Samsung has announced the latest in its flagship Q Series soundbars for 2023, the HW-Q900C soundbar and subwoofer package that looks to challenge the Sonos Arc as one of the top-ranked Best Dolby Atmos soundbars and is likely to be available within a few days for $1,397. [7.1.2 Dubbed the Dolby Atmos Soundbar, the Q900C sits directly below the HW-Q990C, the flagship home theater-in-a-box soundbar package that comes with a subwoofer and dedicated surround sound speakers.

The new HW-Q900C soundbar and subwoofer package omits the dedicated surround speakers and relies on immersive side and up-firing soundbar speakers. Total output is 446 watts, with a 7.1.2 audio channel configuration, meaning seven main audio channels plus a separate subwoofer channel and two height channels

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Detailed specifications have not yet been officially announced by Samsung, but at the time of this writing, the HW-Q900C is already available for pre-order at some audio retailers. These retailers describe it as supporting Dolby Atmos and using a wireless subwoofer with 16 front, side, and up-firing drivers and a large side-firing driver.

According to specifications listed by retailer B&H, which can pre-order the HW-Q900C for $1,397, the soundbar measures 48.5 x 2.7 x 5.4 inches, best suited for TV screens 55 inches or larger. The subwoofer is listed as measuring 8.7 x 16.3 x 16.1 inches and weighing 25.8 pounds, which seems ideal for floor mounting wherever space is available.

Wireless connectivity is listed as Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay 2 compatible, but as we found in our review of the Samsung HW-Q990B, there is no mention of an on-board streaming app. This means that if you want to listen to Dolby Atmos audio, you need a TV source that can stream Dolby Atmos audio. Furthermore, there is no mention of a graphical UI, which could make it difficult to fine-tune the soundbar's output settings. However, it does support Q-Symphony, which allows a Q Series soundbar to be paired with compatible Samsung TV speakers to act as a single speaker.

So far, Samsung has made no official mention of the HW-Q900C's price, but we will update this article as soon as we receive that important information. In the meantime, we have spotted the new HW-Q900C soundbar and subwoofer package listed on Amazon.

As a rival Dolby Atmos soundbar and subwoofer package, the new Samsung appears to be more cost effective. At this price, it would be an attractive alternative to the Sonos Arc Soundbar and Sonos Sub package, which is currently discounted to $1,613 directly from Sonos, and may make the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus seem even more expensive.