Samsung HW-N950 review - The BEST soundbar money can buy - By TotallydubbedHD 

cheers!

Yeah , if I turn mine up past 25 my wife is yelling at me !!!!!

+Steve Harper I was going to get LG SK10Y until I see your comment. You like the HW-N950 better than LG SK10Y maybe because the LG doesn't have the rear speakers?

@@HenryTheBoilermaker3rdYear hey mate yeah I LOVE it and mine came with two blue tooth rear speakers as well - the sounds are massive and picks up minute details - I'm still impressed with it

@@myboy051 One day I will go up to 26 for the good of mankind lol.

Did you have a basic 5.1 Home Theater system before? How does this compare to the ability to put your main left / right further apart from your TV for separation?

@@goldblade84 i had pioneer 5.1 before.Now i use this one now and it is much better than pioneer.very good sound quality and the subwoofer shakes my house.really and truly

@@EvantsStudio I have the Samsung 5.1 from 2013-14 ish. I like the sound separation, but the actual sound quality isn't the best. BTW: Have you played RU-vid / MP3s through this? Does Stereo content make any sound in the rear speakers?

Mate you try this one and you won't feel regretted. They released the 2019 version of this now.

Rear speakers are not as loud as I expected but it's okay I would say.

amazing :)

@@TotallydubbedHD Just got this. Do you have any ideas for what the ideal sound set up should be? In terms of volume for different speakers and what sound mode etc? Thanks.

@@SyedAliGaming all dependent on your room

@@TotallydubbedHD It's a standard living room not a massive space. I'll play around with the settings and see what works. Any particular TV setting that is a must? I have a Samsung TV btw. Thanks 👍

@@SyedAliGaming none that I can think of 😊 I'd say, set it to the surround mode for the best effect and ramp up the side channels

Thanks for sharing - I didn't experience any disconnecting problems myself - seems like I got lucky!

its AUD1000 in Australia. I havn't faced many real speaker disconnections, very few in last 6 months

Too bad with your issues, have not had any problems or disconnections with this model, it works perfect for me. My old K-model had those issues you wrote about.

Glad you liked it :)

that was quick :D!

Man cave goals

Glad I could help, and yes.

Mentally good price

It's the same, you can check the specs online for that one :)

I didn't experience any problems personally! I can see how they've be a massive issue though

It's actually not that big of an issue to be honest. The sound went off on mine similar to everyone else after not playing for a few minutes. even just from the TV remote I went back under sound settings and clicked the sound bar and it came right back on. Takes less than 5 seconds

I presume you mean the 950 and 850? If so, get the N850 you won't be disappointed; it's fantastic :)

@@TotallydubbedHDi refer to the HW-K960 and the HW-N860 (XE) 😉 would probably be decent with the speakers too, in the rear.. then again, kids... 🤣

@@sjofelumsk those are the different country variants, same things as the N850/950- then.

No idea, sorry. And it will be compatible

Thanks! From IKEA 😊

Indeed they do, but it's also because they do that with iOS only. If I had the Sonos, I'd not even be able to calibrate it, as I'm on Android. With all that said, they could integrate it with their Samsung phones - but I presume that cost a lot of time and money

@@TotallydubbedHD that's why so many of us Android phone users have at least one iOS device ... eg an iPad...comes in sooooo handy. this said i have the great bang for buck yammie yas 207...but for music it's so so. i love the sonos beam (ios integration, their great mesh system) but the bass needs more punch. wish they'd make a smaller sub for it (i have an svs sb2000 sub that i use with my kef ls50 wireless speakers but have no ht system per see: just using soundbar for tv/live concerts on quello) qello.com/

Ha

Should fire the rear up and forward-facing ones, yes - as long as it's DTS:X!

Thanks!

Nice!

@@TotallydubbedHD only cause q90r is out so got it for 1000 cad still a great system

Wifi only buddy, no wires were needed

Thanks mate,

Heya, not a silly question - I'd go with Dolby personally (if it's surround/atmos)

@@TotallydubbedHD I I currently have my Samsung TV on: HDMI Audio format - PCM instead of Bitstteam Audio Format - Dolby Digital My Soundbar is on Surround sound mode.

@@SyedAliGaming looks good to me

@@TotallydubbedHD thanks for the feedback bro. Mind is at ease now lol 👍

glad I could help!

Plug your device directly into one of the soundbars HDMI inputs, not into the TV. Applies to modern receivers too that have HDMI inputs.

And to add to what was said, I used a blu Ray player

"Jazz solo stop"

If it's via Bluetooth, of course. But via Wi-Fi, I highly doubt it, unless Spotify is built into the Samsung smart things app?

I find it weird if they added wifi but no spotify connect

I plugged my blu-ray into my TV, but the pass through should work

@@TotallydubbedHD can you give it a try if you plug the blu-ray into TV and take the audio out with Arc, if it recognizes atmos support? I was about to buy this bar but the salesperson said he's not sure the Q9 supports atmos passthrough

@@Persojet I don't have it, so can't comment. Best asking around or Samsung.

@@Persojet ARC The pass throught dolby TrueHD work?

black/grey

I have indeed. Sure they're good, but they're not as powerful as you might think (unless you want to tell me otherwise? :D) - I feel they are immersion, but not to the point where it's a night and day difference, if you see what I mean?

I guess we’ll agree to disagree 😄. If someone is able to spend the extra money for the 950, I believe it’s 100% worth it.

@@shinedown54 that's very true

The rear speakers are very important for audio immersion. They also don't need to be powerful if they are tuned currently. Im upgrading from LG sk8y which sounds great but no upwards speakers. The rear speakers sound awesome on that soundbar

Thought you were able to tune the sound on the system including the surrounds if you have a Samsung tv ? Heard go can do it via the tv settings

Unit size = specs, you can see them online. I mentioned the sub- and mid-bass reproduction in the video. And yes, if it's not used it'll go on standby.

Juan Mundo Yes. Shuts off after five minutes. No adjustments for this.

yes, it's so annoying that it shuts off after 5 min. I returned them since there's no way to disable it.

Absolutely, especially at that price!

Nope

Thanks

from Ikea :)

Via the 4k player

But it needs to be plugged into the soundbar directly than the soundbar needs to be plugged into the tv via hdmi ark

No idea

You don’t , n950 is better .

Nope

Because it doesn’t exist

I wouldn't think so, but can't tell you for sure

From my experience of the LG line, yes.

@@TotallydubbedHD still think the Sony HT-Z9F is far superior in terms of sound quality to this Samsung

@@AkashSharma-vj4ck no idea about that one. Not tried it.

now they do.

I honestly don't know

How did you get those rears?Did you pair them?

Yes, buy me one. Thanks!

I used a Samsung blu-ray player to play physical discs

use kodi on smart tv, or buy nvidia shield

I do indeed, just a touch more when watching Dolby Atmos/DTS:X content

@@TotallydubbedHD Thanks for responding quickly. I'm relived because I wanted a good spatialized sound even without atmos and dts:x or rear speakers. Sorry for asking so much questions but can you watch dolby atmos content on netflix or Rakuten tv with your Qled tv ? I've seen that samsung don't include atmos, vision or dts:x codecs on their 2018 Qled even If they include them on HW-N850 and HW-950 soundbars and I'ts really strange. Thanks again.

@@lucasniamien873 I honestly don't know that netflix question - you'd have to look up what shows you like and if they're in atmos etc on Netflix.From what I'm aware, no it won't do it via Netflix, but I could be wrong. TV wise that's something different - the TVs, like the Q9FN is a 2018 QLED and it does support that - in all honesty that has nothing to do with the TV.

thanks! Hmm well, mine was set to -3, as it's plenty loud and boomy in my living room. For a large living room, it shouldn't be a problem either, you're sure it's connected and placed by a wall?

Yes I currently have it connected and placed by a wall but I will try -3 thanks for the advice

@@chris-po2sv oh no, -3 is just got my setup, as the subwoofer is boomy. I'd suggest 0 or a bit more in your situation

Nope

Those rear speakers won't give you the full atmos, as they don't have upward firing drivers, only forward firing - other than that the two system are identical, power wise I didn't notice a difference either. Up to you really, my review covers both and talks about them - if you want the full atmos package get the n950, personally I'd save money and given you got free rear speakers too - stick to that setup

Yup, no issues in that department!

@@TotallydubbedHD tks for the reply

@@Joe-yt5qy np!

they do, but when plugged in

I'll tell you what Mr gamer the best soundbars doesn't come close to the cheapest AV receivers

No idea, sorry

yup, fantastic for music

totallydubbedHD Oké, But is it in stereo? Or is there also playing music out of the rear speakers?

@@Ser-tz1bp depends on the source and the settings of the soundbar. As far as I'm aware it should play through the bar only, not the rear

totallydubbedHD the source Will be spotify, or my Nvidia Shield

@@Ser-tz1bp then in stereo unless it's upmixed via the surround modes etc

Not tried the Q90r, but it should be identical to this one

I'd go on smart or surround sound setup - each setting will vary on your room, so I can't tell you what's best :)

I was thinking the same thing bout the rear speakers but that's the least of my complaints...sound bar not recognizing xbox one x to its fullest...auto game mode greyed out...1440p option is GONE...free sync greyed out also..have u noticed that if u have a xbox?

I don't but that doesn't sound right - it's a HDMI 2.0 port supports 4K HDR and 3D pass-through - so it should work.

@@TotallydubbedHD its not

Why would it turn off? all the inputs are HDMI, I don't understand :D

amazoner0cks that’s what I don’t understand either... Samsung thinks everyone only uses optical cable.

@@leomode2 So you recommend it or not? I need a premium Atmos Soundbar set.

@@amazoner0cks how can I recommend Samsung if it turns off every 5 minutes?

@@leomode2 All are the same, not a defective unit? no patches or anything!!

Just use the remote that came with your TV - unless you need woofer controls or to toggle through the sound modes, you'll need the remote it came with (alternatively, with a Samsung TV, you can see the settings in your sound menu) - as for the Xbox, I can't help there, sorry! Just remember, not everything is Atmos content - ie. Watching Netflix in some cases won't give you atmos, because it was never filmed in it - if that makes sense?

totallydubbedHD Yes sir. I completely understand but I’m not trying to watch everything in Atmos, mostly everything is in Dolby Digital. But lately since I use my Xbox One X to watch everything and now there’s no sound. I was just hoping you had some solutions to fix it.? Maybe my HDMI cord’s need to be upgraded?

@@TraviSScott3 sorry I don't know

wrong...the Q80R replaces the N850, and the Q90R replaces the N950; can't comment on your setup, but I'd save money and buy the N950/N850 over the way more expensive (and near-identical) Q80/90

@@TotallydubbedHD Sorry, I mixed up the Q90R to the N850, so you'd actually recommend getting the older soundbar, if I can find it (and hopefully save a bit of cash). But everywhere I look, the N850 is the same price as the Q80 and the N950 is the same price as the Q90 (so if they are the same price surely better to go for the newer model?) Only other question really, what about all the issues that people mention about the problems with interference from Wireless routers? I've got a router about a metre away from my TV, surely this will cause issues with the N950/Q90 rear speakers? (Should mention, I'm not in the UK, so looking at "European" retailers)

@@andyjt11 if they're the same price, just get the newer models - as they have slightly better bass; in the UK, the N850 is around £650 while the Q80R is around £1000. As I said about interference, I can't comment as I don't have that setup; as you might have seen from my video(s) I didn't have any problems.

@@TotallydubbedHD Thanks for the quick replies. If my budget allows, I'm guessing the Q90 set (I think I'd miss the rear channels, even if I'm just upgrading from an old 5.1 system), plus the rear upfiring function of those speakers. This soundbar seems the easiest (maybe cheapest) way to go to 7.1.4. Again thanks for the advice, now I just need to save my pennies (or Krone I should say) to get the Q90. I'll let you know what its like once its in place.

@@andyjt11 indeed, it's the best all-rounder; but don't forget that the Q80 with Adaptive sound (or smart sound on the N850) will also fill your room of sound

This is far better in soundstage and metadata support. But I didn't try the Bose with a sub

erm?

Ms750 with swa700 sub

which one?

I have a Sonos Playbar, Sonos Sub and two Play 1 speakers for rears in a 5.1 setup.

Unfortunately, the Playbar isn't great for its price. The mids are recessed and the soundstage is rather closed in comparison the to N850 or N950. However, the versatility the Sonos brings, with a multiroom setup - no one can beat. So really depends on what you're looking for. Multiroom = Sonos. Sound quality, codec support and real Atmos/DTS:X = Samsung

definitively, but consider the N850 too

I have the 2018 65" q9 tv. Think that's the tv in this review lol. I'll ride with the 850 see how it does. ...Thanks

@@micg6043 55Q9FN, close :D

It's the best I've heard from a soundbar

This is problably the best soundbar now, but if Sennheiser releases the Ambeo soundbar in a few months then you have wasted money on a mediocre soundbar. Sennheiser has way more experience in the audio department. Samsung should stick with making phones and televisions.

@@MrGuanche1985 not necessarily

@@MrGuanche1985 sennheiser ambeo 2500 lol

That really shouldn't be the case, what's happening exactly?

totallydubbedHD the connection with the rear speakers and subwoofer is lost on a regular basis. It all started after 4 weeks, just like the hw-k950. It was common problem with the hw-k950 and Samsung promised this problem was solved with the hw-n950. So Samsung was aware of the connection problems with the hw-k950. But now I have the exact same problem with the hw-n950. I tried both wifi connections first the 2,4Hz and after the first connection problems after 4 weeks I tried the 5Hz wifi connection. But even then the rear speakers/ subwoofer loses connection. It really frustrates me because I do not know what is causing the problem!

totallydubbedHD by the way, I did all possible trouble shootings like unplug it for 30 min etc. even the router is next to it......

I know it was a problem with the older model - but I didn't have any problems this time around. I don't think the Wi-Fi matters btw - the speakers, if I'm not mistaken don't connect to your Wi-Fi, rather, with your soundbar's own 'ID' - I presume you've done the ID RESET thing? Can be annoying - but that that did solve my connectivity issues. But for me, that was because it's a test unit, so many people have used it before (incl Samsung), so it had to be all reset and re-paired etc.

totallydubbedHD yes I did the ID set over and over again. But from what point does the rear speakers connect? Rear speakers to subwoofer to soundbar and vice versa? In that case is placing of the subwoofer important? Because the subwoofer is near the rear speakers.......

Ha! Thanks btw

No idea

@@TotallydubbedHD then how do you know if this is the best

@@ickkynickky21 because I know how a system should sound like

in what way :)?

The biggest improvement in my opinion is the 4K and HDR passthrough. Connecting the ATV directly to the SB lets you enjoy ATMOS and DTS X that Netflix and amazon provides via the ATV.@@TotallydubbedHD

ybra - the n950 sounds very good . No wires ! I only turned mine up to about 35 for the first 3-4 weeks I had it . Wife and kids was out so I said to self , let’s see what this thing sounds like . All I can say is WOW 😮 . I wasn’t expecting it to be that good from a sound bar . Harmon/kardon knows what they are doing .

That's silly

@@TotallydubbedHD CAN I THOUGH. I HAVE ENOUGH SPACE. ITS A STANDING DESK SO IS THE WIRES LONG?

@@LilBrujoFH18 no idea, look up the dimensions online and check. And turn off caps lock!

@@TotallydubbedHD SORRY. USING THE NEW RAZER HUNTERSMAN KEYBOARD. $200 :{

@@LilBrujoFH18 really...

that's a good question - I don't think so -but it will connect to your TV, at which point I'm sure the volume will adjust when you're changing your TV's volume

Thank you ..

@@alkaabi95 np!

Good point. Well in my time of testing, I didn't experience any problems whatsoever - but I know the k950 had plenty of issues, mainly regarding the rear speakers. I can report there's nothing on my end :)

totallydubbedHD that’s great to hear

I have a K950 and have been less than happy with it. Michael - when you say audio drops, are you referring to general lost connection requiring repairing or do you just mean the audio cuts out while connected? The connection issues have become all but gone for me but used to be a nightmare. These days I am less than impressed with the actual audio coming from the surrounds/rears on most any standard sources, especially anything on satellite. Surround is always set to on (do not even dare experiment with other audio modes) and still I rarely ever hear the rears kick in. I had to change my setup to run everything through the Xbox One X because you can trick/force it into Atmos mode at all times doing that using Xbox's glitchy audio settings. The sacrifice with this connection decision we then make becomes losing 4K output from our DirecTV 4K Genie set top box to the TV as 4K is not supported through Xbox One X HDMI passthrough. There are no win-wins here. Lastly on my laundry list of K950 issues is having almost daily HDMI handshake issues - and it is connected to a Sammy 75" Q7F QLED! There is major lag on source changes and sometimes we have to sit there and power off and on equipment just to get a signal through. For the price we spent (especially in total where last year's model QLED's were way more $ than this year's - another source of Samsung buyer remorse) I could not be more disappointed overall. So what do I do... consider dropping more on an N950 - glutton for punishment here! I am very curious at a direct comparison between the K950 and N950 in terms of issues resolutions and improvements in quality head to head. Please get back Michael and totallydubbedHD you guys seem to be the right ones to start this conversation with. totallydubbedHD, maybe the comparison conclusions could be the basis of another video? Thank you gentlemen!

@@seanbarber9828 I'll see if I can get the older models on for review, too :)

Samsung 55in Q9FN :)

Why is your tv flickering? I've seen videos here on yt of the q9-fn and they didn't flicker.

Just to do with the camera picking it up, it's odd haha

Sorry, but those systems are terrible in comparison...

And the others are non Atmos

I never heard the sonos play bar but I heard both this Samsung & bose 700, I know bose doesn't support dolby atmos & dts:x but I don't know what the secret is the sound of bose is absolutely a winner for me .

I have one of those and am wondering if this is an upgrade or not... I love the SoundTouch 700. I haven't heard any Atmos content yet, so not sure if it is worth the upgrade (is this an upgrade from the ST700?)

@@Ridbidge of course not

Well you're welcome to make your own free, unpaid, independent video and get horrible comments like this on your RU-vid channel.

@@rich060286 Your initial comment does sound horrible.

totallydubbedHD more thoughtfully worded 👍🏻

No heard that, so can't comment!

$1000 for a plastic tube ...that says everything jeeze

@@shaundavidssd you were born in a plastic tube...lol😂

Nope. This is the best Atmos soundbar put there, there's no comparison

Hahaha this is a joke right?

How so?

Yeah how so , are you a fan boy of another brand . Or maybe just a ignorant hater that has no facts to his reason with no money to buy a 1,700 sound bar .

Had 2 and they were both garbage. Im a huge bose fan but the 700 was trash

No, lol

I use bose acoustmass 16 series II. The sound is electrifying. Heavy Bass with LFE

Cool story bro

@@TotallydubbedHD no story just my opinion

@@TotallydubbedHD oh u got some haters brah , don't worry about their broke asses do your work great video man

No problem with the rear speakers but the bass is indeed very soft with no Atmos source.

I didn't have any issues with rear speakers with Atmos, DTS-X, DTS, DDP etc. I have a Nvidia Shield TV. Also the woofer is great with all surround sound formats as well. Didn't feel the softness. Wifey gets annoyed plenty a times.

The rears and sub sound great! Not sure what you are talking about.

agreed- compared to the Bose soundbar system. the bose sub and rear are better

bc it's only 8" sub

why do you haha if you haven't heard it yourself. Sony's ST 5000 already does this simulated 5.1 thing. It only works if you have a square room. If you have a big room or one side of the living room is far away or if it's a irregular shape these solutions will not be able to compare to the actual rear channels. Upmixing to 3D is not that hard. There are music/movie playing apps that do that already.

I asked this question, too - nope. Thing is you can't buy these ones online, separately (as far as I'm aware), so even if they did pair, you'd not be able to find them to buy. The SWS system is different altogether

totallydubbedHD - you can buy them at Samsungparts.com . You won’t find them on the online site . Go to contacts and call them . They are like $270 a piece. The old ones won’t work either. The new ones won’t pair up with the n850 . Something to do with software!!!