Is Samsung Q800B a good soundbar?

[govi18]

I am purchasing an LG OLED 55 inch for the bedroom(12 x 12 x 12). Looking to add a soundbar. I am considering the Samsung Q800B model. Price of around 45k.

Review on Rtings and TrustedReviews are good. Decent Dolby Atmos performance.

The room doesn't have enough space for rear speakers. [Q800B allows for rear speakers to be added later though].

Are there any better options under 50K?

 

[Mayank009]

I'm thinking about purchasing the same soundbar but with a Sony X90K. If you have made the purchase, can you share your feedback? Also are there any potential issues pairing a Samsung soundbar with a Sony TV?

 

[govi18]

Didnt go for q800b. Went for q930b instead since it comes with rear speakers so better Atmos performance.

Not sure about mixing Sony Tv with Samsung soundbar. I have an LG G2 but the soundbar will only come by 28th Oct since I will not be home until then. So can comment on the performance only then. The trial i got at Croma was for Q950A which has similar setup (though 2 channels extra on the Q950A but it is 2021 model. Equivalent model in 2022 is Q990B but couldn't be tested and final price after buying 1yr extended warranty was hard on the wallet so didnt go for it).

Most soundbars manufacturers who also have TVs ex: Samsung, LG and Sony have additional features which only work with their respective tvs. So worth considering Sony soundbar if you have Sony Tv. Less worry about compatibility as well.

Can try putting the query on Sony tv purchase thread for more inputs. Possibly somebody might have paired Sony tv with Samsung bar.

Note: I also considered Q Acoustics M20 which few people have recommended on the forum on other threads. It's a entry level hi-fi active speaker and costs less than Q800, Q930 and Q990 but has limited features and can link to TV only via TOSLINK since no HDMI [Some noise on reddit about LG tvs not doing well with Digital Optical out]. Plus size is too big for my use case so dropped it

 

[Mayank009]

Didnt go for q800b. Went for q930b instead since it comes with rear speakers so better Atmos performance.

Not sure about mixing Sony Tv with Samsung soundbar. I have an LG G2 but the soundbar will only come by 28th Oct since I will not be home until then. So can comment on the performance only then. The trial i got at Croma was for Q950A which has similar setup (though 2 channels extra on the Q950A but it is 2021 model. Equivalent model in 2022 is Q990B but couldn't be tested and final price after buying 1yr extended warranty was hard on the wallet so didnt go for it).

Most soundbars manufacturers who also have TVs ex: Samsung, LG and Sony have additional features which only work with their respective tvs. So worth considering Sony soundbar if you have Sony Tv. Less worry about compatibility as well.

Can try putting the query on Sony tv purchase thread for more inputs. Possibly somebody might have paired Sony tv with Samsung bar.

Note: I also considered Q Acoustics M20 which few people have recommended on the forum on other threads. It's a entry level hi-fi active speaker and costs less than Q800, Q930 and Q990 but has limited features and can link to TV only via TOSLINK since no HDMI [Some noise on reddit about LG tvs not doing well with Digital Optical out]. Plus size is too big for my use case so dropped it

Thanks so much for your input! I also ended up getting LG G2 and still planning to buy a soundbar, probably Q800B or above models. Do let me know your thoughts for the soundbar(q930b) and how good it works with G2 when you get it.

People at the store were also pushing for JBL, Bose and Sonos but I didn't had time to demo it. Did you consider those models and what were your impressions?

 

[harryneopotter]

Thanks so much for your input! I also ended up getting LG G2 and still planning to buy a soundbar, probably Q800B or above models. Do let me know your thoughts for the soundbar(q930b) and how good it works with G2 when you get it.

People at the store were also pushing for JBL, Bose and Sonos but I didn't had time to demo it. Did you consider those models and what were your impressions?

JBL 9.1 is better than 930b and Sonos is better than both (but very expensive), as per my auditions.

 

[Mayank009]

JBL 9.1 is better than 930b and Sonos is better than both (but very expensive), as per my auditions.

Thank you for your inputs! Sonos seems great but yeah way more expensive and out of budget. JBL an interesting alternative to high end Samsung soundbars.

Samsung Q800B intrigued me because it seems to be priced well(45k online, probably much lower offline) while offering Dolby Atmos and 5.1.2 configuration. Can you recommend good alternatives with those features?

Also there is an option to add rear speakers in future if needed and Rtings review is great too.

 

[harryneopotter]

Thank you for your inputs! Sonos seems great but yeah way more expensive and out of budget. JBL an interesting alternative to high end Samsung soundbars.

Samsung Q800B intrigued me because it seems to be priced well(45k online, probably much lower offline) while offering Dolby Atmos and 5.1.2 configuration. Can you recommend good alternatives with those features?

Also there is an option to add rear speakers in future if needed and Rtings review is great too.

Yeah, while it says it is 5.1 channel, without dedicated rear speakers, don't expect too much surround experience in a non perfect room. I would prefer Jbl 5.1 instead of this, in that case.

However, if you are getting the rear channel kit, then Q800b is a good choice.

 

[Mayank009]

Yeah, while it says it is 5.1 channel, without dedicated rear speakers, don't expect too much surround experience in a non perfect room. I would prefer Jbl 5.1 instead of this, in that case.

However, if you are getting the rear channel kit, then Q800b is a good choice.

Makes sense, I would definitely not be expecting a lot in surround experience without rear speakers.
Do you think JBL 5.1 not having Atmos is a big deal? Otherwise it seems great.

Will definitely audition all of these options very soon.

 

[harryneopotter]

Makes sense, I would definitely not be expecting a lot in surround experience without rear speakers.
Do you think JBL 5.1 not having Atmos is a big deal? Otherwise it seems great.

Will definitely audition all of these options very soon.

To be honest, Atmos experience on all these soundbars is a bit underwhelming for me. So you need to take the call for yourself after auditioning them. See which one do you like better and go with it. Individually, all of these are decent options.

 

[jgm]

Thank you for your inputs! Sonos seems great but yeah way more expensive and out of budget. JBL an interesting alternative to high end Samsung soundbars.

Samsung Q800B intrigued me because it seems to be priced well(45k online, probably much lower offline) while offering Dolby Atmos and 5.1.2 configuration. Can you recommend good alternatives with those features?

Also there is an option to add rear speakers in future if needed and Rtings review is great too.

Hi Mayank009,

Though this is an old post, just curious that which sound bar you went for? I am having Q800B, overall performance is okay, but not having rear speakers bothers a bit in some cases. Wondering if any of the FMs added rear speaker kit for Q800B? Thanks in advance.