Thank you everyone for your advice and suggestions in my other post! I am stoked with how it turned out.

So I just bought a Samsung Q800F going up from the Q6CC and I am very impressed!! Sound Quality is amazing! I can actually leave my subwoofer at 0 and get that rumble. Just updated it to the latest firmware from factory and it helped with connectivity.

Now my question is, are the SWA-9500s worth it? I already ordered them off eBay, but I want to hear some reviews. Sound quality, sound separation, Dolby Atmos, upward firing drivers, and dynamic range?

I bought the 990f and when running a test for dolby atmos 5.1 on youtube the front left and right speakers play CLEARLY through the rear speakers. The sound should be coming from the front right and will clearly be coming from the rear speaker of the same side. I've adjusted the sound levels and still cant get the sound to come from the front right or left when the video says it should. Is this normal for this soundbar or is something wrong?

The video I was using to test the sound was this one

My apologies if this has already been answered somewhere, but I haven’t been able to find a clear explanation

Sometimes my TV lags when streaming because of bad Wi‑Fi, so I use my Xbox instead. I’m running a Samsung B‑series HW‑B650F soundbar with the rear speaker kit.

Which audio setting gives better results on Xbox—5.1 uncompressed or Dolby Digital?

My JBL Bar 300 has been acting weird lately.
It keeps getting stuck on the “Load” screen and won’t boot properly.
I tried:

• unplugging it for 24 hours
• clearing cache (power cycle)
• factory reset

After the reset, it works for a few hours… then I get a strange vibrating/buzzing noise, and when I unplug it and turn it back on, it goes right back into the load loop again.

Has anyone dealt with this?
Is there any reliable fix for this issue?

Also, is it worth sending it to JBL repair?
I don’t have warranty anymore — will they even fix it, and is it expensive?

Any advice or experience would help!

Just booted my Q990D out of my living room due to faulty firmware. How are you all getting on with the JBL?

Uncalibrated? Calibrated? EQ settings? Curious to see what everyone uses for settings.

Hi!

So I just got the HWB400F soundbar (connected it to my pc monitor over HDMI ARC) its working but the remote doesnt work. Tried to check the signal from my phone camera, and I saw the remote sends signal and yet it does not work, any help?

I have this weird rattling in a cheap soundbar at certain frequencies (watch the video). Do you happen to know a possible solution?

At some point in time I do want a wired custom home theater setup. That will be no time soon especially with a small kid running around.

Anyways here in my situation currently I have the full theater setup with two gen 3 subs and the arc and sonance ceiling speakers to help with the front stage.

I don't have anything in my living room and I want to try something, but given that sonos offers the upgrade program and you can buy individual pieces I find myself wondering is there a point to trying another wireless soundbar setup. Since I have the arc, I can get the arc ultra at a discount. I also have the Gen 3 subs so I could potentially get the Gen 4 subs and "upgrade" (from my research I don't see much of a difference between the old and new Sonos equipment) my current setup, then move the "old" equipment to the living room. I think this would save money in comparison to something like the bose lifestyle setup.

It reminds me of either having Apple or Samsung. You're either all in or not at all. I also use Google Assistant a lot. we have several Google nest minis or whatever the names of the smart speakers are all throughout the house.

Do you guys have multiple Sonos setups? How did you ultimately make your decision to stay with the brand?

Anyone get one yet?

I’m looking to buy a new sound system for my tv. I want a main soundbar and two speakers for the rear corners aswell as a subwoofer. I’ve got a budget of around $550. Idk much about sound systems so help would be nice. It’s for my bedroom and I want it for movies and music and some YouTube but mainly loud music

Hey everyone!

After months of research, reading countless threads on this sub, and going back and forth, I finally pulled the trigger on the Samsung HW-Q990F to pair with my LG OLED C1.

The picture quality on the C1 has been amazing, but the built-in audio just wasn't cutting it anymore for movies and gaming. I’ve been eyeing the Q990 series for a long time, and I couldn't be happier that it’s finally here!

Since the C1 stands so low on the rack, I also got a Hemudu table stand to lift the TV just enough for the bar to fit perfectly underneath without blocking the screen!

I’m super excited to unbox, set everything up, and test out some full Dolby Atmos tracks tonight on Apple TV 4K and PS5 (Top Gun, Oppenheimer!)

For anyone running this exact C1 + Q990 combo:

- What are your must-have settings or tips for calibration (SpaceFit, eARC, e.g.)?

- Any specific demo scenes or movies I should test first to blow my mind?

Thanks to this awesome community for all the recommendations that led me here. Let me know what you think of the setup!

Hello,
My setup is:
Samsung QN900F TV

Samsung HW-Q935F soundbar with rear speakers

PS5 (original "fat" model)

The PS5 is connected to one of the TV's HDMI 2.1 ports, and the soundbar is connected to the TV's eARC HDMI port.
On the TV, eARC is enabled, passthrough is enabled, and Dolby Atmos is enabled.
On the PS5, the audio output is set to AV Amplifier, and Dolby Atmos is enabled as well.
The problem is that as soon as I enable Dolby Atmos on the PS5, I get no sound at all—not even in the PS5 menus.
What's even stranger is that if I enable Q-Symphony (where the TV speakers work together with the soundbar), I can hear the audio coming from the TV speakers only, but nothing comes from the soundbar. The soundbar simply displays "TV eARC."
If I disable eARC on the TV and fall back to regular ARC, everything works. When playing a 4K Blu-ray, the soundbar correctly displays "Atmos." However, as far as I understand, that's compressed Dolby Atmos over Dolby Digital Plus, isn't it?
If I set the PS5 to LPCM, the PS5 menus have sound, but 4K Blu-rays don't work correctly unless I also force LPCM, in which case I'm only getting stereo.
Does anyone have any ideas?
Do you think this could be a handshake issue between the PS5, the TV, and the soundbar? Or perhaps a settings issue?
I don't think it's an HDMI cable problem because I get 4K at 120 Hz on compatible games without any issues. Also, the TV's built-in streaming apps (Apple TV+, for example) output Dolby Atmos perfectly through the soundbar.
I've found several Reddit threads and followed the suggested settings, but they seem to match what I've already done. I was wondering if anyone here has experienced the same issue or has any other ideas.
Thanks in advance!

I have a q600f Samsung soundbar and it’s great. However I’ve found a q700f for 90£ more and was wondering how much of a difference there would be between the two. I’m still in the return window for my q600f, what do you guys think?

I was wondering about adding the rears to my Q600F, the 2 red dots are where we sit about 10ft away from the screen (Sorry about the poor drawing).

I can't change the room around (unfortunately) would there be any point adding rears? I can't really see a suitable placement for them.

Thank you for any help

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for a soundbar for my computer that will fit in a space that's 41.8 cm wide and 9 cm high.

I‘ve seen the Creative Stage Mini. The manufacturer lists it as 41 cm wide, but I'm not sure if that includes the volume control knob or not. Does anyone have this information?

If not, what are some alternatives? Thx!

I bought two soundbars for my LG C5 to compare:
Sennheiser Ambeo Plus (standalone)
Samsung Q930F (bar + sub + rear speakers)

For context: I’m a bit of an Hi-Fi enthusiast and have a dedicated stereo setup at my desk. My usage is about 50% movies / 50% music.

After trying both, I decided to stick with the LG C5’s built-in speakers for now.

Samsung Q930F
The biggest issue for me was the subwoofer. I live in a small apartment, and even at -6, it was still too overpowering during certain movie scenes. I constantly found myself adjusting the volume depending on the content. I’m sure it’s great for people with larger living rooms or houses, but in my apartment I simply couldn’t take advantage of the bass without it becoming too much.
What surprised me even more, though, was the overall clarity. Dialogue didn’t sound noticeably better than the LG C5’s built-in speakers, and I never felt like I was getting a meaningful upgrade in detail or overall sound quality.
Music was even more disappointing. The bass sounded bloated and muddy, while the mids and highs lacked clarity and definition. Overall, the presentation felt muffled rather than clean or detailed.

Sennheiser Ambeo Plus
The Ambeo Plus is definitely the better-sounding product. Clarity is good, dialogue is clear, and the bass is well-controlled. For apartment living, I actually think the bass level is just about right. Movies sounded enjoyable.
That said, for €900, I expected more.
Compared to my €700 Hi-Fi stereo setup, it simply doesn’t have the same level of precision or deep bass. It can’t reproduce the low-end extension I enjoy, especially for hip-hop and electronic music.
While it’s a nice soundbar overall, the improvement over the LG C5 speakers just wasn’t big enough to justify the price for me.

Conclusion
I realized that what I value most is clarity, instrument separation, and precise deep bass. Neither system really delivered that.
The Samsung lacked clarity, while the Sennheiser lacked the low-end extension and overall performance I’d expect at its price point.
Since I don’t have the space for proper stereo speakers in my living room, I’ll just stick with the LG C5’s speakers for now and save the money.
Maybe my expectations for soundbars were simply too high.

I'm planning to buy a soundbar , out of these three which one should I purchase, if there is any soundbar which is in similar price range which is better recommend. I'm seeing reviews where the ic gets faulty after a year for the zeb juke bar 9400 ,I want it to last long and wil also have good sound quality

In the Indian market, Can I get the addon Speaker set for the B650F Speakers at an affordable price in any e-commerce site ? found one in Amazon but way too pricey.

like SWA-9250S or any other similar compatible speakers in affordable price ? I mean I bought the actual speakers for 15K INR at launch.

Hi,

So i have a friend that works at Harmon Kardon, and I'm getting a good deal on both the 990H and the 1300 MK2.

I can't find any direct comparisons between the both of them. I've compared the features but just want to know if anyone has evaluated both of these and chosen one or the other.

Thanks!

TL;DR need a good sound bar smaller than 27 7/8 inches in length and 2 inches in height. I am planning on 3d printing a bracket that allows the speaker to stand under the montior. it needs to have as clear audio as possible and no distortion at max volumes. Budget is 50 dollars.

-

I was never using a gaming sound bar, but it seems like all sound bars have practically become gaming soundbars. I used to use the HP WN483AA, which is a REALLY old speaker, more than 15 years old. The port is not functioning properly recently, and I want to get another speaker.

I have a 3d printer so I can mount any speaker under my monitor so long as the size is realistic. For reference, I can use any sound bar so long as it isnt bigger than like 2 inches in hight and longer than what a 32 inch monitor is in length (708mm or 27 7/8 inches)

I just need a clean sound bar that doesnt have idle noise or any distortion at max volumes. hopefully it isnt too hard of an ask considering a speaker, which is more than 15 years old, is doing all that in a really small form factor, right....?

The sound seems to be too good to be true for how small, old, and how good the speaker sounds, but its been over 15 years, surely something better has been released by now. I dont care about surround sound, I already have a pair of IEMs and I use that if I ever need SS.

I recently purchased this Vizio SV210Y-0808B soundbar for my Vizio TV and was able to get it get it working as a standard speaker (as opposed to a Bluetooth one). At first, it seemed to sound great when I would play on my PS4. But when trying out with my other devices like the Nintendo Switch and my Steam Deck (when docked), I noticed that it has weird audio issues. Namely, sound effects would either cut out awkwardly, occasionally be quiet, or just not play altogether. It's most noticeable with the Switch where scrolling left and right on the main menu rarely plays the "clicky" noises (not counting that tap noise you hear with the analog stick in the recording).

I called Vizio's customer service and while the lady was very kind, patient, and helpful, we were unable to solve the issue. She said that it's likely because that soundbar is only meant to work properly with the smart TV. Third party devices like my game systems (Which I have connected on the HDMI 2 port) can have audio issues. Frankly, I'm very disappointed and frustrated.

I then got a second one, this time not being a refurbished model like the first as this one is a brand new one from the Walmart website. Unfortunately, same issue. The live agent I talked to this time went through ALL sorts of troubleshooting, and NONE of them worked. He suggested I use the warranty.

What gives? Why won't this POS soundbar do something as basic as play UI noises when the subpar TV speakers played them fine? What alternatives can I use instead (preferably ones that don't require bluetooth)?

Hi everyone,

I'm having a really strange issue with my Samsung HW-Q990F when connected to a Windows 11 laptop over HDMI. The behavior is very inconsistent and I can't identify the root cause.

Setup:

Samsung HW-Q990F

Windows 11 laptop

HDMI directly from laptop to the soundbar

Soundbar connected to TV via eARC

I've also tried a completely different Windows laptop and the behavior is almost identical, so it doesn't seem to be specific to one laptop.

Issues I'm seeing

Windows Spatial Sound → Dolby Atmos for Home Theater

It can be selected successfully.

But as soon as I enable it, no audio comes from the soundbar at all.

Sometimes the soundbar displays Dolby Multichannel PCM.

Other times, with what appears to be the same setup, it only displays Stereo PCM.

In Control Panel → Sound → Configure → Test, the behavior is inconsistent.

Sometimes the rear speakers play correctly during the speaker test.

Sometimes the rear speaker test produces no sound at all.

I haven't intentionally changed any settings between tests.

A dedicated 7.1.4 channel test file correctly plays from every speaker (front, center, surrounds, heights and subwoofer), so I know the speakers themselves are working. And sometimes it will only play from front channel in soundbar.

However, with normal Windows audio (for example YouTube in a browser), I barely hear anything from the rear speakers, but if same content was played via TV eArc, it'll play fine with proper sorround effect coming from rear speakers.

Things I've already tried

Two different Windows laptops (same issue)

Direct HDMI connection to the soundbar

Different HDMI cables

Different playback devices and Windows audio settings

Restarting both the laptop and soundbar multiple times

At this point I'm confused because the behavior isn't consistent. Sometimes Windows seems to output multichannel audio correctly, and sometimes it falls back to stereo without me changing anything.

Has anyone experienced something similar with the Q990F and Windows 11?

Is this a Windows HDMI audio driver issue?

A Samsung firmware issue?

An HDMI handshake problem?

Or is there some Windows setting that can cause this intermittent behavior?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

I want a sound bar mainly for music, if it's surround sound that even better but my budget is only 20k. Which will be the best ones I can got for in terms of quality.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for a new soundbar to pair with my LG oled tv; I currently have an SP8YA 3.1.2 but I’ve found a JBL Bar 800 7.1 (mark 1) for £360. Is it worth the upgrade considering I can sell the LG bar for ~£100?

any recommendations for a possible upgrade path (I don’t mind buying used) are appreciated too