If it’s summer, that must mean it’s soundbar season. And right on cue, Samsung has announced that almost every soundbar model in its 2022 collection is now available from its website as well as partnering retailers. It’s a group of speakers that’s heavy on immersive audio thanks to Dolby Atmos support, and most of these models include special features that make them even more attractive if you own or are planning to buy a Samsung smart TV.
We’ll first do a roundup of all of the technologies that Samsung is highlighting for 2022, and then we’ll get right into the various models, with pricing, availability, and key specifications so you can begin your hunt for the best soundbar for you.
Samsung soundbar technologies for 2022
Dolby Atmos
The crown jewel of immersive home theater audio, Dolby Atmos is a multichannel surround sound format that lets sounds move independently from each other, all around your listening space. It can work on speaker systems with as few as two front-facing drivers, but the most impactful performance will come from soundbars that include dedicated up-firing drivers so that Atmos can deliver the full force of its 180-degree sphere of sound.
To enjoy Dolby Atmos, you’ll need a Dolby Atmos-capable TV, soundbar, and a source of Dolby Atmos content like movies or shows on Blu-ray, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and several other streaming video services.
Wireless Dolby Atmos
Normally, to get Dolby Atmos from a compatible soundbar, you need to connect the bar to a TV or streaming media device via an HDMI cable, because there’s no way to do Atmos over Bluetooth. But if you have a Wireless Dolby Atmos Samsung soundbar, and a compatible 2022 Samsung smart TV, you can send Dolby Atmos audio from the TV to the soundbar using Wi-Fi. This eliminates the need for an HDMI cable, but only between the TV and the soundbar, and it’s only one-way from the TV to the soundbar.
If you want to plug a secondary device into one of the soundbar’s inputs and watch that content on your TV, you’ll still need an HDMI cable between the soundbar and the TV.
DTS:X
It’s just like Dolby Atmos, but it’s not as widely supported. It’s most common on disc-based media like 4K UltraHD Blu-rays, and as far as we know, there are no streaming video services that currently offer DTS:X content.
DTS Virtual:X
If you don’t have access to Dolby Atmos or DTS:X content, DTS Virtual:X can do a pretty good job of “upscaling” regular stereo or Dolby Digital 5.1 content in a 3D immersive sound experience. As with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, the more drivers your soundbar has, the better it will sound.
Apple AirPlay 2
Apple’s wireless audio and video technology that lets you stream content from an Apple device like an iPhone or iPad, direct to your soundbar or TV, when these devices are also equipped with AirPlay 2.
Alexa Built-in
Any soundbar with Alexa built-in means that it’s also a smart speaker that lets you issue voice commands to Amazon’s voice assistant. You can set timers, ask questions, and play games, but more importantly for a home theater, you can ask for music to be played and you can control some TV functions with your voice, too.
Hi-res audio
Any speaker that can play audio encoded at 24-bit/48kHz or better, is considered to be a hi-res audio speaker. To enjoy the full benefits of hi-res audio, you’ll need a source of hi-res audio, like Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, or Qobuz, or a collection of your own hi-res audio files. Note: hi-res audio only works over Bluetooth when both the source device and the speaker support a hi-res Bluetooth codec like Sony’s LDAC, or Qualcomm’s aptX HD.
SpaceFit Sound+
Samsung’s proprietary system for analyzing your room and then adjusting the soundbar’s tuning to give you the best sound, automatically.
AVA
Samsung’s proprietary system for analyzing your room and adjusting the soundbar’s tuning for better clarity for dialog and other voices.
Q-Symphony
If you own a Samsung TV that also has this feature, the TV and soundbar can synchronize all of their speakers to work in harmony, giving you better, more immersive sound than either of these devices could do on their own.
Tap Sound
A convenient way to initiate Bluetooth wireless playback between a phone and a compatible soundbar — simply tap the back of the phone against the indicated area on the soundbar. The catch? It only works with select Samsung phones running Android 8.1 or higher and select Samsung soundbars, plus you’ll need the Samsung SmartThings app installed and running on your phone.
2022 Samsung soundbars
Samsung HW-Q990B
- The flagship for 2022
- $1,900, available now
- 11.1.4-channel sound with wireless surround speakers with dedicated up-firing drivers
- Dolby Atmos
- Wireless Dolby Atmos
- DTS:X
- Q-Symphony
- SpaceFit Sound
- AVA
- Tap Sound
- Apple AirPlay 2
- Wi-Fi
- Alexa Built-in
- Hi-res audio
- 4K, HDR10+ passthrough
- 2 HDMI inputs
- 1 HDMI ARC/eARC output
- Remote control
- Bluetooth
Samsung HW-Q910B
- $1,300, available now
- 9.1.2-channel sound with wireless surround speakers
- Dolby Atmos
- Wireless Dolby Atmos
- DTS:X
- Q-Symphony
- SpaceFit Sound
- AVA
- Tap Sound
- Apple AirPlay 2
- Wi-Fi
- Alexa Built-in
- Hi-res audio
- 4K, HDR10+ passthrough
- 1 HDMI input
- 1 HDMI ARC/eARC output
- Remote control
- Bluetooth
Samsung HW-Q800B
- $1,000, available now
- 5.1.2-channel sound
- Dolby Atmos
- Wireless Dolby Atmos
- DTS:X
- Q-Symphony
- SpaceFit Sound
- AVA
- Tap Sound
- Apple AirPlay 2
- Wi-Fi
- Alexa Built-in
- Hi-res audio
- 4K, HDR10+ passthrough
- 1 HDMI input
- 1 HDMI ARC/eARC output
- Remote control
- Bluetooth
Samsung HW-Q700B
- $700, available now
- 3.1.2-channel sound
- Dolby Atmos
- Wireless Dolby Atmos
- DTS:X
- Q-Symphony
- SpaceFit Sound
- Apple AirPlay 2
- Wi-Fi
- Alexa Built-in
- Hi-res audio
- 4K, HDR10+ passthrough
- 1 HDMI input
- 1 HDMI ARC/eARC output
- Remote control
- Bluetooth
Samsung HW-Q600B
- $600, available now
- 3.1.2-channel sound
- Dolby Atmos
- DTS:X
- Q-Symphony
- Apple AirPlay 2
- Wi-Fi
- Alexa Built-in
- Hi-res audio
- 4K, HDR10+ passthrough
- 1 HDMI input
- 1 HDMI ARC/eARC output
- Remote control
- Bluetooth
Samsung HW-Q60B
- $500, available now
- 3.1-channel sound
- Dolby Atmos
- DTS Virtual:X
- Q-Symphony
- 4K, HDR10+ passthrough
- 1 HDMI input
- 1 HDMI ARC/eARC output
- Remote control
- Bluetooth
- Tap Sound
Samsung HW-S800B
- $900, available now
- 3.1.2-channel sound
- Ultra-thin design
- Dolby Atmos
- Wireless Dolby Atmos
- DTS:X
- Q-Symphony
- SpaceFit Sound
- AVA
- Tap Sound
- Apple AirPlay 2
- Wi-Fi
- Alexa Built-in
- Hi-res audio
- 1 HDMI ARC/eARC output
- Remote control
- Bluetooth
Samsung HW-S60B
- $350, available now
- 5.0-channel all-in-one speaker
- Dolby Atmos
- Wireless Dolby Atmos
- Q-Symphony
- SpaceFit Sound
- AVA
- Tap Sound
- Apple AirPlay 2
- Wi-Fi
- Alexa Built-in
- Hi-res audio
- 1 HDMI ARC/eARC output
- Remote control
- Bluetooth
Samsung HW-S50B
- $250, available now
- 3.0-channel all-in-one speaker
- Dolby 5.1
- DTS Virtual:X
- Q-Symphony
- Tap Sound
- 1 HDMI ARC/eARC output
- Remote control
- Bluetooth
Samsung HW-B650
- $400, available now
- 3.1-channel sound
- Dolby 5.1
- DTS Virtual:X
- Q-Symphony
- Tap Sound
- 1 HDMI input
- 1 HDMI ARC/eARC output
- Remote control
- Bluetooth
Samsung HW-B550
- $280, available now
- 2.1-channel sound
- Dolby Audio
- DTS Virtual:X
- 1 HDMI input
- 1 HDMI ARC/eARC output
- Remote control
- Bluetooth
Samsung HW-B450
- $200, available now
- 2.1-channel sound
- Dolby Audio
- 1 optical input
- Remote control
- Bluetooth
