Introducing the Contenders
Samsung and Sonos represent two of the biggest players in the soundbar marketplace. Samsung is best known for premium televisions and home theater products, while Sonos has earned fame for its excellent wireless multi-room audio systems. How do their soundbar offerings stack up? Let‘s find out.
Samsung Soundbars
Part of Samsung‘s extensive home entertainment ecosystem, Samsung soundbars are designed from the ground up to integrate seamlessly with the company‘s industry-leading QLED and Neo QLED TVs. Samsung soundbars are revered for their thundering bass, wide dynamic range, and state-of-the-art features.
Higher-end models incorporate cutting-edge Dolby Atmos and DTS:X processing for 3D surround sound, while cheaper models still impress with clear dialogue enhancement and powerful audio. Intuitive remote controls and apps, plus built-in Alexa and Bixby voice functionality, make Samsung soundbars easy to use too.
Sonos Soundbars
As a audio-first technology company, Sonos places supreme sound quality above all else. Their soundbars produce wonderfully clear and accurate audio: smooth across the spectrum with excellent definition especially in the mid-range and high frequencies where vocals live.
While less bass-forward than Samsung‘s audio profile, Sonos soundbars provide immersive surround effects and expertly fill rooms with sound thanks to Sonos‘ exclusive Trueplay room calibration tech. Minimalist aesthetics allow Sonos models to blend into any living space. Sets up in minutes and integrates with the full Sonos ecosystem.
Sound Quality Comparison
The most important factor when choosing a soundbar is how good it actually sounds. Here‘s how Samsung and Sonos models compare:
Samsung Sound Quality
Favoring an exciting, powerful audio presentation, Samsung soundbars excel with deep, heart-thumping bass and sparkling treble detail. The wider soundstage creates an immersive auditory experience, drawing you into movies and music alike. Dialogue mode ensures crystal-clear vocal reproduction as well.
Higher Samsung soundbar models incorporate Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding. This enables vertical surround sound emanating from special upward-firing speaker drivers. The result is an incredibly spacious and room-filling 3D soundscape – perfect for blockbuster movies and games.
Adaptive Sound modes automatically adjust audio settings based on what type of content you‘re enjoying for optimized listening. An external wireless subwoofer adds meaty bass depth too.
Sonos Sound Quality
While less thunderous than Samsung‘s audio profile overall, Sonos soundbars provide exquisite mid-range and high frequency sound reproduction which lending great clarity to music and vocal-heavy TV shows. Sonos‘ patented Trueplay tuning technology uses microphones to map your room‘s acoustics and tailor the soundbar output perfectly.
The flagship Sonos Arc incorporates Dolby Atmos for vertical immersion, with angular side-firing drivers creating a wider soundstage. Less aggressive filtering means you hear more details in your content. And easy pairing with other Sonos speakers allows for stereo separation and true surround sound.
Features and Connectivity Comparison
Beyond fundamental sound quality, Samsung and Sonos soundbars offer great smart features and connectivity too. Here‘s how they compare:
Samsung Features
With integrated Alexa and Bixby support, Samsung soundbars can be fully controlled hands-free with your voice. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity allow music streaming from smartphones and tablets. Order Samsung soundbars are designed to pair automatically with compatible Samsung TVs.
Handy features include automatic audio optimization for different genres of movies, shows and games. And SpaceFit Sound analyzes your room and tunes the output perfectly. Samsung soundbars fully support next-gen gaming consoles too thanks to cutting-edge HDMI inputs.
Sonos Features
All Sonos soundbars integrate with Alexa or Google Assistant for handy voice control. Stream all your music services like Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music directly from the intuitive Sonos app. Trueplay tuning ensures audio is optimized specifically for your room‘s acoustics and shape – and it recalibrates periodically too.
While lacking HDMI, Sonos soundbars connect over Wi-Fi and optical/audio cable for TV audio enhancement. And pair wirelessly with other Sonos speakers like the Sub and One SL rears creating wireless 5.1 surroud sound home theater setups. Arc, Beam and Ray models directly support Dolby Atmos too!
Design Comparison
With soundbars residing in your living room, aesthetics and form factor are important too. Here‘s how Samsung and Sonos soundbars compare:
Samsung Design
Sporting a sleek, modern, and minimalist design language, Samsung soundbars integrate beautifully with the company‘s trend-setting TV models. Mostly low-profile rectangles, some higher-end Samsung soundbars incorporate two components – the main soundbar housing the speakers, plus a separate subwoofer for deep bass.
Samsung soundbars come in graphite black or classy silver hues allowing them to blend into most decors. Matching surround speakers and other home theater accessories are available too for seamless 5.1 channel audio. Wall mount brackets help install Samsung soundbars neatly and unobtrusively.
Sonos Design
Clad in clean contemporary white or black exteriors, Sonos soundbars radiate subtle sophistication. The main soundbar houses all the speaker drivers, configured in a low-profile fashion – though the flagship Arc model lies flatter than other models for easy wall mounting without compromising on audio performance.
While Sonos sells a beefy wireless subwoofer and compact rear surrounds separately, their soundbars contain enough internal speaker power to fill most rooms with quality sound by themselves. It‘s why Sonos sells far more standalone soundbars than full 5.1 kits. Their fuss-free aesthetic fits beautifully into both classic and modern living spaces.
Price and Product Ranges
Samsung and Sonos craft soundbars for wide-ranging budgets – from just $150 right up to nearly $1500. In terms of product portfolio breadth, here is how Samsung and Sonos compare:
Samsung Lineup
Samsung soundbars start with affordable 2.1 channel models like the HW-T450, right up to high-end 11.1.4 channel Dolby Atmos showpieces like the HW-Q950A. Flagship models integrate surround sound speaker packages too.
Standout options include:
- HW-Q800B (3.1.2 channels with Dolby Atmos)
- HW-S800B (slimline 3.0.2 Atmos model)
- HW-B650 (3.1 channels & wireless sub for under $200)
Such extensive choice ensures Samsung caters to every buyer from audio newcomers to discerning home theater fans. All models emphasize big, powerful sound backed my multimedia connectivity and smart assistants.
Sonos Lineup
Sonos makes just two dedicated soundbars: the compact Beam 2 and wider Arc. Both incorporate sophisticated smartphone control apps, music streaming services access, and voice control. The Sonos Ray targets more budget-focused buyers.
Standout options include:
- Ray (entry-level 2.0 stereo soundbar under $300)
- Beam 2 (2.1 channels with Dolby Atmos at $449)
- Arc (5.0.2 Dolby Atmos soundbar with huge width and bass)
While not the cheapest options, Sonos soundbars wow with premium designs and detail-rich sound. Music lovers rejoice in Wi-Fi streaming functionality too. Extra Sonos surround speakers and subs are pricey but unmatched quality.
Reliability and Customer Support
When investing in audio gear, considering long-term reliability and effective after-sales support will give great peace of mind. Here‘s the verdict:
Both Samsung and Sonos enjoy reputations for reliable, well-constructed products that should provide many years of flawless use. Sonos gains an edge with its exemplary long term software support – even 5+ year old products still receive fresh app updates and new features. Samsung provides firmware fixes but tends to only meaningfully update newer models.
Alternatives Worth Considering
While Samsung and Sonos dominate the premium soundbar market, other great options exist too:
- Bose Smart Soundbar 900 (Dolby Atmos & voice control)
- LG SP11RA (crammed with cutting-edge audio tech)
- Vizio Elevate (rotating speakers are a cool party trick)
- Yamaha YAS-209 (impressive clarity for the price)
- Polk Audio MagniFi Max SR (massive room-filling sound)
Do more research to discover if alternatives better match your needs! No two rooms or buyers are identical.
Verdict: Samsung or Sonos?
In summary, Samsung soundbars emphasize big, bold, room-filling audio bolstered by great smart features and surround sound support on higher models. Sonos soundbars may not reach Samsung‘s bassy volumes but provide superior mid-range quality and integrate beautifully into the intuitive Sonos ecosystem.
Both brands produce excellent models across a range of prices. Choose Samsung is you prioritize thunderous bass, Dolby Atmos/DTS:X, and bleeding-edge connectivity. Opt for Sonos if accurate audio reproduction, music streaming support and seamless multi-room audio are vital.
Ultimately there are no universal "winners" here – different users will gravitate to one brand over the other. Listen to showroom demos and carefully match product specs to your needs and expectations. And don‘t forget aesthetics – a soundbar you delight in looking at as well as listening to makes for a wonderful living room companion!
