The Consumer Electronics Show is just around the corner in January, and one of the first products to slip out early is the Samsung NW700– a slimline 3.1-channel sound bar.
How slim? At just two inches (53.5mm) thick, slim enough to hug the wall right under Samsung’s “no-gap wall mount” TVs like the Q7. It achieves its vanishing depth thanks to a proprietary “slim” driver
The NW700 is a three-channel sound bar that includes a bass driver onboard, as opposed to an external subwoofer. It replaces the MS650, which was Samsung’s first sound bar with this design, but it was twice as thick. The NW700 uses digital signal processing the company calls “distortion canceling” to prevent bass frequencies from distorting.
After a strong 2016, with the HW-K950 a particular standout, the company’s 2017 sound bars including the MS650 and MS750 were a little disappointing. In our testing, the company’s move away from a wireless subwoofer seemed to have a negative effect, especially when compared against sub-less competitors such as the Zvox SB500. It will be interesting to see if the company can make up lost ground with the NW700.
Pricing and availability are not yet announced. The previous MS650 model retailed for $450, £549 or $799, so the new one should be in the same ballpark.
