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Bose Smart Soundbar 900 vs Samsung HW-Q950A

Bose Smart Soundbar 900

Bose Smart Soundbar 900

153 reviews

View Product Details

Samsung HW-Q950A

Samsung HW-Q950A

69 reviews

View Product Details

#12 most mentioned

Reddit · r/soundbars

Best Standalone 5.1 Soundbar

RTINGS · The 5 Best 5.1 Soundbars

Alternative With Bluetooth Support

RTINGS · The 5 Best All-In-One Soundbars

#1 most mentioned

Reddit · r/soundbars

Best Customizable Soundbar

RTINGS · The 7 Best Soundbars

Great sound quality

Atmos capabilities

Subwoofer and surround sound speakers enhance the experience

Low profile design

App helps in adjusting sound

Great immersive surround sound

Versatile setup with dedicated subwoofer and satellites included

Neutral sound suitable for various types of audio content

Compact size and sleek design

Good value for its price

Not compatible with some voice assistants

Difficulty with Bose app and remote control

Lack of bass and volume at high levels

Not consistent connectivity with some devices

Some users have had difficulty setting it up

Customer service can be outsourced and hard to understand

Verdict

Overall, the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 receives mixed reviews. Many users praise its sound quality and the addition of the subwoofer and surround sound speakers. However, some users have had difficulty with the Bose app and remote control, as well as connecting to voice assistants. There are also some complaints about the lack of bass and volume at high levels. Despite these issues, the soundbar is still considered a good upgrade from built-in TV speakers and is recommended for those looking for a premium soundbar with Atmos capabilities.

Verdict

Overall, the Samsung HW-Q950A soundbar receives mixed reviews. Some users praise its immersive surround sound and versatility, while others have had issues with connectivity and sound quality. The system is generally considered a good value for its price, but some users have had difficulty setting it up and dealing with customer service. Despite some negative feedback, many users appreciate the Q950A's compact size and sleek design.

Reviews by Topic

Our analysis shows how reviewers feel about different topics. Please note these are not full reviews.

Sound Quality

youtube

Bose Smart Soundbar 900 - Is the standalone enough?

For example, the bose 900 can correct for this, though, through a feature advertised as adapter cube. Basically, you wear a headset connected to the b...

Positive

youtube

BEST SOUNDBAR 2021? Samsung Q950A Soundbar Review & Demo

Speakers were more spacious, rather than coming from above my head. Keep in mind that the placement and the type of room that you have will impact the...

Neutral

Bass

Have the soundbar 900 and it's pretty good but I feel like it's missing more of the low end compared to my 300, funnily enough. Thinking of getting the bass module 500 but I wasn't sure if it would actually be useful for me. I don't care about loud booms during explosions or whatever in film, I just want a richer lower end in general that helps boost the immersion of say, listening to an orchestra or watching a disney musical. Is the subwoofer only good for those "booms" people associate with action films, or can this also increase the general richness of the audio?

Positive

reddit.com/r/bose

Awesome sound quality with the bass I desired

I first bought a Samsung T59 soundbar, which didn't cut it. The bass was not good. Replaced it with the Q800A, and it was like day and night. Great crisp detailed highs and super lows that you can feel if you want to crank it up

Connectivity

For such an expensive device, having to go through connecting your device to bluetooth every time you use a non supported app or service compared to just pressing a single button on an iPhone really puts a dent in the usability of the soundbar if you do not own an iPhone. This is disappointing.

Negative

reddit.com/r/bose

Sounds Good When Works

1 and I don’t want a middle man from my devices to the tv. I will add that this may be partially the tv as the culprit. The setup I prefer works with the Sonos arc setup, but I have had some “handshake” issues with that as well from the Apple TV to the tv itself then to the arc. I’ve only noticed this once and it didn’t last long, but I do want to mention

Wireless

youtube

Bose 900 Soundbar Review: A Dolby Atmos Beast?

Now. Some people prefer the familiarity and simplicity of bluetooth, which is fair enough and might be a big tick in the box for bose. Also, the bose ...

Neutral

There's the 11.1.4 Samsung Q950A, there's the JBL Bar 9, the Sony HT-A5/7000, and my current pick, the 5.0

Positive

reddit.com/r/Soundbars

Wireless Connectivity

"In January, the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 will be automatically updated to support Chromecast built-in, giving you another tool to wirelessly stream your music and podcasts to your Bose smart soundbar.". https://www.bose

Positive

reddit.com/r/bose

Wifi ? Sort of, sound quality is great but wifi connectivity requires phones to be present

I decided to reconnect it to the wifi as it would not do so. I spend 1.5 hours with a Samsung tech who finally managed to get me reconnected to the soundbar only to have Alexa still not working. I called back only to find there was no documentation on my first call

Size

Horrible soundbar

My Arc is on backorder but I am willing to wait AND revamp my TV setup to make room for it. The Bose was a good fit in size, but that's the only positive I have to say about it. One disappointing star.

Room Shaking Sound

This is our small home theater sound system, fitting into a room about 10x20. In that space, this sound bar can fill the room with ease and shake the walls without breaking a sweat. Installation and set up was easy, even accounting for the addition of the rear speakers which connect wirelessly. The system auto detects the activation of the inputs and turns on for us making it one less remote to program/reach for to get ready to use

Price

Not impressed for a Bose product. Terrible sound.

I am a Bose fan and have been for decades. The 900 doesn’t cut it, especially for the price. My suggestion is to look elsewhere.

At the time of me writing this I can grab a Samsung HW-Q950A for $999, or spend a little more on a Sonos Arc and Sub for $1,449. They’re regularly the same price and would have done Sonos but the low price on the Samsung really has me interested. Another point to the Samsung for me is my wife is considering getting a Blu Ray player and since most Blu Rays are in DTS:X the Sonos would be basically useless.

Neutral

reddit.com/r/Soundbars

Volume

The sub transformed the experience. Our living room is about 15X18 with 12 ft ceilings and this Bose has no problem filling it up. It was little pricey but all in all worth it

shopmyexchange.com

Weak sound and poor support

. UPDATE II: Uh oh. The volume problems are happening again. For shows I could watch with the volume set at 28-35, I now have to set between 75-95

Mids

East set-up, awesome app, great sound quality.

I bought this a few weeks ago. The item shipped and showed up promptly. Very easy set up, even the packaging is well thought out. The app is awesome as well, it comes with a remote but the app removes the need for even that

shopmyexchange.com

Best soundbar available if your expectations are reasonable and straightforward

but it works in a pinch for casual). Yeah, it has it's idiosyncrasies (display on top; Samsung Smart Things controls vs remote; limited gaming connections/120Hz support), but I LIKE the cloth cover! Would I buy it again? MOST LIKELY (only if Samsung has another humongous gift card promotion). Some of my particulars: A low profile is a must (2

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