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Samsung’s approach to Dolby Atmos soundbars has changed a lot with the HW-Q930B. In the past, only the best soundbars from Samsung came with more than just the main soundbar and a subwoofer.
In some cases, you could buy rear speakers as an extra for mid-range models, but they didn’t come with them by default. The HW-Q930B changes this, though. Even though the Samsung HW-Q930B costs about half as much as the HW-Q990B, which will be Samsung’s top soundbar in 2022, it has four parts: the main soundbar, a subwoofer, and two rear speakers.
In fact, it has an impressive 9.1.4 audio channel count, which is only two channels less than the Q990B’s class-leading 11.1.4 channel count, making it the best Dolby Atmos soundbar for its price.
It also has most of the features we look for in the best soundbars today, such as HDMI passthrough, support for both the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ HDR formats, and playback of both the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound formats, which right now are the best the film and music worlds have to offer.
The Samsung two-piece headphones that came before the Q930B don’t sound like the Q930B. Not only because it has good rear speakers, but also because the sound is no longer just coming from the front of the room.
In fact, no other soundbar we’ve heard at a similar price offers as good of a surround sound experience with as much raw power. You’d have to pay more for something like the Samsung HW-Q990B to beat it.
Samsung HW-Q930B review: Design
As we’ve already said, the Samsung HW-Q930B has four parts: the main soundbar, two wireless rear speakers, and a wireless subwoofer. The rears are an unexpected addition to Samsung’s second-tier soundbars, and they make the soundbars twice as useful because they have speakers that face up as well as the usual speakers that face forward.
The main soundbar is smaller than we’re used to seeing from Samsung at this level of its soundbar line, but it still packs nine channels of sound into its slim shape. Its smaller size makes it easier to pair with mid-size (48- to 55-inch) TVs, and we were really happy to find that it has a helpful LED readout on its front edge instead of putting it on the top edge.
Where you can only see it if you’re standing over the soundbar, like previous generations did. The subwoofer doesn’t look very nice, but it doesn’t have to. Even if you put it behind a couch or under a sideboard, the sound won’t be affected. As long as you’ve left the side with the big driver facing into your room, though. You can buy this soundbar from its official website
Samsung HW-Q930B review: Sound quality
It can play back surround sound because it has a 9.1.4 channel system and works with Dolby Atmos. The experience is pretty amazing, and the sounds coming from above are very real. It gives you a lot of ways to change the sound to your liking. Standard Mode, Adaptive Mode, Surround Mode, and Pro Gaming Mode are the options.
At the same time, you can change the bass and treble frequencies separately with the remote control to make the low or high frequencies stand out more. There is also a Dialogue Enhancer that puts the voice over other sounds, making it easier to hear dialogue in movies or TV shows.
Samsung HW-Q930B review: Performance
We don’t have much to complain about or miss. One is that it can’t send a 120 Hz 4K signal over HDMI. It can only do that at 60 Hz. Most people shouldn’t have a problem with this, since they can connect the console or PC directly to the TV, but we think it should have been included at this price.
In Spain, it doesn’t have the voice assistant Alexa built in, which it does in other countries. Aside from these small problems, which won’t bother most people too much, we think the Samsung HW-Q930B doesn’t have many competitors in the high-end range because of how well it works and how much it costs.
Samsung HW-Q930B review: Connections and control
All of the changes to the Q930B add up to make it seem like, for the first time, Samsung has really thought about the Q930B as a step down in surround sound from its flagship model. A choice that, as we’ll see later, turns out to be gold.
The Q930B’s connections, on the other hand, are not all the same. The fact that there only seems to be one HDMI input to go with the HDMI output, instead of the two you get with the Q930B, is especially disappointing. This single HDMI loopthrough doesn’t work with 4K at 120Hz or with different refresh rates.
Samsung HW-Q930B review: Price and release date
Even though it looks like less of a step down from Samsung’s top-of-the-line soundbar than its predecessors, the Q930B still costs more than $100. Even though it’s only cheaper by one pound in the UK, that’s a huge savings compared to the Q990B. Which could add up to a lot of money for that new best TV.
The Q930B’s price of £999/$1,399.99/AUD$1,795.00 still puts it in a pretty high-end price range for soundbars. It costs more than, for example, the well-known Sonos Arc and the LG SN11RG, which has a similar soundbar, subwoofer, and rear speaker system.
Final Words
The 9.1.4 bar Samsung HW-Q930B came out in 2022 as a less expensive alternative to the more expensive Samsung HW-Q990B. It is much smaller than the best model from the same company.
But it still has a dedicated subwoofer for deep bass and rear speakers with a new design that makes the most of immersive audio formats like Dolby Atmos. Even though it doesn’t have Auto EQ room correction to change the subwoofer’s output, its SpaceFit Sound feature still lets you adjust the bar’s sound to fit the way your room sounds.
There are also a lot of other tools for customization, such as Samsung’s Q-Symphony, which pairs the bar with some TVs to make the sound more immersive.
Samsung HW-Q930B Ratings
Pros
- 7-band graphic EQ.
- Extended low-bass.
- Impressive Atmos performance.
- Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Apple AirPlay compatibility
Cons
- No 4K 120Hz HDMI passthrough
- Connectivity could be better
- Subwoofer is weaker with music
FAQs
Is Samsung HW-Q930B worth it?
The Samsung HW-Q930B is one of the best soundbars we’ve tried for watching movies. Voices are clear, the bass is strong, and the sound seems to come from all around you, especially when the movie is in Dolby Atmos.
Which soundbar is best for home?
- Best Soundbar. Samsung HW-Q990B.
- Best Upper Mid-Range Soundbar
- Samsung HW-Q930B.
- Best Lower Mid-Range Soundbar.
- Vizio M Series M512a-H6.
- Best Budget Soundbar.
- Vizio V Series V51-H6.
- Best Small Soundbar.
Is soundbar better than Speaker?
Soundbars don’t have as good of sound quality as speaker sets. Part of the reason for this is how big they are. But it’s also because you can get real surround sound by putting speakers all over a room. When watching movies or playing games, speaker sets are great for making the experience feel more real.