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zaqwe

zaqwe May 14, 2025, 8:23 p.m.

What's the best soundbar compatible with samsung tv that doesn't mess up gaming

Recently upgraded to Samsung QN85B Neo after my old LG finally died and the built-in speakers are absolutely pathetic for the price point. Everything sounds hollow and tinny, especially dialogue in movies and voice chat during gaming sessions.

My gaming setup is in a finished basement with concrete walls and low drop ceiling (maybe 7.5 feet), so acoustics are pretty dead down there. TV is wall mounted and I sit about 8 feet away on a sectional couch. Main use is PS5 gaming with friends online where clear voice chat is crucial, plus streaming Netflix/Disney+ with the family on weekends.

The problem I'm running into is compatibility issues. My buddy warned me that some soundbars create audio lag that makes gaming unplayable, and others don't work properly with Samsung's smart TV features. I've read horror stories about people buying expensive soundbars that constantly disconnect or have sync problems.

Need something that actually enhances gaming audio without introducing lag, works seamlessly with Samsung's interface, and doesn't require a PhD in audio engineering to set up properly. Budget is around $300-800 depending on what actually works.

heethypauff

heethypauff May 14, 2025, 11:55 p.m.

Gaming audio lag is real with wrong soundbar choice. Make sure whatever you get specifically lists low latency gaming mode. Learned this after buying soundbar that made rocket league completely unplayable

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linda

linda May 15, 2025, 12:13 p.m.

concrete basement walls actually help with acoustics believe it or not. No sound reflection issues like drywall creates. Your main problem is probably just the crappy TV speakers not the room

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QWERT134

QWERT134 May 16, 2025, 6:47 p.m.

Samsung tvs are picky about which soundbars work properly with game mode. Some disable dolby processing when gaming which makes soundbar sound weird. Check compatibility lists before buying

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aaa_kkk_79

aaa_kkk_79 May 18, 2025, 9:02 p.m.

Low ceiling might limit your mounting options significantly. Some soundbars are surprisingly thick and need clearance above for heat dissipation. Measure twice buy once

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katrin_23

katrin_23 May 21, 2025, 4:51 p.m.

My setup uses the SAMSUNG HW-Q900A with similar gaming focused needs and it's been solid for competitive fps games. Game mode actually works unlike cheaper models that just turn off all audio processing and sound terrible

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Rudy

Rudy May 25, 2025, 10:29 p.m.

Voice chat quality depends more on your headset than soundbar anyway. Unless you're doing couch co-op most serious gaming happens through headphones not speakers

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Roman557

Roman557 May 27, 2025, 12:21 a.m.

QN85B has specific samsung soundbar recommendations in the settings menu under audio. Might want to check that list before researching random brands that might not integrate properly

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Gloria_Nisan

Gloria_Nisan May 29, 2025, 9:10 a.m.

Good tip! Found that setting buried in my samsung menu and it definitely helps narrow down compatible models. Saves time returning stuff that doesn't work right

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beatlight

beatlight June 1, 2025, 10:39 p.m.

samsung's recommended list is basically just their own products though. not necessarily the best value just guaranteed to work with their proprietary features

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1ndig0

1ndig0 June 4, 2025, 4:51 p.m.

Basement gaming setup is smart for sound isolation. Neighbors above you won't complain about explosions and gunfire during late night sessions

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Nik2303185

Nik2303185 June 7, 2025, 12:09 a.m.

been through 4 different soundbars with my samsung gaming setup. Brand compatibility matters way more than specs on paper. Stick with samsung brand if you want zero headaches

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Megis

Megis June 11, 2025, 5:33 p.m.

Ended up going with samsung hhw-q600a after researching gaming lag extensively and it handles ps5 audio perfectly. Simple setup that just works without constant troubleshooting or firmware updates breaking things

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demodern

demodern June 14, 2025, 8:18 p.m.

Check if your samsung tv supports hdmi earc properly. Some models have bugs that cause audio dropouts with certain soundbar brands during gaming sessions

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fearalex

fearalex June 19, 2025, 6:54 p.m.

The key technical factor you need to verify is PCM uncompressed audio support which maintains the lowest possible latency between controller input and audio output. Compressed audio codecs introduce processing delays that affect competitive gaming performance

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wrestling team

wrestling team June 23, 2025, 1:31 p.m.

just get samsung brand soundbar and call it done. Mixing tv and audio brands always creates weird compatibility issues that waste hours troubleshooting

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24serna

24serna June 28, 2025, 7:39 p.m.

Samsung game mode actually disables a lot of audio processing to reduce lag which makes most third party soundbars sound awful. Need soundbar designed to work with game mode active

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VVictor

VVictor June 30, 2025, 10:06 p.m.

This is exactly why i returned my sony soundbar. Sounded great for movies but turned into garbage when gaming mode kicked in. Samsung soundbars handle game mode properly

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Chrome

Chrome July 5, 2025, 11:40 a.m.

Tried wireless soundbars but bluetooth introduces too much lag for competitive gaming. Stick with wired hdmi connection for zero latency issues

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