains the same slim shape in a narrower format. However, it’s not possible to buy separate covers for it like you can for its big brother. The S710D also has a cheaper, more conventional and angular subwoofer compared to the small “powder keg” that comes with the S810D.

However, to accommodate all the drivers, Samsung has had to move the power supply into a separate box. This doesn’t have to be a big problem, but it should be taken into account when planning the installation. It may take a little work to get it to look as good as in the pictures!

Supports wireless audio – without HDMI

The Samsung soundbar is easy to set up and connect to Wi-Fi with the Smartthings mobile app, which also gives you easy access to streaming services and various sound settings. For example, it has automatic room correction (Spacefit Sound), which adapts the sound to your surroundings. And if you connect the soundbar to a compatible Samsung TV, it can also interact with the TV speakers through so-called Q Symphony.

Another potential bonus is that the S710D also supports wireless transfer of surround sound, so you can ditch the HDMI cable. To do so, however, you’ll need a compatible and recent Samsung TV. A suitable (micro) HDMI cable is also included for other TV models.

The speaker configuration is 3.1-channel, which in practice means it has dedicated right, left and centre channels plus a separate subwoofer. So you won’t find any dedicated drivers for the surround and height channels here. However, the soundbar can simulate this using sound processing to reproduce Dolby Atmos 3D sound.

Sound quality

So how does this ultra-thin soundbar sound? Surprisingly great, actually. After pairing the S710D with a Samsung S90D OLED TV, we were able to turn up the volume with our usual test sequences. The first impression is that the soundbar can play loud and clear with a surprisingly wide soundstage. Furthermore, the sound is very well synchronised with the image on the screen, even when using Wi-Fi transmission.

Samsung’s soundbar excels with clear dialogue from the centre channel, which contributes to better speech intelligibility. Perhaps best of all, you don’t have to turn it up very loud to hear the dialogue. Music and background sound also unfold nicely with good separation between the different sound elements. It immediately strikes us that this is a big improvement over the built-in TV speakers and fully on par with many of the “”chunkier”” soundbars out there.

We experimented back and forth with the “Q Symphony” and found that it could sometimes “lift” the soundstage a little to better match the action on screen. But overall, we found that it sounded just as good when we let the soundbar and subwoofer play on their own.

With Top Gun: Maverick on the menu, it was time to turn up the volume and see how the Samsung soundbar performs in a film context. The Top Gun sequel has some challenging sequences where the plane passes “over” and past us, and the Samsung bar actually manages to provide a convincing surround effect even without physical rear speakers. And when the roar of the jet engines hits the ground, we feel a physical pressure from the subwoofer in the corner. It’s pretty intense!

Samsung’s California-based sound engineers have proven themselves to be adept at getting big sound out of small packages, and it looks like they’ve done it here too – at least to some extent. Of course, it’s not quite on par with the larger S810D model and nowhere near the sound pressure levels of the larger 900 series models. But considering the size, we have to say we’re pretty impressed.

The trick is that most of the bass sound is reproduced by the subwoofer, so the soundbar doesn’t have to work too hard on the deepest passages. Therefore, you need to be careful with the placement of the subwoofer. Ideally, the subwoofer should be placed in a corner, but not too far away from the soundbar for the best balance.

Pared-down subwoofer?

The subwoofer in the S710D system is a fairly simple box with bass reflex. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have as nice a shape as the soundbar. Sonically, it gets the job done, but it doesn’t play as loud or as deep. We think the S710D should have had the more stylish and harder-hitting subwoofer that its big brother, the S810D, comes with, but then the price would probably have been higher.

On the other hand, the S710D has a potent overall sound that’s hard for other compact soundbars to match if they don’t have a subwoofer. For example, a popular competitor like the Sonos Beam will have a hard time matching Samsung’s sound until you add a Sub Mini, making the package significantly more expensive. In this respect, the Samsung S710D looks to be a good buy.

You can also choose to upgrade the S710D with wireless surround speakers, which are available from the Samsung portfolio. However, they aren’t as stylish as the soundbar and are only available in black.

If you want sound from the back of the room, you can also consider a Samsung picture frame speaker: Music Frame. It can also be used for surround purposes, but only with one speaker, not two. With an S710D in front and Music Frame behind, you can achieve a rather discreet and stylish surround system.

 

Music

The Samsung S710D also sounds great with music: when the soundbar is connected to Wi-Fi, it’s easy to connect to Airplay, Spotify Connect and other services. Then you can also take advantage of “spatial sound” audio tracks if available. But overall, we could probably do with a slightly warmer and fuller vocals here, compared to a customised music speaker. The bass could also be a little firmer. The music experience is fine, but if that was the main use, there are other speakers you should look for.

Conclusion

The Samsung HW-S710D is clearly designed to be a “civilised” soundbar that can be used to enhance the sound of The Frame and other great TV screens without taking up too much space. And for that purpose, it fits the bill perfectly. The HW-S710D is packed with practical features and squeezes surprisingly big sound out of its size, aided by a wireless subwoofer. All in all, it’s an excellent soundbar that we can easily recommend for smaller rooms and TV screens.