HW-Q600A (2021)

Best thing about Samsung is that their mid range offerings are solid AND they can be upgraded with very affordable surround kits later. I got my parents SWA-8500 (older version of 9100) for their somewhat old mid range soundbar and my dad loves it while watching movies. I have 600A and also have surround kit. It is quite good for what I paid for those. (I got 600A discounted around $150... So...)

I'm still curious how much better a Q990F is over a Q800B + 9500S. Some people say and tell me it's barely any better. Not a night and day difference compared to when I had a Q600A with no rears and moved to the Q800B then later the 9500S was a night and day difference. So yeah some say it's insanely better and others say for my setup it won't be a big difference just some little upgrades. I don't need it, but I'm so curious and $967 on Woot has me like ahhh! Lol

My soundbar adventure started with a crappy $70 Samsung model I can't even remember, it was 2.1, then I went to the Q600A(3.1.2) and it was great or so I thought. Then I moved to the Q800B(5.1.2) and it was literally night and day, it almost sounded like true surround sound all from the front, it was at least a very wide sound for sure and I was amazed. Then I added the 9500S rears later on which made it 7.1.4 and yet again I was amazed because I never had true rears and it was awesome for a good while and honestly it is still great and friends and family were amazed when they would visit. But now the Q990F(11.1.4).... It's not exactly worlds beyond different but yet it kind of is at the same time. There is so much more dimension to the sound and the clarity is insane even with Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus content compared to the other soundbars. The overall surround field is also much wider then the Q800B+9500s, I can hear birds in the dining room for example when watching let's say Avatar. The Q800B with rears sounded good on the couch but the second I got up and walked forward, then the rears would just disappear, but now I can hear the Q990F rears even if I sit on the floor at the coffee table or standing closer to the TV. So honestly the Q600A which sounded so good at first is honestly disappointing compared to the Q990F for sure and it's quite a step down from the Q800B as well. You have to experience it to understand. You look back and think "I thought it couldn't get much better than that? Wow, how is this possible?" If you got the Q990 Series someday you would think your Q6CC(3.1) is trash compared to it, I can guarantee it, especially since it's a small step down from the Q600. The funny thing is that I have been to other people's house who have an AV receiver setup with big speakers and it doesn't even sound very good at all. But I feel they don't know what they're doing either and probably have everything just playing as Basic Stereo. So having the Q990F, also properly setup is unlike anything I've heard in a home before.

Unless you are trying to avoid a sub for some odd reason, having no sub is not a huge upgrade. If you spend just a tad more you could literally get a Samsung Q Series soundbar for under $300 from Woot which is an Amazon overstock company which is trustworthy because I bought a Q990F from there along with a ton of people. S Series from Samsung are more budget and not as good and Sonos is an overpriced situation where it's probably worth about $99 let's get real. The Q600F is usually $599 but it's on sale for $399 from Samsung but only $297 from Woot right now. It would be so much better in every way and even supports Dolby Atmos, it's a no brainer. Remember just invest now and turn the sub down if you don't want it too strong. It won't be overpowered, you're just getting a better deal and product. [Samsung Q600F 3.1.2 (Woot)](https://electronics.woot.com/offers/samsung-hw-q600f-za-stereo-system-soundbar-68-bla-0)

The sub needs to be plugged in for electricity only. For the audio signal it's completely wireless and can go anywhere in the room. There isn't really a wrong way of doing it, I prefer having it by the TV somewhere, but some people have had it behind their couch. But it sounds weird to me because you get more vibrations from behind and it makes it sound slightly flatter from the front because no bass is coming from the front. When the sub is in front of you, it sounds like it's all coming from one magical sound source or something. Lol But have it on the floor, real noobs will have the sub sitting on a bookshelf or something and that's just silly. You can play around with it and move it around and see what you like. The Q60CF is basically identical, it's just a Costco exclusive version but it has all the same features and watts. So if you can get it without having to wait on shipping or whatever, then do it if you want it! The Q600F is $399 at best buy so you would be getting a good Costco deal! I used to have the Q600A which was a much older model of that series and I was like "holy molly" But then I moved to a Q800B and was like "holy freaking moly!" Then I sold the Q600A moved the Q800B to a different room and got the Q990F and it was game over, the theater sounds lower quality now in terms of clarity. So yeah.... The Q60CF or Q600F, you're gonna love the heck out of it if you get it. Remember, there is always return policy! Just "rent it" and see if you like it, if not, give it back. Use a credit card and no real money ever gets spent yet! Lol

I just got the Samsung Q600F with the Sub and it sounds incredible to me

I’d like to welcome a technical discussion on this. I’m not an audiophile, but I have some really great stereo speaker systems that sound wonderful and create a very pleasant music listening experience. I am an amateur music producer and I’m quite familiar with various speakers. (loudspeakers, studio monitors, reference monitors, etc..) What I don’t *fully* understand is - why does my soundbar sound so awful during music playback? (I have a Samsung Q600-F w/ rears). I enjoy this soundbar’s performance for movies and TV (I tend to locally stream blu-ray remux quality media with lossless audio). I’m aware there are “better” soundbars, but I really enjoy mine. Audio is punchy, spacious, and accurate. The sub hits nicely and tight and the highs are pleasant and controlled. Let’s say I try to crank an AC/DC song, or a sub-heavy hip-hop song; it sounds like GARBAGE! The best I can explain is that it sounds like someone lined up 15 smartphones in a row then stuck a sub in the mix. Music sounds absolutely flat in the worst way - almost sounds like I’m listening to a mono signal. Sub doesn’t even hit as well as my 20 year old Logitech computer speakers (with sub) that I use for low quality A/B testing and mixdowns. I know the drivers themselves are small, and I’m assuming it all comes down to this. I’d imagine that the positioning of the drivers also results in a lack of “punchiness” because they’re facing all over the place. My brain is used to the triangle shape sound imaging you get from a pair of stereo speakers. Can anyone provide more detailed context as to what causes this? Why do many people report the same thing? On a perception level, what is going on? On a technical level, what is going on? Is there any way to mitigate this or trick our perception on a system such as the Q600-F?

TV speakers are not made for enjoyment. Get a cheaper one (Samsung Q-series) with a sub, but like people said, spend what you can, as they get crazy good. Recently did some shopping and got a Q600-f setup for super cheap, but make sure that your bar integrates with your tv remotes volume at the very least. Most bars and tvs are hdmi-ARC compatible, so look for that.