CES 2024 is imminent and Samsung has announced its 2024 audio offerings, including a range of sound bars and a wireless speaker called Music Frame that doubles as a picture frame. Although we don’t have official pricing, release dates, or regional availability for the products, we’ll surely get it at CES 2024 or in the coming weeks.
Samsung was responsible for some of the best soundbars of 2023, but arguably 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 artwork instead of a blank screen when in standby mode), Music Frame aims to discreetly provide music or home theater audio , with the ability to display artwork while outputting audio.
Music Frame can be used as a standalone speaker and can be paired with compatible Samsung TVs and sound bars to act as a main speaker or subwoofer. You can even pair two 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 will adapt the audio to the environment you are in.
Along with Music Frame, Samsung has revealed 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 available. It has 11.1.4 channels (the same as the Q990C), supports wireless Dolby Atmos, and now comes with 4K 120Hz pass-through for gaming consoles, a feature the Q990C lacked. There’s also Party Play mode, which tunes the HW-Q990D to play balanced sound throughout the system when listening to music, so everyone has the same experience.
Samsung also announced its range of ultra-slim sound bars, including the HW-S800D, which is designed to complement Samsung’s slim TVs and features Space Fit Sound Pro to adapt its sound to the viewing environment.
Samsung Music Frame: innovation or trick?
Samsung’s Frame TVs have proven popular with those who want to incorporate their technology into a room’s decor. 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. However, most of the time people don’t want full setups with large speakers taking up space and trailing cables. This is where the Music Frame could take off.
Music Frame offers discreet audio options for those who value both appearance and functionality. We know that it has multiple uses and is a Wi-Fi speaker, so the music ought be able to transmit with a quality higher than that of Bluetooth.
If the Music Frame is anything like Samsung’s The Frame TVs, its art display capabilities will be its main feature. Samsung Frame TVs serve a particular purpose, but as TVs they are generally a more expensive version of Samsung’s mid-range QLED models, with perhaps even a weaker picture. If the musical frame follows the same route, it will be an image first and then a speaker.
As for the Samsung HW-Q990D soundbar, it looks like it will continue the same brilliant performance that we’ve come to expect over the past few years from Samsung’s flagship soundbars. And, with the addition of 4K 120Hz pass-through, one of the drawbacks of the Samsung HW-Q990C, the Q990D could prove to be the best home theater soundbar system. We can’t wait to get our hands on it to check it out.
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