Samsung sells its biggest Q-Series systems with the subwoofer and rears in the box, while Sony sells its top bars alone to build on later.
Products in this guide
- HDMI input set to 4K120 and 8K by default
- Takes optional rears and up to two subwoofers
- 11.1.4 channels with the included subwoofer and surround speakers
- Two HDMI inputs with 4K at 120 fps pass-through
- HDMI input with 4K120 and 8K pass-through
- Acoustic Center Sync with a BRAVIA that has S-CENTER SPEAKER IN
- 3.1.2 channels for Dolby Atmos with the included subwoofer
- HDMI input plus an SWA-9250S rear-kit option
- Dolby Atmos and DTS:X from front, center and top speakers
- Voice Zoom with a compatible Sony TV
- Subwoofer and rear speakers included
- Dolby Atmos and DTS:X over HDMI eARC
- 5.1 channels from the bar and subwoofer, 7.1 with the SWA-9250S kit
- HDMI input for a player or streaming box
- Wireless subwoofer and 330 W of total output
- Wireless connection to compatible BRAVIA TVs
- 641 mm wide, inside a 32-inch screen's edges
- HDMI ARC, optical and USB connections
In a Sony vs Samsung soundbar choice, the logo matters less than three facts: what’s in the box, what can plug into the bar and what it does with a TV of its own brand.
Pick on reputation and the gap shows up later, when the rears you pictured cost extra or a console’s 120 Hz picture won’t pass through the bar.
Match the system to your screen, your room and how far you’ll expand it, and either maker gives you Dolby Atmos from a bar under the TV.
The short answer and a side-by-side table come first, then head-to-head pairs, from Samsung’s HW-Q990F against Sony’s BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 down to small bars for a bedroom.
By the end, you’ll know which maker’s lineup suits your setup and what each choice commits you to buying later.
Which Is Better, a Sony or Samsung Soundbar?
Those three facts are where the answer starts. Neither brand is better across the board: Samsung sells its two biggest Q-Series systems with the subwoofer and rear speakers in the box, while Sony sells its top BRAVIA Theater bars on their own and lets you add one or two subwoofers and rears later.
Samsung’s 2025 user guide for the HW-Q990F, Q930F, Q900F and Q800F lists surround speakers in the box only with the Q990F and Q930F, for 11.1.4 and 9.1.4 channels. Sony’s help guide for the Bar 9 and Bar 8 lists the subwoofer and rear speakers as not supplied, with room for two subwoofers in a dual-subwoofer connection.
The TV tie-ins split the same way. Samsung’s Q-Symphony plays sound from a Samsung TV and the bar at the same time, while Sony’s Acoustic Center Sync sends the center part of the Bar 9’s or Bar 8’s sound to a BRAVIA TV’s speakers over an S-CENTER cable.
The third split is the HDMI input, and it doesn’t follow the badge. Samsung’s Q990F passes 4K at 120 frames a second through its two HDMI inputs while its Q800F stops at 60, and Sony’s Bar 9, Bar 8 and Bar 7 pass 4K120 while its Bar 6 has no HDMI input at all.
So the choice comes down to how much of the system you want in one box, which brand of TV the bar will sit under and what has to plug into it. Each gets its own section below, after the side-by-side table.
If LG is also on your shortlist, our look at how Sony’s systems line up against LG’s runs the same tests on that pair. Our Samsung vs LG soundbar comparison covers Samsung’s side of it.
How Does a Sony vs Samsung Soundbar Compare Side by Side?
Those splits line up into a handful of hardware differences, and each one sits on a spec sheet rather than in a sales pitch. A Sony vs Samsung soundbar comparison comes down to what’s in the box, the HDMI input, room calibration, the TV tie-in and the add-ons, as the table shows for each maker’s current Dolby Atmos bars.
| Feature | Samsung HW-Q990F, Q930F, Q800F and Q600F | Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9, Bar 8, Bar 7 and Bar 6 |
|---|---|---|
| In the box | Subwoofer and rears with the Q990F and Q930F; a subwoofer alone with the Q800F and Q600F | The bar alone with the Bar 9, Bar 8 and Bar 7; a bar and subwoofer with the Bar 6 |
| Channels as boxed | 11.1.4, 9.1.4, 5.1.2 and 3.1.2 | Front, center and top sections in all four, per Sony’s specifications |
| HDMI input | Two on the Q990F; one on the Q930F, Q800F and Q600F | One on the Bar 9, Bar 8 and Bar 7; none on the Bar 6 |
| 4K at 120 frames a second through the bar | Q990F only | Bar 9, Bar 8 and Bar 7, set to 4K120 and 8K by default |
| Room calibration | SpaceFit Sound Pro with the bar’s own microphone on the Q990F, Q930F and Q800F | Sound Field Optimization in the BRAVIA Connect app on the Bar 9, Bar 8 and Bar 7 |
| Own-brand TV feature | Q-Symphony and a Wi-Fi link to Samsung TVs | Acoustic Center Sync on the Bar 9 and Bar 8, plus Voice Zoom |
| Bluetooth codecs | SBC | SBC, AAC and LDAC on the Bar 9, Bar 8 and Bar 7 |
| Add-ons | SWA-9500S rears for the Q800F; SWA-9250S rears for the Q600F | Optional rears and up to two subwoofers for the Bar 9, Bar 8 and Bar 7 |
The table leaves out the smaller bars, and they share one limit. Samsung’s HW-B750F, B550F and B400F manuals list Dolby Digital and DTS rather than Dolby Atmos, and Sony’s HT-S400 spec sheet gives Dolby Digital, so none of the four decodes Dolby Atmos.
If channel numbers like 5.1.2 are new to you, our soundbar fundamentals guide shows how to read them on a spec sheet. The first number counts the channels at ear level, the second the subwoofers and the third the height channels that fire toward the ceiling.
Which Is Better, the Samsung HW-Q990F or the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9?
The flagships show the in-the-box split at its sharpest. The Samsung HW-Q990F is the more complete system out of the box, with a subwoofer and two surround speakers for 11.1.4 channels, while the Sony Bar 9 is a bar you build on, adding a subwoofer, a second subwoofer or rears when you’re ready.
Samsung’s 2025 guide gives the Q990F 11.1.4 channels with the subwoofer and surrounds working together, in its Surround, Game Pro and Adaptive Sound modes. The same guide lists a Sound Grouping setting that plays the full sound through the bar and the rears, and a Private Rear mode that sends audio to the rears alone.
Sony’s Bar 9 measures 1,300 mm (51 1/4 inches) across and comes with neither a subwoofer nor rear speakers. Its help guide covers an optional subwoofer, two of them in a dual-subwoofer connection, and optional rears whose built-in rechargeable battery the app can check.
Both take a source through the bar as well as the TV’s eARC connection, and here the Samsung has one more. The Q990F has HDMI 1 and HDMI 2 inputs that pass 4K at 120 frames a second, while the Bar 9 has one HDMI input whose default Enhanced format setting covers 4K120 and 8K.
Samsung’s guide asks for an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable on the Q990F’s inputs for UHD signals. Sony ties VRR, ALLM and SBTM to the Bar 9’s Enhanced format setting, which matters if a console plugs into the bar.
The formats overlap more than they differ. Both decode Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and Sony’s guide adds IMAX Enhanced and 360 Reality Audio.
So the Q990F suits a buyer who wants the whole system in one purchase plus a second HDMI input, and the Bar 9 suits one who’d rather start with the bar and add speakers. Our best Sony soundbar guide walks through the Bar 9’s siblings, and our ranking of Samsung’s current soundbars does the same for the Q990F’s.
How Does the Samsung HW-Q800F Compare With the Sony Bar 8 and Bar 7?
Step down a size and the in-the-box split narrows to a subwoofer. The Samsung HW-Q800F is a 5.1.2-channel bar with its subwoofer included and no rears, while Sony’s Bar 8 at 1,100 mm (43 3/8 inches) and the newer Bar 7 at 950 mm (37 1/2 inches) come as bars alone.
Samsung’s HW-Q800F spec sheet lists three front, two side-firing and two up-firing speakers plus the subwoofer, in a bar 43.73 inches wide. The optional SWA-9500S rear kit takes it to 7.1.4 channels, per Samsung’s 2025 user guide.
The Q800F’s single HDMI input is where it differs most from the Sony pair. Samsung’s guide lists UHD pass-through up to 60 frames a second on the Q930F and Q800F, and the Q800F spec sheet gives 4K video pass at 60Hz, while Sony’s Bar 8 shares the Bar 9’s input with 4K120 and 8K.
The Q930F sits between the Q800F and the Q990F. Its box adds the surround speakers for 9.1.4 channels, but it keeps the Q800F’s single HDMI input and its 60-frame ceiling.
Sony’s Bar 8 shares the Bar 9’s help guide, so it gets the same Sound Field Optimization, Acoustic Center Sync and optional add-ons in a bar 200 mm narrower. The 2026 Bar 7 (HT-A7100) has its own guide, which lists an HDMI input, LDAC Bluetooth, IMAX Enhanced, Sound Field Optimization, the optional SA-RS5 rear speakers and room for two subwoofers.
Size is the practical test here. A 55-inch TV is about 48 inches wide, so the Q800F, Bar 8 and Bar 7 all sit inside its edges, but on a 50-inch set, about 43.6 inches wide, the Q800F’s 43.73 inches runs just past them.
Should You Pick the Samsung HW-Q600F or the Sony Bar 6 for a Bar and Subwoofer?
Below those bars, each maker sells a Dolby Atmos bar with a wireless subwoofer in the box. The Samsung HW-Q600F adds an HDMI input and a rear-speaker option, while the Sony Bar 6 connects only to the TV, over HDMI eARC or ARC or an optical cable, and decodes DTS:X where the Q600F lists DTS Virtual:X.
Samsung’s HW-Q600F user guide gives 3.1.2 channels for Dolby Atmos with the subwoofer and 5.1.2 with the separately sold SWA-9250S rear kit. It lists Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, DTS 5.1 and DTS Virtual:X among its formats, in a bar 1,030 mm (about 40.6 inches) wide.
That HDMI input passes 4K video at up to 60 frames a second, per the guide’s UHD table, so a streaming box or player can run through the bar. The Q600F’s Q-Symphony link works over the HDMI or optical cable.
Sony’s Bar 6 help guide lists front, center and top sections in the bar and a wireless subwoofer with a 160 mm cone. Its connections are an optical TV IN and an HDMI OUT for the TV’s eARC or ARC, and the guide has no rear-speaker setup.
That makes the Q600F the more flexible pair and the Bar 6 the simpler one, which suits a TV whose HDMI ports already take every source. The Bar 6 adds Voice Zoom with a compatible Sony TV, a feature the TV section comes back to.
Sony’s 2026 Bar 5 is the narrower option at 900 mm (35 1/2 inches), with the same optical and HDMI eARC/ARC connections and a wireless subwoofer. Our 2.1 vs 5.1 soundbar guide explains what the extra channel numbers add at this size.
Can You Get Rear Speakers in the Box Without a Flagship?
Those bar-and-subwoofer pairs stop at the front of the room, and rears are where the two ranges part ways below the top. With Sony you can: the BRAVIA Theater System 6 ships with a subwoofer and two rear speakers and handles Dolby Atmos and DTS:X over HDMI eARC, while Samsung’s 2025 Q-Series guide puts rears in the box only with its two biggest systems, the Q990F and Q930F.
Sony’s System 6 help guide connects its rears by cable to a wireless amplifier, which the subwoofer feeds wirelessly. The bar has no HDMI input, so sources plug into the TV, just as with the Bar 6.
On Samsung’s side, the other route to rears is a kit added to a bar. The SWA-9250S takes the Q600F to 5.1.2, the HW-B750F to 7.1 and the HW-B550F to 4.1, and the SWA-9500S takes the Q800F to 7.1.4.
The B750F is the B-Series bar built for that path, a 5.1-channel bar and subwoofer that its manual lists with an HDMI input and an HDMI TO TV (ARC) port. It decodes Dolby Digital, DTS and DTS Virtual:X rather than Dolby Atmos, so it trades height channels for surround ones.
So if you want speakers behind the sofa from the first day without stepping up to a flagship, the System 6 is the documented way to get them. If you’d rather start with a bar and decide later, Samsung’s kits let a Q600F or B750F grow.
Our soundbar vs home theater comparison covers when a full surround system makes more sense than any bar, kit or no kit.
Which Small Sony or Samsung Bar Suits a Bedroom TV?
All of those systems are more than a 32- or 43-inch screen needs, and both makers sell plain bars for that job. Samsung’s HW-B400F is the smallest at 641 mm (about 25.2 inches), a two-channel bar with 20 W per channel and no subwoofer in the box, while Sony’s HT-S400 adds a wireless subwoofer for 2.1 channels and 330 W in a 35.5-inch bar.
Samsung’s HW-B550F sits between them, an 858.8 mm (33.8-inch) bar with a wireless subwoofer. Its manual lists 80 W for the bar and 220 W for the subwoofer, HDMI ARC and optical connections, and DTS Virtual:X.
Sony’s HT-S400 spec sheet describes S-Force PRO Front Surround with Dolby Digital, an HDMI ARC or optical connection and Bluetooth 5.0. It can also take sound wirelessly from a compatible BRAVIA TV.
The B400F’s manual lists HDMI ARC, optical and USB connections, and it decodes Dolby Digital and DTS. Sony’s older HT-S100F startup guide shows the same pair of TV links, HDMI ARC or the supplied optical cable.
A 32-inch TV is about 27.9 inches wide, so the B400F fits inside its edges while the B550F and HT-S400 run past them. Both of those suit a 43-inch screen, which is about 37.5 inches wide.
Both makers’ setup steps list the HDMI ARC cable first and optical second, and Sony’s startup guide says to use the optical cable when the TV has no HDMI jack labeled ARC. Our HDMI vs optical guide explains what each connection carries.
Does Sony or Samsung Have Better Sound Quality?
Size and channels set the frame, and the next question is the one in the heading: which one sounds better. Sound quality depends on the model, the room and your seat more than on the badge.
What those documents do show is the hardware that shapes the sound. Samsung’s Q800F spec sheet lists side-firing and up-firing speakers, and Sony’s guides list front, center and top speaker sections for the Bar 9, Bar 8, Bar 7 and Bar 6.
Both makers also spread two-channel sound across more channels. Samsung’s guides list Surround, Game Pro and Adaptive Sound modes, with Adaptive Sound analyzing content in real time, and Sony’s Bar 9 and Bar 8 use Dolby Speaker Virtualizer and DTS Neural:X for multichannel sources and 360 Spatial Sound Mapping for two-channel TV sound.
Dialogue tools turn up on both sides. Samsung’s AVA Pro analyzes outside noise to keep voices clear and its Voice Enhance setting improves dialogue, while Sony’s bars have a voice button that switches to Voice Zoom with a compatible Sony TV.
For Dolby Atmos in particular, the height channels are the spec to compare. Samsung’s channel counts give the Q600F and Q800F two height channels and the Q930F and Q990F four, while Sony’s guides for the Bar 9, Bar 8, Bar 7 and Bar 6 describe those bars by speaker sections, front, center and top, rather than by channel numbers.
The practical test is a scene you know well, played at the volume you usually watch. Judge dialogue first, then a busy action scene, in your own room.
How Do Sony and Samsung Tune a Bar to Your Room?
Those sections only pay off once the bar knows the room it’s in. Samsung’s Q990F, Q930F and Q800F measure the room with a microphone built into the bar, using SpaceFit Sound Pro, which runs automatically, while Sony’s Bar 9, Bar 8 and Bar 7 run Sound Field Optimization from the BRAVIA Connect app.
Samsung’s 2025 guide says SpaceFit Sound Pro analyzes your listening space using the soundbar’s microphone. A second route turns on Adaptive Sound+ in a Samsung TV’s menu, which switches the bar to that mode on some Samsung TVs.
The feature doesn’t reach every Samsung bar. The Q600F’s user guide has no SpaceFit step, Samsung’s 2026 guide says SpaceFit Sound Pro isn’t supported on the HW-Q600H, and the HW-S60D and S800D manuals describe a SpaceFit Sound setting that also uses the bar’s microphone.
Sony’s Bar 9 and Bar 8 help guide lists 360 Spatial Sound Mapping as the bar’s sound field setting for two-channel TV sound. The measuring is a separate step, Sound Field Optimization in Sony’s app, which the guide says to run again when you move the speakers or rearrange the furniture.
The same guide adds a Viewing Position setting that optimizes the sound field for your seat, and it works only after the viewing position has been measured. Sony’s 2026 Trio goes a step further and ships a USB-C calibration microphone for Sound Field Optimization.
Sony’s Bar 6 guide lists no calibration, so that bar leans on the sound field, voice and night buttons on its remote. The practical test is the same for either brand: run the calibration with the room set up the way you watch, sofa in place and doors as you’d normally leave them.
Our soundbar setup guide covers where to place the bar before you run it.
What Does Each Brand Add With a Samsung or Sony TV?
Calibration works under any TV, but the next features need the matching brand. With a Samsung TV, Samsung’s bars add Q-Symphony, which plays the TV’s speakers and the bar together, plus a Wi-Fi link to the TV, and with a BRAVIA, Sony’s Bar 9 and Bar 8 add Acoustic Center Sync, which uses the TV’s speakers for the center part of the sound.
Samsung’s 2025 guide says Q-Symphony plays sound from the soundbar and a supporting Samsung TV at the same time, follows the codec the TV supports and works over HDMI, optical or Wi-Fi. The Q800F spec sheet adds that Q-Symphony needs a compatible 2020-2025 Samsung TV.
The Wi-Fi link is Samsung-only too. The guide says the Wi-Fi connection is only available on a Samsung TV and that Wi-Fi Dolby Atmos works only on some Samsung TVs and soundbars, which the spec sheet narrows to 2022-2025 Samsung TVs.
On Sony’s side, a BRAVIA with an S-CENTER SPEAKER IN jack takes the center part of the Bar 9’s or Bar 8’s sound from the bar’s S-CENTER OUT jack, once Acoustic Center Sync is turned on in the app. Sony’s BRAVIA TV help guide describes the same link from the TV’s side, using a TV center speaker mode cable.
Sony’s bar guides also switch the VOICE button to the TV’s Voice Zoom when a compatible Sony TV is connected, and the HT-S400 can take sound wirelessly from compatible BRAVIA TVs. Each of these needs the matching brand of TV, which is why the TV you own can settle a close call.
If the bar will sit under a Samsung set, our guide for Samsung TV owners sorts picks by TV model tier and Q-Symphony.
Can You Plug a Game Console Into a Sony or Samsung Soundbar?
Those TV links run over HDMI, and so does the next difference, the bar’s own input. You can on Samsung’s Q990F, Q930F, Q800F, Q600F and B750F and on Sony’s Bar 9, Bar 8 and Bar 7, which each have an HDMI input, but not on Samsung’s B550F, B400F, S60D or S800D or on Sony’s Bar 6, Bar 5, System 6 or HT-S400.
Frame rate is where the input bars split. Samsung’s UHD tables pass 4K at 120 frames a second on the Q990F and Q900F, with the Q930F, Q800F and Q600F stopping at 60, while Sony’s Bar 9 and Bar 8 guide sets the input to Enhanced format (4K120, 8K) by default and the Bar 7’s guide adds QMS to VRR, ALLM and SBTM.
That makes Sony’s Bar 8 and Bar 7 the narrower bars that still pass a console’s 120 Hz picture, and Samsung’s Q990F and Q900F the Samsung bars that do it, with a second input on top. On a Q800F, Q930F or Q600F, a console that runs at 120 Hz is better plugged into a TV port that takes it.
The input matters most on a TV with plain ARC. Sony’s guide explains that eARC carries object-based audio and multichannel LPCM that ARC can’t, so a player plugged into the bar’s own input keeps those formats even when the TV link is ARC.
The B750F is the odd one among Samsung’s input bars. Its manual labels the bar’s TV port HDMI TO TV (ARC), and the bar decodes Dolby Digital and DTS rather than Dolby Atmos.
With a console plugged into the bar, the TV shows the picture through the bar’s HDMI output. Our soundbar to TV connection guide walks through the cables for either brand.
Which Brand Is Easier to Expand With Rear Speakers and a Subwoofer?
An HDMI input is fixed when you buy, but add-ons can come later, and that’s where the two ranges differ most. Sony is easier to expand at the top: its Bar 9, Bar 8 and Bar 7 take optional rears and up to two subwoofers, and its add-ons also connect to older Sony bars, Sony receivers and some BRAVIA TVs, while Samsung pairs each bar with a specific rear kit.
Sony’s current add-ons include the BRAVIA Theater Sub 7, Sub 8 and Sub 9 and the Rear 8 and Rear 9. Their help guides describe connecting to a sound bar that supports the BRAVIA Connect app, to the HT-A7000, HT-A5000 or HT-A3000, to Sony AV receivers and to a BRAVIA TV that supports the wireless speaker connection.
The Rear 9’s guide adds that it works only with specific models, so check the list it points to before you buy. The Bar 9 and Bar 8 guide pairs two subwoofers in a dual-subwoofer connection for more powerful bass.
Samsung’s kits are matched by model. The SWA-9500S goes with the Q800F and Q900F, the SWA-9250S with the Q600F, B750F and B550F, and the HW-S60D’s manual pairs the SWA-9200S rear kit with the SWA-W510 subwoofer.
Once rears are connected, Samsung’s Sound Grouping and Private Rear settings come into play, the same pair the Q990F section described. That’s the trade in one line: Samsung puts rears in the box on its biggest systems and sells kits below them, and Sony spreads them across later purchases.
If you’re weighing a receiver instead, our soundbar vs receiver comparison covers when separate components beat any bar system.
Do Sony and Samsung Bars Stream Music the Same Way?
Once everything is placed, music is the other daily use. The two stream it partly the same way: both support AirPlay and Spotify Connect, but they split on voice, with Samsung’s Q800F spec sheet listing Alexa built in and Google Cast support, while Sony’s Bar 9 and Bar 8 guide says the bar has no microphone.
Sony’s guide gives the workaround: once the bar is added to an iPhone’s Home app, you can ask Siri to stream music to it. Samsung’s HW-S60D and S800D manuals list Alexa, Chromecast, AirPlay, Spotify and Tidal once the bar is on Wi-Fi.
Bluetooth is the clearest difference on paper. Sony’s Bar 9, Bar 8 and Bar 7 guides list LDAC alongside SBC and AAC, while Samsung’s 2025 Q-Series and Q600F guides say the bars support SBC.
Samsung adds two extras for phones and music libraries. Tap Sound plays a phone’s audio when you tap the bar with a Samsung phone running Android 8.1 or later, and the 2025 guide describes the Q-Series bars as Roon Ready.
Each maker uses its own app, SmartThings for Samsung and Sony | BRAVIA Connect for Sony, for setup, settings and add-ons. If music matters more to you than movies, our soundbar vs speakers comparison covers when a stereo pair makes more sense.
Which Sony or Samsung Soundbar Should You Buy?
Those differences narrow most shortlists to one pair per TV size, from a small bar for a bedroom to a full system for a 65-inch screen. Buy Samsung if you want the subwoofer and rears in one box, Q-Symphony with a Samsung TV, Alexa in the bar or two HDMI inputs, and buy Sony if you’d rather add speakers over time, want LDAC or IMAX Enhanced, need 4K120 pass-through on a narrower bar or own a BRAVIA with an S-CENTER jack.
Every pick met Burton Acoustix’s rating, review and stock checks on 29 October 2026.
The descriptions come from the makers’ manuals and spec pages.
A Full System for a 65-Inch TV or Larger
If you want everything at once, the Samsung HW-Q990F, with its subwoofer and surrounds in the box is the pick. Its surrounds each need their own power, since Samsung’s guide connects them to an outlet.
Samsung HW-Q990F
If you’d rather build the system up, the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9, a bar to build a system around is the pick. At 51 1/4 inches it sits inside a 65-inch screen’s 56.7 inches, and you can add a Sony subwoofer first, then rears, and rerun Sound Field Optimization after each one.
Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 9
A Bar You Can Build On for a 55-Inch TV
For a 55-inch set, the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8, a 1,100 mm bar with the Bar 9’s features is the pick. It keeps the 4K120 input and Acoustic Center Sync in a bar that fits inside the screen’s 48 inches.
Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8
Samsung’s HW-Q800F is the matching Samsung bar, with its subwoofer in the box and Alexa built in. It’s described here without a buying link because its listing wasn’t in stock when the picks were checked.
A Bar and Subwoofer for a 50- or 55-Inch TV
For an HDMI input and the option of rears later, the Samsung HW-Q600F, a 3.1.2-channel bar with a wireless subwoofer is the pick. Add the SWA-9250S kit and Samsung’s guide takes it to 5.1.2.
Samsung HW-Q600F
If every source already plugs into your TV, the Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6 with its wireless subwoofer is the simpler pick. Its one HDMI cable runs to the TV’s eARC or ARC port, and it adds DTS:X.
Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6
Rear Speakers Without a Flagship System
For speakers behind the sofa from the first day, the Sony BRAVIA Theater System 6, with its subwoofer and rear speakers in the box is the pick. Its rears wire to a wireless amplifier with its own power cord, so plan for an outlet near the back of the room.
Sony BRAVIA Theater System 6
If you’d rather add rears later, the Samsung HW-B750F, a 5.1-channel bar and subwoofer takes the SWA-9250S kit for 7.1. It skips Dolby Atmos but keeps an HDMI input.
Samsung HW-B750F
A Small Bar for a Bedroom or a Smaller TV
For a 43-inch screen, the Sony HT-S400 and its wireless subwoofer is the pick. It fits inside the screen’s 37.5 inches and can take sound wirelessly from a compatible BRAVIA.
Sony HT-S400 and its wireless subwoofer
For a 32-inch TV, the Samsung HW-B400F, a 641 mm two-channel bar is the pick, since it sits inside the screen’s edges. It connects by HDMI ARC or optical and decodes Dolby Digital and DTS.
Samsung HW-B400F
The Bottom Line
Those picks come back to the three questions from the top of the page: how much of the system you want in one box, which TV the bar sits under and what has to plug into it.
Choose Samsung when you want the subwoofer and rears included on a Q990F or Q930F, a rear kit to grow a smaller bar, Q-Symphony with a Samsung TV or Alexa in the bar. Choose Sony when you’d rather start with the bar and add one or two subwoofers and rears later, want LDAC or IMAX Enhanced, need 4K120 pass-through on a narrower bar or own a BRAVIA with an S-CENTER jack.
If you’re still deciding whether to add a bar at all, our is a soundbar worth it guide weighs the upgrade, and our Sonos vs Sony soundbar comparison sets Sony against a third maker. If JBL is on your list too, our JBL and Samsung matchup runs the same checks on that pair.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use a Sony soundbar with a Samsung TV?
Yes. Sony’s bars connect to a TV’s HDMI eARC or ARC port and support Control for HDMI, Sony’s name for the HDMI-CEC link that Samsung’s TV e-manual calls Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC), so the TV and the bar can work together over one cable. What you give up are the same-brand extras: Acoustic Center Sync and Voice Zoom need a Sony TV, and the HT-S400’s wireless link needs a compatible BRAVIA. Our walkthrough on connecting a Sony soundbar to a TV covers the cables and settings.
Can you use a Samsung soundbar with a Sony TV?
Yes. Samsung’s bars connect to a TV’s HDMI ARC or eARC port or its optical output, and Samsung’s 2025 user guide lists Sony among the TV makers whose infrared remote can adjust the bar’s volume. Q-Symphony, the Wi-Fi link and Wi-Fi Dolby Atmos need a Samsung TV, so a Sony owner gets the bar without those extras, while SpaceFit Sound Pro still runs from the bar’s own microphone.
Do Sony and Samsung soundbars support DTS:X?
Most of their Dolby Atmos bars do. Samsung’s 2025 guide lists DTS:X for the Q990F, Q930F, Q900F and Q800F, while the Q600F lists DTS 5.1 and DTS Virtual:X, and Samsung’s 2026 Q-Series guide lists DTS:X only in the HW-Q990H’s table. Sony’s help guides say the Bar 9, Bar 8, Bar 7, Bar 6 and Bar 5 support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and the HT-S400 spec sheet gives Dolby Digital.
Does the Samsung HW-Q990F come with rear speakers?
Yes. Samsung’s 2025 user guide lists a subwoofer and left and right surround speakers in the Q990F’s box, for 11.1.4 channels, and the Q930F gets them too, for 9.1.4. The Q900F and Q800F come with the subwoofer only and take the optional SWA-9500S rear kit, while Sony’s Bar 9 comes as the bar alone, so compare the full cost of each system rather than the bars.
Do Sony TVs have better sound than Samsung?
That depends on the TV model, and the documented difference is what each TV does with its own brand of soundbar. Samsung’s 2025 TV e-manual says Q-Symphony links Samsung speakers to the TV’s speakers to play sound from both at once, and Sony’s BRAVIA TV help guide describes an S-CENTER SPEAKER IN jack that lets the TV act as the center speaker for a bar with an S-CENTER OUT jack. Our do you need a soundbar for smart TV guide covers when a TV’s own speakers are enough.
