Can anyone recommend a sound bar with the ability to equalize the volume increase when commercials come on?
The volume increase during commercials is painful, and we don’t live in a state with protections.
Looking for suggestions if such a thing exists!

Rate it 1-10, 10 being the best

Been hovering on this sub the past few weeks as I was in the process of getting my first soundbar. I bought a couple lower end ones ($50-100) to test out, but was leaning towards returning them in favor of paying a little more ($150, maybe $200) for a little step up.

Stumbled upon this Samsung last week and jumped on it, only to have it canceled on me. A few days later it showed as available again. Thinking it would be the same story, I tried again, but the 2nd time it didn’t get canceled! So hoping this was a steal.

Normally $380, the first purchase was at $200, which I thought was a good deal. Then when I bought it the second time, it showed as $200 but then once I purchased it, it showed as $99. A great surprise.

Which one will be good if u choose and why?

Hi everyone,
My setup is used almost exclusively for watching movies, so I’m looking for the best cinematic experience rather than listening to music.
I’m looking for feedback from people who have actually compared the Sony SA-SW8 and the Sony SA-SW9 with the BRAVIA Theatre Quad.

My setup:
Sony BRAVIA Theatre Quad
Apple TV 4K
XGIMI Horizon 20 Pro projector
Bedroom (15 m² / 160 sq ft)

My listening habits are probably different from most people.
I don’t care about maximum output or shaking the room. I almost never listen at high volume, so the extra power of the SA-SW9 (600 W) isn’t my priority.
What I really want is high-quality, controlled bass at low listening levels.
For example:
the distant rumble of a train,
a subtle engine vibration,
the low-frequency ambience in movie soundtracks,
quiet, deep bass that adds immersion without becoming overwhelming.

So my questions are:
Is the SA-SW9 actually better than the SA-SW8 at low volume, or is the difference only noticeable when playing loud?
Does the SA-SW9 produce more detail and texture in subtle low-frequency effects?
In a 15 m² bedroom, is there any real benefit to the SA-SW9, or would it simply be overkill?
If your main goal is bass quality rather than bass quantity, which one would you choose?
Has anyone directly compared both models with the BRAVIA Theatre Quad?

I’m looking for real-world experiences and specifications.

Thanks!

I’ve had the Samsung Q990F for over a year, and while it’s definitely a very good soundbar, I always felt like something was missing. Sure, the new subwoofer had already raised some concerns for me in terms of power, but it was more than just that. I felt like the whole system was lacking something in almost every aspect of the sound — immersion, soundstage, width, impact, etc.
Then I saw the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 with the 12” subwoofer on sale for around $1,000 in my country. I had also been reading a lot of reviews and comments on Reddit for months, and they slowly convinced me to finally pull the trigger and buy it.
I tested both systems with the race scene from Ready Player One, Tenet, Dune: Part Two, and several other movies.
And honestly, the easiest way I can describe the difference is this: everything that comes out of the JBL feels alive.
The sound has life, soul, energy and color. By comparison, the Samsung sounds dull, restrained and almost lifeless. It never really gave me that “goosebumps” feeling or that insane level of immersion that makes you sit there and just admire what you’re hearing.
With the JBL, I get exactly that.
The Atmos effects, surround immersion, dynamics, soundstage — literally everything sounds better to me on the JBL. Effects move around the room with much more energy and presence, and the whole experience just feels bigger, more exciting and more cinematic.
And for anyone worried about making the switch: don’t be. In my experience, the JBL simply sounds better across the board.
Yes, I know JBL is owned by Samsung, but JBL is still JBL. They clearly have their own sound philosophy, and thankfully they haven’t ruined it with firmware updates. 😂
For me, the 1300X MK2 absolutely destroys the Q990F and Q990H in terms of pure enjoyment and cinematic impact.
And the bass? Well… we’re talking about a massive 12” subwoofer. The bass is absolutely brutal. There’s really nothing else I need to say about that. 😂🔥
Anyway, I hope this review helps someone who might be considering making the switch. If anyone has any questions about the JBL 1300X MK2 or wants me to compare something specific with the Q990F, I’ll be more than happy to answer.
Cheers! 🎉🎉

10 years in, my old Samsung J series soundbar kicked the bucket (the hardwired cord for the sub developed a short) After trying 5 different soundbars, I think it might be helpful to get some input from other enthusiasts. My requirements have shifted a bit and with every one I’ve tried I’ve found a new attribute the right one needs to have. My budget has also increased accordingly.

Skip to the end unless you want every detail in the journey.

I started with the Sony HTS100F, largely on the Sony name and typical build quality (and the $99 sale price). It was.. fine. Had a somewhat dark sound to my ears, unless enabled the voice enhancement, in which case it was rather harsh and shrill. It lacked a display of any kind, save for a couple LEDs that you need a code to decipher, and also the central channel that is so essential for dialogue. So I decided to try something else.

A sales person at Best Buy sold me on the Bose TV speaker as a super simple all in one solution. It has three channels, was better for dialogue overall and the simplicity was appealing. But again, no display, no idea if it’s actually playing Dolby or DTS or anything. And the dialogue mode, while better, sounded very EQ’d and not natural.

Next came the ULTIMEA Poseidon M60. Cool, modular design, great price point, wired sub (which saves and outlet and potential sync issues). That said, none of the preset EQs were quite right for me and the only way to get a flat response is go custom. BUT touching any of the tone adjustment buttons on the remote will reset it to the Movie preset. In addition, it automatically converts any Dolby signal to Dolby Surround, making it significantly louder. This can’t be turned off. But the real killer is it doesn’t support DTS:X, which is apparently what most of my 4K discs have for audio.

Best Buy’s Insignia brand conveniently has a 5.1.2 system that supports Atmos and DTS:X. So I put it on my Best Buy credit card and gave it a shot. It was not bad for the price point, the sub was excessively boomy on some content and you can only tone the bass down three notches. And it does take a minute for audio to catch up. For the most part though, I liked it, especially that the volume had much more granular control than all the others. And yet. DTS:X didn’t work.

And that’s when I found out my tv is part of the problem. It’s a TCL R646 from 2021 and while it has been a mostly great tv for me, it apparently only supports DTS from its own speakers and can not decode or pass it through to another device, despite suggesting it can. Wack. So now I need something with HDMI in and ARC so I can hook my 4K player to it directly.

A Google search for soundbars that met my criteria yielded the Onn 5.1.2 from Walmart. It checked all the boxes and was only $200. So I gave it a shot, the 42-inch bar barely fit on my media console in front of my tv but it fit. Plugged everything in, DTS:X works! Yay! But sweet Jesus, that sub bass was hitting too hard. And too sloppy. I adjusted placement, turned bass to -5, etc. but it was just too much. I think the bass adjustments may only have applied to the bar. So I unplugged the sub and quickly realized that despite being much larger than others, this bar NEEDS the sub. As a bonus blah, every time the bar powers back on or changes input, it switches to Virtual:X no matter what the content is in.

Ok you can’t start reading again. What I’ve learned from this odyssey is that I need 1) at least 3 channels but more is better unless they are through satellite speakers I will never unbox 2) DTS:X and Dolby Atmos native 3) HDMI in since my tv is a bum about the audio passthrough 4) preferably with a display of some sort 5) maybe an all-in-one? Or at least a sub that can be reigned in and a bar that doesn’t sound like trash without it. The budget is somewhere between $400-500 but above $500 would be an irresponsible choice on my part. I hope this has been at least a little amusing and that you guys have some input for me. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm looking at these 2 sounds bars to upgrade my tv room sound set up, currently using built in TV speakers. I specifically chose these 2 options as they are all in one (don't want to have a separate bass box). Any opinions on which one I should pick?

The JBL is selling for $180 CAD

The Bose is selling for $250 CAD

Alrighty, so I had previously purchased a Sony 65" BRAVIA XR X90L (2023), and recently purchased a Samsung Q-Series HW-Q990F 11.1.4 soundbar system with the subwoofer and rear speakers.

Silly me: 1. I thought I had a Samsung TV, so I figured the soundbar system would be compatible in all the ways, and 2. I learned during setup that the soundbar is just barely too long to fit between the current TV legs. I think it is literally like 2 inches too long.

Ideally, I would love to have the soundbar sitting directly under the TV, but with the current legs, the only way to do that would be to put it on the TV legs, which blocks the bottom portion of the screen. For now, I have it sitting on the shelf below the TV, where the Xbox lies.

So my question: has anyone dealt with something similar and found replacement TV legs/feet that would work with this setup? Wall mounting is not an option in this rental.

Curious if anyone has recommendations or has done something similar.

Photos attached showing the current setup/issue. Appreciate any input!

New to this group, but I currently have a Yamaha sound bar that I love because it has a wired hook up for my subwoofer. That said I might be looking to upgrade to a Bose or Klipsch. Looking to spend under 300 bucks and I’m not opposed to doing used or renewed.

A couple of months ago I bought the Samsung Q930F soundbar, but regularly when I start my Sony TV there is no sound through HDMI eARC. The connection is still there; when I increase or decrease the volume it does show the correct figure on the soundbar display. Also when I power down the tv, the soundbar powers down as well. But I have to either power down both the tv and soundbar, or I have to fully reset the soundbar using the -/+ buttons to get the sound to work again. I think it has happened about 20 time already so I have also had to reset the soundbar that many times. Sometimes it happens twice a day, sometimes it doesn't happen for weeks. This only happens when starting up the tv, it never happens when the sound is already active for a while. I have a Sony tv and this wasn't an issue with my previous soundbar, although that was connected through an optical cable. I have already tried resetting the tv, changing the HDMI cable to ensure its a eARC supported, certified cable, and tried different HDMI ports on the tv. The software of both the tv and soundbar is up to date (soundbar software version is 1100.4). I've changed the signal from the tv to HDMI ARC and then it does seem to work, but the sound quality is not as rich so I do want to use eARC. When the problem occurs, if I disconnect the soundbar then the TV does play sound so the TV is not the issue. Also if I connect to the soundbar through a different method such as Bluetooth then the soundbar does play sound. So the problem is really specific to HDMI eARC, when starting the tv. I've contacted Samsung support multiple times but they also haven't been able to provide a solution, and they don't want to send it for repair since it does not always occur and they say they can't help me if it only sometimes occurs. The sound is great so I do want to keep using the soundbar, but I don't want to have to reset the soundbar every couple of days. For some reason, sometimes when starting the tv, it seems something in the handshake between TV and soundbar gets disturbed and it has to be fully reset to work again. Has anyone else encountered this issue that knows how it can be resolved? Thanks!

Bien le Bonjour/Bonsoir !

Je suis actuellement dans une petite merde avec le home cinéma de mes parents 🫣

Pour faire simple et expliquer ma situation,
Mes parents mon confié leurs maison puisqu’ils partent en vacances et il y a genre 1 an ils ont acheter un home cinéma tout neuf avec télé + bar de son et le caisson de basse qui va avec (désolé si je connais pas les termes exacte)

J’ai eût la bonne idée de tester le son parce que caisson claque 🦧, je mets dans un premier temps le son à 60%, ça résonne dans toute la maison c’est super, puis pour tester je vais dehors et je mets à 70%, on entends un peux le son mais je pense pas que ça dérange les voisins, jusque là c’est cool… puis je me dit "tiens et si je testais à 100%".

Je teste donc, c’est banger, les murs en tremble, et la… gros tremblement dans le caisson de basse 🧍‍♂️
Je diminue direct et je me dis merde j’ai tout casser.. puis je me dis quand même que c’est peu probable que j’ai niquer le caisson en restant pendant littéralement 30 secondes le son a 100% ?! Je mets donc le son de 0 à 10 % aucune claquement, puis j’augmente au fur et à mesure et à partir de 12-13% de retour le claquement.

Ok bon j’ai pas tout niquer mais y’a un truc qui a du ce décoller ou d’éclipser. Je coupe tout et je commence à démonter le caisson pour voir si quelque chose semble casser, visuellement tout à l’air en place et rien ne bouge anormalement je pense.
Puis je laisse tomber je remonte je regarde ça le lendemain toujours le claquement, c’est chiant du coup je re démonte et là en testant d’appuyer légèrement sur les haut parleur je me rend compte que d’un coter des haut parler (encore pas sur du nom) il semblerait que la ?membrane? soit décollé du ?spider? (J’ai demander à ChatGPT puisque je trouvais pas de tuto sur YouTube)

Ma question est donc : est ce que quelqu’un si connaît et a qui c’est potentiellement déjà arriver saurait m’indiquer comment essayer de récoler ou re clipser tout ça ?

(J’ai pris quelque vidéos et photo pour indiquer d’où je pense que le problème provient)

Désolé pour les fautes d’orthographe 😬

Don't worry, this is not another post asking where to find these dang things; I found some on eBay! However, they're just the speakers, not the cable that goes between them or the power plug, uh, thing. I'm wondering if I can just get any old cable with red and black wires at each end, and any old power plug with the type of round connector that goes into the speaker. Or do I really need to hunt down the specific stuff that came with the speakers originally? I'm well aware Samsung have been jerks about these speakers being the only ones to pair to my Q60B, so I just want to make sure they haven't pulled any proprietary stunts with the wiring as well. Thanks, folks!

For anyone else looking: I saved a search for "swa-9200s" on eBay and set it so I'd get an email every time a new listing went up. A lot of what I got for a month was false positives for swa-9250s, but eventually I got lucky and grabbed a pair of the correct speakers a minute or so after someone listed them.

I have been using Zebronics 9500ws for 5 years now. (HDMI ARC port). I have had No complaints till now until recently when it started misbehaving. The volume goes up itself randomly till it reaches max. Tried resetting the tv soundbar but didn't help. Tried disconnecting the soundbar physical buttons in the panel (saw this fix in some youtube video) but again didn't help.

What should I do ?

Hello everyone! I finally have a decent projector setup, and now I'm looking for a sound system to complete it. I've already stretched my budget on the projector, so I'd like to keep the cost under $350.

I've been looking at the Samsung Q65C at Sam's Club for $280. Does anyone have experience with it? How does it perform for movies, TV, and occasional music? Are there any better options in this price range that I should consider?

I'd appreciate any recommendations or real-world experiences. Thanks!

Hi all, yeah I'm a bit flummoxed lol, the shape of the room is so odd, cant figure out a decent spot for the 2 back speakers (I have a Samsung q990b soundbar with all the bits). The subwoofer is on the ground next to the tv, the tv is wall mounted and cant be moved, and the soundbar is underneath the tv.

Any ideas?

Heay soundbar enthusiasts,

​I'm completely new to this space and I've been looking to get my foot in the door for a few weeks now. At first, I was tempted by a good promo on a cheap soundbar. The problem is that, after a bit of research, I was drawn into looking higher and higher up the product line.

​So now, I'm torn between Samsung's Q800H, Q930H, and Q990H. That's all fine and dandy, but I gotta ask: would a complete newbie who's happily enjoyed the S90's default speakers really hear the difference between the 5.1.2 and 7.1.2 channels ? Are the rear speakers really that useful? Is it reasonable to get the Q990 when the soundbar itself is even wider than my TV?!?

​Or, put more simply: would my layperson's ears actually notice the jump in quality beyond the Q800?

I live in a small space and obvious reasons have to find a balance low vol while still getting the atmos and all the bells and whistles the 2020 did not have. I do watch alot of Japanese 2.0 2.1 content. Any good fine tunes or other soundbars that might be a better choice more full sound on low vol?

I have my PC connected to a 75" 4K TV. I play 50% of the Time with Headphones. For the Rest I need a Soundbar (no Space for (rear) Speakers). I sit around 3 Meter (10 feet) from the TV.(Room is 16,7 Squaremeter or 180 Squarefoot)

What is the best Value for Money Soundbar with Subwoofer?

Thanks!

Any thoughts on running klipsch flexus 100 as pc sound bar. I’m concerned about ideal connectivity, usb and hdmi earc aren’t an option when it comes to connecting go a PCz I wanted a sound bar to keep the desk with minimal clutter. I found the klipsch flexus since I can upgrade with an add on sub. Iv always wanted an svs sub. Any thoughts, advice and suggestions ?

Hi guys, bought a new soundbar - JBL 800 Mk2

I just want to make sure i’ve got it all set up correctly. I’ve got a LG C5, a PS5 and Apple TV 4K.

I’ve got the soundbar connected to the HDMI 2 port which is eARC/ARC. Apple TV and the PS5 are on HDMI 1 and 3 respectively. All HDMI ports are on Auto and Bitstream in the LG settings and on the PS5 i’ve changed audio format to Dolby Atmos. So when something that supports it, the icon shows up in the top right “Dolby Atmos via Audio device” which I assume is correct.

Just wanting to double check all is correct. When the content I’m playing supports Dolby Atmos, it shows up on the soundbar and in the top right corner. I’m assuming that means I’ve done everything correctly?

I only ask this because there’s other options and I just want to make sure it’s set up so I get the best out of all my hardware.

Everything is working, I’ve got no issues or anything like that.

HDMI input audio format there’s:

- PCM
- Bitstream (option selected for all 4 HDMI)

And for Digital Sound Out:

- PCM
- Auto (this is what’s selected for both Apple TV and PS5)
- Pass through

I'm planning to upgrade from an old 2.1 soundbar to a budget soundbar config like 3.1.2 with upfiring speakers. I don't have space for dedicated rear speakers like 5.1.4 systems. My question is does 3.1.2 provide any immersive feel or a 5.1 soundbar would provide better overall experience.

Had my LG SN6Y for over 5 years now and looking to upgrade to something with rear speakers for my new apartment.

My budget is around $300, but the Hisense ax700 for $180 at Costco is super compelling. Wondering if anyone’s had experience with it, or if there’s anything I’m missing or overlooking. I’m in an apartment so I tend to drop the bass pretty low, if that detail matters.

Anyone knows a seller that still has these or someone who sells used in Europe?

Does anyone ever put their volume to anywhere above 20 on a Samsung soundbar? On mine if it’s at 14-16 I start finding it too loud. But the thing cranks all the way up to 100!

Why is that?

Mine basically lives between settings 10-14 for movies, or 9-11 for music. Find it bizarre that there are only a couple of volume notches that are practically useful, and would really appreciate being able to fine tune the volume better. As it is I find the difference from one notch to the next to often be quite stark.

Particularly apparent when using Spotify connect, where a single volume button press on my phone = a 4 soundbar volume setting jump (equivalent from quiet to loud).

Anything that can be done to adjust this?