The Samsung HW-Q930B is a 9.1.4 bar that was introduced in 2022 as a less expensive substitute for the high-end Samsung HW-Q990B. Compared to the manufacturer’s flagship model, it is significantly smaller. The rear speakers have a new design that maximizes immersive audio formats like Dolby Atmos, but it still comes with a dedicated subwoofer to deliver lots of bass rumbling. While the SpaceFit Sound feature does not have Auto EQ room correction to modify the output of the subwoofer, it still enables you to improve the bar’s audio reproduction based on the particular acoustics of your environment. Several more customization options are also available, such as Samsung’s Q-Symphony, which unites the bar with specific compatible TVs for a more immersive audio experience.
Price and release date
Samsung’s second-tier soundbar, which is positioned one rung below the flagship HW-Q990B, has already seen a price reduction despite its recent arrival. In reality, it has had its price reduced by more than 25% in the UK, while Samsung’s top-of-the-line Q990B model’s £1,599 pricing has kept the same. This has put a gigantic £750 of clear cost water between Samsung’s top and step-down Samsung soundbar tiers.
Although it’s not quite as dramatic in the US, it’s still a significant savings because at the time of writing, we’re seeing it for roughly $1,100, which is about $600 less than the Q990B.
Samsung has actually drastically and swiftly lowered the price of the Q930B, to the point that you almost question if there is a problem with it. Yet, there isn’t.
Features
For the past few years, Samsung’s soundbar lineup has typically offered us an all-singing, all-dancing, all-home theater flagship model complete with external subwoofer and rear speakers, as well as a step-down model that largely retains the front soundstage and bass speaker but does away with the included rear speakers in favor of a less powerful rear option.
The step-down HW-Q930B, by keeping the included rear speakers, nicely shakes up this established hierarchy. Stepping away from Samsung’s top soundbar doesn’t have to make you completely deaf to any sounds coming from behind you anymore.
Due to its inclusion of two drivers—one shooting up and one firing forward—each Q930B rear is less of a climb-down from those you get with the Q990B than we may have anticipated.
Even with just two drivers, you can set up Dolby Atmos more completely than, say, a Sonos Arc and Sonos One rear speaker combination, which is unable to produce the upfiring rear channels.
The Q930B’s two-channel-per-rear speakers contribute to the system’s four physical components’ ability to produce a 9.1.4-channel sound. This is a significant number of channels for any soundbar, much less one that is being sold at this cost.
Other factors, like as the absence of an Acoustic Lens subwoofer in the step-down model, could explain why the Q930B is so much less expensive than the Q990B. It still has an 8-inch driver, which is extremely promising, but there isn’t a raised reflector unit resting above it to help it spread its sound more evenly and smoothly.
While packing in the same number of channels as the Q990B system, the main soundbar component is also substantially smaller. However, it also raises the possibility of a more balanced, cohesive full surround sound stage than you might have gotten if the Q930B had paired roughly the same front soundbar element found in the Q990B package with the less potent new rears. This clearly points to a less powerful front sound than you get with the larger system.
Also, it means that the Q990B must be paired with the finest 55-inch Televisions and larger, and the Q930B is the ideal size to operate with the best 48, 49, and 50-inch TVs and larger.
The Samsung HW-S800B and Q990B both debuted the Space Fit auto-calibration feature, which the Q930B keeps. However, it does not have the additional Auto EQ feature, which continuously evaluates and controls the subwoofer’s bass output.
While the Q930B’s smart features are numerous, if you have trouble hearing what people are saying in a particular mix or you need to reduce ambient noise, you can also increase the presence of vocal channels in movie mixes using a voice amplifier option.
Design and usability
With the Q930B, Samsung abandons the felt feel that has covered its drivers for the previous two years and switches back to a metallic grille surface. We welcome this return to metal after learning about the felt approach’s long-term tendency to accumulate dust.
The unexpected adjustment to a smaller main soundbar than you get with the Q990B is also welcomed. While it’s likely that the main motivation behind doing this was to enable the Q930B to be significantly less expensive than the Q990B while offering a significantly higher channel count than Samsung’s previous step-down subwoofers, it also makes the Q930B less noticeable in terms of décor and may even make it easier to fit under your TV.
With their curved top edge and tiny pedestal feet, the rear speakers have the same grilled finish as the main soundbar and look rather adorable.
With its huge felt drive cover and heavy black wooden housing, the subwoofer isn’t particularly attractive. But, the beauty of subwoofers is that they can be hidden behind a sofa or beneath a sideboard because their sound is non-directional.
Using the Q930B is quite simple. As soon as you’ve plugged in all of its components and switched the system on all the speakers automatically sync together, with no manual input required.
The remote control has an appealing design and a simple layout with a manageable number of buttons. The primary soundbar also contributes by having a readout on its front panel that displays information about the input you’re seeing, the volume, the chosen sound mode, and the audio format being received. The strange practice of placing this readout on the top edge of the soundbar, where you couldn’t see it while seated, has thankfully been abandoned by Samsung.
Last but not least, Samsung’s amiable SmartThings app, which is accessible on iOS and Android smartphones, allows you to control the soundbar.
Conclusion
The greatest soundbar currently available is Samsung’s Q990B if you want to take things up a notch and have a really large screen. It’s bigger, bolder, more targeted, and it also includes two new channels. Also, it is quite a bit more expensive, but you have to spend more to get the best of the best.
If you don’t have enough room for a complete soundbar setup with a subwoofer and speakers, you might want to consider the slightly less expensive Sonos Arc to meet your soundbar demands. The single box solution does a wonderful job of creating pseudo-surround, and it works well with music and movies. It also looks great beneath any TV.
