TECHWEEK
Samsung HW-C400 is a 2.0 sound model released in 2023. The HW-C400 soundbar from Samsung is ideal for listening to stereo content such as TV shows and music. If you need to improve your surround sound quality, you can upgrade this sound design with a set of Samsung Wireless Rear Speakers.
However, this model doesn’t come with support for the manufacturer’s more premium features, such as Q-Symphony, which pairs the bar with compatible Samsung TVs for enhanced sound, or SpaceFit Sound, which optimizes sound based on the size and shape of the room. The panel also does not support Dolby Atmos content . In our Samsung HW-C400 review, we’ll look at the features of this soundbar and conclude whether the HW-C400 is worth buying.
Samsung HW-C400 review
Design
The Samsung HW-C400 soundbar has a design very similar to other Samsung soundbars, which is based on a simple rectangular unit with a black finish. The build quality is pretty decent. The soundbar is lightweight, weighing 907 grams.
The front of the soundbar has a metal grille. The top is finished in brushed metal. However, the sides are made of plastic. On the right side are some basic controls that let you select inputs, adjust volume, and turn the soundbar on and off.
The LED display located at the front of the Samsung C400 soundbar displays basic information. That is, when the soundbar receives a command, the display lights up, showing information about the selected inputs, various settings, and volume.
The HW-C400 soundbar is 64cm wide, making it ideal for smaller TVs. With a height of 6.6 cm, the bar should not cover the screen, even if it is placed between the legs of the TV. If you prefer to mount the soundbar on the wall, Samsung offers special brackets that come included.
Unlike many smaller soundbars, the C400 comes with the TM2140 remote control, which is well designed and comfortable to hold. The remote control includes all the necessary buttons, which are intuitively located to make operating the soundbar as easy as possible.
Functions
Since the Samsung HW-C400 soundbar is an entry-level model, its feature set is quite simple. To begin with, the bar uses a simple two-channel design with four forward-firing drivers consisting of wide-dispersion woofers and tweeters.
As a result of the 2.0 audio configuration , the C400 does not have a dedicated center channel for dialogue. Since Samsung only supports two-channel Dolby Digital and DTS, the lack of a center channel doesn’t really impact performance. The Samsung C400 soundbar has two sound modes: Standard and Surround.
Standard is a mode that simply uses the two front speakers, making it ideal for listening to music and some TV programs. On the other hand, surround sound is designed to provide a more immersive experience when watching movies, TV series, and games.
Like many new soundbars, the HW-C400 soundbar does not support multi-room systems. This is a shame because this feature has become popular recently. This decision is undoubtedly related to finances and is aimed at reducing costs by eliminating Wi-Fi.
Luckily, the C400 soundbar has Bluetooth. This means you can stream music directly to the soundbar from your smartphone or tablet. If you have a compatible Samsung TV, you can also stream audio from the TV to the soundbar wirelessly, reducing cable clutter.
Sound quality
Part of the slight disappointment with the HW-C400 soundbar is that many of the company’s recent soundbars sounded really good relative to their price. It also doesn’t have enough power, which is limited to 40W. The C400 is definitely not loud, even at maximum power.
On the other hand, the sound does not distort at full volume. The C400 sounds very good when listening to two-channel content. When watching TV programs, the C400 reproduces them very well. Despite the lack of a central channel, the dialogue also remains clear and focused.
The same thing happens when listening to music. The C400 soundbar can reproduce two-channel content with a decent level of separation in Stereo mode. There’s also a fair amount of reproduced detail, with a solid midrange and some well-defined treble.
Fortunately, wide dispersion tweeters don’t seem to have a negative impact on top-end sound quality. However, the same cannot be said for the lower part of the frequency range. Although the manufacturer positions this model as a soundbar with a built-in subwoofer, the bass is not enough.
The lack of quality low-quality audio will become even more apparent when moving on to TV dramas, movies and games. This type of content relies heavily on bass energy to give impact to key sequences. Many films lack the sense of epic destruction that the soundtrack was intended to convey.
Despite the use of full-range speakers, the front soundstage seems quite narrow. This means that true immersion is not enough when listening to soundtracks. On the other hand, the dialogue remains clear. The Surround mode does little to improve the immersive experience.
Connections
As for connections, the Samsung HW-C400 soundbar does not have a large number of inputs. It doesn’t have HDMI ports. Accordingly, there is no ARC connection . Therefore, you will have to connect it to the TV using an optical connection. The package includes an optical cable, which is very convenient.
Whether this is a stumbling block will largely depend on the hardware the user has. Also, the Samsung C400 soundbar is compatible with many Samsung TVs when connected via the Bluetooth wireless system. In addition to the optical input, the panel contains a USB port for playing third-party audio files.
Conclusion
In conclusion we should add that this model is definitely worth considering for purchase if you have a small TV. The soundbar’s less imposing body is beautifully designed and well-made. It also sounds good enough for a small two-channel soundbar, but has a number of limitations.
Firstly, the amplification is not powerful enough. Therefore, this model is not suitable for large rooms. The absence of an external subwoofer leads to insufficient bass quality. The Samsung C400 soundbar has no problem playing music and some TV shows, but it is less confident in TV dramas, movies and games.
Unfortunately, the C400 also lacks the popular multi-room feature and cannot support 4K or HDR. Ultimately though the C400 may improve the audio performance of small TVs. However, there are better soundbars available at this price point.
Samsung HW-C400 specifications:
| Brand | Samsung |
| Series | HW-C400 |
| Type | Soundbar (soundbar) |
| Sound | |
| Sound scheme | 2.0CH |
| type of instalation | Shelf/wall-mounted |
| Rated power | 40 W |
| Number of speakers | 4 things. |
| Impedance | 6 ohm |
| Sound | Dolby Digital 2.0, DTS 2.0 |
| Supported Formats | waw, mp3, wma, flac, aac |
| Interfaces | |
| Wireless | Bluetooth |
| Physical | USB A, optical audio (TosLink) |
| Other | |
| Control | remote control TM2140 |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 640 x 66 x 107 mm |
| Weight | 0.907 kg |
| Color | Black |
