Samsung HW-Q950T Soundbar Review & Comments

Any one know what the new update is for ?.its only available by usb at the moment .
Any news what the update is all about..maybe an alarm clock, the ability to make toast maybe? or something simple like updating eArc to work as promised.....
 
Or maybe to adjust the speakers separately .put led screen on the front of bar .🤔
 
Upgrade File(USB type) ver 1017.5 (MULTI LANGUAGE): All OS2020-10-12 🤔
 
If anyone's still in the market for one, there's a few of them on eBay brand new for £950.
 
Hi, Guys, just joined this HW Q950T few weeks ago and experience this beast of soundbar

However, over the last few week i've been facing the issue which i saw in most forum:
Sub disconnected/ not working after soundbar wake up from standby

The sub will also affect my rear which my current solution is to temp disable my Sub from wall plug.
Kinda tired that i need to unplug the power and replug again to make the sub works.


Currently my version still 1016 which i'm gonna update to 1017 tonight after back from work using USB.

I hope this can solve the issue :(
 
I was wondering the same thing
Check the other q950t thread. It looks like eARC (lossless audio passthrough) is working properly now, but there are still problems with Lpcm.
 
Ok .think it was on mine anyway.it would be nice if they put the log next to the update so you know what it's for. I now going to do the dreaded update !!!😬😬😬
 
As someone without eARC on my current TV how is the Q950 for Atmos and DTS:X via normal ARC when played via PS4, XBOX, ATV, NVIDIA Shield Pro?

From a room dimension perspective my ceiling is approx 9ft high and I will be sitting 9-10ft from the TV.

I'd really appreciate your thoughts before I spend this kind of money. Thanks in advance
 
If I had the choice again I'd buy an avr amp with speakers .if it had better calibration it would be alot better .not sure about the arc though.👍
 
As someone without eARC on my current TV how is the Q950 for Atmos and DTS:X via normal ARC when played via PS4, XBOX, ATV, NVIDIA Shield Pro?

From a room dimension perspective my ceiling is approx 9ft high and I will be sitting 9-10ft from the TV.

I'd really appreciate your thoughts before I spend this kind of money. Thanks in advance
Connection direct to soundbar will give you full atmos and not a compressed version via eArc. Your room size is fine. Hopefully the offer of half price for the soundbar if you purchase a cheap £200 samsung tv is still active for you. ;)
 
Connection direct to soundbar will give you full atmos and not a compressed version via eArc. Your room size is fine. Hopefully the offer of half price for the soundbar if you purchase a cheap £200 samsung tv is still active for you. ;)
Thank you, really appreciate it.
 
So I've been in the market for a Dolby Atmos soundbar to replace a Yamaha YSP-2700. Four contenders: Sennheiser Ambeo; this Samsung HW-Q950T; LG SN11RG and the Sonos Arc.

All have their pros and cons. Thanks to sites like this, I was able to do my research and make an informed decision as to how I would spend my money to best suit my specific needs. (I've had a full 5.1 and receiver set up in the past. I am done, done, done with cables and speaker mounting. I accept that there's a trade off in terms of sound quality but, again, it's my money and my choice).

Ultimately, it came down to the Samsung or the Sonos Arc. I came really close to pulling the trigger on the Samsung HW-Q950T: the 9.1.4 set up in particular really pushed my gadget/techie buttons. But I was put off by three things: the intermittent speaker connection issues reported on previous Samsung soundbars; the lack of firmware updates to either address these issues or add new features/functions (software only sure but during the lifespan of my YSP-2700 for example, Yamaha added support for Spotify Connect and new Dolby formats. Point is firmware updates are important) and finally, the amount of frustrated owners on Samsung (and other) fourms.

So I pulled the trigger on a Sonos Arc 5.1.2 Surround Set (Arc + Sub Gen 3 + 2x One SLs). (I should add that my Sony 65AF9 supports eARC and, other than the usual streaming services, I only have two sources: a rarely used Freesat box and a Shield TV 2019 for watching NAS-stored 4k movie rips. Basically, I was used to plugging in sources to the TV anyway and it's a cleaner install - the single HDMI connection on the Arc didn't worry me at all).

This is my first Sonos purchase. The debacle with the switch to os S2 didn't put me off (frankly, if I get ten years out of this set up on my main TV I'm happy. The Arc can always be re-purposed to a second TV set, and the sub and One SLs used in another room for music). The key for me was that this is a product that will improve with age through firmware updates (since launch, the fw has been updated four or five times to the current 12.0.5, including a fix for the notorious bass issue. Sonos will also be adding supporting for LPCM in a fuure update).

And it sounds STUNNING. Dolby Atmos is a revelation (whether lossy DD+ through Netflix/Disney+, or lossless TrueHD from my movie rips). The sound is immersive to the extent that you often can't tell where it's coming from (and also appears to come from where there are no physical speakers - freaky!) Like someone else said, I recommend going to the Dolby website and downloading the various Atmos demo files.

Is Sonos perfect? No, of course not. Is the Arc perfect? No, of course not (pretty darn close though). Is any soundbar perfect? No, of course not. Is there a shiny new product that will make me green with envy around the corner? Yes. Obviously. Always.

I wish nothing but goodness and hassle-free enjoyment to any HW-Q950T or SN11RG owners out there. It's very possible that either produces a more immersive experience than the Sonos Arc set up (for my own peace of mind, I have no intention of finding out!) But, bottom line, I got exactly what I expected (actually, the degree of immersion has exceeded expectations) and am super happy with my choice.

Do your research, spend your money in the best way that works for you and, most importantly, enjoy 👍👍👍
I would be buying the Sonos with a second thought if my TV had eARC. Unfortunately it doesn't and my Samsung Smart Box connection doesn't have enough HDMI ports as it is meaning its not an option. Really pleased to hear its as good as it looks.
 
Hi guys,

First post here on the forum.
I just bought a Q950 T to go with my 65Q90T.
My question is. How do I connect my stuff haha.

View attachment 1372434

I have a Nvidia Shield pro and a PS4 pro.
To get Atmos out of my Shield do I need to connect it to the soundbar or leave it in the tv? I have EARC but I thought the Samsung tv's doesn't support Atmos passthrough. Is this true?
How is the Shield Pro through these speakers? Does it produce TrueHD Atmos? Thinking of buying both and would appreciate your experiences. Thanks
 
I have a Shield 2019 (not Pro) and have it plugged directly into the Soundbar. I run Plex on it and the combined setup plays everything I throw at it correctly - to my ears - from stereo all the way up to lossless true HD (Atmos) and DTS X
 
I have a Shield 2019 (not Pro) and have it plugged directly into the Soundbar. I run Plex on it and the combined setup plays everything I throw at it correctly - to my ears - from stereo all the way up to lossless true HD (Atmos) and DTS X
Thank you, something else for the shopping list.
 
Looking at getting a 65 inch tv for game/cinema room, so 50% off this soundbar sounds like a steal.

Just wondering if this soundbar would be wasted on a room size of 8x10ft?
 
Hi! maybe you can help me with this simple question:

When playing Dolby/DTS 5.1 mix (not Atmos), will the rear speakers work as discrete rear surrounds playing the correct 5.1 channels position altogether? Or are these two only designed for Atmos mix (front+top firing) and will just repeat the front channels as upscaled surround on a 5.1 mix?

I think this question applies to the JBL 9.1...

Thank you!
Lew
 
Connection direct to soundbar will give you full atmos and not a compressed version via eArc. Your room size is fine. Hopefully the offer of half price for the soundbar if you purchase a cheap £200 samsung tv is still active for you. ;)


Connect the 4K blu-ray player/AT4k directly to the soundbar and then connect the soundbar to the TV via ARC ('NOT' eARC as I have an old TV) will give you full uncompressed Atmos? Are you sure about that? Isn't the 'HD Fury Arcana' the only way to get lossless audio if you don't have eARC on your TV?
 
Connect the 4K blu-ray player/AT4k directly to the soundbar and then connect the soundbar to the TV via ARC ('NOT' eARC as I have an old TV) will give you full uncompressed Atmos? Are you sure about that? Isn't the 'HD Fury Arcana' the only way to get lossless audio if you don't have eARC on your TV?
Yep, the HD Fury Arcana is for tvs without even Arc let alone eARC.
Plug your atmos capable device directly into soundbar and hdmi out to tv for picture.....
 
Yep, the HD Fury Arcana is for tvs without even Arc let alone eARC.
Plug your atmos capable device directly into soundbar and hdmi out to tv for picture.....

I have ARC so being able to get HD sound without HD Fury Arcana is a saving of £160. If you don't mind my asking, can you tell that it is loseless HD Atmos rather than lossy (Dolby Digital Plus)? I only ask because I was lead to believe you can get lossy Atmos via ARC but not lossless HD Atmos.
Also, if you are plugging the ATV4K/4K blu-ray player directly in the soundbar do you have lip-sync issues with the TV?
 
Plugging directly into soundbar from atmos capable device will give you lossless HD atmos.
I do not have any lip sync issues, the bar will let you adjust any sync issues on a forward basis by milliseconds but not backward for some unknown reason. It is usually just the mix of different manufacturers in the signal chain that causes these issues...sometimes a simply reboot, pause, or switching sources back and forth cure it.
This explains your other question nicely.
"ARC doesn’t allow you to bitstream the full-fat high-quality codecs such as Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio or DTS:X soundtracks that you find on Blu-rays and 4K Blu-rays. It simply strips out the core 5.1 data stream. If you want this level of functionality, you’ll need HDMI eARC.

ARC can, however, allow you to receive Dolby Atmos audio from streaming services that use the format, including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. These services embed Dolby Atmos in a Dolby Digital Plus stream, which ARC can handle".
 
Plugging directly into soundbar from atmos capable device will give you lossless HD atmos.
I do not have any lip sync issues, the bar will let you adjust any sync issues on a forward basis by milliseconds but not backward for some unknown reason. It is usually just the mix of different manufacturers in the signal chain that causes these issues...sometimes a simply reboot, pause, or switching sources back and forth cure it.
This explains your other question nicely.
"ARC doesn’t allow you to bitstream the full-fat high-quality codecs such as Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio or DTS:X soundtracks that you find on Blu-rays and 4K Blu-rays. It simply strips out the core 5.1 data stream. If you want this level of functionality, you’ll need HDMI eARC.

ARC can, however, allow you to receive Dolby Atmos audio from streaming services that use the format, including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. These services embed Dolby Atmos in a Dolby Digital Plus stream, which ARC can handle".


Thanks for taking the time for the reply.

Just for clarification;
4K blu ray -> Directly into soundbar -> Soundbar eARC plugged into TV ARC = Lossy Atmos?

4K blu ray -> Directly into TV -> TV ARC plugged into the soundbar eARC = 5.1?

4K blu ray -> Directly into HD Fury Arcana -> Arcana plugged into soundbar eARC and TV ARC = Dolby TrueHD?
 
Evening all, new member to the site and have just bought the 950 as my first soundbar. Spent most of the afternoon figuring out how to connect everything up and would be grateful for a bit of help. Have three devices connected to my TVs Connect Box - Apple TV, Sky Q box and Xbox One. Sound is coming through the bar via ARC I think And is good - thought not sure if I’m getting Atmos.

I’ve then connected my PS4 to HDMI 1 on the soundbar, which then provides sound but no video - anyone know why this is? I cant figure it out for the life of me.

Any help / tips would be much appreciated.
 

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