Samsung - HW-Q900T (2020)

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.