Again available, and cheaper than before.
Was checking the soundbars today and found the HW-Q950TXY available on Appliances Online website.
I have a new TV arriving tomorrow and was able to select tomorrow for delivery of this soundbar too as they have stock available. :)
Also on eBay
UPDATE: Price now $1109 (17/02 10:40 AM), still cheaper than before. Therefore, still a good deal.
$30 off $300+ spend for You and Your Friend.
Really?
Last time I went to JB and asked to price match this exact model, they said "this is warehouse price, we cannot price warehouses because <insert bs reason>".
It’s not warehouse price. Anyway here’s the list of retailers good guys will price match.
That's what I told them but they wouldn't budge because apparently [Appliance Online is an online store and therefore they can sell at warehouse prices].
@justtoreply: Is there actually any T&C regarding price matching? Damn, if I knew this earlier then I would have done so!
@b-t: I think the person you spoke with didn’t have a clue on price matching. If you are in Sydney, you can go to good guys in artarmon. They know appliance online.
@unhuman: Hah! I think the funny part is, the guy I asked [didn't have a clue on price matching], so he asked his manager, who gave me BS answer.
I'm in Melbourne though, the store I asked is Chadstone.
Now that I know I will push harder next time! :)
@justtoreply: LOL. Have you tried contacting TGG? Their feedback form page doesn't exist: https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/customerfeedback
Also available through eBay if interested.
Alot of mixed reviews, also it's $1,047.60 on ebay if you have plus with coupon PLUS3P
Not sure what the mixed reviews say but it's the highest rated soundbar on rtings.com
A lot of the reviews are probably from people who paid more. No soundbar is worth 2k, better to get a simple AVR and speaker set. However, for 1k, it is more in the ball park.
2k USD, if you live in CONUS, possibly.
A 7.2.2 receiver alone would be ~$1k AUD.
of course you'd get better stereo sound if you just got for a 2.1 AVR and can allocate ~$1.6K to just satellites and a sub, but that's comparing apples to oranges.
If you can find a simple AVR & Speaker set with 9.1.4ch Dolby Atmos under 1.1k please do share. Even at 2k I might bite.
@cray: If you're looking at Samsung's marketing fluff and you actually think this soundbar produces respectable atmos, then you are duped, sorry to say.
I have a "7.1" Samsung home theatre in a box, which is basically an older (and I think better) version of a soundbar.
I recently upgraded my PC set up with an AVR 2.1 setup for less than I paid for the Samsung home theatre. And it completely blows the 5.1 out of the water. Sure, I don't get surround sound, but I'm enjoying music and media more now that I ever have. The clarity, detail and sound stage produced by decent bookshelf speakers is not even comparable to a Samsung solution.
If I had 1.1k to spend on audio, I'd definitely choose a 2.1 speaker setup that has flexibility and can be upgraded in the future. With that money you could squeeze for a 3.1 system and it would sound way better than gimmicky atmos from a soundbar.
@ifreddo: Soundbars are fine for general tv, Netflix movies etc.. most thin panel tv speakers are rubbish now.
Separate 2CH speaker setup for music ;)
@G-rig: I got the sound bar this Thanksgiving and I will say the sound is really good. Only issue I found was with the sub making a crackling noise which can be fixed by manually pairing it again and hopefully samsung fixes it in their updates.
In any way I am happy with the sound and the value for money this sound bar is priced at. Way better than Sonos imo.
@ifreddo: If someone is primarily looking to enhance their movie-watching experience and is not interested in playing the upgrade game, I would still suggest that at this price, the soundbar like this would be a better investment than a 2.1 set up. And I'm an audiophile who's had a no-compromise 9.1 high-end home theatre set-up at my previous place. I've now downsized to a couple of Sony soundbars with rear speakers (lounge and bedroom) and very content with the results.
@elektron: I definitely think there's a market for a soundbar and I'm not saying they shouldn't exist. But people do need to be aware, both of their options and what to expect in terms of features.
@ifreddo: Sure, but I'd sacrifice the incremental (and subjective) improvement in the sound quality for the immersive surround experience that's been designed for enhancing movies.
No much demand for old home theatre gear - too much cost and stuffing around with cables and interconnects these days, sound bars are just easy.
I've had good setups in the past (Denon 7.1 AVR and Magnat speakers etc that all cost thousands) and you don't get anything for them when you sell. All the sound codecs and HDMI stuff goes out of date fast. I agree they sound better by having separate speaker placements and seems ridiculous the whole speaker counting and labelling in soundbars - nothing like it really but just easier.
Most content isn't even that good, I'd still get a separate 2ch setup for music though (I've got monitors)
Bought from Harvey Norman and returned back the next day. The left and right speakers are for decoration and do nothing. After that I reviewed websites and found many complaining about very low sound from speakers. Sub was also not strong.
Your surrounds must have been faulty, which is bad, but when they're working they're really good, not overpowering or obnoxious but good.
Yeah you are right. It was a faulty product, as I was with their customer service for hours and hours to update firmware and settings but nothing worked. Returning or replacing is not easy with Harvey Norman.
But when I read about few people complaining about low volume from the speakers, I decided to return :)
I had this same gripe, but did you turn up the rear speakers? Unfortunately it doesn't have an auto room configuration option, and I think they're set to 0 by default. You need to go into settings and look at the display on the soundbar and set them to 0-6. You can configure the center/side/rear/rear-top etc like this.
Once i did this, the speakers were much louder and i'm back in the satisfied camp (although, i can't really say the atmos thing blows me away… might be how i'm trying to test it).
atmos works when there are multiple physical speakers set around you properly eg 20 or so it works great
I've just got the 3.1.2 soundbar and Atmos content on Netflix is noticeably clearer and better.
Understand it's all a bit of a flog, as they are all located in one spot where the centre speaker would be
@G-rig: The improvement could just be due to better design / specs, and not necessarily to Atmos compatibility.
@G-rig: that's really good then Soundbars definitely are a cleaner option I love my sound but not a huge fan of having sprawling setup of speakers in the lounge room
@TightBungholio: Understand, but a sub really makes the difference with soundbars and recommended.
A long while ago i realised a good 2ch setup of monitors (or passive 'bookshelf etc' speakers and IA) is the way to go, and sound better than HT gear anyway ;)
@G-rig: True hey I have a pair of Yamaha HS8's for music production and yeah they sound incredible way better than any other speaker setup I have tried besides extremely expensive monitors
@TightBungholio: Nice choice mate, I've got the older version HS80M, been awesome for a long time!
it's quite a good minimal setup (Chromecast Audio - DACMagic - HS80M). Shame no vol control/remote, hense getting separate soundbar for tv.
although, i can't really say the atmos thing blows me away… might be how i'm trying to test it
How is your setup? Had a google and they reckon the minimum you should have is 2 front speakers (or one quality sidebar like this one) and 2 ceiling speakers. For best performance recommended to have a 7.1 setup (although can use soundbar in place of 2 front channels)
Install two pairs of in-ceiling speakers; place the front overhead speakers in front of the main listening position and the second pair behind it.
or, If you don’t want to mess your ceiling, use Atmos-enabled add-on speakers fitted with angled, up-firing drivers and place them on top of your current speakers
Although not designed for it if you have some old bookshelf speakers you can re-use them for your ceiling mount speakers by facing them angled downwards towards listening position from the 2 corners of room. Won't be as good as atmos certified ceiling speakers but will still get the job done.
oh right, sorry. forgot to check these replies.
I actually have this soundbar setup (HW-Q950TXY), so the soundbar + sub + rear speakers. I understand its not the 'proper' way to do atmos, but if I was to point at something that I thought was the weakest feature, id say this would be it. But the point I was making was that it could also be I'm not testing it the right way (ie. atmos demo I downloaded and playing via plex via TV app… which supports atmos).
Apart from this it's much better than what I had and I'd still recommend it to people looking for a soundbar solution :P
Yeah, tried everything… It may be a faulty product. I forgot to mention it was keep dropping out connection as well. This also may be the sign of faulty product
I have the Q90R which was the year before, but the overall system is amazing.
Great price.
Same. paid 1200. No regrets. Gets the job done nicely.
I had both, and I'd honestly say the Q90R sounded better. Not quite sure what they did to the new model, but playing back the first five minutes of Fury Road in Atmos on both is night and day.
Don't think any of these are worth The RRPs, but good price.
I got the Q70T in November, and noticed it's 82$ cheaper than commerical price so put in a claim. Pretty decent for the price
Thanks op.
I have a set and the sound is amazing. Very finicky though as with anything with newer hdmi2.1 age technology. Once you set it up right it’s great! Will take some work figuring how best to set it up.
I wouldn't recommend buying when it was selling for its orignal RRP (around $1900 only a few short months ago), it then went down to $1600 and now you can get it at this price. I would be peeved if I got mine at the original RRP.
Aside from that I'm quite happy with mine. Satellite speakers work fine for me with no random disconnections and I can definitely notice the surround sound (can't tell the additional ATMOS though when watching ATMOS contents as I had no other references). One thing I do agree with the reviews is that the subwoofer can be louder and punchier.
Our Planet on Netflix has a great Atmos mix as it is used for ambience.
These suck for point sources like helicopter fly overs, as without something like a line array perpendicular to the sound bar, sound direct from the speaker will always be louder than sound that traveled an extra two meters to reflect off the roof.
Been in the market trying to sell and upgrade my N950 to this particular model but decided to hold off.
Yes this is a great price (I was prepared to pay 1350) but the display being on top of the bar was a huge deal-breaker for me. Reviews are mixed indeed but mostly positive when all the variables are set up correctly, ie. source, content, cables, placement, room all need to be perfect to ensure the best experience.
Personally will hold off until the Q950A is released, and hopefully a good bargain comes up in <12 months time.
Yeah I'm waiting for the new model too
Agree it's idiotic having the display on the top on the more expensive models, as well as going to material cover (the Q70T is good with the front display and Mesh finish).
Thought I may as well ask here as I haven't sorted it out yet. Any reason Why the sound stops for a fraction of a second every so often ( watching Netflix, haven't taken much notice what are the apps that happens with)- I have a Chromecast with Google TV plugged into the HDMI input on the soundbar. Also got the ethernet adaptor for the Chromecast so doubt it is the internet etc. Only little annoyance but everything HDMI and ARC is a bit flakey on stuff like this.
Cheers
Could be a handshake issue. Did you try changing your HDMI cable to the TV? I have tried multiple cables and finally went for the recently posted Laser 2.1 hdmi cable and they helped quite a bit with my issues. I am running a Shield Pro. Still not entirely trouble free but I guess this is what Samsung is lacking compared to LG.
Hmm using one from my recent Dell monitor, it's a HDMI 2.0. I think I've got the samsung one somewhere that came with it, assumed it wouldn't be as good quality but worth a try. Also got an unopened Google TV i could maybe set up, just wasn't sure if i was sending it back as I haven't palmed off the netflix credit to anyone yet (bought one locally when there was a big wait). Also some kind of annoyances but not too often.
Cheers,
I am so confused by these new Atmos number…9.1.4. I can understand the 1, but where does the 9 and 4 come from?
9 speakers on the soundbar, 1 subwoofer and 4 upward firing speakers.
They managed to fit 9 speakers in that small strip? Wow. Where are the 4 upward speakers? I can only see 2 smaller speakers and a sub.
The top material is acoustically transparent just like the front.
Would it not be 7 on the soundbar and the 2 satellites for the 9?
You’re correct hence the Q900t is a 7 channel bar minus the 2 satellite speakers.
9 = forward facing channels
1 = sub
4 = upfiring speakers
I have this exact soundbar, 7 speakers covering front, mid, and sides + 2 atmos upfiring in the sound bar itself.
rear speakers are 2 rear firing (left and right) + 2 atmos upfiring.
1 x sub
Equals the whole 9.1.4 setup. Overall i like it, it shakes the whole room and on PS5, PC or Netflix sounds awesome. Never will be as good as cabled 9.1.4 system but quick and easy to setup. Get some good stands for the rears as well as a hot tip.
It may be that you're thinking of the speaker as the whole enclosure when in actual fact, these surround enclosures each have 2 channels / speakers inside them. One channel / speaker firing front and 1 channel / speaker firing upwards towards the ceiling so that the return echo can be perceived as overhead sound. The same is true for the 2 upward firing speakers on the main soundbar itself.
Way too many mixed reviews to pull the trigger on this one. Also Samsung post sales support isn't exactly friendly to risk a 1K purchase hoping all will be good.
Samsungs "high end" soundbars have been plagued with connection issues for years now. The same issues pop up everytime, you can check user reviews on each model.
Obviously doesn't affect everyone but there's definitely some underlying connection issues samsung hasn't resolved. I'm guessing it's due to wifi interference or something so it's dependent on whether your home setup has conflicts or not with it. The difference is most other manufacturers don't seem to have as widespread issues as this when it comes to connections between the soundbar - sub and/or separate speakers.
Pretty sure it uses a private 5ghz wifi signal to communicate with each other. So certain home network setups are conflicting with this.
Exactly what I keep reading, and why I'll be waiting for the LG Sound Bar SN11RG to drop in price, or at least look at the next LG model….
I have the K950 which was the first model of this line if I’m not mistaken.
There’s a slight buzz with the rear wireless speakers which I believe is common in all of the models.
I don’t think there’s any other systems out there with a wireless rear that does Atmos as good as this kit. As always, it’s better to go fully wired but if you’re in a rental or don’t want to drill holes into ceilings and walls, it does a decent job projecting atmos.
As it relies on bouncing sounds around the room, it’s very dependent on how room is set up
Doesn't seem worth it at that price based on the reviews.
I reckon the Samsung HW-T650 is better value than this, can get it for $400 from JB hifi atm and add in two additional speakers for full 5.1 surround sound, which will likely sound a bit better than this one.
Samsung HW-T650 cannot compare to this. This is a beast of a soundbar. I have the model before this one, and the sound was and still is fantastic.
I'm upgrading from Yamaha YAS-105 which I've had for 5 years. This Samsung is considered the best soundbar according to rtings, so I hope I won't be disappointed.
There is a 60-day money back guarantee from Samsung, in case I/you have issues or don't like the soundbar:
https://www.appliancesonline.com.au/samsung-60-day-money-bac…
I'm sure you'd be happy, it would be a massive upgrade. I had a YAS-109 for a brief period but was lucky to be able to return it. I'm a yamaha fan but to be honest wasn't very exciting or much of an upgrade from the tv speaker. It would be ok for a pc soundbar if a bit smaller
Got Q70T for $530. Tempted to return and get this…
This may be a stupid question.
But is it possible to pair with the Kogan F800 projector or would it have poor output?
looking at the specs on Kogan, the only sound output from that projector is 2 channel 3.5mm jack? No HDMI eARC?
thanks op, made decision and made purchase.
It is the most expensive sound bar I ever invested, hopefully won’t let me down.
Bought it for 1.5, running with lg cx for several months with no issues. Nothing but a great experience thus far, whether its for music or movies. Give it DTS:X or Atmos content to let it really shine on the next level. Be sure to update it via smartthings or usb. For 1000, not sure if you can get anywhere near a great experience with dedicated theatre setup with support for every audio codec out there (uncompressed as well if your tv supports earc).
To be fair, anything less than Dtx or Atmos it sounds very average. Only Live music sounds okay, speakers are just too small
Which mode do you run it on? I've settled on adaptive, but the difference between standard and surround is quite stark
@steven231: I mostly used standard, as i felt adaptive ruined certain channels and didn't add anything
@onlinepred: Yeah not a fan of standard at all, try using adaptive. Think it provides the best experience for music or movies alike imo
I thought the point of a sound bar wad you didn't have extra speakers..
It does an excellent job with just the sound bar on it's own, you don't have to connect the rears.
Without the rears you just won't get the filled out Atmos sound from the back / back roof.
- which is mostly for atmosphere and when objects are being portrayed to be behind you
I haven't got a good permanent location for the rears so I only set them up if I'm watching a proper movie or something with Dolby Atmos.
I’ve got a full so is ARC setup on the main TV which is eARC enabled. I was gonna spend $300-400 on a sound bar/system for the media room but thought this might be good l. however my old TV in media room does not have eARC. Any thoughts on whether I should look at this Samsung?
What is a better option than a soundbar for a budget of about $500?
stereo or cinema (5.1 ch and above)?
Q70t is actually pretty decent. I have no complaints with it.
Proper receiver and front and centre speakers.
and rears, and a sub :)
Any old 5.1 system ..
but agree I got the Q70T and for around $500-600 it's pretty good.
Can't imagine spending more, and hard to say if it (Q950T) would be twice as good I'm sure it would be more immersive and maybe worth the extra @ this deal price.
Keep in mind this will only work on 5.1 source, otherwise the centre won't be a true centre at all and just add to your cost. If you do run 5.1, you also literally miss out on certain channels with rears.
Edifier s3000pro if you can stretch another $100. Will blow all the sound bars out of the water.
Too many reviews say the sound cuts out to the wireless surround speakers. So I'll pass, hopefully the new version solves this.
Never had any of these issues in the several months I’ve been using.
Most people on the forums who do have found it wifi related - home network interfering.
Samsung has a money back guarantee on this unit too.
So you can always return if you hate it.
Got a question for the audio experienced among you. I dont really have space next to my couch to run wires to the satelites, but do have a position behind my couch - basically near the roof. Will that completely (profanity) up the 3d audio effect/atmos? Especially as theres no room correction? The satellites are designed to be ear height right?
Same but no space to put behind couch and don't have the option to make alteration's to walls/ceilings. Thoughts?
Designed to be ear height generally, if you put too close to the ceiling you won't get much from the up drivers.
You can tweak individual speakers to try and help correct for this is you needed, turn up the rear LR and turn down the rear UPs.
You'd lose some of the height and depth from the back but the front is still plenty decent that I'm not sure you'd notice too greatly.
turn up the rear LR and turn down the rear UPs
Fantastic, thanks for the info - is this individual satelite up tuning something that this set has in the options?
There's individual volume adjustment for each speaker or speaker group.
It's a bit fiddly and you have to keep checking the screen (located in the stupidest place on top).
You cycle through each speaker - centre, left, left wide, left up, rear left, rear left up … etc - and adjust the volume for each one.
-6 to 0 to +6.
Great unit. Had for several months now, paid slightly more - this is really a great price.
Got some sturdy stands from Amazon for the rears and they’re great.
- don’t be tempted to get the small gooseneck looking ones, they will just tip over.
If you don't mind me asking, which stand did you purchased?
I found https://www.amazon.com.au/Atlantic-Speaker-Stands-Bookshelf-…
It seems to be a good option, maybe a bit too much, but sturdy
Excellent price. Good post. You can also price match at any jb and good guys.