Skip to main content

Samsung’s 2020 soundbar lineup adds Dolby Atmos to your TV starting at $700

We’ve been eagerly awaiting the formal launch of Samsung’s 2020 soundbar lineup since the company debuted the new speakers at CES 2020, and today we now know how much it will cost to add one to our home theater setups. It’s a big selection and there’s a soundbar for every room and every budget, from a simple 2-channel volume booster to a fully immersive 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos sofa-shaker.

We don’t yet have the full specs for each model, but they’re all available today — or within the coming days — at major retailers and online.

Here’s Samsung’s full lineup of 2020 soundbars:

Samsung 2020 Q Series soundbars

Samsung 2020 soundbar Q Series
Samsung

Samsung’s Q Series is the company’s top-of-the-line group of soundbars. They feature Q-Symphony technology, which combines the soundbar’s dynamic Object Tracking Sound with a compatible Samsung TV’s top speakers to produce a more immersive experience than the soundbar could produce on its own.

These soundbars models also include Samsung’s Acoustic Beam Technology, which can upscale non-surround, non-3D TV audio to create a more immersive feel.

The Q950T, Q90R, Q900T, Q80R, Q800T, and Q70T all have wireless subwoofers and support lossless Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround sound formats thanks to their HDMI eARC connection and a set of up-firing drivers that add the two height channels needed for the 3D-like sound effects. The Q800T and Q70T are the most affordable ways to get going with Dolby Atmos because they are 3.1.2 systems that don’t ship with discrete surround speakers. However, they can be upgraded at a later time with Samsung’s wireless speaker kit, which gives them a full 5.1.2 experience.

The Q60T provides a virtualized 3D experience via DTS Virtual:X. It too has a wireless sub and can be optionally upgraded with the wireless speaker kit for a true 5.1 surround sound setup.

  • Q950T: $1,800
  • Q90R: $1,700
  • Q900T: $1,300
  • Q80R: $1,200
  • Q800T: $900
  • Q70T: $700
  • Q60T: $500

Samsung 2020 S Series soundbars

Samsung 2020 soundbar S Series
Samsung

Samsung’s S Series is its lifestyle-oriented lineup of soundbars, which places a greater emphasis on design elements like fabric-wrapped exteriors.

The S60T is a 4-channel soundbar with Dolby Digital and DTS, but it can be expanded into a much more capable system via an optional wireless subwoofer and the same wireless surround speaker kit as the Q Series soundbars. The S60T is also an Amazon Alexa smart speaker, with full voice control over streaming music sources and smart home devices.

  • S60T: $330
  • S40T: $180

Samsung 2020 T Series soundbars

Samsung 2020 soundbar T Series
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Samsung’s T Series is its low-to-mid level soundbar lineup for those who are looking for the most affordable way to improve their TV’s sound. All T Series models come with wireless subwoofers and can be further upgraded with Samsung’s wireless surround speaker kit. These soundbars support Dolby Audio and DTS formats.

  • T650: $400
  • T550: $280
  • T450: $200
  • T70: $700
  • T50: $500

If you’re still unsure which soundbar to buy, you can always check out the Black Friday deals for soundbar sales, and find the finest one at a discounted price.

Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like spatial…
Samsung adds HW-Q900C to its lineup of 2023 Dolby Atmos soundbars
Samsung 2023 Soundbars.

Samsung has been pretty quiet about its 2023 lineup of Dolby Atmos soundbars since it announced the new collection back at CES 2023, but we finally have all of the models, prices, and features. As we already knew, the latest flagship is the HW-Q990C, a monster 22-driver, 11.1.4-channel system that carries forward the legacy of the HW-Q990B from 2022 -- a soundbar that deeply impressed our reviewer. However, it's now joined by the HW-Q900C -- a more affordable version for folks who don't need the 990C's surround speakers, but who nonetheless may want to add them at a later date.

Also new to the collection are two C-Series models that bring the price of better TV sound down to $200 or less. Here's the full lineup.
Samsung Q-Series Dolby Atmos soundbars
In addition to Dolby Atmos compatibility, Samsung's Q-Series soundbars feature Q-Symphony, a feature that lets a compatible Samsung TV enhance the soundbar's own performance through the use of the TV's built-in speakers. Version 3.0 of Q-Symphony also uses the TV’s sound algorithms to analyze each scene to match the TV and soundbar outputs.

Read more
What is MPEG-H? The burgeoning 3D audio standard explained
Sennheiser Ambeo mounted below TV.

When putting together your audio or home theater setup — or eyeing upgrades for your current system — it’s always good to be on the lookout for new and cool technologies that can enhance your music, movies, and TV shows. When it comes to audio, we've all been wowed by the now-commonplace sound standards that are Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, which offer immersive three-dimensional surround sound experiences. And while these standards remain at the top of the heap, there's a new player making its way to the fore that offers a level of flexibility and personalized audio control we've never seen before: MPEG-H.

While not exactly new and yet to be widely adopted, MPEG-H support is showing up in more and more TVs, set-top boxes, soundbars, AV receivers, and more, allowing users to do some pretty cool sound fine-tuning -- from simple adjustments like enhancing and increasing movie dialog to more advanced personalizations like tweaking the audio mix to turn down the fans of the opposing sports team, all using your remote or an app. It's a neat level of control we've not seen before.

Read more
Sony’s latest Dolby Atmos soundbar is smart, modular, and one of its most affordable
Sony HT-A3000 Dolby Atmos soundbar.

Sony has launched the HT-A3000, its newest Dolby Atmos/DTS-X soundbar in the A-Series, which currently includes the $1,000 HT-A5000, $1,400 HT-A7000, and $1,800 HT-A9. At just $700, that makes the 3.1-channel HT-A3000 the most affordable option in the range. It's available for pre-sale starting August 30.

The HT-A3000 shares many features with its pricier siblings, including AirPlay, Chromecast, and compatibility with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa smart speakers, plus the ability to connect to Sony's Bravia XR series smart TVs, which can be used as an extended center channel for more immersive sound and more realistic dialogue.

Read more