Samsung HW-F750 soundbar: the lamps shine, but they don’t warm.

The main intrigue of the HW-F750 lies, of course, in the circuitry. The word “tube” in the description attracts like a magnet. Of course, it’s tempting to put a “warm tube sound” audio system at home, whether it’s a “serious” Hi-Fi or a soundbar. South Korean marketers decided to ride on the horse of human vanity for the second time – the first time it was a year and a half ago, when Samsung DA-E750 docking station with tube amplifier was released – as well as the soundbar HW-F750 – “the world’s first.

Specifications

Total power output 310W.

Number of sound channels 2.1

Audio Formats: AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, WMV(1/2/3/7/9 , OGG, FLAC.

Decoding formats: Dolby Digital, DTS, 3D Sound Plus, Vertical Surround.

HDMI, USB Host 2.0, Bluetooth, Toslink, 3.5 mm audio,

HDMI

v

Built-in tube amplifier, position sensor, automatic volume control, automatic sound field calibration ASC , lip sync animation, 6 modes of digital sound processing.

Power: p

Standby power of the main unit is 0.45W.

Standby power consumption of the subwoofer is 0.3 watts.

The power consumption of the main unit in working mode is 29 W.

Subwoofer power consumption in operating mode is 20 watts.

Dimensions: o

943 x 57 x 120 mm.

291 x 369 x 291 mm

Weight: o

3.5 kg.

7,25 kg.

Design

In fact – both devices use a HYBRID amplifier. Of course, the tube circuitry in the HW-F750 applies – not dummies can be seen in the “special” window, but only in the preamplifier. If it were otherwise, the soundbar would be able to develop the declared power?

Nothing wrong with that, of course – after all, the soundbar doesn’t pretend to be the main audio system in the house.

The length of the main unit allows it to be organically placed under TV sets with the diagonal size of 42 inches, it will visually stand out with smaller ones.

Besides we should note that the construction is realized “not childishly”. Except the main unit the set includes the active subwoofer, though you can’t see any tubes in it, but its mass for a “one-box subwoofer” is impressive, more than 7 kg. It’s wireless, which makes it easy to install in a home theater system.

Interface and functionality

You can connect to the soundbar via Bluetooth, via an analog 3.5mm audio input, via “optical” and via HDMI. There is also a USB port and HDMI output.

From an external flash drive the device “digests” audio files AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, WMV(1/2/3/7/9 , OGG and FLAC.

Soundtracks recorded in Dolby Digital, DTS, 3D Sound Plus and Vertical Surround the unit can also decode.

There’s also an automatic sound calibration ASC feature, – everything is “grown-up” and a calibration microphone is included.

When you turn on your “native” TV, the smart device understands this and connects to it – though this trick only works on 2012-13 models.

Sound

Of course, it would be wrong to say that the expected “warm tube sound” is a marketing deception. The “lamp” sound is present, and it is heard quite well. There are “plump” bass, rich “bottom middle”, the sound is soft, but at the same time you can feel the power. But the overall character of the sound, of course, is not the same as you can hear on the “big” tube systems.

Unfortunately, there is no detail, images are not drawn, and the “tops” are shaded by the low-frequency section. Because of the washed out “tops” the panorama is also blurred, – it is no secret that the high frequencies are the most important in the construction of the scene.

See for a summary

The system is certainly interesting. For those who want to outfit their theater system “fashionably”, it might just stick. But, considering the price, you’d better pick something more conservative for a mass buyer.

Advantages:

“Warm tube sound” is really audible, good quality performance, wireless subwoofer.

Disadvantages:

The sound lacks detail, the “bass” sticks out.

Tip:

Considering that the tube preamp is the only one, it is worth mixing in analog for a more natural sound.