Samsung announces 2024 soundbar range, plus a subwoofer that doubles as a photo frame
CES 2024 is just around the corner and Samsung has announced its 2024 audio offering, including a range of soundbars and a wireless speaker called the Music Frame that doubles as a picture frame. While we don't have official pricing, release dates, or region availability for products, we're confident we'll get these at CES 2024 itself or in the coming weeks.
Samsung was responsible for some of the best soundbars in 2023, but perhaps the most intriguing product from this announcement is the Samsung Music Frame. A similar concept to Samsung's The Frame TVs (a TV that can display works of art instead of a blank screen in standby mode), the Music Frame aims to discreetly deliver music or home theater audio, with the ability to display artwork while audio is output.
The Music Frame can be used as a standalone speaker and can be linked to compatible Samsung TVs and soundbars to act as a main speaker or subwoofer. Two can even be linked together to act as surround sound speakers. Each Music Frame has two tweeters, two woofers and two midrange drivers. It also uses Samsung Space Fit technology that adapts the sound to the environment it is in.
Along with the Music Frame, Samsung has unveiled its 2024 soundbar lineup, headlined by the Samsung HW-Q990D, the successor to the fantastic Samsung HW-Q990C, one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars around. It has 11.1.4 channels (same as the Q990C), supports wireless Dolby Atmos, and now comes with 4K 120Hz passthrough for gaming consoles, a feature the Q990C lacked. There's also a Party Play mode, which tunes the HW-Q990D to deliver balanced sound across the system when listening to music, so everyone has the same experience.
Samsung also announced its range of ultra-slim soundbars, including the HW-S800D, which are designed to complement Samsung's slim TVs and feature Space Fit Sound Pro to tailor sound to the viewing environment.
Samsung Music Frame: innovation or gimmick?
Samsung's Frame TVs have proven popular among those looking to integrate their technology into a room's décor. As more streaming sites like Netflix and Disney Plus make Dolby Atmos sound accessible to more people, the home theater experience is becoming increasingly popular. More often than not, people don't want full setups with big speakers that take up space and leave cables behind. This is where the Music Frame could take off.
The Music Frame offers discreet audio options for those who value both appearance and functionality. We know it has multiple uses and is a Wi-Fi speaker, so music should can be streamed at higher quality than Bluetooth.
If the Music Frame is anything like Samsung's The Frame TVs, its art display capabilities will be its most important feature. The Samsung Frame TVs serve a purpose, but as TVs they are generally a more expensive version of Samsung's mid-range QLED models, with perhaps even a dimmer picture. If the music frame follows the same route, it is first a photo and then a speaker.
As for the Samsung HW-Q990D soundbar, it sounds like it will continue with more of the same brilliant performance we've come to expect from Samsung's flagship soundbars in recent years. And with the addition of 4K 120Hz passthrough, one of the downsides of the Samsung HW-Q990C, the Q990D could prove to be the ultimate home theater soundbar system. We're looking forward to getting our hands on it to check it out.
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