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Samsung HW-E450 Soundbar

post #1 of 661
3/4/12 at 1:35pm
Thread Starter 

I believe these were recently released; I just picked up the 2012 model of Samsung's HW-E450 Soundbar. Currently Sears (in-store only) and Amazon have them in stock. I'll be returning a D450 which is currently hooked up, so I can provide a little bit of information about the difference between the two.

 

First and foremost, remotes from Samsung TVs still do not work ("C" series did, "D" and "E" do not). I was hopeful they'd have put that back in, but what they did instead was make the E450's remote have more basic TV functions. It's quite possible that will be good enough for your needs.

The design is slightly different. The (IMO, slightly awkward) angled top with the clear edge is gone -- a much cleaner design. The display is on the front. The physical buttons are on the rounded side/edge/back. It's about 2 inches shorter (left to right) and about a half inch smaller bottom to top. I also just realized the speakers are more a charcoal gray than silver. That, along with less visible lights, make it blend in a lot nicer.

There is only one optical in, the second was replaced with an HDMI in & out. There is a USB slot. The manual says you can play mp3's on the USB, and that you can connect via bluetooth also. I'm unclear at the moment on how any of that works.

With only the most minimal of testing, I believe the sound is a bit crisper. The subwoofer also has a more oomph. I've not really tested the different sound modes yet. Even though this ultimately cost a little bit more (as it's not discounted anywhere yet) my early impressions are that is worth the extra money. I wasn't 100% sold that the D450 was worth the price, the E450 certainly is.

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post #2 of 661
3/23/12 at 1:43am
Can you connect an Iphone via USB to play music? Also, is wattage the same as in th D450 @ 380?
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post #3 of 661
3/26/12 at 11:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by benS66 View Post

Can you connect an Iphone via USB to play music? Also, is wattage the same as in th D450 @ 380?

You can connect iPhone via Bluetooth to play music.. I thought total wattage is 280 Watts?
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post #4 of 661
3/28/12 at 12:06pm
Just ordered one of these, the bluetooth audio is what attracted me to it. I'll let you guys know how it is
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post #5 of 661
3/28/12 at 5:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by uncola View Post

Just ordered one of these, the bluetooth audio is what attracted me to it. I'll let you guys know how it is

I'd forgotten about this. Seeing your post, I decided to test the bluetooth connection out. Hooking up my phone took all of about 20 seconds and it seems to be working great.
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post #6 of 661
4/4/12 at 5:01am
am interested in one of these, keen to hear any more you have to say on it now you have had time to get used to it............
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post #7 of 661
4/4/12 at 6:53am
Just picked one up and sound is much better than TV speakers of course. Live in an aparatment with small den and sit about 8ft from speaker. Turned surround mode to high and although sounded great 3D experience was so so as expected. The main reason for me getting a sound bar is directional/crisp sound for people talking and this does it well.

I did have one problem during insteallation getting ARC to work. I have the LG 47LM6700 TV with ARC functionality on HDMI 1. Everything enabled in settings but could not get any sound from the bar. Went to Best Buy and asked for help and there first question was, "Is it hooked up". My response, "No it is still in the boxes duh". Purchased a new HDMI cable with ARC on the package and still no luck. Called Samsung and was told ARC with the sound bar would only work with a Samsung TV. So they use a standard and make it proprietary?
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post #8 of 661
4/4/12 at 7:03am
I have a Samsung D8000 and I was thinking about getting the new LG soundbar. Does this mean I can't use the ARC hdmi either? Am I suppose to just use the optical cable? What is difference in how it works for both?
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post #9 of 661
4/4/12 at 7:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by elykoj View Post

I have a Samsung D8000 and I was thinking about getting the new LG soundbar. Does this mean I can't use the ARC hdmi either? Am I suppose to just use the optical cable? What is difference in how it works for both?

Reading the instruction manual Samsung TV's look like they require Direct Link as part of the ARC requirements so this may be why ARC must be Samsung -> Samsung.

The only reason I wanted to use ARC is to try and eliminate a remote and use the TV remote volume. Also the auto power off function. The optical cable works and sounds fine. I don;t think there would be any difference in the audio quality but someone else may know of other benefits to ARC as I am new to the subject and still not an ARC user.
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post #10 of 661
4/4/12 at 7:44am
cheers dinoroger.

not to fussed about ARC as the TV i plan to buy does not support it anyway, just happy to hear it sounds good.
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post #11 of 661
4/4/12 at 8:45am
Just wanted to add a couple comments regarding ARC. First, there is no difference in the quality of the audio out by using ARC versus digital optical/coax. So if you can't get ARC to work, a digital connection is just fine.

Second, HDMI-CTL (including ARC) should, and usually does, work across brands. You do need to activate the feature on your TV. Samsung is Anynet+; LG is Simplink. Some soundbars and AVRs also have a setting that needs to be turned on, while others just default to the feature being on. So checking the manuals for both "ends" of the connection may help get you going.
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post #12 of 661
4/4/12 at 9:02am
Simplink is enabled on my LG TV and works perfectly with my Sony Bluray 3D Player. I was expeting no compatiblity problems since arc is a standard but according to Samsung there are some. Thanks for mentioning Anynet+ I think I called it Direct Link by mistake in my earlier post. I think the Anynet+ to Simplink is the compatibility problem I am having then.
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post #13 of 661
4/7/12 at 6:23pm
They should just allow the Samsung TV remote to control this soundbar like they did on the C450 soundbar. Makes no sense why they eliminated this desireable feature on the D and E series soundbars. The Samsung remotes should still be interchangeable, as most people prefer one remote when possible.
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post #14 of 661
4/10/12 at 11:03am
So what route to hook up is preferred? I am still confused? If I get this soundbar, I also have the D8000 tv and I Sony 3D, and Uverse DVR cable box. Which HDMI cables get plugged where for ARC? Or should I just leave HDMI cables from Uverse box and bluray plugged into tv and use an optical cable?
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post #15 of 661
4/10/12 at 11:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by elykoj View Post

So what route to hook up is preferred? I am still confused? If I get this soundbar, I also have the D8000 tv and I Sony 3D, and Uverse DVR cable box. Which HDMI cables get plugged where for ARC? Or should I just leave HDMI cables from Uverse box and bluray plugged into tv and use an optical cable?

Based on previous posts it appears ARC should work fine when the Sammy bar is connected to a Sammy TV. You use a high speed HDMI cable to connect the two. Both the TV and the bar have a port clearly marked ARC. You can connect your BD player directly to the bar using its HDMI input port and leave the Uverse box connected to the TV.
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post #16 of 661
4/10/12 at 11:52am
What about regarding the volume? Does this have to be controlled with soundbar remote? I use my Uverse remote for volume on the tv now. Also, I heard when using ARC, it will power on when tv is powered on, but when tv is powered off you have to power soundbar on manually? Or vice versa? It won't turn on and off with tv? Is the sound really good on this soundbar? They never have one hooked up at Bestbuy but I heard the new LG NB-3520a or whatever it was , sounded really good, but I wanna stay Samsung
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post #17 of 661
4/10/12 at 12:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by elykoj View Post

What about regarding the volume? Does this have to be controlled with soundbar remote? I use my Uverse remote for volume on the tv now. Also, I heard when using ARC, it will power on when tv is powered on, but when tv is powered off you have to power soundbar on manually? Or vice versa? It won't turn on and off with tv? Is the sound really good on this soundbar? They never have one hooked up at Bestbuy but I heard the new LG NB-3520a or whatever it was , sounded really good, but I wanna stay Samsung

Anynet+ (HDMI-CTL/CEC) is the link that allows you to control volume with the TV remote, or any remote that has been programmed to operate the TV. Power on/off is also a CEC function. I do not know if Anynet+ supports auto-on. I'm sure it supports auto-off.

ARC has nothing to do with any of this except that in order to use it you have to enable HDMI-CTL.

Can't help you with how the bar sounds. Never heard one.
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post #18 of 661
4/17/12 at 8:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by elykoj View Post

What about regarding the volume? Does this have to be controlled with soundbar remote? I use my Uverse remote for volume on the tv now. Also, I heard when using ARC, it will power on when tv is powered on, but when tv is powered off you have to power soundbar on manually? Or vice versa? It won't turn on and off with tv? Is the sound really good on this soundbar? They never have one hooked up at Bestbuy but I heard the new LG NB-3520a or whatever it was , sounded really good, but I wanna stay Samsung

Can anyone verify using ARC that the soundbar won't automatically power on and off when TV is turned on and off?
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post #19 of 661
4/18/12 at 8:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by steveg. View Post

Can anyone verify using ARC that the soundbar won't automatically power on and off when TV is turned on and off?

I will be finally hooking mine up this weekend so I can let ya know, still curious how good this thing sounds? I won it at work for free, but never heard one.
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post #20 of 661
4/19/12 at 6:02am
Thread Starter 
For those asking about sound, I think (for the price) it's really good. No doubt spending more money on a full-fledged system will yield better results, for for a simple system with a minimum of cords, I think it is excellent. I can't compare it to other brands, but it's a big step up from Samsung's 2011 model.
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post #21 of 661
4/20/12 at 9:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by steveg. View Post

Can anyone verify using ARC that the soundbar won't automatically power on and off when TV is turned on and off?

i just picked one up from Costco yesterday (HW-E450C...i believe the "C" versions simply come with HDMI & Optical cables whereas non-C versions don't). A nice step up from the laptop speakers in my TV

i initially hooked it up via the optical cable to my Samsung UN55D8000, and the soundbar turned on *and* off with the TV, but I couldn't control the volume unless I used the soundbar's remote.

i then tried to use the HDMI/ARC connection instead: HDMI OUT from the soundbar to HDMI IN 2 (ARC) on the D8000. Made sure Anynet+ on the TV was on, then turned on Anynet+ on the soundbar (via the remote) and the soundbar displayed "TV ARC" and the TV's speakers switched off. When I turn off the D8000, the soundbar turns off as well. BUT when I turn on the TV, the soundbar does NOT turn on automatically.

in summary (when connected to my un55d8000):

optical:
-soundbar turns on and off with TV
-can't control volume w/TV remote

HDMI/ARC with Anynet+ on:
-soundbar turns off with TV
-soundbar does not turn on with TV
-can control the volume with TV remote

Anyone know if there is a way to get the soundbar to turn on automatically with the TV when using ARC/Anynet+?
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post #22 of 661
4/20/12 at 9:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by funkadelic1 View Post

i just picked one up from Costco yesterday (HW-E450C...i believe the "C" versions simply come with HDMI & Optical cables whereas non-C versions don't). A nice step up from the laptop speakers in my TV

i initially hooked it up via the optical cable to my UN55D8000, and the soundbar turned on *and* off with the TV, but I couldn't control the volume unless I used the soundbar's remote.

i then tried to use the HDMI/ARC connection instead: HDMI OUT from the soundbar to HDMI IN 2 (ARC) on the D8000. Made sure Anynet+ on the TV was on, then turned on Anynet+ on the sounbar (via the remote) and the soundbar displayed "TV ARC" and the TV's speakers switched off. When I turn off the D8000, the soundbar turns off as well. BUT when I turn on the TV, the soundbar does NOT turn on automatically.

in summary (when connected to my un55d8000):

optical:
-soundbar turns on and off with TV
-can't control volume w/TV remote

HDMI/ARC with Anynet+ on:
-soundbar turns off with TV
-soundbar does not turn on with TV
-can control the volume with TV remote

Anyone know if there is a way to get the soundbar to turn on automatically with the TV when using ARC/Anynet+?

Samsung engineers must have been drinking hard that day, thats unacceptable. I was wondering if i could program my AT&t Uverse remote to the soundbar? I can use it for tv to obviously change the volume, i am wondering if it can be programmed to work the sound bar as well. Gonna hook mine up this weekend. if not, Harmony remote is on my list.
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post #23 of 661
4/22/12 at 8:30am
My UN46D6050 has the horrible back panel reverb issue, which despite my efforts to dampen, is so vvvvery distracting (on the plus side, my one 'fix' resulted in a drastic reduction of clouding!). I was going to get a soundbar but my god, I didn't expect the prices they are going for! I was expecting (hoping?) for something in the $175 range, sub included, but definitely not upwards of 1/2 what I paid for my TV... I can get a Logitech Z5500 or the newer Z906http://www.logitech.com/speakers-audio/home-pc-speakers/devices/7929 with Dolby Digital and DTS decoding for not much more, and it is 5.1 instead of 2.1!

However, be that as it may, I still am not looking to spend that much. Not only that, my room isn't ideal for 5.1 anyways due to size and the fact my couch is up against the wall (with another wall ~3.5ft away on my right), hence my reason for just wanting a soundbar instead.

So I suppose the whole point of this rambling semi-rant all boils down to this question:
If I just got an E/D/C450 soundbar sans Sub, would it at least be on par with what the TV speakers would sound like if there wasn't all the back panel reverb? IOW, will it still have full range sound w/o the sub, or will it basically just be mids and highs?
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post #24 of 661
4/23/12 at 9:16am
Hooked up via optical, bought a Harmony 650 remote and having issues turning on/off this soundbar. I called Logitech and they want me to try the power on delay fix to see if it works then? I will try it tonight when I get home. Anyone else with this issue?
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post #25 of 661
4/28/12 at 8:29am
I just ordered the HW-E450 from Amazon for $249.99 today. It's for our bedroom with a 42" Sammy LCD. My wife wants to be able to wirelessly stream music from her iphone and ipad to a decent sound system and this looks like it should fit the bill. I read somewhere that the soundbar will turn on/off with the TV as long as it is connected via Optical. Can someone confirm this please?
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post #26 of 661
4/28/12 at 8:46am
I have mine hooked up optical and it does not turn on or off with tv. I hear if it's connected via ARC it will only turn on or off with tv, not both? I bought a harmony remote and having problems getting it to toggle on and off with everything else. Not sure why?
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post #27 of 661
4/28/12 at 8:56am
I found this in the manual:

If a TV or any device connected to Air Track with the optical cable is off and there is no digital input, the Air Track is turned off after 20 minutes. (If there has been no input signal for over 20 minutes from OPTICAL AUDIO IN the Air Track will be turned off.)

The unit turns off automatically in the following situations:
D.In Mode: If no input source is entered for 20 minutes.
Aux Mode: If no cable is inserted in the jack for 20 minutes.
BT Mode: If no connection is made for 20 minutes.
USB Mode: If the NO USB or Stop state lasts for 20 minutes.

http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/co...450-ZK-ENG.pdf
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post #28 of 661
4/28/12 at 7:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by elykoj View Post

I have mine hooked up optical and it does not turn on or off with tv. I hear if it's connected via ARC it will only turn on or off with tv, not both? I bought a harmony remote and having problems getting it to toggle on and off with everything else. Not sure why?


there's an option to power on/power off with the TV, but it doesn't work with anynet+. I think it said you need to be connected with optical cable. so, you still need the soundbar remote to control volume. The button is on the soundbar remote near the bottom right. If you press it while anynet+ is engaged, it will tell you that it's not available.

I bought this bar for my FIL who has a samsung PN50B550 plasma. It doesn't appear to have ARC capability. I have it hooked up with HDMI and optical. I can only get sound through the speaker bar when the optical input selected, nothing when HDMI input is selected. I figure it's because the TV doesn't have ARC. The HDMI is necessary to obtain anynet+ control.

bottom line, TV remote controls soundbar volume and bar powers off with TV. We still have to use soundbar remote to power on the bar.

If anyone finds out how to combine everything into one remote, please let me know.
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post #29 of 661
5/7/12 at 12:20pm
Mine just arrived today. Installation and setup were a breeze. Was streaming tunes from Soundcloud via iphone/BT in a matter of minutes. Sounds great. I haven't connected the soundbar to my TV as of yet.
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post #30 of 661
5/21/12 at 7:29pm
Need some help. Bought Samsung UN40ES6100 HDTV and HW-E450 Sound Bar. Do I need to connect both the Optical cable and a HDMI Anynet+ (want the latter's functionality) ?

Plan to connect a LG BD player directly to the TV with HDMI 2 ARC. I do not plan to connect any components to the Sound Bar.

Will the above described connections work ok or will I have problems?
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