The Samsung Q60T vs Samsung Q800T, presents quite a few similarities and a couple of glaring difference. This results in some fairly clear choices to make when you begin your search for you favorite upgrade to your listening and watching experience.
Before we get to those, it’s important to understand the imporatance of an external sound system to accompany your LED or QLED TV.
The fact is, even the best 4K TVs on the market today are pathetically weak when it cxomes to delivering a comparable listening experience. Their focus is on the sharpness of the picture and then on making the TV thin and as bevel-less as possible. This leave no room for the type and number of speakers that are needed to create any real soundstage.
Only by adding an external sound system can you begin to experience music and movies as they were intended. Unfortunately, traditional sound systems, with separate amplifiers and various external speakers are potential very expensive and difficult to set up. A good soundbar on the other hand brings cost down to a more reasonable level and most are exceptionally simple to set up.
With the following comparison, we can help you decide if the Samsung Q60T or the Samsung Q800T will meet your needs and if they don’t, we’ve also written comparisons of the JBL Bar 9.1 vs Sonos Arc and the Yamaha Yas-209 Vs Sony Ht-x8500, among others.
Let’s start with the top line performance specifications – Samsung Q60T vs Samsung Q800T and what becomes immediately clear is that these two soundbar solutions have only a few difference but those few can be significant.
Performance Specs:
| Samsung HW Q60T | Samsung HW Q800T |
| 5.1 Channels | 3.1.2 Channels |
| 8” Subwoofer | 8” Subwoofer |
| Wireless Subwoofer | Wireless Subwoofer |
| No WiFi Support | WiFi supported |
| No playback | No playback |
| Dolby Digital, DTS, DTS:X | Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, DTS Digital Surround |
| 1 HDMI in | 1 HDMI in |
| 1 HDMI Out | 1 HDMI Out |
| HDMI ARC | HDMI ARC / HDMI eARC |
| Optical digital I/O | Optical digital I/O |
| 1 USB 2.0 port | 1 USB 2.0 port |
| Bluetooth, SmartThings App Compatible | Bluetooth, SmartThings App Compatible |
| No voice control | Built-in support for Alexa & Google |
| No Airplay or other streaming service support | No Airplay or other streaming service support |
As you can see, there are many similarities but some glaring difference as well. The question is, do those difference have a significant impact on your listening experience.
The short answer is, they do, but to start with, let’s look at the pros and cons of both of these.
Pros of the Samsung Q60T vs Samsung Q800T:
Samsung HW Q60T Pros
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- With a soundbar and subwoofer that are separate, this systems does deliver a reasonable wide and deep soundstage. This configuration also improve your surround sound experience.
- Because it is wirelessly connected, the subwoofer can be placed just about anywhere in your room. All you need to worry about is access to an outlet you can plug it into.
- While it doesn’t have built-in support for any streaming services, it does have Bluetooth support so you can connect your phone and other devices and stream your music from them.
- With its USB port you can easily update the bars’ firmware and play music directly.
- This soundbar also supports Bluetooth connectivity when WiFi isn’t available or isn’t the best option.
- With support for eARC connections, this bar needs just one cable. Compared to other tangle of cables required for other sound systems, this is a great advantage. This connection type also improves the overall quality of the sound that’s passed from your TV to the bar.
- Priced at under $350, the Samsung Q60T offers excellent price vs performance. It doesn’t give you the world but it doesn’t cost a fortune either.
Samsung HW Q60T Cons
- The biggest drawback is the lack of support for Dolby ATMoS, the most advance form of Dolby available today. This means the sound stage for the Samsung Q60T is nictably shallower than it’s Dolbe ATMOS enable competition.
- Most soundbars pull double duty playing both movies and music. With the lack of support for Apple AirPlay or any other streaming services, playing music is certainly less convenient.
- The lack of support for streaming services is further complicated by the lack of WiFi connectivity. You’ll be using Bluetooth as your default method for playing music and that does have an impact on the quality of the music it produces.
- Like all wireless connections, there are occasions when the connection can drop out of become staticy. Whiel the Samsung Q60T does a reasonabl;y good job of maintaining the connection, it isn’t immune to this problem.
Samsung HW Q800T Pros
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- Like the Q60T, this system includes a soundbar and separate wireless subwoofer but with a wider frequency range, this combination offers a more engrossing viewing experience.
- The low frequency performance of the subwoofer won’t pound on your chest and that’s actually a good thing. It means that the bass this woofer pumps out compliments rather overwhelms the braoder soundtrack.
- One of the greatest pluses for this soundbar is its support for Dolbe ATMOS. It has a clear impact, with a soundstage that has a clear 3D presence. The fuller soundstage helps to bring out many of the nuances of a soundtrack that are lost with other soundbars and makes your viewing experience feel much more like being in the movie theater.
- It provides WiFi connectivity that allows you to share this soundbar with any other quipment you’ve linked to your WiFi network. It helps make this soundbar far more versatile and even allows you to spread your sound system out into other rooms that are served by the same network.
- This soundbar also supports Bluetooth connectivity and while this type of connectivity does limit the quality of the music that comes through, it is a convenient alternative for playing your tunes from yyour smartphone or other Bluetooth device.
- Your ability to shape the sound this bar delivers is dramatically improved with it connectivity in the Samsung SmartThings App. That App significantly expands the level of control you have to shape the quality of the sound that’s delivered.
- HDMI ARC and HDMI eARC makes connecting this soundbar to the TV as simple as connecting a single cable. Once connected, the quality of the sound is decidedly better and you gain completely control over the soundbar from your TV remote.
- Like most electronics today, there will be the occasional need to update its software. This is easily done by simply copying the update to a SUB and plugging that into the back of the soundbar. You can also use the USB port to play external media from achhived music libraries.
- The wireless connectivity will also allow you to add satellite speaker to this soundbar system and while those won’t act as true surround sound speakers, they will enhance the total performance of this Samsung Q800T soundbar.
Samsung HW Q800T Cons
- It would be nice if the Samsung Q800T support AirPlay. It would be nice if it supported any streaming service. The fact that it does not certainly impacts the total user experience. There are others in the Samsung line of soundbars that do offer streamin service support, including the Samsung Q950T. Our article ”Samsung Q90R vs Samsung Q950T which is a better buy?” offers a review of two of these.
- This soundbar setup doesn’t include any satellite or rear speakers but unlike the Samsung Q60T it does have 2 up-firing speakers that help fill in the gap. Still, it sould be nice to have these in the package and matched to the bar and subwoofer.
- Especially compared to the Samsung Q60T, the Samsung Q800T has a better subwoofer. Still, it does seem a bit flat at times. If you like pounding explosions and really punchy bass lines, this subwoofer may leave you unimpressed.
- The Samsung Q800T suffers from occasional connection breaks that are endemic with wireless speakers. While this isn’t a dramatic problem, it can get really annoying if it happens at the most important time in a movie. It’s akin to losing the signal just as the touchdown pass leases the quarterback’s hands.
- The fit and finish of the Samsung Q800T comes up[ a bit short when comparted to Q60T. The material seems cheaper than the metal grill on the Q60T and it seems to be a bit of a magnet for cat and dog hair. Other Samsung products (Samsung Q90R and Samsung Q950T) definitely make a better visual impression but they also have a similar cloth covering.
Comparing Sizes – Samsung Q60T vs Samsun Q800T
| Samsung HW Q60T | Samsung HW Q800T | |
| Soundbar | Soundbar | |
| Width | 38.7 inches – 98.2 cm | 38.6 inches – 98 cm |
| Height | 2.3 inches – 5.8 cm | 2.4 inches – 6 cm |
| Depth | 4.2 inches – 10.7 cm | 4.5 inches – 11.5 cm |
| Subwoofer | Subwoofer | |
| Width | 7.9 inches – 20.1 cm | 8 inches – 20.4 cm |
| Height | 13.9 inches – 35.2 cm | 15.8 inches 40.1 cm |
| Depth | 11.9 inches – 30.3 cm | 15.8 inches 40.1 cm |
The dimensions of the bar for both the Samsung Q60T vs the Samsung Q800T are almost exactly the same and both should fit well with most TV that is 50” inches or more. You can pair them with smaller TVs as well but they start looking a bit out of place when the TV is less than 40”.
There is very little daylight between the prices of these tow soundbars. The latest prices for the Samsung Q60T average $348. The Samsung Q800T is just $40 more at $389. That puts both of these soundbars at the low to middle end of the price range for soundbars in general, and very fairly priced against other soundbars with similar specs. Note that both the Samsung Q60T and the Q800T are from Samsung’s 2020 product lineup and that means prices could continue to drop a bit more as the end of 2021 approaches.
In the end, the $40 dollar difference make this just about as close as you can get to a no-brainer. The improved performace associated with the Dolby ATMOS support makes the Samsung Q800T our clear favorite in the head-to-head match up. Are there others we like more? Yes there are and they don’t have to be dramatically more expensive. Still, either of these all a good choiuce especially when you are on a tight budget and still want something that delivers quality sound.
Digging Deeper
We dug in pretty deep with this review but still, there is more to learn in this Samsung Q60T vs Samsung Q800T comparison.
For more on the Samsung Q60T you’ll find an excellent 16-minute video from TellyDan, one of our favorite tech geeks when it comes to TV’s and related sound equipment.
The next comes from a solid reviewer of all things tech. He goes by totallydubbedHD and he covers a wide range of TVs and sound systems you may want to dig into. His review of the Samsung Q800T takes a careful look at this soundbar and talks quite a bit about how it performs.
The Verdict
We like both of these Samsung soundbars. The Samsung HW Q800T soundbar is an excellent choice, sitting at the lower end of the price scale. So for those on a tight budget, you get a lot without having to spend a lot.
It does a better job of delivering bass so action movies and music that is driven by powerful bass lines will come through better with this system. It also provides a slightly wider soundstage but honestly, the difference between this soundbar and the Samsun Q60T is marginal.
The price for this is slightly higher than for the Q60T but that’s a small difference and if you shop carefully you are likely to find some deals that will make the Samsung Q800T an even better choice.
We do still like the Samsung Q60T. It is a very solid performer in this range of soundbars, comparing well to both the Q800T and other brands in the price range. For example, reviewers of the Bose Smart Soundbar 300 say this compares well with the Samsung Q60T but it has no subwoofer and it costs more.
It also stands up well against the Klipsch Cinema 400 Sound Bar + and at a similar price point. Like the Q60T, it has a separate subwoofer and no satellite speakers. However, when you look at the Amazon and BestBuy ratings, the Samsung Q60T takes the overall prize for performance.
The bottom line is this. There are better soundbars out there, even within the Samsung family but when you fairly compare price and performance, these are two excellent options. In our head-to-head comparison of the Samsung Q60T vs Samsung Q800T, we give the slight advantage to the Q800T but we would be very happy to have either in our home.
