Design and build:

Samsung Q930B is a large soundbar that goes well with a large TV of 65 or 75”. JBL 9.1 soundbar without the satellites is a good match with mid-sized screens like 55”. Comparing JBL 9.1 vs Samsung Q930B, the Q930B will take up space for both the bar and the satellites. That said if you mount them on walls, you can easily get a clean look. JBL comes with all needed accessories for mounting both the bars and satellites.

If you plan to attach the satellites on side, you will need good amount of space. Otherwise, placing them as satellites will not be much of a hassle.

Performance:

Comparing JBL 9.1 vs Samsung Q930B, the 9.1 JBL bar consists of 5.1.4 channel configuration. With Samsung, it increases to 9.1.4. Both these bars support Dolby Atmos and DTS: X audio formats. While both have center channel, Samsung offers voice enhancement mode as well. Along with that it has Active Voice Amplifier feature to boost the voices in every scene. Both the bars deliver excellent, clean and clear dialogues.

JBL 9.1 and room calibration feature that uses microphone inside the bar to optimize the sound. The bar has wide soundstage that goes around the user creating an immersive feeling. Low ends from the 10” subwoofer is well refined and punches you directly. As you crank up the volume, the bar maintains clarity without showing any distortion. It shows quite a balanced profile, but we wish it to have bass and treble adjustments. While playing music, drums and guitars sound accurate.

Sound comes exactly from where it should be. Along with music, the bar shows great performance with movies. It has four upward-firing drivers that work together producing an impactful hemisphere of sound. The soundbar has decent dynamics and 3-dimensional sound. it is suitable for small to medium sized rooms.

Samsung Q930B has SpaceFit+ and Auto SubEQ that calibrates the sound of the bar and subwoofer. It can deliver room-filling sound and has a broad soundstage. It focuses on delivering a 360-sound space. The soundbar is great for medium sized rooms but you can also try them in large spaces. Low ends shows good depth and thump but has average directivity. Up-firing drivers take music and movies to another level. A ‘strong’ bubble of sound is created around the user from the from, sides and top.

This soundbar emits sound that follows actions on screen. It engulfs the user from all around delivering a captivating experience. Use the Adaptive mode to improve the sound. The Q930B can get very loud, and this is similar for JBL 9.1.

Features:                   

Comparing Samsung Q930B vs JBL 9.1, the Q930B Samsung soundbar is much better with games. It supports VRR, ALLM and HDR 10+. Images and texts on screen will appear clear. The bar can connect to TVs wirelessly over Bluetooth. It has Tap Sound feature where you need to tap the smartphone on the bar to play audio. It shows excellent performance in terms of latency over different inputs. The latency is much lower than the JBL.

JBL 9.1 has Chromecast that is missing in the Q930B. This opens door to using Google Assistant along with creating multiroom system. They both work with Apple Airplay so Apple users can take advantage of it. Streaming from Apple devices and apps will be much easier.

Connectivity:

Samsung Q930B and JBL 9.1 soundbar has both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for wireless connectivity. They have similar ports for connectivity including optical in, HDMI eARC, and HDMI In.

Control options:

Both the bars come with handy remote control with few buttons that you can use to adjust settings along with controlling the bar. Samsung Q930B has built-in Amazon Alexa while the JBL 9.1 does not have any. The 9.1 soundbar has Chromecast support with which users can purchase 3^rd party enabled devices to use the Google Assistant.

There are physical controls on both of them. JBL 9.1 has volume on/off, power and input switch. Samsung has volume, input and mic mute/unmute options.

Settings:

The soundbars have night mode, sub, surround and height level adjustments, there is also virtual surround option. Along with these the HW-Q930B has bass, treble and rear level settings. It has different sound modes including 3D Surround, Adaptive, Game Pro and Stereo. JBL 9.1 has Smart Mode, Standard and night mode.

Cost:

JBL 9.1 soundbar is slightly costlier than the Samsung Q930B model. The difference is not huge, and both are available under $1000.

FAQ:

Which soundbar is better than the Samsung Q930B?

Consider the Samsung HW-Q990B as an upgrade over Q930B. It shows an improved performance in terms of accuracy and details. With Q990B, the movies and music will sound more powerful and immersive but it will not be night and day.