Samsung - HW-Q930D

I mean I used to have a cheap FFalcon JBHifi TV and the sound on that was way better than my new LG C4. TV speakers nowadays just can't match the older models so they seem to rely on soundbars - I've never had a top of the line TV until now and now I'm just realising that this is why people buy soundbars for them, because the base TV sounds like shit lol. I'm not an audiophile by any means, but I'd just prefer it if my TV didn't sound like someone yelling at me through a toilet paper roll. As far as I know the Samsung Q930D is pretty similar to the Q990D, just missing a couple of rear channels and the HDMI 2.1 passthrough. That's why I'm looking at the 930D, since it's an identical price to the LG one I was going to get but has the quality of the 990D instead. As someone who has never had a soundbar I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to tell the difference between the 930D and the 990D anyway, so I'll probably lean towards the $1000 930D vs the $1500 990D (sale prices at JBHifi at the moment).

Just updating to say that I bought the Samsung Q930D today, plugged it all in and set it up with no issues that I'm aware of. Sounds great out of the box, there's some EQ settings on the app and extra settings to fiddle with but imo it already sounds great so I don't feel the need to. Rear speakers are a bit quiet for my liking so I turned them up, but I also don't have speaker stands yet so they're pretty far away from my seating position just on random tables in the corners. No noticeable audio delay on PS5 just using eARC. I'm a noob at all of this so I'm sure that there are little issues, but I'm just not aware of them unless I go looking for them lol. All in all it was a really easy setup and sounds infinitely better than my TV speakers did.

I don't have anything useful to say other than that LG soundbars seem to be awful. I haven't used one myself, but I have an LG C4 and wanted an LG soundbar to keep it the same. I was looking around at reviews on soundbars and settled on the LG S95TR since it was on a pretty good sale for almost half price. Doing more research into LG soundbars was really weird, because they get good reviews from places like rtings.com and the stores review pages, but everyone on reddit shits all over them and says they sound like crap. It could just be really subjective with how one person is able to put up with TV speakers and someone else can't even stand certain soundbars, but I was afraid to spend so much money on something that could possibly end up being instantly returned. I ended up playing it safe and going for the Samsung Q930D which was on the same sale and I purchased it for the same price that the LG S95TR was going for. Not a fan of Samsung as a brand, but I really can't fault this soundbar. Had it for a few days now and I have nothing to complain about, it was quick and easy to set up and sounds wonderful.

I had to rip out a 5.1.2 denon driven system with wharfedales because 'the sitting room isn't a theater'. We compromised with a Samsung Q930d. It isn't as good for the sound but is honestly still really good. Also it's wireless and you don't have to go into sub sub menus to fiddle with settings to get it to actually do Atmos

I have 930D. Room is 14m² . It has enough power, just don't listen it too loud so as not to disturb the neighbors and you will be happy with this soundbar, just like me :) I wait for months becaiuse I worry about haha It all depends of the source of course, but even on youtube its sounds fine. To be honest I regret a bit I didn't wait for F series because subwoofer is smaller and price isnt as high compared to D series

As someone who has smaller rooms and one has a q990b and one a q930d...the q930 is great and the q990 is somehow too much.

I purchased a Samsung Q930D over the summer. It’s a 9.1.4 setup and sounds amazing in our family room. Didn’t see the need for the Q990 series given the space/room size. The 930 is more than enough. The first disc I tried was Blade Runner 2049 and the Atmos made my jaw dropped.

Yes. You can test for yourself using the files here: https://www.reddit.com/r/hometheater/comments/11qqv95/surround_sound_test_files_in_almost_every_format/ My Samsung Q990D is pretty good at placing the channels correctly, particularly bouncing sound off the ceiling, but also the right and left wide channels. I tested the Q990D against the Q930D and the JBL Bar 800. There was certainly a difference. Will this significantly enhance your enjoyment of content? That's a different question.

I just got this bar. I will say it's clear and the sound is CRISP. But what I hate is the lack of bass. For this amount of money and the research I did I was expecting my room shaking. Sadly it was not the case. My old Vizio m5 has way more bass than this thing and it's a 3rd of the price. I am returning this bar and the search continues. I was so excited spending this cash thinking this was the last bar I'll need for awhile, sadly disappointed with Samsung and read I am not the only person who is disappointed with the lack of bass. LOTR thumped with Vizio and you can barely hear the balrog on this bar. I've done all the app stuff, reset the bar, firmware nothing changed. Maybe I did get a dud, but not rolling the dice again.

Love my 930d for my flat…

Bass is just about settings .. I have 930D and bass is not a problem in any way

If you compare on rtings the new bass speaker change is mostly cosmetic and mine goes behind the sofa… i can’t put my bass above -6 or the neighbours complain

I bought a 930d to save some money and just don’t use the rears

you are probably right. got the 930 last week and really enjoy the sound quality especially when using it at low volume. its sound outcome is clear even when listening at late hours it was at 250€ difference from 990 and thought its a waste of money for my bedroom . don’t know if i made the right move

The 930d is closer to the Q990d than some folks might think. And I heard both.

I agree, from personal expierence I would argue that the Q990d may sound a touch better with regards to movies, at least this was true for the OG Arc Full Setup. However, I use my system as a one stop shop with 60 % music, 10% TV and the rest ist Streaming on Netflix etc. For this usecase, the Samsung would be a total disappointment and I had the 950a und currently installed the 930d at my fathers house. So If movies is your top priority, Samsung clearly has the the better value and may also sound better with movies (although Andrew Robinson might disagree).

The Q930D should give you the best bang for the buck, simply due to the fact that it comes with Surrounds and a Sub. Since your focus is on TV/Movies, it is a no brainer given the price and you will have a lot of fun with it! However if you aim for the best sound quality and money is no issue, it is hard to beat a fully equipped Sonos System. I compared the Q930D, Q990D and Arc Ultra with Era 300s and Sub Gen 2 and sticked with Sonos - also, because it is also my music player and Samsung Soundbars just suck for music unfortunately. Otherweise, I would have gone with Samsung.

Go check the Arc Ultra Review from Andrew Robinson and the soundbar comparison 2024 by NeverEnoughTech on YT. Both state, that the full Sonos system is significantly better than Samsung, with conflicting opintions if it also wins against the Sony Quad system. Samsung offers better value for the money though, you can get a full bodied system for $800 or less. I recently set up the Samsung 930D at my parent's place. The Samsung is really bad for music, but not too far away from my full sonos setup (Era 300s, Sub Gen 2, Arc Ultra) for general TV and Movies. This was a bit shocking, to be honest, given the price difference..

As someone who has absolutely no space other than a soundbar, a sounbar is pretty fucking fantastic compared to tv speakers (q930d).

Y its decent and used for a good price its a non brainer. I bought the samsung q930d in ebay for 410 Return product price. Best soundbar i had and have so far.

Just got the 930D yesterday. Was debating about the 990D, but considering its bigger and the 930D was already on the limit being "accepted' by my girlfriend, I can't imagine who needs 990D in apartment, 930D is more then enough in 30 m2 room.

I have a Q930D and there was a Samsung HT-F5505K before it, the difference in quality is surreal. The sound fills the room in a three-dimensional way and the bass is soft and quality. I have nothing to complain about.

hi! from what i understand u do some kind of music? Like u are a producer, right? Starting from this point 99% of new, good soundbars have only hdmi e arc. So on this part, they let u down for what i think u need. Now, the Q990D, as a soundbar to listen to movies and music it s as u said , one of the best, if not the best choice u can make ( talking strictly soundbars). I personally own a Q930D ( which i m listening to right now) and i declare myself more than happy with it. ( the Q990 and 930 are not very different as many say). So now that we got this straight. I would recommend buying a real sound system for what u do, but one that u can also use to your tv. We are talking a lot more money here than just a $1000 . For this, u can check r/hometheathres, they have a more educated community in this subject.

well, budget and rear speakers don t go in the same sentence:). So, let me give u my recommendations. And yes, samsung is the best price to performance soundbar manufacturers in my opinion. The Q930D is the least expensive rear speakers option for you. I own one, im listening to it rn, best choice i ve take. Depends very much on where u live, but u should not spend more than €650 on them. Now let s talk about the more friendly budget options. first Q600c/Q6cc ( are the same thing) u can find them at about €250 and for their price, it s a very solid option. if u want something louder but not as clear and premium as the Q600 u need a B750D, almost 100w more, i would NOT go for the b650d tho, as it s their lowest model

This is also a great approach, surrounds vs no surrounds is a huge difference. Since dimensions of main sound bar and sub woofer is same for both 800d and 930d, I guess the difference is only surround speaker missing. I recently got 930d and have no complaints till date. And I'm not so sure how much 2 additional drivers on 930d makes difference.

I got the 930d for a similar space, and never had to go beyond volume 24 (It goes up to 100), for really loud sound without annoying the neighbours. Also, 930 does not have side channels in the rear speakers, which was a tradeoff I was happy to make given the 400 EUR price difference with 990d and space constraints.

Have lsx ll,also have a q930d, they are not close(when thinking lsx for music and the soundbar for movies) but it depends, I had to choose between the q930d or a sub for the lsx, glad I picked the soundbar

Sorry but q990d or sony theater bar 9 with surrounds and sub is the best. Ofcourse you get like nakamitchi dragon but it'll be an overkill and you won't like it 3 days later. It'll be a dead in vestment. So, q990d or q930d is the best you can actually get for the price. Don't worry about the bass it's an 8 inch sub with perfect balance. It'll shake and break your house glasses. It's still number 1 and can't go wrong with it. If you budget is in millions tho then I suggest polk of klipsch individual components and av receivers. Or those house sized stereo pair of column speakers from the likes of kharma or nautilus.

I got the Samsung q930D as it was on sale for the same price as the q800d where I live. Equivalent to 500 USD. See if you get this type of discount on the q930d, they sound great.

dude, please please just spend $500 more for the lifetime best soundbar 990D. or at least get 930D. You spent >$1500 for S90D, why not spend a bit more for the same tier soundbar

I work at a electronic retailer where we have both. Bought the 930D yesterday since I don't think the 990D has that much more to offer for the higher amount of money

I have both but 930d instead of 990d. I much prefer the Sonos. The 300s are just annoying to get dialed in and they are very big.

I have both the 930d and an arc ultra with sub. I much prefer the arc ultra and sub even though I don’t have rears. I just ordered era 100s for the rears BTW. Its obviously very pricey but if money is no option def go arc ultra + sub. The ultra goes deep but def not low enough for LFE so the sub is needed IMO.

With the q930 you get physical surrounds and a seperate subwoofer unit, this just smokes arc ultra on its own or sony bar 8 or flexus core 200. If you were planning on adding more surrounds etc on the others then you could have an actual comparison. But if you just buy a bar and compare it to the full kit of the q930D, the Q930D just smokes them

The issue with sonos is that if you get like the full package it starts to cost the same as a budget full avr set up. Soundbars do have a place in the market and products like the q990 or q930 are great examples. But paying like over 2300 for a soundbar system is just not worth it 

Don't bother trying to stay within the LG family. I think in general most people find wow orchestra or Q symphony (these combine that company's TV speakers with their soundbar's) a bit of a gimmick, and they prefer the sound from just the sound bar in the end. Therefore, go for the best sound bar. If you want rear speakers, you can't go far wrong with the Samsung q930c/d. I think pound for pound, it's the best there is, and if you're patient or can use student cards etc, you'll get great deals on it that pop up. The only limitation would be not having HDMI 2.1 Passthrough, but seeing as you have four HDMI 2.1 ports on the C4, this shouldn't really be an issue.

Wait...so you're pursuing out 5.1.4 from a Samsung soundbar, sub and surrounds?? I can't see you getting much better than that for 500. Well, not enough to make it worth spending the extra money. Unless, you can pick up say a q930d, I'd stick with what you've got. In the UK you can sometimes pick them up for under £500. Assuming you're in the US, the other option would be to find someone who can get you the discounted $750 Q990D price. I'd say it's the only system that would give you a decent boost in performance without breaking the bank.

Samsung Q990D or the Q930D which is slightly smaller and the perfect size for a 55” TV. I have 55” LG C9 too and got the Q990D as it was on offer and cheaper, I paid 8000nok which is $750.

I think you can hold a bit longer your audio setup, it's still ok ! You still need to have a dedicate subwoofer to have decent performance. Rear speakers are a must if you are watching a lot of Tv shows/movies with surround audio (Dolby Atmos, DTS-X etc) If you want to upgrade I would recommend without a doubt Samsung because of bang for buck and your price range is not 4 digits. The 3 options I would consider from Samsung are (1 least expansive, 3 most expansive). All these options include at least soundbar + subwoofer. 1/ Q800D : if you really don't want rears speakers or have small space. It's a great system and you can purchase later great rear speaker if needed (SWA-9500S) which are great and not too expansive. 2/ Q930D : it's basically Q800 + rears included but very slightly better. generally around same price as Q800 + rears 3/ Q990D : the king of this sub for a reason. It's a Q930 but a tiny bit bigger and more powerful. Sub is a bit better. I would highly recommend it if you have a no immediate neighbors or a big TV room but it's not on your budget. Ngl 3/ is not in your budget but at least you know. You can check previous year model (replace D on product name with C) and be patient if budget is a thing you can find awesome deals on those kind of products (best buy deals, second hand market etc). I would not go below those product tier given your current audio system which is old but not that bad !

Why are you saying dual 8" ? It's a single 8" woofer in the 990 and 930d sub. Personally see it as a downgrade deliberately trying to add daylight between the 930 and 990.

Q930D/F blindly. Dont even think about anything else. Source: Me. I own both Q930D and Q990D.

I have it and had the same impression. I don't know if the room has to do something but after a couple days I felt that sounded way better. Then I moved to a different house and now I found the subwoofer too powerful for my taste so i hat to change the equalization.

Was in the same situation. Bought 930D repackaged from Samsung site two weeks ago for 45k. It was brand new. Now it is also out of stock.

True, 930F was showing for 50k(for me) for some time. Then it went out of stock. I needed a system and I read at many places that the F and D are similar except for the compact sub which has similar performance. Also the repacked 930D has similar warranty from Samsung. So when it showed up, I booked and saved some bucks. The 930D package I received was brand new and sealed box.

Just got the same device and I have the complete opposite opinion! Sometimes I feel like the subwoofer can be a bit too much, it rumbles through the entire room and soon i’m planning to buy the same one for my bedroom as well! The sound however is really good and i’m very happy with my purchase. My tv is kinda mid (samsung crystal UHD which im going to replace in May with my first oled tv)

I agree. My wife, who knows very little about soundbars and watches tv movies with me, thought I hadn't bought the "GREAT SOUNDBAR" I bragged would put us into a movie theater in our bedroom.. We have to play the volume somewhat low but not too low. We can't disturb our neighbors. We live in an attached town home. The sound was dull and lifeless. No discernable atmos, and the rear speakers were basically soundless. I reverted back to the lg g4 speakers. I brought the Samsung Q930D Back to "Best Buy" the next day.

Return it and get a q990d don't know why you would even bother with the 930. Also helps to run some of the atmos demo's on Dolbys app might make you chang3 your mind.

Absolutely!! Unless you use decent headphones only. I have the Samsung HW-Q930D setup I got $849 AUD or $520 USD.  I'd prefer the Q990D but at $1449- it's not worth it for me. But the difference in an immersive experience is just as important as the screen. I get offended seeing a nice new TV with bad external speakers or none at all. In my situation, I have my PC also plugged into the TV. I have the Asus tuf oc rtx 4090 with 2x hdmi 2.1 ports and 3x displayport. I have a hdmi cable plugged into the TV and another plugged into the eARC port. With this, I get both Dolby Atmos and DTS: X Ultra. Latency free and supports all the latest codecs. The best is hearing directly via TV apps such as Disney+, Netflix, Prime and Kayo. The surround, smooth deep bass and clarity with the upfiring speakers on both the bar and rear speakers is 'chef kiss'. Oh and with the q930d and q990d the rear speakers have 0 noticeable Latency even though they are wireless (apart from power cord) using Bluetooth to the bar. Eitherway, do it and don't look back. 

Maybe the sub is defective? I am using 930d and the sub is already too strong in my case. I even have to set it to -3. It’s weird that a normal 990d will be worse. Maybe try to contact customer support and see if you can have it exchanged?

more than enough, that thing is more capable and loud than most people expect

You can get the Samsung Q930D for $700 on Woot. I bought my parents the Q990D and it's an amazing sound bar. Those rear speakers pack a punch, and the Dolby Atmos performance is great. If that is a little above your budget, you can get the Samsung Q910D for $490 from Walmart. It's a different set of rear speakers, but still a great sound bar.

I bought the Q800D but doesn’t feel like much of a upgrade over LG C3 speakers better go with Q930D with surround speakers.

Recently bought a Samsung Q930D for my LG CX tv this weekend and was totally underwhelmed. It sounded worse than the built in tv speakers I’ve been using for years and totally regretted my purchase until I found out their are additional setting you need to check on the tv itself. Note; these settings will only work with the HDMI ARC format. Go to settings, all settings, sound, additional settings, Digital sound out, change it to pass through, go back to the additional settings screen, and turn on eARC. It makes a world of difference. Voices are no longer muddy, sounds are no longer blended together. I went from being convinced soundbars are just a placebo effect to a full on believer baby. Hopefully this helps someone that is in the same boat.

Ohhh that's a nice tv. Right now my soundbar is a Samsung 930D without the rear speakers. Wondering if this LG is an upgrade with the rears.

I have a S90D OLED and uses eARC to Q930D and there is no audio lag.

Don't listen to anyone says get 990d, I have both in my place rn and changed them like 4 times listening to different music and videos and movies. They absolutely sound the same, I thought 2 more speakers on the rear may make a huge difference but not at all, conclusion is only buy 990d if you need hdmi 2.1, if not get whichever is cheaper, 990 series are 20% loader but you won't get near the max because they both are extremely loud, I couldn't go above 30 for any of them (0 to 100 is the range) so cheaper wins the contest

The sound is ridiculous right up to full volume, im a bit of a tech snob. Everything in my house electronic is samsung and their flagship models except from the kitchen appliances they don't make. I used to have bose audio equipment in the past, and 10k for a b and 0 system would be a waste for me. 990 is the best quality sound I've ever heard. If you are coming from anything other than a sound studio, you hear notes in music you have never heard before, and movies are game changers. I paid £860 for it, and quite frankly, I'd pay that a year, never mind the 10 it will last. It has upwards and sidewards facing speakers, so do the rears. I can not praise it enough. Having a samsung tv also gives you a symphony with ads, the tv speakers in also, and audio tracking. You hear bullets ping off the walls, and things bounce from the floor to the ceiling. I promise you won't be disappointed. I saw a deal the other day for a 65 95d tv and a q990d for £2400 that's a bargain. An awesome feature it has among many is the ability to have the music on it play on other rooms I have a q30d in my bedroom and my son has a samsung soundbar maybe a q6 in his room and there is a 801d in the kitchen and it plays on these aswell. They can't play music in the 990s, so I think it's only the 9 series option I don't have particular high ceilings or large rooms, so if you have really large rooms, the upwards and bass may be an issue, but with how loud it goes, i wouldn't think so. Dialogue and bass are perfect and have mine set to 0, so I can't imagine you would have an issue. There are a bunch of settings you can tinker with, but I leave it on adaptive and perfectly happy. I would suggest if you can wait to grab the 990f, which is just coming out, because it has a new sub, which I'm jealous of. lol, I'm already thinking of excuses as to why I need one. The only thing is the 990 is quite large, so check between your tv legs if it has 2. I also have a 930d, which is the model below, and if I'm honest, I can't see much difference. Even my sons q6 is amazing it didn't come with rear speakers, but I got him 9200s ones for it they don't have the upwards or side ways speakers thou. I couldn't speak more highly of the 801d ( no rears either) in the kitchen either ( I'm not some smug or rich asshole I used to have it in the bedroom so stuck it in there for when I'm cooking as I upgraded over time i moved the older stuff around the house is also didn't pay full price for any, all from deals or refurbished). The samsung Smart Things app is a thing of beauty. I'm a samsung fan boi so I'm kinda biased when it comes to samsung, but if someone tells you the 990d is bad, they liars. Sure they drop the ball with the update and the buds 2 pro I had were garbage and the fridge freezer I paid 2 grand for when one half the size and a quarter of price broke after a week and the day after I had the new floor put down with the cable and water pipe under it. I still wouldn't buy anything else. Edit: I've seen you mentioned tvs. I have 4 samsung in my home, a 8070, an 80d an 85d, and a 95d being an uhd a qled and 2 oled. I can't comment much on the 8070 as it's my sons but the others are fantastic the oled do much better black and the bloom than qled but if you hadn't seen the others couldn't tell. the oled also do the adaptive sound a little better but again if you weren't used to it then you can't tell. The 4k upscaling is fucking amazing it turns a hd picture to 4k beautifully this is a feature i could not do without. That was a bit of a book. Sorry, hope that answers if questions you. If you have the resources, get a 95d and a 990d, and if you can wait, wait for the 990f. I'm not sure if they are doing anything new with tvs. Saying that if you can grab an 80d and a 930, don't hesitate. I doubt in the end the difference is anything much. If anyone else is reading this and you are young or not have a huge budget consider a 8070 and q6 or 801d ( it's white and slim beautiful to look at even more so than the 9 series) my so. Has these and he is more than happy with them. The pair can be had for under £800 and would make anyone a great combo. 2nd edit: I seen your budget was in dollars not pounds sorry I'm from the uk.

I used to have q930c q990d q930d hisens 5.1,tcl 7.1.4 all are good soundbar but I already sold it.now I have q990f 3. And one jbl 5.1.2 model 800.when new jbl mk2 1300 come i will buy .

Have a similar sized space. Got the 930D and it sounds great! Certainly enough imo

I was lucky to get the Q930D at half off sale. Best chunck of change if spent in a bit!

I got the Samsung Q930D for half off and man it’s killer. Dolby Atmos 11.1.2. It’s awesome. I never turn it up past 30.

I got a 930 from Woot a few months back for 600. Normally is 1300. Love it!

I got the 930D for 600 6 months ago on Woot. I love it!

I have a 930d, I agree with the op, but I had an improvement when using Tidal Connect and removing the rear speakers when using it for music, and in Atmos on dedicated Blu-ray it is excellent, I imagine the 990d or F.

I've bought 3 days ago the q930D for 500€, should I send It back and wait for the 2025 model?

The Samsung is fantastic. The Sonos ultra is fantastic. I’ve had mine for several weeks now. However, the Sonos app experience is terrible. It’s so bad that I have just bought a Denon AVR to replace it. The Ambeo Plus I would consider if the Samsung is too big. I don’t think there are rear speakers for the Ambeo though

I got a Q930D, it's the little brother of the Q990D. No complaints here, and certainly for an appartment it should suffice, the satellite speakers are certainly worth the additional cost.

I went with 930 and am perfectly happy with it. I can't use it with beyond 30 out of 100.. honestly I don't see what I'm missing. Yet the 990 was only 150 euros more , I Fomo'd a lot

From what I've read the difference is slim. 990 gives you more power but as I said can't even go beyond a third of the max volume on the 930 before it's too loud. More channels but no content comes with more than 7 anyway.

Yes in surround mode it does play sound to create a surround sound. I don't know if the extra simulated channels on the 990 are worth it since I've only got the 930.. if it's 50% more expensive I would be happywith the 930. In my case it was 15% price diff hence the fomo

I got the Samsung Q930D and it’s awesome for the price and design (minimal and relatively aesthetic)

I’m using samsung q930d 9.1.4 channel

Best bang for your buck is probably the Q930d samsung

Imo the Samsung Q930 is probably the best value

Samsung Q930D is good

Please go with the Samsung for complete surround sound. The rear speakers will worth your while!

This sub loves samsung bars. Q990D is top end, then Q930D, then Q800D. Depends on what you are looking for. Q990D can be found for around 600-800 on a good deal, and supports 4k 120hz passthrough. Its probably the best price to quality soundbar you can get

I've got the Q930. Get the Q930

Save the money and go for the Q930 you won't be dissapointed

Spend a bit more and get the q930 on sale. You won't regret it

You can look into something really inexpensive - with only the soundbar setup. For example, I've had Sony HT-G700 for a year and a half before I've decided to upgrade to Q935-GD (it's essentially the same as Q930D). The difference is insane. It will cost you about 150 bucks, but you will get an idea of what to expect from the size and the price value. But - for 200 sqft room it would be very small. You need something in 500-600 bucks range (such as Q930D). Sadly, there is no way around - physics are physics. If your room was smaller - you could have gotten away with smaller setup

Q930 /end thread Do not buy the 900/910, the ones that come with an amp that looks like a router where you have to give power to it and run speaker wires to the surrounds.  They are weak and not worth it.  Get the Q930 with the wireless rear surrounds.  Just need mains power to the soeakers. 

The Q930 is pretty amazing.  Even rtings has a hard time justifying the 990 because the 930 is nearly as good for a lot less cash.  I'd go for the 930 over the 800. You're going from 5.1.2 to 9.1.4 by upgrading. You'll wish you had the rear surrounds that come with the 930 and not with the 800.  Unless you don't want surrounds.... 

According to rtings the 800 never came with surrounds.  You have to get the 930 or buy the 9500 surrounds at an extra cost. At that point youre better off getting the 930 because the bar has more drivers than the 800

Yeah Q930 owner here, volume goes to 100, we use it at like 8-12 for everyday tv.  14-16 if we're really into a show, and when the wife is gone 20-25. 

After seeing the rtings review saying they couldn't justify the extra $800 for the 990 over the 930, that helped me decide.  No regrets here.  Thing is a monster.  I can't imagine wanting more. 

The SWA 9500 would be the best choice for Atmos, but if you add the price of the Q800d and SWA 9500's you might as well get the Q930, which will come with the surrounds with upfiring Atmos drivers.  You can also set the surrounds up as front speakers in the settings if you can't mount them behind, then if you move you can set them as surrounds. 

I don't know why someone would upgrade a Q930 to a Q990 at all.. they are too similar to start to make that worth it imo

I trust the rtings reviews, where they test and compare based on data.   There's no way I'd ever get $600 additional value from a 990 over the 930 at the prices when I purchased.   I barely use the 930 capabilities as it is. 

The Q990 and Beam Gen2 are in two completely different categories.  I own a Q930 and Beam Gen 2.  The only reason I even have the Beam Gen2 is because it was on sale for $250 and I was trying to maximize value for dollar for a spare bedroom and needed something physically smaller to attach to the underside of a wall mounted tv. 

Honestly just save up for a Q930, it's what that tv deserves.  It's worth the wait.  You can set the satellite speakers as front wides, you don't have to mount them behind you on a wall. 

Are you in the USA?  I'm confused as to why this escapes you.  https://gprivate.com/6evue https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-hw-q930d-za-9-1-4-channel-q-series-soundbar-with-wireless-subwoofer-and-rear-speakers-dolby-atmos-and-q-symphony-black/6570311.p?skuId=6570311 https://www.rtings.com/soundbar/reviews/samsung/hw-q930d It's literally everywhere.  I'll return to my original advice.  Wait. Save. Budget for it.  Dont buy a top tier TV and use a budget sound solution. 

Apart from the massive floor rumble (play independence day part 1 opening scene) on jbl, one will always struggle on dialogue clarity and absence of speaker levels on jbl. Smsung 990 is a true winner. Even better - take samsung 930b/c/d and save even more cash to enjoy an extremely good soundbar that samsung provides!

Always worth it but please please dont spend too much on them as your return over higher spend wont ever truly justify. Find a good one from samsung and just tune the right speaker levels.. 930 series is well worth it if you arent a audiophile!!

Bigger subwoofer so better bass range, same bar you get on the q930 and the added speakers at the front and sides for a wider soundstage doesnt seem worth then i dont know what is mate. its a 5.1 bar, the q600 its a 3.1

Well, this one is the same bar and woofer included in the 990 series minus the rears. If you can snag a deal for less than $120 for the SWA-9500S you could improve your surround experience later… as they only need a power outlet to work instead of an amp. But it’s up to you since you can always return them. I would have gone with a Q930 series tho…

Goddamn $250!!? Sheesh Only for slightly better rears? Nah The 800D is the same bar and subwoofer as the 930 series. The rears included only have 2 more channels that would make a difference, but I don’t think it’d be $250 difference. As many people say here, the 9500S are your solution. Try to get some deal there on eBay or hell, try offering $110 on Greentoe to see if someone bites. Because the last time I checked they were above $160 bucks and they were on discount lol so yeah. Unless you receive a bonus or a good amount of money outta nowhere, I don’t see the reason for you to return and spend more for slight better rears because as I said, it’s the same bar and subwoofer.

Yeah you got the info right there. Cool I really thought it was the same bar and sub but the 800 lacking 2 channels is enough to not be the same performance wise only same casing.

According to Samsung the 930 and 800 don't have the same soundbar, it has the same external dimensions but the 930d bar weighs almost a pound more and has two additional channels. I think the way it goes for the sound bars is: 6XX - 3.0.2 (but the doesn't have true up firing) 7XX - 3.0.2 (with true up firing) 8XX - 5.0.2 (with true up firing and additional surrounds on the ends) 9XX - 7.0.2 (with true up firing, additional surrounds on the ends and a further set of wide true side firing). The 7XX, 8XX and 9XX series are all the same physical size (weight is different), with the exception of the 990 (and 900 if you look at last years models) which is physically larger with some different sized drivers, still the same 7.2.0 from the bar. The 6XX and 7XX have the same sub and the 8XX and 9XX have the same For the kits with satellites the 8XX has just 2 channels so adds an extra 2.0.0 and I think come with their own receiver, similar to the 9100s. The 930 adds 2 channels and 2 up firing drivers, providing an additional 2.0.2 and have their own receiver built in (effectively the same as the 9500s but with subtle cosmetic differences). The 990 adds 4 channels and 2 up firing drivers, providing an additional 4.0.2, they have their own receiver built in and there doesn't seem to be a similar spec kit available separately.

I believe the 930d soundbar comes with an additional side firing speaker on each side, it weights 0.7lbs more than the 800d and the soundbar itself is spec'ed as 7.2.0 vs. the 5.2.0 of the 800d.

I just bought q800d with rear satellites from q930d used for 300$ and it's been awesome

Samsung HW-Q930 series deserves to be talked about more. It's a great soundbar!

The Q930 won't disappoint, trust me. I have mine in a roughly 12 x 10 man cave with 100" projector setup. It really does put a smile on my face. The only thing I found a disappointing selling point ( in both models) was the "Alexa built in". I have Amazon Alexa speakers in the house and figures this Samsung bar would integrate well ( i.e be able to add it to a group of speakers in the house so I could play music across that group simultaneously). Whilst you can add it to your Alexa app as a device and play music to it that way, ( or Bluetooth of course) the app won't let it integrate to form a group of speakers like it would if I bought another Amazon speaker and added that). A minor irritation in the bigger picture.

Not Q990, but Q930; similar design but little bit less channels. 2.5 years and counting. Still going strong.

I have no clue, but even my q930 with 4 upfiring: 2 front 2 rear, can't really blow me away. I also happen to have a room less than perfectly shaped which is pretty bad for those reflection based speakers. I doubt that one center speaker is going to do much and I also have never seen a dedicated home theater have a center channel upfiring.

Q930 Q900 Maybe

Did you try placing rears at the front and adjusting sound levels for wider soundstage\\stereo separation? Still not a perfect solution but it di add quite an extre oomph in terms of music, compared to soundbar and sub only

Your reply has significantly impacted my experience with this system. First of all, music indeed sounds noticeably better with rears turned off. I would say that it gives at least an extra 30% to the experience. Turning the side and wide channels all the way down (I perceive the loss of details when those are playing), while upping the center and top made it sound the best for my ears. However, I think that there is a way to give it yet another 20-30% of oomph. After trying soundbar only, I placed rears at the front and turned sound grouping on. Then matched and upped rear channels with front top channels and center with rear top (these two I put at a few db less), and turned all the side\\wide channels all the way down. Sound became more powerful, present and the vocals became even more clear. Also there clearly was a sensation of the increased soundstage. I am not sure what the drawbacks to this approach is except for all the hussle with moving the rears (that's a big one). Channel level matching needs more experimenting, though. I did try smth similar in the past but it gave vary varying results. However this time it produced the best music I've ever heard from this system. I think that Samsung could've made this system much more capable in terms of music with different processing. https://preview.redd.it/qxnyc5j6v9pe1.jpeg?width=591&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d12b2e2364ffc9a5a61b9e7aa9a6a2cb04f1e08e

Seems like it outputs a mono signal in that particular mode(according to the samsung manual). Which still sounded very good(compared to other options), but I do understand now why I was not 100% confident about that sound profile. It did have a great impact but smth felt slightly off Will do some more testing and will create a separate post once the research for best settings is completed =) But yeah, a few extra modes in the app would've saved a lot of the headache P.S. rtings thinks that this particular mode provides stereo instead of mono. Needs testing https://preview.redd.it/0qqzva3umfpe1.png?width=879&format=png&auto=webp&s=6d194ab780e02a5a4032b875df36b6b45051583a

No, it's the same bar as the q990c set. It's slightly better than the q930 bar.

when did you buy the soundbar? I have Q990D and I had the same expression when i powered it on. It all changed after a week. not sure if space fit is adjusting it or it need some burn in time. Mine is much much better now. Definetely the sub is not satisfying for deep bass. if you play a proper dolby atmos contennt, you will see the difference. Not sure if it can compete with a proper 5.1 system. Never used one so can't comment on that. If you need to go above 20 for proper sound while watching movie, then wait. It should adjust in few days. Play with the settings in the smart things app. Play the openheimer intro seen, if it do not rumble the house, something is wrong with the setup. Again my comments are based on Q990D but i don't think Q930 very much different. Edit- just saw your 5.1 setup. that was 900W RMS and Q930 is 540W.

Q930 or Q990 B, C, D or F look for what deals are going  I’ve tested loads of bars, nothing comes close to sound quality to price than Samsung at the higher end.

It's a great "all-around" option: movies, music, whatever. Of course people will tell you that a dedicated music system is better, but unless you are an incredibly demanding and particular audiophile, music should sound prefectly good to you on it. It does for me, at least.

I’m sure plenty of men will argue an extra inch is a huge difference, but from a speaker point of view it’s pretty insignificant 😂 You get two extra speakers, one extra in each of the left/right stereo configuration. Center channel configuration is identical. And the sound difference between the units is marginal. So much so that I prefer the 930 because you get 95% of the sound in a sleeker package. However, the subwoofer on the 930 is fugly and the 990 sub definitely looks better.

The samsung q930 maybe too good for your parents, it is one of the best bars currently, if q990 is too expensive. The 4 atmos speakers are a must for most streaming movies/shows and you wont get anything close to an atmos sound without upfiring speakers.

You need at least Samsung Q930 series for good Atmos effects.

If you want high end, a Q930 (a B instead of D is likely cheaper) is good enough for you IMHO. It'll come with the rear surround speakers that also fire from the top. I have a C3 in a small living room and picked up a Q990 and it is definitely overkill. It's great but it's a lot for a small area. Don't get me wrong, it sounds great to me. It beats my older Q70T that I had paired SWA8500 read surround speakers. However, if I managed to find a Q930 at an even better price than what I got the Q990, it would have more than did the job. The Q910 would essentially be I think the same soundbar as the Q930, but the rear surround speakers are not wireless and only fire from the side. The best Samsung model that is only soundbar with subwoofer would be the Q900D. It's the same soundbar that comes with the Q990D (bigger than the Q930's bar). It's huge though. If you want to add the wireless rear surround speakers to the Q900 later, it'll be the SWA9500s. They are NOT the same wireless speakers as the ones that come with the Q990 but work similarly. They are wireless with front, side, and top firing. The most budget Samsung option that can do Atmos is the Q600C. I don't think they released a "D" model for this year so that might be cheaper. I believe the cheapest Atmos capable model this year from Samsung Q700D. However, the Q600 models are NOT compatible with the SWA9500s wireless surround speakers. The Q600 from what I am aware of are only compatible with the SWA9200s surround speakers. The SWA9200s I believe are only side firing. The cheapest bar that will work with the SWA9500 I believe will be the Q700C. It'll also work with the Q800 as well. The Q800D would likely be the "go nicer but not top of the line flagship" expensive.

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.

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.