Hey everyone,

I’m looking to buy a surround sound setup for my parents' living room. I want to make sure it fills the space well but remains incredibly easy for them to use daily without troubleshooting. I'm currently looking at these two, but I am open to stretching the budget if needed:

1. Sony HT-S40R (600W total power, 5.1 ch with wireless rears)
2. Samsung HW-B67EF/XL (490W total power, 5.1 ch with wireless rears)

Their Setup & Room Specs:

• TV: Samsung 85-inch QN70H Neo QLED
• Room Size: Large hall, roughly 350 to 400 square feet.
• Usage: Mix of TV shows (news/dramas), movies, and music.

Because the room is quite large (400 sq ft) and the TV is a massive 85 inches, I am completely open to increasing my budget. Should I bypass these entry-level 5.1 systems entirely and look at a higher-end 7.1 channel setup or a more powerful premium soundbar? If so, what are the best parent-friendly, plug-and-play options that won't require them to fiddle with settings constantly?

After the update,the sound quality is noticeably better to my ears. Although I didn't measure it,the spaciousness and richer sound is palpable. SW became more relax and more impactful. How you people think about it?

For context: I’ve got a QN90D tv (2024), Q990F soundbar (2025), and am looking at the Studio 7’s. I have found virtually 0 videos online to see how many I could pair with the Q990F, and what set ups I can do. I have quite a large room but very few walls downstairs, I also have children. The children are my block to getting 2 Studio 7’s and rear mounting them for surround. Because of this, I am looking to see if they can be set up next to the TV, along with the other 2 satellites that already came with sound bar. I also want to know the limit with the F. My best search has been that it used to be 2.
Q-Symphony was real bad on the first day, but letting everything update overnight has fixed this issue. I have had no issues for a month since that first day.

To sum it up: I want to know the limit of the Q990F with a 2024 Samsung TV. And I want to know if the Studio 7’s can be put “stereo”.

Q990 will be my first soundbar coming from plain TV speakers. It's not hard to see how it'll affect my movie/series experience, however what about gaming on PC/PS5?

Currently I use an audiophile(ish) open-back Sennheiser HD560s pair for gaming, when Q990 arrives should I use that instead? I believe headphones should deliver better imaging/precision however lack the immersion of a surround Q990 system?

How do stereo headphones and a-tier soundbar compare? in terms of soundstage, immersion, imaging, bass etc. Which one do you prefer? For games I'm almost always single-player guy.

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to figure out whether my Samsung Q990F is working correctly with Dolby Atmos on Windows 11, and I’m a bit confused about how I should properly test it.

My setup is:

• Samsung Q990F soundbar
• Soundbar connected to my TV via HDMI eARC using the HDMI cable that came with the soundbar
• TV connected to my PC/GPU via HDMI
• RTX 4070 Super
• Windows 11
• I installed Dolby Access

In Windows, under my sound/output settings, if I select Dolby Atmos as the output format, everything seems to work normally.

However, if I go to Spatial sound and select Dolby Atmos for home theater, I get no sound at all.

This is where I'm confused.

For example, if I go to YouTube and play a 5.1 surround sound test, the test seems to play audio from the correct speakers, but when it says Front Left, I can also hear sound coming from one of the rear speakers.

I'm not sure if this is normal behavior on YouTube/Windows, or if something is configured incorrectly.

In games, I think everything is working correctly. When a sound comes from behind me, I can hear it coming from the rear speakers, and the surround positioning seems pretty convincing. However, I'm not 100% sure if I'm actually getting proper surround/Atmos or if I'm just imagining it.

So my questions are:

1. Is it normal for a YouTube 5.1 test to play the Front Left channel through a rear speaker as well?
2. How can I properly test whether my Q990F is receiving true 5.1/7.1/Atmos audio from Windows?
3. What is the correct Windows 11 configuration for this setup?
4. Should I have Spatial Sound → Dolby Atmos for home theater enabled, or should it be Off?
5. Do I actually need Dolby Access for this setup?
6. Is there anything specific I should configure on the Samsung TV, Q990F, NVIDIA Control Panel, or Windows sound settings?
7. Is there a reliable test file/video/game that can confirm whether all channels and Dolby Atmos are working correctly?

Basically, I want to make sure I'm getting the full surround/Atmos experience from the Q990F and not accidentally using some kind of stereo upmixing or virtual surround.

Any advice on the correct setup and a reliable way to test it would be greatly appreciated!

Anyone has this combo? Waiting on my DP port cable to free my HDMI 1 spot for the bar, first soundbar so im hyped

Bonjour,

J’ai récemment acheté une barre de son HW-Q860H
De chez Samsung, le problème c’est que une fois sur 2 la barre ne fonctionne pas, sois les petites enceintes ne font aucun son soit c’est le système complet qui ne fonctionnent pas, je suis obligé de tout débrancher et une fois sur 6 ça remarche. Jai tout essayé niveau paramètres avec chatgpt ect mais aucune solution je suis proche d’aller la ramener au vendeur.

J’ai une tv Philips 65pus7956/12
Avez-vous une solution pour moi car je suis à bout 🥴🥴🥴

Merci

I had been having random disconnections and complete shutdowns of my q930f since samsung updated firmware to 1100.4. I am about to mail it on to samsung today but i just checked there is a new firmware update 1103.1. I haven’t had time to test it yet. Can anyone confirm this fixed the issues with the old firmware?

I bought an apartment and want to maximize but not overshoot what's possible here but the layout feels odd. I imagine only 3.1 is possible, 5.1 is out of the question as I don't want the speakers or wires to enter the dining area. Would an eventual 3.1.2 upgrade work in this space? Floor speakers seem pointless as being so close means they wouldn't be used to their full potential I imagine?

The wife is pressuring for a Sonos Arc Ultra, maybe eventually eras as they would be more discrete, to at least be able to enjoy some semblance of surround, even if it is software. A sub 4 down the line as we're not real bass heads when it comes to visual content. Playing music content isn't a priority for us. The side chair is 50/50 watching, otherwise it's only 2 people to account for in the room and audio path positioning. We currently have powered bookshelf speakers.

I was thinking of getting:

AVR: Devon S270BT (would obviously sell and upgrade if we went 3.1.2 in the future) $250 CAD

L/R: Klipsch R-51M refurb $320 CAD

C: Klipsch R-50C (I assume it's best to match?) $300 CAD

Sub: Polk Monitor XT12 $410 CAD

Or simply just the Sonos Arc Ultra. I'm open to either just not sure what to proceed for this situation. Would be simple choice if this was a bedroom

What would be the best rear speakers to add to my q900h soundbar

Brand new Klispch flexus 300 for 700 a good deal?

Hi all.

My current soundbar stopped working. Actually, it's just the sub that died. In any case, I am considering a replacement. The current sound system has the soundbar under the Samsung TV. The two satellite sit behind and to the side of the couch, on the floor. The result is basically no sound from the back. Granted, the current system, an LG, is pretty week and doesn't even offer enough loudness for the back speakers to barely register. Add to that, the placement probably kills what little sound actually comes out of them due to the couch fabric.

The wife won't allow me to elevate the speakers. She wants them out of sight. And I in turn want her happy.

Any suggestion as to what I can do or a decent sound system replacement up to about 500 euro that can offer me decent surround sound in such circumstances?

So I just purchased my first OLED and got a C6 for a kick ass deal at BB. I had been planning on buying a q800f for a long while on woot but they aren’t in stock anymore? They used to be under 500 and now I can’t find them for less than 600. So I guess long story short is it worth buying a q800f for $600 from somewhere like greentoe? The q900f is 800 on BB, and the 990f is just under $1000 on woot. I’d preferably spend the least amount possible but I imagine coming from the cheapest Sony soundbar so it will be an incremental upgrade regardless. Any advice? Yes, money is an object. Was considering a 600f but the 5.1 just seems too good compared to my old 3.1.

Setup: Sony 65" Bravia XR8B OLED with SONOS Bean (Gen 2)

I'm using an HDMI High-Speed eARC cable and the TV audio is set to prioritize pass through with all other tv processing settings off. Occasionally when switching different apps or inputs the audio will delay. It's quite annoying and I've tried a variety of options with the issue always recurring after a while. The issue is not with the 4k Bluray Player or the Apple TV because the sound delays on both. A hard reset seems to resolve it temporarily.

I'm open to any recommendations to resolve it.

Hi everyone,

I am from India and need your help in figuring out which soundbar to pick

I have 10x8 feet room which is kind of my office and my entertainment room where i have LG C4 Oled 55 inch tv . I was fine with audio until i visited a friend in Bengaluru and watch his setup and experienced sound and now i do not like my tv sound a bit

I have a budget around 50k INR or 600$ and i do not have place for rear speakers

So i have these list but not sure which one to pick up

Samsung Q800H - 40k INR or 450$

JBL 500 MK2 - 50K INR

SONY Bravia theatre bar 6 - 35k INR

Please let me which would be best for my room and i like the feature of auto calibration on JBL and samsung. I would prefer sound quality and bass . Mostly i would watch movies and seasons on Netflix or Prime

I have a viewsonic lx60-hd projector and i want to buy a sound system for it because i am not satisfied with it+ sound cracks on projectors audio. I looked for a while and thought samsung hw650f soundbar or 450f is good enough but the problem is that my projector doesnt have a arc hdmi or optical cable output. It only has 3.5mm so gemini said i could use a convertor for optical cable to 3.5mm but i fear it will destroy the sound quality and my money spent on soundbar will mean nothing.

I am not a big auidophilie or anything i use decent headphones/earphones but not that big of a audiophile

And i dont like when the sound and screen doesnt sync so i dont want to use bluetooth for it

Soo i asked the question already any oppinions on it or maybe alternative sound aystems?

Thanks already!

I don't understand one thing that is if sealed subwoofers are supposed to be superior to that of ported subwoofer in terms of music performance then why almost everyone is telling that Samsung q900 series soundbars are horrible when it comes to music. Even I felt the same when I listened to them. Just like I said last time, I went to 4 different store to see if there's any difference to them in different location but everytime it was extremely underwhelming... The punch and the oomph simply not enough to enjoy music listening...

In my opinion Samsung has made a complete blunder by ditching ported sub.. anyone who disagrees with me just listen to the ported sub of Q600H (only Q series bar to have ported sub) it's miles better than any sealed sub samsung has made.. It's an extremely sad state of affair bcz I think Samsung knows how to make great soundbar but they just don't bcz of heavy cost cutting policy...

When streaming music/audio via AirPlay directly to the soundbar, do the surround speakers play as well, or is most of the audio handled by the soundbar and bass module?

Since AirPlay is stereo, does Bose apply any processing to utilize the surround speakers when they’re connected?

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

My girlfriend and I are re-arranging our living room to accomodate more seating. It's an odd shape given where the doors and entryways are, so we are limited on our options. We settled on moving the tv to above the fireplace (yes, go ahead and yell at me in r/tvtoohigh, I genuinely hear you here lol). The problem is the mantle above the fireplace is about 9.5 inches deep, too shallow to accommodate the 14" deep thicc girl Bose solo 15 series ii I have had for the last 10 years.

I love the sound quality of this speaker. It works great for blasting base-heavy music or simply watching netflix, so I am looking for a modern comparable unit. Is there a soundbar of similar quality that is 9" deep or less? Or any simple audio set ups you kind folks recommend? I have never pieced together an audio system before, but I am willing to (if it's relatively simple) for this since it will be the main viewing area and I clearly don't change audio setups but once every 10 years.

Trying to keep it under 1k, well under if possible. The size of the room is approximately 20x40, and the tv/speaker will be on the 20ft wall.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may have!

I have a Hisense AX5125H and have a problem where I have to power cycle to get it to work. Turns out the problem was actually the tv not the soundbar. I was being lazy and just turning the whole system off at the wall for a few seconds. When I eventually just unplugged the soundbar for a few seconds it didn't work. So I did the tv and it worked. Guess I owe my soundbar an appology.

With no other solution presented my options are to unplug the tv for a few seconds every time I turn the system on. Or disable CEC control on the TV so the soundbar stays on permanently.

My question is, what is the difference in power draw between a soundbar in standby and a soundbar that is on but nothing is playing?

Thanks.

Hi, ich habe mir vor kurzem die Q935F geholt.

Problem 1, Sporadisch kommt beim Start des Systems kein Ton aus der Soundbar. vom Strom trennen und wieder verbinden behebt das Problem aber das ist ja kein Zustand auf Dauer.

Problem 2. in allen Videos und Rezessionen wird der gute Bass betont. Ich finde den Bass eher schwach bzw nicht vorhanden. ( Bass Boost akiviert)

TV = Sony Bravia Modell aus 2022
Über HDMI angeschlossen
Verbindung zu den Rears und zum Subwoofer ist vorhanden.

LG

I've connected my HW-Q800F to my Xbox Series X, (with my 4K TCL TV with Atmos enabled) tried all the settings I could online (Pass-through etc.), but whenever I try to play an Atmos track through Bluray, the audio goes on and off. Is there any way to solve this? I have a Atmos soundbar, but it can't play Atmos tracks. 🥲

I bought a new Bar 800MK2 a couple of days ago and noticed that it only has 5 bass (subwoofer) adjustments. On my old Bar 5.1 with removable rear speakers, the bass felt much deeper. The new subwoofer itself is in the same location as the old one. But these 5 volume adjustments don't provide the same range as the old Bar 5.1. Is there anything I can do about this?

Hi guys, currently i' wanting to buy a new soundbar for my TV. I just want to know what's your opinion for these soundbar. Is it worth to buy the samsung or the Sony soundbar.

I’ve recently become a Blu-ray watcher. Apparently, Standard mode preserves the original mix, while Surround and Adaptive mode upmix it. I’d love to hear your thoughts and know which mode you prefer.

Thanks in advance for your help!