Samsung HW-S60B: Two-minute review

If you're after an all-in-one soundbar solution that sounds great with Samsung smarts, then the HW-S60B is a solid option packaged in a compact and slim design. On its own, it can give your TV's audio a significant step up, boosting its sound and adding features such as Alexa and Google Assistant voice assistants as well as more connectivity options like AirPlay 2. 

With a 5.0 channel surround sound that supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, the HW-S60B soundbar works hard to deliver expansive surround sound (albeit digitally). It's great for watching movies and listening to music, but to the more attuned ear you might notice some slight shortcomings (go to the sound quality section for more). 

It's priced at the lower end of the soundbar price spectrum, but still has loads of premium features. In fact, the HW-S60B could easily rival some of the best soundbars we've reviewed if it weren't for the fact that its biggest selling points are limited to just Samsung TVs from 2022 or newer. 

For Samsung TV owners, though, you'll be able to wirelessly connect it to your set as well as other speakers or subwoofers from the range, which is great if you're already in the Samsung ecosystem. You'll also get access to Q Symphony and SoundFit, which are features seen among the top of the line soundbars in the range that allow you to use and calibrate both your TV's and soundbar's speakers at the same.  

Losing out on the wireless feature isn't that much of big of a deal when considering its HDMI input and small footprint though. It will sit proudly in front of any media cabinet and won't take up too much space thanks to its slimming dimensions. In a nutshell, the HW-S60B is a small but mighty soundbar that's the ideal companion for Samsung TV owners.   

Samsung HW-S60B: Price and release date

• Released in April 2022
• $499.99 / £449 / AU$599

Samsung launched the HW-S60B in 2022 as part of its S-series range. The range consists of soundbars with a central console and no subwoofer (also, if you like me are wondering, the H in the the model's name stands for high-end, while the W stands for wireless). 

It launched at $499.99 in the US, which is in line with similar offerings from competitors like the Sonos Beam Gen 2 and Bose Smart soundbar 600. But, at the time of writing (September 2023), it is selling for a discounted price of $249.99, down from $349.99. In the UK, it'll set you back £449, while those in Australia can pick it up for AU$599. 

The HW-S60B replaces the HW-S60A, which was launched in May 2021 for $329 in the US, £399 in the UK and AU$529 in Australia. It has also since been succeeded by the HW-S60C in 2023, which costs the same price at $499.99 / £289.99.  

Samsung HW-S60B: Specs

Samsung HW-S60B: Features

• Wireless Dolby Atmos and Q-Symphony (if you have a Samsung TV)
• HMDI ARC and optical digital connections
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2 and Alexa support

Samsung made some great upgrades to its lifestyle soundbar range in 2022, adding premium features like its proprietary SpaceFit Sound, which is a room tuning correction tool, and virtual Dolby Atmos/DTS:X surround sound. This completely elevates the all-in-one solution of the HW-S60B, allowing it to deliver 3D spatial audio formats without wires via a Wi-Fi connection. 

However, its wireless capabilities, Samsung's Q-Symphony audio format and SpaceFit Sound feature are limited to selected Samsung TVs from 2022. You do see an option to turn on the SpaceFit Sound in the app, although this didn't appear to change much with my non-Samsung TV. Its wireless functionality is also probably the reason why there's only one HDMI port with ARC but sadly no eARC support. 

You don't completely lose out by not having a Samsung TV though and for the sake of this review, I did not test this model out with one. There's still access to Samsung's own SmartThings control app to easily setup the soundbar and tweak settings, such as switching sound modes from Standard and Music to Game and Adaptive Sound as well as DTS:X (virtual). You can also adjust bass, treble and the channel levels for both centre and side speakers just as easy.

In addition to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and AirPlay 2, I was be able to effortlessly stream music from my phone to the HW-S60B through the app's Tap Sound feature. It also has Spotify Connect, which allowed me to play music from anywhere in my home as long as I was in range. It's these types of connectivity features that I found really neat, as it made transforming my living space a seamless experience.

While I'm sure the Alexa support is useful if you have an Alexa-connected device connected to your SmartThings app already, with an iPhone it wasn't a straightforward experience for me and I wasn't able to get it working through the Alexa app. Overall, the HW-S60B is packed with helpful features but the limitations to a Samsung TV lose points for us.  

Features score: 3.5/5

Samsung HW-S60B: Sound quality

• Expansive audio but can sound flat and lacks in bass 
• Loud and clear vocals
• Useful sound modes 

I tested the HW-S60B in a spacious room with soft furnishings connected to a non-Samsung TV through a HDMI cable to ARC. It was a big step-up from my TV's built-in audio and while the detail in the audio gets a little bit lost by turning the volume up, it had an impressive loud room-filling sound. 

Given its compact size, I was very impressed with the expansive sound it was able to deliver. It was able to make dialogue expressive and clear. For example, while watching movies with the Voice Enhancement feature and Adaptive Sound mode turned on, it helped to increase the dialogue legibility of the likes of Christopher Nolan's Tenet, which is no small feat. 

There are some big limitations in bass though, which is to be expected given its small size. These were very noticeable while watching action scenes, such as Top Gun: Maverick's test run training sequence, as it couldn't deliver the full might of the fighter jet's engines firing.      

Listening to music is where you'll notice this even more though. As a reference track, I've heard Elton John's Rocket Man in million pound Dolby Atmos screening rooms and on premium Bower & Wilkins speakers, so know the incredible dynamic range needed to hit the highs and lows in the song. When I played this on the HW-S60B, I started to notice some limitations. 

While listening in Music mode, I noticed that it still mainly revealed a compressed dynamic range and sounded a bit flat. The rhythmic bass that I was used to hearing was not there and the treble struggled to reveal the leveled range in the track that builds to the chorus. This wasn't limited to this track either and when compared to the Sonos Beam Gen 2, it was even more noticeable. 

I tested the different sound performances from the TV but also through Bluetooth for listening to music via Apple Music. I also switched to Spotify while testing the Spotify Connect feature, which worked instantly when connecting via my iPhone.        

Sound quality score: 3/5

Samsung HW-S60B: Design

• A small and slim profile with curved edges
• Hard, robust-feeling plastic
• Stylish remote is let down by flimsy buttons   

Soundbars tend to take on a similar rectangular design and the HW-S60B doesn't stray too far from this, adding in rounded edges to boot. It's slim, sleek and subtle. The HW-S60B is the black model, while the HW-S61B is the white color option. In terms of any other detailing on the soundbar itself, it has a very small Samsung logo (once you get passed the giant sticker on the front of it). 

It's not the slimmest of Samsung's soundbar range (that'd be the ultra-slim S800B, which comes in at just 38mm), but it's not going to block too much of your TV with a height of just 62mm. I found it very easy to adapt it into my setup. 

The Samsung HW-S60B has a plastic gridded mesh around the speakers, ditching the fabric mesh that once covered its predecessor's speakers. It's weighty and doesn't feel like it's going to go anywhere, appearing inconspicuous underneath a TV. 

It has four physical buttons on the top of it. These are dedicated to powering on and off, volume, as well as a connectivity option, which allowed me to pair my phone via Bluetooth, and an option to mute the mic. If you continue holding the connectivity button, you'll also be able to get to Wi-Fi and sound modes. 

In addition to these controls, you also get a dedicated remote. This gives you quick access to sound modes, tone control, levels, Bluetooth pairing, muting and settings. The option to play and pause is in the middle of a circular directional keypad. It's the only part of the remote that sticks out slightly, aside from the two giant protruding pieces of plastic. They're for volume/channel and bass/treble control. And while being able to adjust these settings quickly is handy, the buttons themselves felt like they were a little too fragile. 

Apart from the small Samsung logo at the bottom of it, the remote is fairly clear except for a handy reminder that says 'soundbar' on it (just in case you forget which remote is which). Overall, the remote – much like the soundbar itself – is a good looking slim design.

Design score: 4/5

Samsung HW-S60B: Setup and usability

• Quick and easy setup
• No HDMI or optical cable included
• SmartThings app is intuitive and better to use over the remote

The HW-S60B's packaging was neat and not too wasteful. Inside you'll find – aside from the soundbar itself of course – a power cable, remote, AA batteries, wall mounts and a manual, so you'll need your own HDMI and optical cord to get it going still. 

Of course, if you own a Samsung TV then the lack of an input connection is not an issue as you'll be able to wirelessly tether via Wi-Fi, allowing you to access the Q-Symphony spatial audio and SpaceFit sound features. 

For the purposes of my testing, I used the HDMI input. It was a quick and easy setup once connected to the TV and to a power source, that was it. I loaded up the SmartThings app to test, which gave me full control to a wide set of controls. 

Samsung has worked hard to make the HW-S60B easy to use and setup, and it really is painless. The controls are very intuitive both from the physical clicker to your phone's screen to the soundbar itself. 

Usability is really where the HW-S60B shines. It gives you plenty of options to control for no matter what you're doing. Whether you've just walked into the room and need to quickly turn it down by the soundbar or if you're on your phone. There are some controls that work better than others though. 

For example, adjusting the bass, treble, volume and channels is much simpler to do in the app, where you get a dial. On the remote, however, it's slightly fiddly as you have to switch the settings around for bass and treble as well as volume and channels using a button that activates a voice to tell you which you're now changing.

Overall, the HW-S60B was a walk in the park when it came to functionality and usability. With such a quick and pain-free setup thanks to the SmartThings app, Samsung has made it easy to start instantly playing audio. 

Setup and usability score: 4/5

Samsung HW-S60B: Value

• Great value and feaures for Samsung TV owners
• Soundstage is limited but fair at this level 

If you own a Samsung TV, then the HW-S60B is going to be the best value option for you as you'll get way more features and usability perks out of it than those without. Although, if you can spend a bit more money then it might be worth looking at the company's Q-series soundbar range instead as you'll find more premium features on offer. 

On its own, though, the HW-S60B is still a great option for anyone not looking to spend too much money on their first soundbar. Ultimately, it's good value by itself but great value if you already own or plan to buy more Samsung products.     

Value score: 4/5

Should I buy Samsung's HW-S60B?

Buy it if...

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Also consider

How I tested the Samsung HW-S60B

• Tested for over two weeks 
• Tested with streaming and the Xbox One  
• Reviewed in a standard living space

I tested the Samsung HW-S60B with a Sky Glass TV for more than two weeks. The soundbar was used for watching regular TV as well as for streaming during the evenings. I also connected it to an Xbox One to test it out while gaming and tested the Bluetooth connectivity by streaming music over my iPhone XS. 

The room that it was used in was of standard size and had soft furnishings throughout, although this wasn't too much of an issue given that the Q Symphony and SoundFit weren't used for this review. 

Read TechRadar's review guarantee

• First reviewed September 2023

Sennheiser Ambeo Mini review: Two-minute review

The Sennheiser Ambeo Mini arrives as the smallest, most affordable member of what is now a three-strong family of Sennheiser Ambeo soundbars. What it lacks in stature, though, it makes up for in asking price. Compared to the best soundbars, this is not a budget-conscious option, especially when you consider how much the best of its size-comparable rivals cost.

The Ambeo Mini goes a long way to justifying its asking price even before it’s plugged in, though. Its six-driver speaker array is powered by 250 watts and has the grunt to reach down to a claimed 43Hz at the bottom of the frequency range. It is subject to some very thorough virtualisation technology in an effort to extract a true sense of spatial audio from a soundbar with no dedicated ‘top’ effects drivers. And it’s concealed inside a discreet, well-made cabinet that’s never going to draw attention to itself.

There’s also the choice of control options. Between the ‘Smart Control’ app, the full-size remote control handset, built-in Amazon Alexa voice-control and some integrated touch-controls, you’re not short of options here – and they’re all beautifully realised and eminently usable. 

Performance, though, is where a product like this lives or dies – and in almost every respect, the Sennheiser Ambeo Mini is alive and kicking. Literally kicking where bass response is concerned, the amount of drive and punch it can summon is remarkable given the discreet proportions of its cabinet. It creates a big, open soundstage, piles on the details at every point, and is able to project dialogue to the front without it ever sounding remote or estranged. It’s even pretty adept at generating an impression of spatial audio from 5.1 or even two-channel movie content, although trying to pretend a stereo music file consists of 12 channels proves a bridge too far.

Only the rather modest sensation of true audio ‘height’ to its sound prevents the Sennheiser Ambeo Mini waltzing off with full marks. Or, rather, it’s the combination of this slight reticence along with pricing that suggests expertise in every area that holds it back just a little. If it sounded just a little taller, or if it were just a little less expensive, the Ambeo Mini would be approaching ‘no-brainer’ status. 

Sennheiser Ambeo Mini review: Price and release date

• On sale September 1 2023
• $799 / £699 / AU$1299

The Sennheiser Ambeo Mini is on sale across the world from September 1 2023. In the United Kingdom it sells for £699, while in the United States the going rate is $799. Customers in Australia will need to part with AU$1299 to acquire one.

Yes, this is the most affordable of Sennheiser’s three-strong ‘Ambeo’ range of soundbars – but that’s not the same thing as ‘affordable’, not really. This pricing puts the Ambeo Mini into competition with the well-regarded likes of Samsung’s HW-Q930B and the Arc by Sonos, both of which seem to offer plenty more – not least where dimensions are concerned. 

Sennheiser Ambeo Mini review: Features

• 250 watts of Class D power
• 43Hz - 20kHz frequency response
• 7.1.4 -channel virtualised sound

It’s not, strictly speaking, a feature but more of an ambition: the Sennheiser Ambeo Mini intends to create an impression of 7.1.4 -channel spatial audio using just six speaker drivers and a whole lot of complicated virtualisation technology developed in conjunction with Fraunhofer. And that means every worthwhile spatial audio standard out there, too. The Ambeo Mini is compatible with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, MPEG-H and 360 Reality Audio, putting it on par with the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.

Two of the six drivers are upward-facing 102mm (4in) bass drivers that offer low-frequency extension down to a claimed 43Hz. The other four are 38mm (1.5in) full-range numbers. There is one at either end of the chassis, positioned to create some sonic width, and two more fire forwards. All six drivers are made of cellulose, and all six contribute to the virtualised ‘top’ effects that ought to allow the Ambeo Mini to create a sensation of height to its presentation. 

Class D amplification supplies the power, and there’s a total of 250 watts on tap. Sennheiser isn’t saying exactly how it’s divvied up - but then again, brands like Sonos don’t even like to say how much power is on board its soundbars, so I guess we should be grateful for any information that Sennheiser supplies…

As far as connectivity is concerned, the Ambeo Mini has ample wireless options and just the essentials as far as physical connections go. An HDMI eARC and a USB-A slot sit alongside a mains power socket, a ‘reset’ button and a ‘setup’ button in a recess on the rear of the chassis - and that’s your lot in terms of the physical stuff. The lack of HDMI passthrough may conceivably be a deal-breaker for some customers, especially as quite a few similarly priced alternatives include it.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 (with SBC and AAC codec compatibility) cover off the bulk of the wireless stuff, and there is compatibility with UPnP, the ‘Connect’ versions of Spotify and Tidal, with Apple AirPlay 2 and with Google Chromecast. The last couple mean that the Ambo Mini can easily become part of a multi-room audio system. 

Features score: 4.5/5 

Sennheiser Ambeo Mini review: Sound quality

• Remarkable low-frequency presence and control
• Sound is far bigger than the product’s physical dimensions
• Not the most spatial of spatial audio presentations

The Ambeo Mini wastes no time in calibrating itself to your specific environment, and once it’s done so there are numerous positives about the way it goes about churning out the sound of movies and music alike.

It goes without saying that the best results come from the best sources – and when given the Dolby Atmos soundtrack to a UHD 4K Blu-ray disc of Dune to deal with, you’ll quite quickly forget the ‘mini’ aspect of the Ambeo Mini and concentrate on the mightiness of its presentation.

Most immediately, its low-frequency punch and presence is almost startling. 43Hz is deep, sure - but the bass the Sennheiser generates is so solid, so controlled and so full of variation that it sounds even deeper, somehow. Sennheiser is pleased with the fact that you can connect as many as four wireless Ambeo subwoofers to the Mini, but unless you are setting up your soundbar in a big, vaulted space I’d seriously question whether you need even one.

Midrange fidelity is impressive – the centre channel of audio information is always the most critical, and the Ambeo Mini delivers it with authority, packing voices with detail and character. It projects well, even when the low end is strutting its stuff, and is able to retain plenty of information about tone and texture even when the soundtrack is at its most bullish. And despite the lack of dedicated tweeters here, the Sennheiser has ample bite and brilliance at the top of the frequency range, along with the requisite levels of detail. 

The whole of the frequency range hands together well and, although the Ambeo Mini is undoubtedly working its socks off to create what it reckons is a facsimile of 12 channels of information using just six drivers, there’s a coherence to the way it delivers the Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The soundstage it creates is way bigger than the soundbar from which it emanates, and long-travel effects move around the stage in pretty convincing fashion.

What there isn’t a huge amount of, though, is sonic height to the sound. Yes, the Sennheiser can put sound upwards  with reasonable success - but even when accompanying a 48in OLED TV (for which the Ambeo Mini is the perfect size to fit between its feet), sound never really gets above the television’s top bezel. This slight lack of upward projection will be familiar to anyone who’s heard the (similarly sized, much more affordable) Sonos Beam Gen 2.

In every other respect, though, the Ambeo Mini has the better of the size-comparable Sonos. It’s more dynamic, able to make you jump when the ‘hissed exposition’ switches suddenly to ‘almighty action sequence’. It’s more open, able to create greater width across the front of the soundstage and position effects more precisely. And it’s more punchy, too. Quite a lot more punchy.

With a feed of Match of the Day 2 coming in via the BBC iPlayer, Sennheiser’s ‘Ambeo’ virtualisation technology does impressive work in hacking even a mild sensation of spatial audio from the stereo source. The stage is still big, detail levels are still high, and the ‘smack’ as boot addresses ball is profound. Switch off the ‘Ambeo’ processing and the sensation of scale pretty much disappears - although this is still a fuller and more enjoyable sound than most TVs have a hope of delivering by themselves.

Using Tidal Connect to stream a Dolby Atmos file of You Ain’t No Celebrity by Jungle featuring Roots Manuva lets the Ambeo Mini once again demonstrate its powers of resolution, of even-handed frequency response, of prodigious low-end presence and control, and of simple scale. The sound is open and well-separated, but unified and focused at the same time - and the virtualisation technology does good work in summoning up authentic width and a degree of height to the sound. Use Bluetooth to stream a two-channel file of Grouper’s Alien Observer and the ‘Ambeo’ technology can’t prevent a little vagueness creeping into the presentation as it attempts to open the recording up and out as much as possible. Ultimately, it’s better - or, more accurately, more convincing - to leave stereo music unvirtualised. You miss out on sheer size, but the sound has greater accuracy.       

Sound quality score: 4.5/5

Sennheiser Ambeo Mini review: Design

• 65 x 700 x 100mm / 2.6 x 27.6 x 3.9in (HxWxD)
• 3.3kg
• Almost entirely plastic and acoustic cloth construction 

If you’re even remotely familiar with Sennheiser’s recent Ambeo Plus soundbar and the Sonos Beam Gen 2, you already have a good idea of what the Ambeo Mini is like in terms of design. 

In its cloth-wrapped plastic construction and its slanted top panel, the Ambeo Mini looks just like - hey! - a miniature version of the Ambeo Plus. And its dimensions are almost exactly the same as that of the Sonos Gen 2 – so it competes in aesthetic terms if not where price is concerned.

As you might imagine, the quality of build and finish here is basically impeccable. Everything is put together flawlessly, and the Ambeo Mini is made from materials that are durable and even quite tactile. There’s nothing luxurious about the Ambeo Mini, and it’s hard to make a product as functional as a soundbar stand out in design terms… 

Nevertheless, there’s something quite appealing about its combination of discretion and purposefulness. Some may hanker after a choice of finish, of course – but Sennheiser has long been of the opinion that Henry ‘any colour you like as long as it’s black’ Ford was on to something…

Design score: 4.5/5 

Sennheiser Ambeo Mini review: Setup and usability

• Automatic room calibration
• Voice, app and remote control 
• Numerous listening modes

We have to give credit where credit is due: Sennheiser has made setting up the Ambeo Mini about as straightforward and painless as is realistically possible. 

Put the soundbar in position. Make your two connections – the figure-of-eight socket to the mains and the HDMI eARC socket to the corresponding connection on your TV – and you’re all set. Then it’s simply a question of opening the ‘Smart Control’ app and letting the automatic room calibration routine do its thing. A fairly brief selection of test tones plays while the app assures you that all is well, and then the Ambeo Mini is optimised for the position in which it finds itself. And it’s easy to recalibrate should the need arise.

Once the Ambeo Mini is set up, controlling it is equally straightforward no matter which of the numerous interaction options you prefer. The control app itself is typically Sennheiser inasmuch as it’s flawlessly realised, clear and logical, and covers every realistic eventuality. As well as the ability to switch the ‘Ambeo’ virtualisation technology on or off, there are six EQ settings (from ‘adaptive’ to ‘neutral’ via ‘music’ and ‘movie’), a ‘night mode’ that squashes dynamic response and ‘voice enhancement’ that pushes the centre channel information forwards. Input selection, software updates and all the rest are available here too.

There’s a brief selection of capacitive touch-controls on the slanted top of the soundbar which cover most major functions - and there’s a ‘mute’ button to disable the four inbuilt mics. As well as calibration, these mics handle voice control - so if you want to use your Ambeo Mini simply by talking to it, Amazon Alexa is built in and Google Assistant is also available if you’ve appropriate speakers on a common network.

Or you may prefer the old-school charms of a remote control handset. The wand supplied with the Ambeo Mini is tactile and angular, and covers more-or-less everything in terms of day-to-day control of the soundbar. Its labels could be larger, sure, and some backlighting wouldn’t go amiss… but it’s fair to say that some more expensive soundbars are supplied with much less satisfactory remote controls. 

Setup and ssability score: 5/5 

Sennheiser Ambeo Mini review: Value

• Big, authoritative sound with no need for a subwoofer
• Exemplary build and finish, great control options
• Cannot help but seem just a little too expensive

Ultimately, the Sennheiser Ambeo Mini seems just a little expensive. A small part of that is down to the sheer size of the product - because for all that it is beautifully built and finished from materials that seem durable, and has several well-realised control options, perceived wisdom is that soundbars this small don’t cost this much money and soundbars costing this much money are bigger than this. 

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with paying a premium price for a more manageably sized soundbar if you don’t have that big a room to fill with sound - but only if it can outperform more affordable alternatives in every department. As it is, though, the Sennheiser Ambeo Mini can only outperform its more affordable alternatives in most departments - in what is arguably the most important of the lot, the truly ‘spatial’ aspect of ‘spatial audio’, it comes up just fractionally short.  

Value score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Sennheiser Ambeo Mini?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Sennheiser Ambeo Mini: Also consider

How I tested the Sennheiser Ambeo Mini

The Sennheiser Ambeo Mini has been positioned between the feet of a 48in Philips OLED TV for the best part of a fortnight now, and it’s been used for at least a few hours every day - some of that is critical listening, some is simply sitting down in front of the telly to unwind of an evening. 

The room is open-plan, which means side boundaries are fairly distant, but the ceiling is not especially high - so the fact the Ambeo Mini can create plenty of sonic width is particularly commendable, while the relative lack of sonic height isn’t. 

Content of all kinds has been through the Sennheiser, from native Dolby Atmos stuff via a UHD 4K Blu-ray player, Netflix and Disney+, and TIDAL Connect, to the bog-standard two-channel content available via broadcast TV or catch-up services.  

Read more about how we test

First reviewed August 2023

Samsung HW-Q990C: Two-minute review

Unlike previous Samsung flagship soundbars, the Q990C doesn’t deliver any design differences from its predecessor aside from sporting a slightly different color. 

However, a few new features make the Samsung HW-Q990C one of the best soundbars. For starters, SmartThings Hub functionality has been added so that you can monitor and control other devices in your home. There’s also built-in support for Amazon Alexa voice control and Alexa device grouping to create effective multi-room setups.

There’s a new, more integrated auto-calibration system, too, while tweaks to Samsung’s Adaptive Sound mode are claimed to deliver a more lively, detailed sound at low volumes. Meanwhile, a new generation of Samsung’s Q Symphony enhances the way the speakers in Samsung’s TVs and soundbars work together.

It’s still the headline features that the Q990C carries over from its predecessor that matter, though. Namely, the colossal 11.1.4 channel count and massive 656W of power, which ensure that while the Q990C doesn’t sound significantly better than its predecessor with movies, it certainly sounds just as good – meaning it’s still the best Dolby Atmos performer in town.

It turns out that some retuning by Samsung’s sound engineers has also delivered a significant improvement in music playback, addressing the Q990C predecessor’s most significant limitation. 

Samsung HW-Q990C review: Price & release date

• Release date: May 2023
• Price: £1,599/$1,599/A$1,999

The Samsung HW-Q990C soundbar was released in May 2023. Its £1,599/$1,599/AUS$1,499 pricing clearly establishes it as a very premium soundbar. In fact, it’s Samsung’s flagship model for 2023. For perspective, it’s twice as expensive as the Sonos Arc or Sony HT-A5000 soundbars.

Samsung does provide a lot of bang for your buck, though, in the shape of a four-component system delivering a class-leading channel count. It’s worth pointing out, too, that there are a few single-bar or bar-plus-sub solutions out there that cost considerably more.

Samsung offers a step-down model to the Q990C, the £1,149/$1,099/AUS$1,499 HW-Q930C, that uses a smaller, less powerful main soundbar, drops a couple of channels, uses a more ‘standard’ subwoofer design, but still includes rear speakers.

Samsung HW-Q990C review: Specs

Samsung HW-Q990C review: Features

• 16 real channels of Dolby Atmos sound
• 2x HDMI inputs, but no 4K 120Hz support
• New auto-calibration system

The Q990C lives up to its billing as Samsung’s flagship soundbar by playing an impressive numbers game. It delivers a class-leading 11.1.4 real (rather than ‘virtual’) channel count, backed up by 656W of power coursing through 22 separate speakers fitted into four separate included components: the main soundbar, a hefty subwoofer, and two rear speakers. 

The idea behind including so many channels (which include four up-firing drivers) is to deliver a ‘proper’ experience with the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats the Q990C supports. That is, an experience that puts you at the heart of a hemisphere of sound (including overhead effects). There’s no ‘front sound only’ or ‘virtual height effect’ compromise here when playing the latest and greatest movie soundtracks.

The Q990C also impresses, for the most part, with its connections. In particular, it provides a two-input, one-output HDMI loop-through system capable of carrying the premium HDR10+ and Dolby Vision HDR formats (as well as the basic HDR10 and HLG systems). 

It’s a pity the HDMIs don’t extend to supporting the 4K 120Hz gaming feeds the latest consoles and PCs can deliver, especially given that Samsung cares about gaming enough to equip the soundbar with a Game preset that enhances specific placement effects so that it’s easier to tell where enemies are shooting/approaching you from. You can connect your 4K 120Hz-capable gaming device directly to any TV that supports HDMI’s eARC technology and pass Dolby Atmos soundtracks to the Q990C that way. Provided your set-up doesn’t suffer from the audio syncing issues occasionally experienced with ARC technology.

The Q990C supports many sources beyond those associated with its physical connections, including Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, AAC, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, MP3, OGG and ALAC hi-res audio files.

However, all the features we’ve discussed were also found on 2022’s Samsung HW-Q990B. So how does the 2023 model move things on from its predecessor?

The two most significant advances are its new SpaceFit Sound Pro auto-calibration system and the new tuning of the soundbar’s music performance. The first of these finally see Samsung auto-calibrating the system’s subwoofer and other speakers in unison rather than using a separate system to monitor bass. Activating this feature has an instant positive effect on the sound, and from then on, the system will continually monitor the sound to compensate for potential changes in your room set-up. I’ll talk about the new music tuning in the next section.

The Q990C also adopts a new (third) generation of Q-Symphony technology, where recent Samsung TVs can join audio forces wirelessly with compatible Samsung soundbars to create a larger, more detailed front soundstage. This new version deploys all the speakers in both the TV and soundbar, rather than leaving some silent, and allows the soundbar to draw on the power of a Samsung TV’s AI-boosted audio processing.

Also new for the Q990C is built-in support for Alexa voice control and the ability to set up Alexa device groups – the latter of which gives you a simple way of establishing a multi-room sound system. Finally, you can use the Q990C with the SmartThings app for your phone to control other devices around your home, thanks to the new SmartThings Hub functionality.

• Features score: 4.5/5

Samsung HW-Q990C review: Audio performance

The HW-Q990C’s monster channel count signals that this soundbar is exceptionally – almost uniquely – focused on getting the best out of film soundtracks. And as with its predecessor, it lives up to that promise in spectacular fashion.

Its single most outstanding trait is its ability to craft an exceptionally immersive and full surround sound experience that places you at the heart of the sort of hemisphere/dome of sound required to create a whole Dolby Atmos experience more seamlessly than any other soundbar I’ve heard (bar last year’s Q990B). The side- and up-firing drivers in the two rear speakers and main soundbar join forces immaculately to ensure there’s no distracting, immersion-breaking gap in the three-dimensional sound stage. 

Placement effects are exceptionally accurately positioned within the Q990C’s cocoon of sound, too (especially with the SpaceFit auto-cal system doing its thing), and the various drivers’ combination of power, sensitivity and projection means that the soundstage always appears busy, detailed and convincing. Including when it comes to handling transition sounds across or through the hemisphere of sound. 

The cinematic feel of the Q990C’s sound with DTS:X and, especially, Dolby Atmos soundtracks is enhanced even further by how loud it can get without a hint of distortion, buzzing or crackling. Your ears will give in way before the Q990C’s speakers. 

Even the most shrill trebles manage to avoid sounding harsh or exposed, the mid-range is expansive, expressive and able to shift through more gears than most soundbars to take on swelling action scenes, and the bass from the subwoofer is deep, enthusiastic (without becoming over-dominant) and reactive. The unusual Acoustic Lens design of the subwoofer, which sees a diffusing ‘plate’ sitting an inch or two proud of the eight-inch driver, also helps the exceptionally rich, deep bass emanate throughout your room more smoothly and evenly.

Despite the impressive bass depths the subwoofer can achieve, low frequencies don’t feel at all baggy or detached from the sound output by the main soundbar – which speaks volumes (pun intended) about the dynamic range the soundbar is capable of.

As ever, with soundbars that reflect sound off walls and ceilings, the Q990C’s sound stage building can be affected by quirks in your room layout or design. However, while vaulted ceilings could present an issue with the clarity of the up-firing drivers, the latest Space Fit auto-cal system does an outstanding job of compensating for pretty much any other room shape problem you might have.

While the Q990C’s class-leading movie performance is beyond reproach, aside from a little more bass cohesion courtesy of the latest Space Fit auto-cal system, it doesn’t improve much over the Q990B. This is not the case, though with music – provided you put the Q990C’s subwoofer in the right place.

I’ve been critical of previous Samsung soundbars, including the Q990B, for being unable to adapt the immense power and dynamic range they bring to movies to music playback as convincingly as I’d like. New tuning by Samsung’s audio engineers, as well as the improved SpaceFit system, has finally delivered a flagship Samsung soundbar that’s consistently enjoyable to listen to with music, even in basic stereo mode. The sound is more coherent, consistent and balanced, retaining a musical feel despite the immense power bubbling away underneath it all. 

The subwoofer can sometimes kick in slightly too vigorously with a sudden heavy beat or plummeting bassline. Still, such distracting moments are far fewer and further between than they have been before on the Q990C predecessors. Provided, anyway, that you place the subwoofer forward of your seating position rather than to the side of or behind you. 

An Adaptive Sound option for music playback, which essentially remixes stereo tracks to take advantage of all of the soundbar’s channels, also impresses, often delivering results that sound like professional remixes. For the first time with a Samsung flagship soundbar, though, I slightly preferred listening to music on the Q990C in native stereo mode (the soundbar’s ‘Standard’ preset).

Turning to Q Symphony, I didn’t notice any major differences generated by the system now using all the speakers in the soundbar and a connected Samsung TV. Being able to draw on the audio processor in the TV did seem to yield slightly more refined and content-appropriate audio results, though. And the general ability of Q Symphony to blend the sounds from the TV’s speakers with those of the on-paper much more potent soundbar remains surprisingly effective.

• Sound quality score: 5/5

Samsung HW-Q990C review: Design

The HW-Q990C ships with no less than four separate components – so it’s more of an imposition on your living room than most soundbars. Nothing as imposing as a full-on separates system would be, of course. 

However, Samsung would make no apology for this because while it still offers a simplified audio solution, the Q990C also wants to provide a true surround sound experience.

The main soundbar is heftier, broader and chunkier than most, though it still fits underneath the screen of current Samsung TVs (and those of most rival brands, too, come to that), as long as they're 55 inches or up.

It angles back sharply at each end to accommodate side-firing speakers, giving it a distinctive and attractive shape that combines form and function perfectly. The rears feel impressively engineered, too, maintaining a surprisingly small footprint considering they house three separate channel drivers each; benefitting from a stylish sloped top to help train the up-firers slightly forward; and helpfully sitting on small feet that help to prevent unwanted vibrations getting into whatever shelf or bit of furniture the speakers are sitting on.

The subwoofer is a big, chunky affair, as you would expect for the rumble it can produce. The lens that protrudes above the large side-mounted driver gives it a more sophisticated, high-tech look than your average bass boomer.

At first glance, each speaker in the Q990C package looks the same as it did with 2022’s Q990B. Closer inspection reveals that the Q990C sports a slightly greyer finish than the metallic black of its predecessor. 

• Design score: 4/5

Samsung HW-Q990C review: Setup & usability

Samsung has gotten progressively better over the years at delivering stable wireless connections between the various components of its flagship soundbars. I’m happy to say that throughout many hours of testing the Q990C, I’ve yet to experience a single dropped connection from any of the speakers.

The speakers all find and connect immediately without any manual input when you first plug the system’s elements in. I was relieved that the Q990C sports an LED display on its front edge, where you can see it while sitting on your sofa, rather than putting it on the top edge like some previous Samsung flagship soundbars have.

There’s plenty of choice over how you control the Q990C. It ships with an attractive and well-organized remote control, for starters, but also supports basic but effective voice control via built-in Amazon Alexa. Or, if you prefer a more ‘visual’ control system, you can use Samsung’s SmartThings app on your phone – an app that makes it easy to get the soundbar set up on your Wi-Fi system. A few basic setting buttons are also built into the soundbar’s top edge.

Of course, most control will just be turning it on and off, and adjusting the volume, and HDMI-CEC handles these from your standard TV remote.

One last nice touch is Tap Sound support, where touching a recent Samsung phone to the soundbar’s bodywork is all it takes to establish a music-sharing connection between the two devices.

• Setup & usability: 4.5/5

Samsung HW-Q990C review: Value

At $1,599 / £1,599 / AUS$1,499 officially, the Q990C resides in the upper echelons of the soundbar world. You can buy an excellent 55-inch OLED TV for that sort of money. If you can afford it, though, I’d argue the Q990C is good value.

It justifies its cost in two main ways. First, it gives you four separate, well-built components delivering a fantastic 16 channels of sound, which helps it create the complete Dolby Atmos experience in the soundbar world. Second, it can pump out colossal amounts of power without losing precision or clarity. This makes it the nearest thing in the soundbar world to a separate system – but without the cables, AV receiver, multiple speakers to position… the convenience is valuable too.

• Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the Samsung HW-Q990C?

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Samsung HW-Q990C review: Also consider

• Read TechRadar's review guarantee
• First reviewed July 2023

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus: Two-minute review

The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus is an all-in-one soundbar (meaning it's a single unit), that's designed to deliver a huge home theater audio without multiple boxes dominating your room. It's a clear contender for one of the best soundbars on the market today… but getting there has meant it comes at a high price.

Coming a couple of years after the slightly-too-large, slightly-too-expensive Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max, this step-down model captures the same dynamic audio in a more reasonable shape, size and pricing category.

Despite being a single box, it claims to deliver 7.1.4 channels of detailed Dolby Atmos sound system, thanks to virtualization tech – no other single-unit soundbar makes such loft claims. This is paired with a thorough feature set to ensure you can utilize the premium formats and music streaming services common to any audiophile.

Costing well into four figures, the Ambeo Soundbar Plus still isn’t cheap – but it offers excellent audio performance, with the finesse and control needed to ensure the sound never overpowers you. We have a couple of questions about its user interface capabilities (why don’t those buttons click?) but the Ambeo Soundbar Plus excels where it matters: with its sound.

While you’ll need Sennheiser’s separate subs to get a fully fleshed-out home theater experience, the soundbar alone is still a quality piece of audio gear, and should elevate any TV setup with aplomb – especially if what you want is big cinematic sound from a single, simple box.

Of course, you won't get the same truly behind-you rear sound that you'd get from the Samsung HW-Q990B, which is a similar price. And if you want something like this, but the price puts you off, the Sonos Arc will save you a lot.

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus review: Price and release date

The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus retails for $1,499 / £1,299 / AU$2,399, and was released in late 2022.

It’s a little pricier than a lot of other high-spec soundbars – in our guide to the best soundbars, only the Samsung HW-Q990B matches it for price, though that specific model includes a few separates alongside the base soundbar (two rear speakers and a subwoofer). The Ambeo Soundbar Plus is a premium all-in-one model, then, though it backs up its price tag with quality performance, as we’ll detail below.

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus review: Features

You get a single HDMI 2.1 port, to connect to a TV with eARC, alongside two additional HDMI 2.0 ports for connecting additional media players or game consoles to your television – so there's no passing through of 4K 120Hz video from a console. That's a bit of a shame at this price, but won't affect everyone. 4K HDR Dolby Vision is passed through just fine, though.

Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Sony 360 Reality Audio are all supported here for spatial sound – so whatever you listen through, you can get the full effect.

The soundbar supports most important wireless connection standards, including Bluetooth 5.0, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, and Chromecast. 

While this is a single-unit soundbar as sold (and as we're reviewing it here), you can purchase and wirelessly connect standalone Sennheiser subwoofers (up to four at a time) to get more low-end performance, which we'll talk a little about later. Uniquely, you can add up to four of them for distributed bass.

• Features score: 4.5/5

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus review: Audio performance

The Ambeo Soundbar Plus deftly navigates frequencies both high and low, with none of the sudden contrasts of cheaper soundbars, where the bass seems to come from an entirely different source from the higher frequencies.

The bass performance can, in fact, be so subtle that it’s hard to notice at all at lower volumes – though it will arrive with force when needed, thanks to a pair of upward-firing subwoofers. It's a soundbar that prefers to be driven hard.

Watching HBO’s The Last of Us, the full range of frequencies on offer are on full show. The Ambeo Soundbar Plus can draw out incredibly complex instrumentals, each pluck of a guitar vibrating and fading out in turn; but when hushed voices are replaced by the crash of a truck into a building’s brick wall, the Ambeo’s quietly rumbling engine comes into focus. This is a soundbar that excels at weaving between different acoustic demands in a continuous and dynamic way.

Sennheiser boasts that the Ambeo Soundbar Plus can output “thundering bass” as low as 38Hz, and it’s certainly no slouch in this department – if a little more controlled than some listeners may be used to. The higher-end Ambeo Soundbar Max should reach a little lower, starting at a 30Hz bass response, but given that model is almost twice the price, there’s not much reason to opt for it (it lacks the Ambeo Plus’ voice assistant support too).

A host of audio modes help matters further, for Music, Movies, Sport, News, and the like. The Voice Enhancement mode is brilliant for verbal clarity, bringing voices to the forefront of the soundstage, and I found myself using it constantly; Sennheiser’s AMBEO mode also creates that four-channel virtual height elevation to make sound output more immersive and three-dimensional, aided by the upward-firing bass drivers. The difference with the AMBEO mode on is stark, and certainly worth trying out, even if you prefer the sound balance in other modes overall.

One thing to note is the ability to add external subwoofers – up to four of them. We're not counting this towards the sound score in this review, because it's not something you can do out of the box. However, we've tried it, and using more than two subwoofers is a game-changer for cinematic bass.

• Audio performance score: 5/5

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus review: Design

Measuring 1050 x 75 x 120mm, and weighing 6.3kg, it’s not the smallest soundbar, but a simple matt black finish and mesh detailing makes it pretty innocuous next to a decently-sized TV – 55 inches and up is ideal.

The remote is a sleek affair – a boxy rectangle with a subtle incline on the uppermost side to improve ergonomics. Its soft rubber buttons are a delight to touch – with inputs for switching source, altering volume, and switching between key audio modes such as Movie, Music, Voice enhancement, and Night – though there’s no backlighting to help out in the dark. (Just make sure you follow the setup instructions, as you’ll need to twist the battery cover before activating the remote for the first time.)

• Design score: 4/5

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus review: Setup and usability

At setup, the Ambeo Plus runs through an automatic calibration system, which involves a lot of loud noises (we wouldn’t do this around a toddler or pet if possible). This allows the soundbar to virtually map the acoustic landscape of your room and calibrate its output in response – with Sennheiser advising you to repeat this process if you move any furniture around or implement new surfaces, such as curtains on the windows. It’s a little irritating on the third go, but will be fine for more static homes.

The companion Smart Control app is brilliantly done, with easy nudges towards connecting important streaming services (or the Alexa / Google Assistant capability) and ticking them off as you go. Between the remote, this mobile app, the built-in controls, and support for voice assistants, there’s plenty of leeway to interact with the Ambeo Plus however you want.

There are inputs on the upper side of the soundbar itself, with a dynamic LED bar that lights up when in use – blue for Bluetooth, green for Spotify Connect, white for volume, and the like. These inputs don’t click inwards, though, so it’s hard to tell immediately whether an input has been registered.

• Setup and usability score: 4.5/5

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus review: Value

Though it's obviously expensive, it's very hard to fault the value of the Ambeo Plus, because its sound is so rich, so dynamic, and so big for a relatively compact bar. It's a lot more expensive than something like the Sonos Arc, which is already pretty premium, but it also brings lots more features than the Arc – as well as delivering even more convincing spatial audio.

Now, I said it's "hard" to fault the Ambeo Plus, but there is one obvious omission: no HDMI 2.1 passthrough. The (slightly cheaper) Sony HT-A7000 offers this, and is also an all-in-one unit, so games using a TV with a limited number of HDMI 2.1 ports might be better off with that.

• Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus?

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Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus review: Also consider

• First reviewed: March 2023
• How we test: Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee