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Bose Solo 5 vs Samsung HW-Q950A

Bose Solo 5

68 reviews

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Samsung HW-Q950A

Samsung HW-Q950A

69 reviews

View Product Details

#1 most mentioned

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Best Customizable Soundbar

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Great sound quality

Gets loud without distorting

Compact size is perfect for smaller rooms

Easy to set up and use

Affordable price point

Great immersive surround sound

Versatile setup with dedicated subwoofer and satellites included

Neutral sound suitable for various types of audio content

Compact size and sleek design

Good value for its price

Not compatible with HDMI

No surround sound capabilities

Limited connectivity options

Not consistent connectivity with some devices

Some users have had difficulty setting it up

Customer service can be outsourced and hard to understand

Verdict

The Bose Solo 5 TV Sound System is a great choice for those looking for an entry-level soundbar with included subwoofer. It has good sound quality and gets loud without distorting. However, it does not have an HDMI connector, which may be a dealbreaker for some users.

Verdict

Overall, the Samsung HW-Q950A soundbar receives mixed reviews. Some users praise its immersive surround sound and versatility, while others have had issues with connectivity and sound quality. The system is generally considered a good value for its price, but some users have had difficulty setting it up and dealing with customer service. Despite some negative feedback, many users appreciate the Q950A's compact size and sleek design.

Reviews by Topic

Our analysis shows how reviewers feel about different topics. Please note these are not full reviews.

Connectivity

Left as an Exercise for the Student

The problem: The manual control is incomprehensible and the instructions seem to have been written as some MIT Problem Set, with expectations that the "student" can find out how to solve all the problems, and there are a lot of problems. First, before getting a speaker to work, you have to sync up the TV set, the Cable sets, etc which is near impossible if the code is not there. So try this one on for an hour. Second, assuming you got past step one you try to figure out if this controller replaces your cable controller, which it does not, since you cannot change channels, period

Sounds Good When Works

1 and I don’t want a middle man from my devices to the tv. I will add that this may be partially the tv as the culprit. The setup I prefer works with the Sonos arc setup, but I have had some “handshake” issues with that as well from the Apple TV to the tv itself then to the arc. I’ve only noticed this once and it didn’t last long, but I do want to mention

Sound Quality

Easy to install and quality sound (UPDATED Jan 2021)

Install was super simple since there are only two cords: the power cord and the optical cable that goes from the speaker to the TV. It doesn’t have the same punch as a surround system with a subwoofer, but it’s definitely better than the internal speaker. Great value, especially for a Bose product.

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BEST SOUNDBAR 2021? Samsung Q950A Soundbar Review & Demo

Speakers were more spacious, rather than coming from above my head. Keep in mind that the placement and the type of room that you have will impact the...

Neutral

Design

Good Medium-Range Sound Bar for TV Watching

Whoever designed this remote took some time to think about how the human hand holds a remote, placing curves and arcs in the right places. Furthermore, the remote itself feels of exceptional quality: this does not feel like a squeaky afterthought. It is a remarkably robust remote that not only has the right shape, but also feels extremely solidly built. And, surprise, as I mentioned, it is a UNIVERSAL remote, so after you spend some time programming it, it should control most all your devices

Very nice soundbar. Consider the HW-Q900A + SWA-9500S over the HW-Q950A, depending on price

Maybe put a small prism on top? * I gave up trying to enable Alexa on the thing. This may be important to you, but I don't use Alexa anyway. * I also couldn't update firmware via the app for some reason. Worked fine with a USB stick

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