Samsung HW-Q910B Soundbar Review

The Samsung HW-Q910B is almost identical to the Samsung HW-Q930B, although it has a different set of satellites. The bar itself is mostly made of plastic, and there's a metal grille covering the front, the sides, and the top of the bar. The controls are located on top.

The Samsung HW-Q910B's sub is mostly made of wood, although there's a plastic plate on the back where the port is located. On the other side, a round cut of fabric covers the speaker.

The Samsung HW-Q910B's satellites match the model that comes with the Samsung HW-Q850A. They're mostly made of plastic and have metal grilles covering the front and the sides. You have to wire them to the receiver module, pictured in the center, to get them to work.

The Samsung HW-Q910B is rather wide, so it doesn't fit between the legs of a 55" TV stand. However, since it isn't very tall, you don't have to worry about it blocking out your TV screen.

The Samsung HW-Q910B's sub matches the dimensions of the model that comes with the Samsung HW-Q930B. It's about the same size as a desktop computer.

The Samsung HW-Q910B's satellites have the same dimensions as the model that comes with the Samsung HW-Q850A. They aren't very big, but since you need to wire them to the receiver module, you don't have as much flexibility when placing them in your room.

The Samsung HW-Q910B has a great build quality. The bar and the satellites have a similar build, with solid and durable plastic as well as metal grilles to protect the drivers inside. Meanwhile, the sub has a wood build with a plastic plate on the back. The fabric covering its side is a bit loose, so you should take care when handling it to avoid rips. It's well-built overall, though we did run into some connection issues with the satellites. Audio didn't play properly from the satellites, and we had to adjust the back wires to get them to work. In the end, it fixed the issue, but it's not ideal to have to mess around with cables while listening to your audio.

• User manual
• Wall-mount template with bar brackets and screws
• 4x rubber feet
• Remote with batteries (2x AA)
• 2x speaker wire for satellites (13 ft / 3.9m)
• 3x power cord (4.9 ft / 1.5m)
• HDMI cable (4.9 ft / 1.5m)

The Samsung HW-Q910B has a great stereo frequency response. Its sound profile is fairly balanced, especially in the mids. As that's where most voices and lead instruments reproduce, they are clear and present in the mix. You notice some extra boom in the bass, too. It's ideal if you like a bass-heavy sound, but it's overwhelming with certain tracks, especially those that are more vocal-centric. With a wide array of customization tools on hand, you can switch up its sound to your liking, too. Overall, on 'Standard' mode, the bar's suitable for listening to lots of different types of audio content.

You can also use the bar in its 'Adaptive Sound' mode. However, with stereo content, it didn't perform as well as 'Standard'. The resulting sound was rather boxy, and voices were veiled, making them difficult to understand at times.

If you prefer a more neutral sound, we recommend using the Samsung HW-Q910B with its default settings.

The Samsung HW-Q910B has a good stereo soundstage. It has very good focus, so you don't have trouble locating sound effects to pinpoint locations in the space around you. For example, if you listen to a TV show, voices seem to come from the place where the character is standing on screen. Overall, the soundstage seems like it's about as wide as the bar, though it doesn't have any tricks to make it seem wider than that.

The Samsung HW-Q910B has decent stereo dynamics. It gets pretty loud, so you have no trouble filling large and more open spaces with sound. That said, you notice some compression when you push the bar to max volume, and these artifacts in the audio affect its overall purity.

The Samsung HW-Q910B has a good stereo THD performance. At a normal listening volume, distortion falls within good limits, so your audio is reproduced with clarity and purity. As with most bars, there's a jump in distortion when pushed to max volume. However, distortion is hard to hear with real-life content, especially at such low levels, so it isn't an issue.

The Samsung HW-Q910B has a great center channel performance. It's a 9.1.2 bar, and it has a discrete center channel to enhance vocal clarity in the mix. The channel's frequency response is quite balanced, too, meaning that voices reproduce with accuracy and detail. You have no trouble following the action on your screen.

The Samsung HW-Q910B has an excellent surrounds performance. The bar comes with two discrete surrounds, and they work to create a more clear and real representation of sound effects in the space around you compared to bars without speakers. For example, cars seem like they race right past you during an intense chase scene, and buildings crumble around you after an on-screen explosion. These sound effects are reproduced with accuracy, thanks to the balanced frequency response on these channels, though there are some "holes" or spaces without sound that take away from the immersion at times.

The Samsung HW-Q910B supports Dolby Atmos content, which you can find on lots of different streaming platforms and Blu-rays. Compared to 5.1 surround sound, Atmos content uses additional channels to give the impression of height in your audio for a more immersive sound. The bar's two up-firing channels are designed to simulate that height, and it does a decent job overall. Sound effects are fairly clear, although they're easier to hear on 'Adaptive Sound' mode instead of 'Standard' mode.

The bar provides a pretty immersive sound, so the action seems like it's happening in the space around you. The satellites stretch the action to the area behind you, and the sub provides good rumble during action-packed scenes. Unfortunately, compared to Samsung's more premium models like the Samsung HW-Q930B, there are "holes" or empty spaces in the space around you. It takes away from the overall immersive feeling, and you miss certain details and effects as a result.

The Samsung HW-Q910B is an incredibly customizable soundbar with a wide array of sound enhancement tools available, especially compared to more budget-friendly models like the Samsung HW-Q67CB. If you prefer a different sound, you have standard bass and treble adjustments on hand, as well as a 7-band EQ that lets you switch up its performance across the range. You also find EQ presets like 'Standard', 'Surround Sound', 'Game', and 'Adaptive Sound'. You can access these features and others with the remote or the companion app.

As with other premium bars on the market, like the Samsung HW-Q990B, there's also a room correction feature on hand, which automatically adjusts the bar's performance based on the acoustics of your living room. It's called SpaceFit Sound, and you can also access it in the Samsung SmartThings app.

If you have a compatible Samsung TV, you can sync up the bar for more control over its sound. This feature is called Q-Symphony, and it uses the bar's speakers in tandem with your TV's speakers. It increases the volume a bit, but otherwise, there isn't a huge difference in the immersive quality of the overall sound. You can still get a solid performance from this bar without it.

The Samsung HW-Q910B connects to your TV over either an Optical or an HDMI connection. Only an HDMI cable is included in the box, so if you have an older TV that requires Optical, you'll need to buy this cable separately.

The Samsung HW-Q910B has fantastic audio format support over ARC. It can playback lots of different formats, including those you're most likely to come across on streaming platforms, like Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos.

Via HDMI In, the Samsung HW-Q910B supports lots of different audio formats. You can enjoy 5.1 surround sound formats like Dolby Digital and DTS as well as lossless and object-based formats like Dolby Atmos.

The Samsung HW-Q910B supports both DTS and Dolby Digital content via Optical. While Dolby Digital is most common, you're likely to run across DTS content on certain Blu-ray discs.

The Samsung HW-Q910B has relatively low latency, so the audio you hear is in sync with the video you see on your screen. We didn't notice any issues in our testing process, even with lip-synching content. Also, you can connect the bar with a compatible Samsung TV over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and there isn't a noticeable delay. Since many factors play a role in latency, including the TV and the app you use, your real-world experience may vary. However, you can always use the bar's AV Sync feature to adjust the delay manually, which is handy.

The Samsung HW-Q910B can passthrough some of the highest bandwidth signals, including Dolby Vision Passthrough. You can connect it between different devices, like a TV and a PC, and text on your screen remains clear and crisp. However, it can't passthrough 4k @ 120Hz.

The Samsung HW-Q910B is a versatile bar that lets you wirelessly stream audio from your mobile devices to the bar over several different connections. Its Tap Sound feature adds to the experience, and if you have a compatible phone, you can tap it right against the bar to "mirror" audio to the speakers. If you don't have a compatible phone, you can still send audio via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or Apple AirPlay.

The Samsung HW-Q910B has a small four-character display on the right side of the bar. It shows settings as you change them, like the volume number and the current input. Also, it scrolls to show longer words, so you get the full message.

On top of the Samsung HW-Q910B, you find some basic controls. These buttons let you change the input, adjust the volume, and mute and unmute the microphone. To use all the bar's features, you'll need the remote and/or the companion app.

The Samsung HW-Q910B's remote offers the same design as with the Samsung HW-Q930B. It's fairly simple, but you get access to most common features, so you can turn the bar on and off and adjust the volume without leaving your couch. If you want to access other features, like the SmartFit Sound room correction tool, you'll need to use the Samsung SmartThings app on your phone.

The Samsung HW-Q910B has built-in support for Amazon Alexa, so you can control the bar using only your voice. If you don't want to use this tool, or if you aren't a fan of the bar listening to you, you can always mute the microphone.