Samsung - HW-Q900C/ZA

if you're strapped for cash, consider Q900C and SWA-9500S set after 900c the soundbar hardware 95% remained the same. 

I have an LG G3 with inadequate built-in speakers, so was in the market for soundbar. Naturally I considered LG soundbars to stay in the ecosystem but reviews scared me away. So I went with the crowd favorite Samsung Q900C 7.1 (effectively the Q990C 11.1 minus rear speakers) for $400 and no complaints.

I got a Samsung Q900c for my LG G3. No regrets.

Not true. C is only the model the year before. I know because I have it and it has rear speakers

If the q900c isn’t available, just pack the rears away or use them as front speakers. I didn’t want rears but bought the q990b a few years back. We started bringing out the rears on movie nights but now just are permanently out

the q900c doesnt have rears only a sub, the q990c has rears but its essentially the same bar... but yeah, a q600c would be better quality since its a somewhat of a consensus that LG bars suck so the cheapest Q series should do the trick, a friend got it and it surprised me.

Q900c does not have rear speakers, but you can add that later if your situation changes. Sonos arc ultra is another possibility.

I have a small living room as well (tv is even closer) and have a q900c with rears and it works really well. My back right speaker is mounted to the wall and the left one is on a shelf and angled downwards. Go for the q990 and wait for the software issues to be sorted out. It'll still should great.

Q900C. Same soundbar, same subwoofer without the rear speakers.

https://preview.redd.it/2p7b37nf0xqe1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=59f64eece64c1aaf9cfffcb2607261f349ea8f3e Got this 900c for $503 and 9500s for $207 from Amazon. I believe this is an amazing deal! Any one can recommend a rear satellite stand?

From Samsung : Q800C/D and Q900C/D (Q900 is not available in some regions)

Great soundbar. The differences between the C, D, and F, do not justify the difference in price (unless you need 4K @120hz ).

With the Q900C, you can add SWA-9500S rear speakers so it'll be better than the q930c but a slight step down from the Q990c.

I did ultimately end up ordering this one. I had a Samsung soundbar + subwoofer in 2017 that I liked a lot, and I have a Samsung TV, so I have trust in the brand. I compared quite a few other soundbars, including: JBL 9.1, JBL Bar 700, LG S90TR, Polk MagniFi Max AX SR, and others

I pulled the trigger on it as well. My problem was patience I bought it at about $635 then two hours later it it drops to $565 and then two days later it drops to $503 🤦‍♂️. Worst part is Walmart (local) will not price match Walmart.com so you have to order another one at the new price and return the old one. So I had to do this three times already. But hey I'm stoked to get such a flagship soundbar at a good price. This is replacing my HWQ-800A (great soundbar) that soundbar is going in my bedroom now. I'm keeping my SWA-9500S with the 900C.

Best soundbars in the market right now are made by Samsung, the Q900C or Q800D are your best bet, here's a [side by side comparison](https://www.rtings.com/soundbar/tools/compare/samsung-hw-q900c-vs-samsung-hw-q800d/38797/54299) of the two. You can grab either one at Walmart for roughly $700usd right now, links here: [Q800D](https://www.walmart.com/ip/SAMSUNG-Q-Series-5-1-2ch-Wireless-Dolby-Atmos-Soundbar-w-Q-Symphony-HW-Q800D-ZA-2024/5295279300?wl13=3292&selectedSellerId=0&wmlspartner=wlpa) & [Q900C](https://www.walmart.com/ip/SAMSUNG-Q-Series-7-1-2ch-Wireless-Dolby-Atmos-Soundbar-w-Q-Symphony-HW-Q900C-ZA-2023/1177627576?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0)

I have a full 7.2.4, a 5.1.2, a 2.0 and HomePod Mini setup in addition to some sets that are just using the TV speakers. For a soundbar I would pick a Samsung HW-900C or similar if the budget is $800 or less. This bar has HDMI Inputs and can handle all the sound formats found on Blu-rays. Sonos bars only have the one ARC/eARC HDMI in and do not support DTS-HD MA very well.

Check out the Samsung Q900C https://a.co/d/9AqJoJC

I just bought this model a few weeks ago. I’ve been impressed. Paid $800.

I recently bought the 900C and listen to music on it almost daily. I like the sound.

Q930 Q900 Maybe

That was my only real complaint with their 900 series sets. A small settings change in the menu, or even some system-wide awareness that allows switching to a different mode specifically for listening to music -- or even older Dolby 2.1 and stereo channel content from any source. Unfortunately, I can't test this setup myself now, as I have the surrounds mounted, but this is great advice for someone else that comes through this thread. I sincerely hope their next iteration solves some of these issues. Having come from a dedicated Atmos setup, I was impressed with the performance -- but not having solid music playback was a tough pill to swallow.

Using the rears as fronts, vastly improves music quality. But if u only want a standalone, maybe look to sonos arc ultra, if thats too much the q900 would be great as well, even the q800.

Yeah Samsung q800 or q900 series are both stellar for dialogue. I hated the older Samsungs for dialogue, but anything b, c, d or newer in those ranges are awesome with dialogue, even when you don’t turn on the voice enhancement. My q990b is fantastic for voice clarity even in action movies at any volume.

I’ve got a 5.1 jamo setup, and the HomePods are not even comparable, and a centre channel does make things better, but a good set of bookshelves handle dialogue well enough I don’t miss a centre channel at all. We watch a lot of TV, movies and TV shows, so I don’t know what to tell you. We bought the jamo gear because our 7.1.2 Samsung soundbar sucked hardcore with dialogue, and I constantly had to change sound modes to attempt to hear things. Not worth the bookshelf speakers though. IMO the HomePods are worse than the TV speakers sometimes. Also planar tweeters were a big upgrade for me for dialogue.

Typically yes there should be a difference. More channels means more sound separation. However it may not be as noticeable in a soundbar system compared to an actual surround sound home theater system. I would suggest just making sure whatever system you go with comes with satellite speakers to truly experience the difference. I originally purchased a Samsung 7.1.2 system that did not have satellite speakers. However I purchased the add-on satellite speakers that Samsung sells separately which converts my system to a 9.1.4. The satellite speakers is what made the difference. More channels=better/more sound separation.

Don't buy a soundbar just because it's the same brand as the TV, I tried Samsung's Q-symphony and it's ass. I also switched to a Sony TV while keeping the Samsung soundbar.

I found that Q-Symphony adds a nice touch of fill-in to the front soundstage. Not life changing, but definitely worth it.

The Samsung tv will help with center channel with the Q symphony I believe. Prob will not notice much if at all. Samsung as others had said is def a far better bang for your buck. I don’t consider myself an audio expect but I had what I thought was a nice lg 5.1.2 soundbar and the Samsung blows it away. Voice clarity is what shocked me the most. All ranges of sounds are more defined and crisp even when only steaming. 4k Blu-ray Discs up the level another few notches. There are a bunch of posts on this subreddit explaining how to save a bunch of money ordering some Samsung directly if you choose to go with that soundbar

Try it, it's more musical than q990d or f for sure but sounds thin sometimes.

I’ve had the sennheiser ambeo, Bose smart ultra, and the Samsung q800, in that order. First two were returned for connectivity issues with my newish Samsung tv. The q800 has been great (the ambeo probably had the best surround but only if it connected). Q symphony is amazing. With the first two bars, you could clearly tell the sound was coming from below the TV… q symphony fixes that completely. And the subwoofer is amazing.

If you get a Samsung soundbar with Q Symphony that will add an extra dimension to your system that you won't get if you choose another brand

If you have a samsung tv or plan on getting one go with the samsung. Q Symphony is dope

FYI, I already had the Samsung soundbar when TV shopping. I thought it would be kool to have the Samsung TV to use with the Samsung soundbar- Q Symphony, but in the end it wasnt enough for me to not get the G4.

Get the Sonos system. Samsung is terrible at support. Further you can buy the Sonos components from Costco. At least most of them. Return policy is quite generous as you probably know. Don’t be tempted by the Samsung pricing. It’s just not as good or reliable as the Sonos systems. He’ll even the JBL soundbar systems have better sound than the Q series.