The Samsung HW-Q600B is a mid-range setup released in 2022. The built-in Acoustic Beam technology is designed to improve its performance with height content like Dolby Atmos, which is commonly found on streaming platforms. As with most soundbars from the manufacturer, it's a highly customizable soundbar with lots of sound enhancement features, including a 7-band graphic EQ to change its sound across the range. It also supports Samsung's Q-Symphony technology, which allows you to pair the bar with a compatible Samsung TV to sync up the speakers. You can also add rear speakers if you want to improve its surround sound.
Note that our unit performs in a way that doesn't seem to align with expectations or with previous Samsung bars with similar features. This could be unique to our unit.
Our Verdict
The Samsung Q600B is good for mixed usage. Though it's advertised as a 3.1.2 bar, in our tests, audio didn't play from the up-firing or "Acoustic Beam" channels, so it performs more like a 3.1 setup. It shines with stereo content, including most music and TV shows, as dialogue and other instruments reproduce with clarity and accuracy. There are lots of customization tools on hand to adjust its output. However, we also had issues with the bar's surround channels. The right and left channels are silent when we try to play surround localization tones, so only the subwoofers play sound. This may impact your real-life listening experience, depending on how your television responds. If you have similar issues with your bar, please let us know in the discussions.
- Graphic EQ.
- Dolby Atmos support.
- No sound from up-firing drivers.
The Samsung Q600B is great for dialogue-centric TV shows and podcasts. Thanks to its discrete center channel, vocal reproduction is clean and pure, and it's easy to follow along with the plot in your favorite shows. There's also a dialogue enhancement tool called Voice Enhance that's designed to make voices more crisp in the mix. When it comes to wireless connectivity, you're limited to Bluetooth, though.
- Dialogue enhancement tool.
- Bluetooth compatible.
- No Wi-Fi, Apple AirPlay, or Chromecast compatibility.
The Samsung Q600B soundbar is satisfactory for music. Out of the box, its stereo frequency response accuracy is very good, especially in the mids where most voices and lead instruments are reproduced. Plus, it's customizable, with a 7-band graphic EQ available to help you switch up its sound to your liking. As a result, it's suitable for listening to a wide range of music genres. Fans of bass-heavy music like EDM and hip-hop may notice a touch less rumble in the low-bass, though.
- Graphic EQ.
- Gets loud.
- Lacks a touch of low-bass.
- No companion app.
The Samsung Q600B is decent for movies. The manufacturer advertises it to support lots of different audio formats that are commonly found on both streaming services and Blu-rays discs, from Dolby Digital to Dolby Atmos. With a discrete center channel, dialogue is clear and easy to follow, and the sub provides adequate rumble in action-packed scenes. That said, its up-firing drivers don't seem to play sound. Also, when we send surround localization tones to the bar, the left and right surround channels are silent. Only the subwoofer plays audio, which is unusual behavior.
- Graphic EQ.
- Dolby Atmos support.
- No companion app.
- No sound from up-firing drivers.
Changelog
- Updated Jan 09, 2024: Updated results in Video Passthrough to TV box after confirming that the bar's real-life performance doesn't match our Murideo results.
- Updated Dec 19, 2023: Added market comparison with the Samsung HW-Q600C/Q60CC in the Stereo Frequency Response box.
- Updated Jul 05, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 1.2. Updated the results for audio format support via ARC/eARC, HDMI In, and Optical. Added Video Passthrough to TV results as well.
- Updated Mar 27, 2023: Added cable lengths to In The Box.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Samsung HW-Q600B is available in Black, and you can see the label for the model we tested here.
If you come across another version of this soundbar, let us know in the discussions.
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The Samsung HW-Q600B is the next generation of the Samsung HW-Q600A. Like its predecessor, the manufacturer advertises that it supports Samsung's Acoustic Beam technology for a more immersive listening experience. For the price, it offers a lot of customization features to switch up its sound to your liking. However, depending on how your television responds, you may notice some issues with surround sound. In our tests, surround localization tones don't play from the left or right surround channels, so only the subwoofer is active. It's unusual behavior, and it could prevent you from hearing some details in the mix.
You can also check out our recommendations for the best soundbars, the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, and the best soundbars with a subwoofer.
The Samsung HW-Q600B and the Samsung HW-B650 are both 2022 releases from the manufacturer. The main difference between these two bars comes in support for height content like Dolby Atmos, which is often found on different streaming platforms. The Q600B supports height content, while the B650 doesn't.
The Samsung HW-Q600C is the next generation of the Samsung HW-Q600B. These bars have similar setups and a similar selection of sound enhancement features. However, the next-generation model is the better performer. The Q600B incorrectly implements many audio formats, resulting in a less life-like sound. The Q600C has a better surround sound performance, too. Our results with the Q600B were quite unusual, though, and it's possible that they represent a defect in our unique unit rather than the typical performance of this soundbar.
The Samsung HW-Q600B is the next generation of the Samsung HW-Q600A. They're both similar bars, advertised to support a similar selection of features. With stereo content, they sound similar, too. However, even though the Q600B is also advertised as a 3.1.2 setup, its up-firing drivers don't play any sound with height content. We aren't sure if this issue is unique to our unit or not at this time.
The Samsung HW-Q600B and the Sonos Arc each have different strengths and weaknesses. The Samsung has a dedicated subwoofer, bringing a little more rumble in the bass. It also has more sound enhancement features and a Full HDMI In port for video passthrough. However, the standalone Sonos offers a better stereo soundstage, and you can always upgrade it with a sub and satellites to improve its sound.
Test Results
