Samsung HW-Q950T and HW-Q900T Soundbar - Review & Comments

I'm in the same boat as you, playing PS4, having to use Lossy DTS or Dolby because LPCM .....
Just out of curiosity : why did you choose dolby over dts ?
Thank you.

My understanding was that the Q80T doesn't support DTS passthrough... I could be wrong :) I could also be wrong in that the setting influences the output.

I still can't figure out if it's actually Dolby 5.1.. yes I have sounds in the rears.. but how do I KNOW it's real Dolby and not some virtual surround that's being manipulated by the soundbar.
 
My understanding was that the Q80T doesn't support DTS passthrough... I could be wrong :) I could also be wrong in that the setting influences the output.

I still can't figure out if it's actually Dolby 5.1.. yes I have sounds in the rears.. but how do I KNOW it's real Dolby and not some virtual surround that's being manipulated by the soundbar.

Put the bar in standard mode.
If you have sound in rear speakers, then it's real surround sound.

The bar emulates a surround sound in surround / adaptive mode, not in standard
 
Hi all, having a problem setting the bar up with my TV through Arc. Whenever I go into the TV settings and audio I have a choice of TV speakers, AV or HW-950T wireless. If I select AV then no sound plays and I don't seem to have the option to play the bar with Sky in any other mode than wireless.

I currently have Apple TV and Nvidia Shield plug in directly to the bar with Sky and PS5 going through the Samsung Smartbox into the TV and soundbar via Arc.

Any ideas how I fix this? I've tried changing the settings to PCM and DTS on the TV and tried all three audio options on sky.

Thanks in advance

Hi,

I'm having the exact same problem. In my setup, a PS4 is connected via HDMI to the TV. The TV (ARC) is then connected to eARC of the soundbar, but no sound playing through HDMI, only wireless works. Would be great if anyone has an idea what the problem could be.

Thanks

edit: I tried to reset the soundbar, but that did not solve the problem.
 
Hi,

I'm having the exact same problem. In my setup, a PS4 is connected via HDMI to the TV. The TV (ARC) is then connected to eARC of the soundbar, but no sound playing through HDMI, only wireless works. Would be great if anyone has an idea what the problem could be.

Thanks

edit: I tried to reset the soundbar, but that did not solve the problem.

Are you sure you're using HDMI2.1 cables? I made sure I used high speed 48gpbs one's before after reading all the issues. The cable that comes with it is not 48gbps.
 
Are you sure you're using HDMI2.1 cables? I made sure I used high speed 48gpbs one's before after reading all the issues. The cable that comes with it is not 48gbps.

Thanks for your reply. For the connnection of the TV (ARC-HDMI) to the soundbar (eARC/ARC), I used the cable that was provided with the soundbar. I would have guessed that this should be working fine. Tried another cable now, but that did not work either. It appears that my Samsung TV does not find the soundbar anymore via Anynet+. I tried turning off and on again Anynet+ on the TV, but that did not change anything. It is really weird as it was working fine in the current setting until 1-2 days ago...
 
Last edited:
I have a question about connections. I started with connecting the audio output on my bluray to the hdmi input on the soundbar. The audio/video output on my bluray into the tv (hdmi 1 not arc). I tried plugging a hdmi from the audio/video output on my bluray into the input on the soundbar and watched the tv on the arc hdmi (2). I am getting atmos on the soundbar and hdr on the TV so not sure if I am missing anything using this method?
 
Thanks for your reply. For the connnection of the TV (ARC-HDMI) to the soundbar (eARC/ARC), I used the cable that was provided with the soundbar. I would have guessed that this should be working fine. Tried another cable now, but that did not work either. It appears that my Samsung TV does not find the soundbar anymore via Anynet+. I tried turning off and on again Anynet+ on the TV, but that did not change anything. It is really weird as it was working fine in the current setting until 1-2 days ago...

Ok, now got it to work again. The hint from ManuBBXX (see quote below) was very helpful:
1) Unplugged TV and soundbar
2) Disconnected all HDMI cables from the TV
3) Turn TV on
4) Plug in HDMI to Soundbar
5) turn on Soundbar
=> ARC connection is back.

Thanks guys.
But HDMI Anynet+ is ON and always been ON

Edit : I just solved it by disconnecting TV and bar from the wall, unplugging all hdmi cables.
Then switch only TV ON, replug the bar via hdmi, and the magic finally happened : bar detected again on ARC.
Was tired connecting the bar to the TV via bluetooth..

I set the sound on the TV on DTS:Neo and it sounds greater than dolby digital

If it can be usefull for someone, would be glad I helped :)

The soundbar is really great, but it's really a fight to keep it working...
Thanks to all for the help!
 
Are you sure you're using HDMI2.1 cables? I made sure I used high speed 48gpbs one's before after reading all the issues. The cable that comes with it is not 48gbps.

Just to demistify because it's not the first time i see this misconception about requirement for 2.1 cables : If you don't plug HDMI 2.1 compatible devices DIRECTLY on the sound bar, like PC or PS5 you absolutely don't need 2.1 cable.
If you're just plugging soundbar on eArc on the TV with every devices directly plugged on TV, don't bother with 2.1 as 2.0b is more than enough to transit every audio signal.
I agree Samsung not including 2.1 cable with a 2.1 soundbar is meeeh but no trouble with eArc using default cable.
 
Put the bar in standard mode.
If you have sound in rear speakers, then it's real surround sound.

The bar emulates a surround sound in surround / adaptive mode, not in standard

Ok, so what I thought was a dream run in setting this thing up is over. I cannot get sound out of the rears in standard sound mode.

PS4 -> gameport HDMI4 on Q80T
Q80T HDMI3 eARC <-> eARC on HW950T

I've tried the PS4 in all 3 modes.. LPCM, Bitstream Dolby, Bitstream DTS
Dolby Digital option does not come up on the Q80T.. all I get is PCM / AUTO / PASSTHROUGH

Tried unplugging it all and still no change. I did read earlier in this thread that PS4->soundbar->TV might be a better option... I'll try that. Not that I have a PS5 yet but it will remove the ability to do 4k/120hz. This early tech phase is so annoying.
 
Last edited:
LG CX just dropped a new firmware update and for anyone curious, it did not fix the issue where the XSX does not allow you to select Dolby Atmos or any surround sound option when connected as so:

XSX > LG CX > Q950T

SO frustrating!!!
 
Ok, so what I thought was a dream run in setting this thing up is over. I cannot get sound out of the rears in standard sound mode.

PS4 -> gameport HDMI4 on Q80T
Q80T HDMI3 eARC <-> eARC on HW950T

I've tried the PS4 in all 3 modes.. LPCM, Bitstream Dolby, Bitstream DTS
Dolby Digital option does not come up on the Q80T.. all I get is PCM / AUTO / PASSTHROUGH

Tried unplugging it all and still no change. I did read earlier in this thread that PS4->soundbar->TV might be a better option... I'll try that. Not that I have a PS5 yet but it will remove the ability to do 4k/120hz. This early tech phase is so annoying.
I have the exact same setup as you with a Q80T. Your connections are correct. On your PS4, chose either DTS or Dolby bitstream output. I went with Dolby. On your TV choose PASSTHROUGH which will also fix any audio delays. Make sure Input Signal Plus is enabled on the TV for HDMI3 and HDMI4. Everything should then work properly and you will get sound coming from your rears in any mode. I do however play only in game mode sound as it defaults to that because of the HDMI4 game port. Can't be bothered changing it, but I deselect the surround sound option in game mode which I think makes it sound like standard mode anyway.
 
I have the exact same setup as you with a Q80T. Your connections are correct. On your PS4, chose either DTS or Dolby bitstream output. I went with Dolby. On your TV choose PASSTHROUGH which will also fix any audio delays. Make sure Input Signal Plus is enabled on the TV for HDMI3 and HDMI4. Everything should then work properly and you will get sound coming from your rears in any mode. I do however play only in game mode sound as it defaults to that because of the HDMI4 game port. Can't be bothered changing it, but I deselect the surround sound option in game mode which I think makes it sound like standard mode anyway.

Thanks for the advice, i'll try that. Reading back though any mode that isn't "standard" is virtual surround sound and not real 5.1. I mean it still sounds good but the tech in me wants this thing to work properly!

Just to try something else I have just attempted using the PS4 via the soundbar and I can get sound out of the rears with a crackle/delay. Luckily I have spare HDMI2.1 cables to do various configurations and test. Will try this now.
 
If your console can't pass surround or Atmos through the TV to the bar, then connect the console to the bar, and pass the video to the TV via ARC/eARC out of bar, to ARC or eARC in on TV.

Some TV's simply can't pass some console surround formats or Atmos. But some can too.

But a bitstream from a console to the Q950T can play the surround audio and Atmos and produces fantastic sound quality.

The only glitch is that with Atmos titles the bar's remote control input button must be cycled, to get the bar to pickup the Atmos audio signal, and then it will engage its internal "Atmos Mode" on the bar's display, when any Atmos game or movie first starts up.

Other than that slight glitch it works reliably.
 
Here to say that having the C9 in HDMI eARC on and audio to Passthrough, I set the PS4 Pro either as Dolby or DTS out (I prefer DTS, but I'm not sure if the Samsung TVs support it at all), and everything works with zero delay.

In general, with bitstreamed formats (except the ones being sent by the Dolby Access app for games), the bar works instantly.
 
If your console can't pass surround or Atmos through the TV to the bar, then connect the console to the bar, and pass the video to the TV via ARC/eARC out of bar, to ARC or eARC in on TV.

Some TV's simply can't pass some console surround formats or Atmos. But some can too.

But a bitstream from a console to the Q950T can play the surround audio and Atmos and produces fantastic sound quality.

Managed to get it to work with the PS4 (original 1st gen version) via the HDMI1 on the soundbar and get 5.1 in standard mode. The Q80T shows "audio undefined" which i'm not sure is a good or bad thing but i'm getting 5.1. I would've assumed all version of the PS4 could pass surround sound and the same for a Q80T which is a 2020 version TV WITH HMDI 2.1.

Given some of the others here have been able to get PS4 Dolby via the TV back to the soundbar, i'm still bewildered as to why I can't get it.. maybe because i've got a 1st gen PS4 vs others with PS Pro's etc. who knows.

The litmus test will be when I get a PS5 and connect it back up to the Q80T via port 4 (hdmi2.1) and see if I can get 5.1/Atmos then. Stock is ridiculous so I can't see myself getting one for another 3-6months.

I have the exact same setup as you with a Q80T. Your connections are correct. On your PS4, chose either DTS or Dolby bitstream output. I went with Dolby. On your TV choose PASSTHROUGH which will also fix any audio delays. Make sure Input Signal Plus is enabled on the TV for HDMI3 and HDMI4. Everything should then work properly and you will get sound coming from your rears in any mode. I do however play only in game mode sound as it defaults to that because of the HDMI4 game port. Can't be bothered changing it, but I deselect the surround sound option in game mode which I think makes it sound like standard mode anyway.

Used your settings as recommended and no go. Chose Bitstream Dolby on PS4, went passthrough on TV and no sound on the rears. Input Signal Plus is enabled (wasn't before) but didn't make a difference. No rears in standard mode which I believe is true 5.1 whereas the other modes are virtual.

Side note: In getting the rears to work in standard mode I was getting crackle/feedback and I adjusted the channel on my 5ghz wifi spectrum as well as fixing it to 80hz fixed it. I did read up that because they share channels that there could be interference.
 
lol this forum is great with some fantastic input, but oh boy reading through all the posts is mind boggling... surely a sound bar shouldn't be this complicated :)
 
Yes, software is really buggy. Just today I tried again Amazon music and TuneIn. I heard 'Radio station xyz will be played' or 'Song xyz will be played' and afterwards... Silence. I could see in the Smartthings app that music was played but I couldn't hear anything.
Today Samsung support replied. They confirmed this bug and are working on a (firmware and/or server) solution.
Let's see and wait
 
With the up firing speakers, does anyone know if the sound shoots straight up, or up and angled forward?

The reason I mention it is my sound bar is attached to the bottom of my wall mounted TV. Although the sound bar is positioned in front of the screen, the screen does lean forward slightly so that its angled slightly downwards. This means the screen hangs slightly over the bar, potentially obstructing the sounds path to the ceiling.

Thats only if the sound goes straight up however. If it shoots slightly forward I dont think they're should be an issue.

Any thoughts? All the best
 
With the up firing speakers, does anyone know if the sound shoots straight up, or up and angled forward? The reason I mention it is my sound bar is attached to the bottom of my wall mounted TV. Although the sound bar is positioned in front of the screen, the screen does lean forward slightly so that its angled slightly downwards. This means the screen hangs slightly over the bar, potentially obstructing the sounds path to the ceiling. Thats only if the sound goes straight up however. If it shoots slightly forward I dont think they're should be an issue. Any thoughts? All the best

The top speakers in the bar are angled toward the listener by somewhere around 15 degrees from vertical, so should not be a problem for you.
 
lol this forum is great with some fantastic input, but oh boy reading through all the posts is mind boggling... surely a sound bar shouldn't be this complicated :)

Don't be mislead by all that. This surround system (with a bar) is easy to figure out and get working, the complications come mostly with the streaming devices people plug into it, and their setup process and choices.

Keep it simple. I hook it up and enter the settings I want, then use it as a stand alone audio playback system and control it with a remote (I never use the app). The system gives me no trouble at all, and it's a lot easier to setup and use than my TV, PC or Xbox. There's a familiarization period but that's all.

So far I haven't found any issues that prevent me from using this system reliably or listening to any audio source I want to hear or video I want to watch.

I don't use streaming media because I can't tolerate their unreliability. Everything I listen to is downloaded to SSD or some sort of disk or memory device before I play it, and have not experienced any audio-dropouts since I bought the system nor any speaker connection problems. 100% reliable and completely trouble-free playback is situation normal for me.

Zero complex issues involved.
 
With the up firing speakers, does anyone know if the sound shoots straight up, or up and angled forward?

The reason I mention it is my sound bar is attached to the bottom of my wall mounted TV. Although the sound bar is positioned in front of the screen, the screen does lean forward slightly so that its angled slightly downwards. This means the screen hangs slightly over the bar, potentially obstructing the sounds path to the ceiling.

Thats only if the sound goes straight up however. If it shoots slightly forward I dont think they're should be an issue.

Any thoughts? All the best
You can see it here visual:

 
I can't confirm this. Yes, most of the problems are related to Alexa or streaming. But I got audio-dropouts with my television (no other devices plugged in) too.

Were you streaming content on the TV?

If you were not it was the TV station's signal reception dropping out, not the bar.
 
Last edited:
Registered to this forum just to add my $0.02 and mirror some sentiments that have been posted here before.

I've owned this soundbar for a couple of months now and the Atmos output is lovely. I enjoy the audio quality and really like the setup overall.

However, the lack of LPCM support is beyond frustrating. One of my main use cases for this is having it hooked up to an LG CX and a PC with a 3090. I've got everything that I want except for reliable surround sound.

I've tried using the Dolby Access app, but saying it's flaky would be too kind. The Dolby Atmos for Home Theater output frequently stops outputting any sound, and when it encoding the audio in games for Bitstream output, there's a notable audio delay.

I just want to be able to push out simple 5.1+ LPCM audio from my PC without any slow/unreliable encoding.

Hopefully Samsung can address this issue sooner rather than later. I'm slightly tempted to return the soundbar and grab something else, but I'm otherwise so happy with the soundbar in every other regard. I'd be gutted to have to swap this out for such a silly reason that seems to stem from an arbitrary limitation more than anything else.

In the meantime, is there any other way I can join others here in prodding Samsung to get this fixed? It'd be a huge comfort just to have a clear and concise statement from them indicating that they're aware of the limitation and are going to fix it.

Cheers!

/rant
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom