Nathan Rizzuti, dedicated to Gadget Review for over 4 years, specializes in home entertainment technology and purchasing decisions. Outside of work, Nathan finds solace in playing bluegrass. With 50 months of consistent contributions at GadgetReview, Nathan’s expertise lies in navigating the realms of home entertainment technology and aiding purchasing decisions. His insightful articles, such as “Oh Ballers of Pittsburgh, Where Art Thou,” reflect a unique perspective that resonates with readers.
The Samsung HW-Q950T offers impressive sound quality and immersive features, making it a worthy upgrade for those seeking enhanced audio. However, the product has a few connectivity and control-related hiccups that might require some patience to manage.
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Table of Contents
Product Snapshot
Overview
The Samsung HW-Q950T is a high-end 2020 model 9.1.4 channel soundbar that delivers an exceptionally broad soundstage with Dolby Atmos for both home theaters and living room setups.
Just like the highest-rated speakers on the market, it boasts a dedicated center channel speaker that offers exceptional vocals. And it touts a dedicated wireless subwoofer for thumping bass, similar to some of the highest-ranked soundbars out today.
In terms of wireless connectivity, this soundbar offers Bluetooth and Wi-Fi but lacks Chromecast or Apple AirPlay for easy audio streaming from Android and iOS.
If you need Apple AirPlay 2.0, make sure to visit our Samsung HW-Q990B review. And in terms of wired connectivity, this model touts two full-speed HDMI passthrough ports to double as an HDMI hub and an optical audio jack, and the wired audio latency is okay for the most part.
The Samsung HW-Q950T has low latency, tested for 46 ms, and many wireless playback options, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compatibility, but it lacks support for Apple AirPlay and experiences occasional connectivity issues with wireless speakers, where the subwoofer and surround speakers lose connection, requiring a manual reset.
It boasts a balanced and neutral sound profile, suitable for movies, TV shows, and music. The soundstage is wide and accurate, though not artificially expanded, and Atmos support enhances the movie-watching experience.
However, the lack of room correction and auto-volume/night mode is another downside.
Build-wise, the subwoofer feels sturdy with its wooden construction, and the main unit and satellites are made mostly of plastic and fabric. The soundbar’s remote control has many functions that would benefit from a more intuitive design.
ReasonS to Buy
Balanced and neutral sound profile
Whether it’s music, movies, or TV, the soundbar’s neutral profile and loud sound excel for mixed content. To level up sound quality for high-def content, the bar supports Dolby Atmos, comes with a graphic EQ, and presets for customization.
Balanced and neutral sound profile
Whether it’s music, movies, or TV, the soundbar’s neutral profile and loud sound excel for mixed content. To level up sound quality for high-def content, the bar supports Dolby Atmos, comes with a graphic EQ, and presets for customization.
High-quality surround sound
The bar delivers great surround sound, as it has two discrete speakers and an impressive frequency response that’s accurate and neutral. This means no frequency overpowers the other, making it great for a range of content.
Impressive vocal clarity
The soundbar features a strong center channel and a dialogue enhancement feature for clear vocal content, whether it be TV shows, streaming podcasts, or audiobooks.
Accurate and deep bass
The bass booms and provides a deep rumble for action scenes, even at loud volumes.
“Robust smart features and wireless connectivity “
Samsung offers users the ability to connect the soundbar to the SmartThings App, where users can control sound levels and EQ. It also has a wide range of wireless connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Spotify, and Apple.
Reason to Avoid
Latency issues
Unfortunately, the soundbar experiences some audio/visual lag, given its tested latency of 46 ms. Its latency sits slightly below average for the category and is noticeable during scenes with quick dialogue.
poor display design
The small display sits on the bar, meaning users can only view the screen by standing over it to check volume levels and settings.
Samsung HW-Q950T Specs
Bluetooth Enabled
Yes
Depth
5.4"
Dialogue Enhancement Feature
Yes
Energy Star Certified
Yes
Equalizer Settings
Advanced
HDMI ARC
Yes
Height
2.7"
Number of Audio Channels
9.1.4
Subwoofer
Included
Surround Sound Supported
Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS Digital Surround, DTS:X
Voice Assistant
Amazon Alexa
Wall Mountable
Yes
Weight
46.5 lbs
Width
48"
Wireless Connectivity
Bluetooth
Wireless Subwoofer Connectivity
Yes
Works With
Amazon Alexa, Remote Control, SmartThings
All Specs
Test Results
These are the most important criteria to test for Soundbars based on our comprehensive Testing Methodology.
Low End Roll Off (Hz)
34.621
High End Roll Off (Hz)
13,867.577
Max Volume Test (db)
101.1
Latency (ms)
46
THD @ 80dB
0.18
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The Samsung HW-Q950T is a high-end 2020 model 9.1.4 channel soundbar that delivers an exceptionally broad soundstage with Dolby Atmos for both home theaters and…
The Samsung HW-Q950T is a high-end 2020 model 9.1.4 channel soundbar that delivers an exceptionally broad soundstage with Dolby Atmos for both home theaters and living room setups.
Just like the highest-rated speakers on the market, it boasts a dedicated center channel speaker that offers exceptional vocals. And it touts a dedicated wireless subwoofer for thumping bass, similar to some of the highest-ranked soundbars out today.
In terms of wireless connectivity, this soundbar offers Bluetooth and Wi-Fi but lacks Chromecast or Apple AirPlay for easy audio streaming from Android and iOS.
If you need Apple AirPlay 2.0, make sure to visit our Samsung HW-Q990B review. And in terms of wired connectivity, this model touts two full-speed HDMI passthrough ports to double as an HDMI hub and an optical audio jack, and the wired audio latency is okay for the most part.
The Samsung HW-Q950A soundbar is essentially a newer revision of the Samsung HW-Q950T, and it sports a much more comprehensive 11.1.4 channel speaker setup to…
The Samsung HW-Q950A soundbar is essentially a newer revision of the Samsung HW-Q950T, and it sports a much more comprehensive 11.1.4 channel speaker setup to deliver a more expansive soundstage with better Dolby Atmos performance. The HW-Q950A also boasts many sound enhancement features (e.g., room calibration, auto volume, etc.), which the HW-Q950T soundbar lacks. To learn more about the revised model, check out our Samsung HW-Q950A review today.
Thanks to its much broader 9.1.4 channel speaker setup, the Samsung HW-Q950T soundbar delivers a much wider soundstage and Dolby Atmos performance than the Sonos…
Thanks to its much broader 9.1.4 channel speaker setup, the Samsung HW-Q950T soundbar delivers a much wider soundstage and Dolby Atmos performance than the Sonos Arc. The former model also has a much more approachable GUI (Graphic User Interface) based EQ menu that is easy to navigate, unlike the Sonos Arc soundbar.
Despite featuring a meager 5.1.4 channel speaker setup, the JBL Bar 9.1 delivers much better immersiveness, balanced and neutral audio, and a better stereo soundstage…
Despite featuring a meager 5.1.4 channel speaker setup, the JBL Bar 9.1 delivers much better immersiveness, balanced and neutral audio, and a better stereo soundstage than the Samsung HW-Q950T, thanks to its much tighter frequency response slope. The JBL soundbar also features a much better build quality than the Samsung model and has a built-in Chromecast module and Apple AirPlay.
