Samsung - HW-Q800B

Sound bars have their place. Typically a small apartment. I have a Samsung Q 800 it’s quite good. Would it be better with individual speaker of course but for my use case I prefer this. It’s cleaner looking and it works well.

I find my samsung Q800 looks alright. It blends in fairly well on my tv stand. Everyone has been impressed with it so far.

I find the cheap Samsung or the slim ones sound rough that’s why I called out the specific one I have. You have tried the Q800 or Q910/990 series? I used to have a Vizio that also sounded solid for what it was but the Samsung Q800 is far better. I went to a large audio shop and I wanted a soundbar for a variety of personal reasons and it was the best one that I could find.

Budget sound bars are terrible. Expensive soundbars can be decent. Limited budget and have a bit of space. I would go used. I prefer my soundbar for ease of use for myself, partner and guests. I had a q800b Samsung with the extra rear speakers. Everyone is a fan that has heard it. I have studio monitors kali lp6 on my desk and some edifiers on my turntable. Those need an upgrade one day.

Is the c not that good? I just got one. Was having issues with my q800b.

The sound cuts out randomly. I'll be watching movies or tv and it just drops the sound all together. I've tried everything to fix it short of replacing it, so I decided to just replace it to see if the problem persists. It's very frustrating.

Yeah I've had to have mine replaced also. I decided to just upgrade at this point. If it happens with the 990c I'm never going Samsung again.

Is the q990d good? I just got my q990c but when I registered it in smart things it shows up as the q990d.... Did they screw me?

More is better than less if you can afford it. I changed from a Q800B to a Q990B and the sound is noticeable even without the rears. Would've gotten the Q900C but it was not released where I lived.

Also received this from the insiders. I'm noticing that using the built in hdmi port I keep losing signal whereas I didn't with the q800b. Same external device same hdmi cable.

Sub is definitely not better. That new subwoofer is a major downgrade from the previous subwoofer. I've had both the Q800B & the S800B. The 800F is the same subwoofer as the S800B (6.5" driver + 8" radiator) & that subwoofer doesn't come remotely close to the 800B subwoofer.

I'm definitely picking the Q800D. I've had the S800 & Q800B before, the S800 was one of the worst systems I've had, & the Q800 was one of the best systems I've had. The S800 is a disaster tbh, shocked they released it like it is. If you turn it up past like half volume (which isn't loud) you'll hear the bar itself like vibrating & rattling. It's insanely disappointing. The subwoofer was alright, but didn't play as deep as the Q800 ported subwoofer. And the sad part is the new Q800F subwoofer I think is literally the same subwoofer as the S800, which imo isn't even close to the Q800D subwoofer. If the 800F was an 8" subwoofer with an 8" Passive Radiator, then I'd pick that, but with it now being a 6.5" sub & 8" radiator, I think it's a massive downgrade from the 8" ported design.

Of those I'd probably pick the Nakamichi Shockwafe (new) system. System looks like a beast to my eyes, followed by the Samsung, then Sonos. And I definitely believe that these new Shockwafe systems are more "True Nakamichi" than the older Shockwafe bars. I'd pick the Samsung 2nd because they're so hard to beat for the price. They sound great, & lots of adjustments to make it sound the best to your ears. Also the app controls work very well and stable connection too. Had the Q800B myself and it was a very strong system all around. Unfortunately I also wouldn't say anything about it fully blew me away. I pick Sonos 3rd. I had Sonos before (Arc, Era 100's, & Sub Mini. All open box prices). Strictly sound wise they're pretty good but I've heard better from Bose, Samsung, Klipsch, and a couple others. And their ecosystem can be buggy, idk if it's improved to the level of how it was before the app release, but even just setting up the system was a pain in the ass for me, especially if a rear speaker drops connection, having to reset the entire system, felt like I spent half my time actually having to reset the system, then other half the time I'd be able to actually listen to it fully. I think the Nakamichi system likely is still worth the extra money over Samsung.

1000% the Bose setup. I had the Q800B myself before (not quite the 990 but it's the same subwoofer design), it was pretty good. I had the Bose Smart 600 + BM700 later, the BM700 absolutely blows the Samsung subwoofer away. It plays a little deeper than the Samsung, I bet it's louder at max volume too. And you can always add a 2nd subwoofer if you want to later on which you can't do with Samsung or JBL. As for the JBL, it's definitely a strong and loud ass subwoofer, but i guarantee it doesn't play as deep as the BM700. I've had many soundbar setups ranging from the JBL Bar 3.1, Bar 500, Sonos Arc + Sub Mini, Samsung Q800B, Sony S2000 + SW5 (garbage), & a few others. My 2 favorite subwoofers were definitely the BM700 & the Sonos Sub Mini, followed by the Samsung but pretty far behind. If you're after bass, I think Bose is quite possibly king, but there's one I do think could be a contender for that title too, but it's a little more expensive... The Sennheiser Ambeo Plus is a fantastic sounding system, I've only heard demos in stores but the demos are madly impressive. I have read about the Ambeo having a few minor bugs though so maybe consider trying it out with a way to return it easily. But the reason I bring them up is that they let you pair up to 4 Ambeo 8" subwoofers!! Yes FOUR subwoofers! I'd be putting one in each corner of the room if that was my setup. It's a really tough call for me to decide if the 4 Ambeo subwoofers can be louder than the 2 BM700's, but I kinda lean towards the 4 Ambeo subwoofers cause it's more cone area (32" with 4 Ambeo's vs 20" with 2 BM700"s). 2 BM700's will play a little deeper, but I think 4 Ambeo subs will be a little louder. But it's a tough choice for me cause it's also 2 ported subs vs 4 sealed subs..... Either way you'll have ridiculous amounts of bass!

Tbh, I like the new 990F subwoofer with the dual 8" subs, however the fact that they went to the single 6.5" + 8" PR subwoofer design from the slim soundbar series absolutely infuriates me. I've had both the Q800B & the S800B, and the single ported 8" subwoofer with the Q800 was miles ahead of the S800 6.5" sub + 8" PR design. Had deeper & louder bass. They should've just put the dual 8" sub with all the Q900's and kept the single 8" for the Q800.

If you want sub 40hz bass, don't get the 600F. Try to find a Q800D (NOT 800F). I say the 800D cause they changed the subwoofer on the 800F and honestly downgraded it. The new subwoofer is the sub from their slim soundbar series. I've had the S800B (slim soundbar) & the Q800B and the Q800B subwoofer was without question the better subwoofer by far. The 800F subwoofer will still sound alright, it just won't play as deep or as loud.

I've had a Samsung Q800B before, so that's a close alternative to the 990. It's not like the difference between the 800's & 990's is night and day purely on sound. I was very interested in getting either the Bar 8 or Bar 9 when they first came out so I used to go to best buy and listen to the demo, went as far as going to all 3 Best buy's near me just to make sure I wasn't listening to a lemon, and I definitely wasn't listening to any lemons. I thought it sounded like an improvement from what they've released in the past, but I did always find the voices to be a little bit "scratchy or hissy". I also remember it sounding quite good with movies, but honestly not impressed with its music playing. How in the world the system sounds good with movies and not with music drives me crazy, like how did y'all manage to even do this??? 😂😂 Then there's the subwoofer difference. I did have a Sony S2000 & SW5 setup for a little while. The SW5 subwoofer is about an average subwoofer in my experience. It underwhelmed me a little from its performance compared to its size. I expected a little more volume and depth to the bass from its size and price but it's just not the case. The subwoofer on the Q800B I had could play deeper, louder, and cleaner bass (I had times with the SW5 where it seemed like it was struggling).

I have the Q800B+9500S now and love it but I have the Q990F in my cart on Woot.... Might put the Q800B in the bedroom and sell the rears.... I'm just so curious about the improvements the top of the line soundbar from Samsung will make. My Q800B is technically a midrange while the Q990F is a high end range. Should I? Should I? Eh!! Eh!!! Lol decisions decisions.

I want a Q990F out of crazy curiosity because I am sensitive to the littlest improvements. I currently have a Q800B with the 9500S Rear Speaker kit and on Reddit some people say it's a huge upgrade compared to my current setup and some say it's basically the exact same thing and that you can't hear the new rear side firing speakers at all or anything. ChatGPT said it would be a huge upgrade from what I have for reasons outside of speakers like the DSP and processor in the soundbar would make my non Atmos content sound better than my current setup can do. It also said the sound dome I experience now will become much wider and open exceeding outside of the TV area. So you say it's incredible! How great is it if you also watch non Atmos content? Maybe in Surround or Adaptive mode I mean. I have a lot of AAC 5.1 content that gets transcoded to AC3 5.1(Dolby Digital) and I also have a lot of EAC3(Dolby Digital Plus) content sone and DD+ with Atmos. Along with Netflix and all that as well. I have a tab open on Woot to order it for the $967 but that's still a lot of money but I want it!! I can't decide! Lol

So you're telling me right now I need to get it? Lol I've never heard of the Q935, ahh must be a different region Q930 right? If you say that is an awesome upgrade then a 800 series to 990 should be crazy eh? Every time I have upgraded it was always night and day. I went from a Crap $80 Samsung bar > Q600A > Q800B > added 9500S a year later and now wanting the Q990F. What exactly was the biggest thing you noticed when you upgraded? The immersion or just overall quality?

I have both, well the Q800B+9500S and the Q990F. The Q990F is better on every level basically. The Q800 series is good don't get me wrong, but the Q990F literally sounds like a real Dolby Cinema, and honestly even better in some aspects. Like the mids, I like how the dialogue sounds more compared to a real Dolby Cinema, it's more clear. The 9500S rears are good but the sound signatures don't match perfectly 100% to the soundbar sense they are meant for so many different models of soundbars. This causes a slight echo like sound where you can tell they aren't perfectly engineered for each other. The Q990F rears are perfectly tuned to work for the fronts. Just put the rears on stands and position them at an angle and make sure they go above those pillows obviously. It should be ear level but it's probably more important to just ensure they don't blast at the pillows. I just got the Q990F a few days ago and put the Q800B in the bedroom. Woot(an Amazon company) is selling them under $1000 right now which is where I ordered it. The soundbar also has SpaceFit Sound Pro so it can somewhat help by scanning your room with sensors and microphones to listen to acoustics to match your space. The Q990F is still marketed for everyone. I don't get why some people say "you're in an apartment! You can't get that system!" If you can afford it, I would just invest for the best if you're wanting it. Don't get the 800 series and then want the 990 later. That will cost more money in the long run and you never know what living room area you would have a few years from now.

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.

I have the Q990F and the Q800B(the USA Q810B)in another room and it's crazy how much better they get. You have to experience it to understand. Like the Q990F for example, to be honest with you I sometimes find it clearer then the actual Dolby Cinema, at least mainly in the mids/dialog. It seems a little sharp and slightly muddy at the actual Dolby Cinema. Everything is just so clear and separated. If someone knocks on the door in a movie like let's say the movie Weapons.... I mean someone is literally knocking on the door and it freaks you out, it's over to the left side of the room somewhere. If you ever upgrade someday you're gonna think "Holy Fuuu".

I own both the Q990F and the Q800B + 9500S and I'll say that the Q990F is definitely a whole new dimension, it's not just about channel numbers, the drivers in every channel are higher end as well. That being said, if you can't afford it or don't care about audio detail as much as some then the Q800/Q810 is still insane especially if you've never had a good high end soundbar before. But to basically say it's irrelevant is not the case because the Q990 is much better than the Q800 Series. But yet again, the Q800, oh dude, it's still great fun! I got the Q990F for $967, I would never pay $2,000 for it though.

A little better than Insignia. Although, that model is 5.1 only, you'll get decent raw sound quality but not Atmos height, so keep that in mind, Atmos Metadata will be ignored and will play in regular Dolby Digital Plus (on Netflix for example). Is this bad news? No, just a disclaimer. Not trying to sound like a Samsung fan or anything but I hear some people sh!t on LG as well. Like I said I'm not trying to be a Samsung fanboy or anything but it is true their soundbars especially the Q990 wins awards. Many people and reviews think the Q990 is probably the best soundbar you can get. Although everyone has their opinions! I hear Samsung, JBL and Nakamichi all the time. I had a Q600A, currently have a Q800B and the Q990F. At the end of the day like I said, you will probably be happier no matter what compared to that current $60 one lol

If you get a Samsung 600,700 or 800 series you can add the rear speakers on at a later date for a couple of hundred bucks and then you have 80% the effect of the 900 series for 1/3 the price

I would suggest to try out Samsung 800 series and 990 series in the display/showroom experience and then decide if you want to increase budget and get proper soundbar to match up with tv. I’ve tried these and i now own 990d and its worth money spent ! In india i got this at 78K.

Ya I went from a JBL 2.1 soundbar that maybe cost me $300 in 2019, to the Q800 it there was little to no difference. Some movies even sounded worse especially with voices or dialogue. Luckily I got it on sale but the normal price of these Samsung set ups for the quality is insane. Just get a decent speaker and avr set up for that.

Q800 and Q990 are both the absolute best price/perf in their respective categories. Are they the best thing singe bread came sliced? No. Are they the best package you can buy in their price ranges? Absolutely.