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Samsung's Q900C Soundbar Brings Wireless Atmos to 2023 Range

The soundbar is on sale today and joins models such as the Q990C flagship and the gaming-centric HW-G60C.

Ty Pendlebury Editor
Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.
Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He majored in Cinema Studies when studying at RMIT. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials
  • Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
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Ty Pendlebury
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Samsung

Samsung has added a new soundbar to its flagship Q range, the Q900C, which joins the rest of the company's range of 2023 speaker products. The range starts at $140 for the HW-C400 budget model and is outlined below.

The Q900C includes 7.1.2 channels of Wireless Dolby Atmos sound -- when used with a Samsung TV over Wi-Fi -- and also offers support for AirPlay 2 and voice commands. The soundbar is designed as a step-down to the all-singing, all-dancing HW-Q990C and lacks rear speakers.

Samsung's HW-Q990C flagship, announced at CES 2023, is a 11.1.4-channel setup with dedicated rear speakers and a wireless subwoofer. Sound modes include Adaptive Sound 2.0 for "clear sound using AI sound-optimization technology" and Game Pro 2.0, which comes with presets for specific genres. It also includes an onboard SmartThings hub module for connecting with other smart Samsung devices. It is on sale for $300 off.

Both the 900 and 990 include SpaceFit which pairs with Samsung TVs and calibrates itself automatically.  

Samsung HW-Q990c with rear speakers and sub

The Samsung HW-Q990C is the company's flagship for 2023

 Samsung

Also announced at this year's show, the HW-G60C soundbar is a gaming-focused version of last year's HW-S60, and it includes echo-canceling microphones and LED lighting. This soundbar is designed to be used with a PC, though it should work with a TV too, and its microphones isolate users' voices for virtual-assistant functionality and in-game chat. Connectivity includes HDMI/ARC, USB and AirPlay 2. 

Meanwhile, the HW-S801B is a Dolby Atmos soundbar which offers an ultraslim profile at 1.57 inches tall and 1.5 inches deep. It's a front-surround speaker with 3.1.2 channels and also includes Wireless Atmos.

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Samsung

Samsung has had its own development and testing facility in California for some time, thus boosting its audio cred. Yet, the company has a lot of competition, in particular from Vizio -- and that company's soundbars can also be used with Samsung TVs and are typically cheaper.

All of Samsung's 2023 soundbars are available now, and the retail prices are as below (though many are currently on sale for Memorial Day):

Q Series, Flagship 

  • HW-Q990C, $1,900 
  • HW-Q900C, $1,400
  • HW-Q800C, $1,000
  • HW-Q700C, $700
  • HW-Q600C, $600
  • HW-Q60C, $500

C Series, Budget

  • HW-C450,  $200
  • HW-C400, $140

S Series, Slimline 

  • HW-S800B, $900 
  • HW-S801B, $900   

Look out for a review of Samsung's 2023 soundbars on CNET in the near future.

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