We've currently tested over 50 Samsung soundbars. They seem to separate themselves from their competition with audio reproduction that's generally balanced and neutral-sounding. If you don't like their sound, they also have graphic EQs, which suits those who like a little more customization over their sound experience. Samsung's soundbars are also well-built and tend to feel sturdy and solid.
Updates
- 12/13/2024 Samsung HW-Q930D reviewed
- 11/21/2024 Samsung HW-S60D reviewed
- 07/26/2024 Samsung HW-Q800D reviewed
- 05/01/2024 Samsung HW-Q990C updated
- 04/30/2024 Samsung HW-Q700C with SWA-9500S reviewed
Best Samsung Soundbars
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Best Samsung Soundbar
Mixed Usage8.6Dialogue/TV Shows8.8Music8.5Movies8.5Channels11.1.4The Samsung HW-Q990D is the best Samsung soundbar we've tested. This premium 11.1.4 soundbar is the next generation of the Samsung HW-Q990C and comes with even more features to help you make the most out of it. Out of the box, you can enjoy a clear and clean sound suitable for listening to many different types of audio content, from music to movies to TV shows. The dedicated sub brings a more controlled bass reproduction, which is great for action-packed scenes. This setup also delivers an immersive sound, especially with multi-channel content like Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos, making it especially great for movies or TV sounds.
The most talked about feature added into this year's design is HDMI 2.1, which allows you to passthrough 4k signals at 120Hz. This is especially useful for gamers on newer-gen consoles who want to use the bar as a hub between their consoles and TV, while ensuring high-resolution video. There are also Samsung staples like SpaceFit Sound available, which is a room correction feature that automatically optimizes its sound based on the unique acoustics of your living room. If you'd rather adjust the bar's sound manually, there's a graphic EQ available. You can even connect the bar to a compatible Samsung TV to enjoy Q-Symphony, which syncs the TV speakers with the bar for a more all-around feel. Built-in Alexa offers hands-free control, too.
That said, if you still want a premium product without the high price tag, now is the time to look into the Samsung HW-Q990C, which may be found at a discount. While this model lacks HDMI 2.1, it otherwise has a similarly immersive and balanced sound, as well as robust customization features, giving you the tools to make this bar yours.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Samsung Soundbar
Mixed Usage8.4Dialogue/TV Shows8.6Music8.3Movies8.3Channels9.1.4The Samsung HW-Q930C is a great alternative for those who want a premium Samsung soundbar at a more affordable price. Released in 2023, this soundbar offers a lot of the same sound customization tools as its more premium cousin, the Samsung HW-Q990D, including room correction and a graphic EQ. Built-in Alexa support lets you control the bar with only your voice. Support for lots of common audio formats like Dolby Atmos allows you to make the most of content commonly found on various streaming platforms and Blu-rays. The inclusion of a subwoofer and satellites brings a more life-like feel to your living room, too.
At least in the US, this soundbar seems to be available only from the manufacturer and Best Buy. Still, it's worth a look, especially because of its versatile overall performance. Dialogue in movies and TV shows is reproduced with accuracy, and instruments in your favorite tunes are clear and detailed right out of the box. This 9.1.4 soundbar comes with two fewer surround channels than the Samsung HW-Q990D, so sound effects are a touch less accurate in multi-channel content like Dolby Atmos. Still, you may find it's worth the trade-off for a more affordable price.
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Best Mid-Range Samsung Soundbar
Mixed Usage8.2Dialogue/TV Shows8.6Music8.2Movies8.0Channels5.1.2The Samsung HW-Q800D is a standout mid-range pick from the manufacturer released in 2024. This 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos soundbar is extremely similar in performance to its predecessor, the Samsung HW-Q800C, but has an updated Bluetooth version. Like the Q800C, it's versatile enough to listen to many different types of audio content and boasts many of Samsung's premium sound enhancement tools, including SpaceFit Sound room correction and a 7-band graphic EQ. Plus, it supports a lot of different audio formats that you're likely to come across on both streaming platforms and Blu-rays, including Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital.
This soundbar comes with fewer surround channels than the Samsung HW-Q930C. The result is a slightly less immersive sound with surround sound and height content. You still feel immersed in your audio, but there isn't the same illusion of height, especially in scenes where objects like helicopters fly right overhead. Again, adding satellites will improve its surround sound performance, but if you want a theater-like feel, you'll want to opt for the more premium picks on our list.
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Best Lower Mid-Range Samsung Soundbar
Mixed Usage7.6Dialogue/TV Shows8.1Music7.6Movies7.2Channels3.1The Samsung HW-Q60C/Q6CC is worth checking out if you want a great soundbar that won't break the bank. Out of the box, this setup boasts a great sound suitable for listening to lots of different audio content, with a dedicated subwoofer to bring out the rumble in the bass. It doesn't have as many features as the top-of-the-line models, but you may find that you don't need them. For example, without room correction, it sounds a little different depending on your room's acoustics, but you can always use the graphic EQ and presets to make up for this.
This setup shines with stereo content, which includes most music and TV shows. It can playback more immersive audio formats like height and surround sound but doesn't offer true support. Since it's a 3.1 setup, it has to downmix this content into stereo to play it, which doesn't bring the same life-like feel as the more premium options on our list. If you want a simpler bar, it's still a great fit and gives you the flexibility to watch this content, even if the sound isn't quite as good.
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Best Budget Samsung Soundbar
Mixed Usage7.3Dialogue/TV Shows7.8Music7.8Movies6.7Channels2.1The best Samsung soundbar in the budget category we've tested is the Samsung HW-B550. It's a simple 2.1 bar, so it's best suited for stereo content like music and TV shows. It has a balanced sound out of the box, accurately reproducing everything from vocals to lead instruments in your favorite songs. The included subwoofer adds some rumble to bass-heavy genres like EDM and hip-hop. Thanks to its graphic EQ and bass and treble adjustments, you can switch up its sound to your liking. For its price, it's a pretty good bar.
However, you naturally don't get as much flexibility as with the manufacturer's top options. Like most budget bars, there's no support for Dolby Atmos, so you can't take advantage of more immersive object-based formats often found on streaming services. Its surround sound performance is also pretty abysmal. Without discrete surrounds, it has to downmix this content into stereo to play it, which doesn't sound quite as immersive. That said, if you aren't much of a movie fan, it's a great fit. Ultimately, it still makes for a solid upgrade over your existing TV speakers at a wallet-friendly price.
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Best Standalone Samsung Soundbar
Mixed Usage7.3Dialogue/TV Shows7.8Music7.5Movies6.9Channels5.0Consider a standalone option if you live in a smaller space like an apartment or prefer a more minimalist look. In contrast to the top pick, the Samsung HW-Q990D, the Samsung HW-S60D is a self-contained 5.0 soundbar without a separate subwoofer, satellites, or up-firing drivers. However, it offers an accurate center channel and a pretty neutral frequency response for clear-sounding dialogue in a not-too-big package. Plus, you can use it for music, Spotify Connect, and Chromecast, and there's access to Alexa if you have a smart home set up.
The bar includes plenty of sound enhancement tools, including a room correction tool (called SpaceFit) and tons of listening modes, as well as a graphic EQ if you use the Standard EQ setting. If you have a compatible Samsung TV, you can use the Q-Symphony feature to connect the bar to your TV to expand its utility. That said, its bass extension is limited by a lack of an outboard subwoofer like you'd find on the Samsung HW-B550. However, you can always add a Samsung sub later on if it's not enough boom for your buck, and the 5.0 channel configuration means it's not downmixing surround sound to stereo as on the HW-B550.
Check out the best all-in-one soundbars if you want to compare other standalone offerings.
Compared To Other Brands
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Solid design.
All Samsung soundbars are very well-built and have a sleek look. You won't find any mesh fabric on them, and you'll be satisfied with their build quality, which includes great solid plastic and metal grilles covering the speakers. -
Good sound quality.
Samsung soundbars offer a good, well-balanced, and neutral sound profile right out of the box, which is versatile for different uses. Thanks to their wireless subwoofer, some soundbars do have a bit of extra bass. -
Great connectivity options.
You'll always find a Full HDMI In on a Samsung soundbar to plug in your devices. They have many ports and allow multiple wireless playbacks, but the more budget options only support Bluetooth.
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Expensive.
Samsung soundbars tend to be a bit more expensive than similar competing models. -
Small screen interface.
Samsung soundbars tend to have a small screen displaying inputs and volume levels. If there are messages, the text needs to scroll to fully display. While some may prefer this interface over light indicators, others might be annoyed by the scrolling text. -
More narrow soundstage.
Other premium manufacturers like Bose and Sonos offer wider, more immersive soundstages with stereo content compared to Samsung's top-of-the-line offerings.
Samsung vs Bose
Bose and Samsung are both top-of-the-line soundbar manufacturers that produce products at a wide array of price points. Samsung tends to have more products on the market, and their soundbars offer more customization features, like graphic EQs. Meanwhile, Bose soundbars tend to have wider, more immersive-feeling soundstage performances.
Samsung vs Sonos
While Samsung is known to offer many different soundbars in their yearly lineups, Sonos has only a few soundbars on the market. That said, each has premium offerings and more affordable options for more budget-conscious shoppers. Sonos soundbars tend to be better built, with sleek designs and built-in voice assistant capabilities to easily integrate the bars into your existing Sonos ecosystem. Their soundstage performances are better than Samsung's, but they have fewer sound customization tools.
Samsung usually makes good soundbars with good sound quality and a well-balanced sound profile. Some of their subwoofers are powerful, adding a bit of extra bass that can be great for movies. They also have a sleek and durable design that doesn't require fabric other than to cover the subwoofer port. However, this usually means they're a bit more expensive than similar models, but the price difference can be worth it for some people. Generally speaking, they offer more customization tools than other brands, but their soundstage performance isn't quite as impressive as other premium manufacturers like Bose and Sonos.
Lineup
Samsung produces a wide array of soundbars at both premium and budget-friendly prices. Generally speaking, the higher the number, the more channels it has and the better its performance is. However, depending on your usage habits, the improvements may not be worth the added cost. The letter in their model number corresponds to the year:
- D = 2024
- C = 2023
- B = 2022
- A = 2021
- T = 2020
Recent Updates
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The Samsung HW-S60D has replaced the Samsung HW-S60B/S61B as the standalone pick because it has slight improvements to audio support, eARC, and Chromecast.
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Aug 09, 2024: We've replaced the Samsung HW-Q800C with its successor, the Samsung HW-Q800D, which offers an updated Bluetooth version.
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May 16, 2024: We've replaced the Samsung HW-Q990C with the Samsung HW-Q990D, which offers HDMI 2.1, making it a better choice for newer-gen console gamers.
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Mar 06, 2024: We haven't tested any new models from the manufacturer since our last update. Since our picks remain widely available, we've kept them the same.
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Jan 08, 2024: Replaced the Samsung HW-Q900C with the Samsung HW-Q930C as the 'Best Upper Mid-Range'.
Conclusion
Samsung is a well-known brand that offers many different types of products. Whether it comes to TVs, headphones, or soundbars, it's fair to expect a good quality product with decent performance. In terms of soundbars, they produce some of the best products on the market, with great audio quality and many connection options to use your soundbar as a hub for your various devices.