Rob Sabin

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Soundbar Reviews
Samsung HW-Q990B Atmos Soundbar Review
Rob Sabin  |  Feb 08, 2023

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,500

AT A GLANCE
Plus
11.1.4-channel Atmos/DTS:X with wireless rear surrounds and sub
Audiophile sonics for movies and music
Superb dynamics
Extensive adjustability
SmartThings app for control

Minus
Some functions hard to reach with remote
No Atmos/DTS:X indicator on app

THE VERDICT
Samsung's HW-Q990B is a high-performing Atmos soundbar that easily substitutes for a full AVR-speaker setup.

I've had the liberty of reviewing some very high-performance soundbars in the last couple of years that take advantage of the height information in object-based Atmos or DTS:X soundtracks to effect a more engaging soundstage. These are sweet-sounding systems adept at both movies and music, but all were equipped with only a pair of front-height channel drivers that bounce off the ceiling and no rear surrounds.

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CES 2018
Samsung Launches 146-in LED, 85-in 8K LCD TVs
Rob Sabin  |  Jan 09, 2018
Samung made a huge statement as the 2018 CES was preparing to open—and we mean "huge"—with the introduction of The Wall, a 146-inch diagonal micro LED display that is expected to reach the consumer market later this year. Meanwhile, enthusiasts should cheer the company's new Q series quantum dot LCD UHDTVs, which will include the Q9S, an 85-inch model with 8K resolution, and the Q9, a more mainstream UHD set that marks the return of high-performance full-array local dimming to Samsung's premium model.

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Audio Video News
Samsung Set to Deliver Super Plasma, Ultra HD TVs
Rob Sabin  |  Mar 20, 2013
At a press conference in Manhattan today marked by celebrity guest appearances of super model Kate Upton, Super Bowl quarterback Eli Manning, and super-rapper Flo Rida, Samsung officially introduced its 2013 TV line and availability for a new F8500 super plasma. Along with Panasonic’s much anticipated ZT plasma series that will debut soon, the F8500 is said to represent a new level of performance for a category that remains much beloved by A/V enthusiasts as the gold standard for image quality.

Simultaneously, Samsung announced that its 85-inch Ultra HD model, the UHD-S9 first shown at CES (photo above), will be available for preorders on the Samsung.com Web site at the end of March.

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Samsung's Bread and Butter HDTV - With Some Jam on Top
Rob Sabin  |  Jul 22, 2008
The Short Form
$2,400 ($2,799 list) / SAMSUNG.COM / 800-726-7864
Snapshot
Samsung's latest LCD delivers solid HDTV picture quality and some innovative features
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CES 2012
Samsung, LG Wave Hello To TV Control
Rob Sabin  |  Jan 10, 2012
One of the more interesting developments out of yesterday's CES press conferences was the imminent arrival of gesture control for upcoming models from Samsung (pictured) and LG Electronics. Gesture control uses an Xbox Kinect-like camera mounted near the screen to allow hand movements to be used to change channels or volume, for example, with no need to pick up a remote. Samsung's version should also allow voice control according to the company. We'll report more on this feature from the floor; stay tuned.

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CEDIA 2017
Sanus Adds Play:5 Stand to Sonos Collection
Rob Sabin  |  Sep 09, 2017
Sanus, after some success with its dedicated stands for the Sonos Play:1 and Play:3 speaker, will soon be adding one for the company's flagship Play:5.
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CEDIA 2011
Sanus Basics Go Tool-Less
Rob Sabin  |  Sep 12, 2011
Sanus showed off a revision of its value-priced ready-to-assemble Basics Series furniture line with an attractive new feature: tool-less construction. Really, not even a screwdriver. The screws and screw cams/posts of yesteryear have been replaced with a combination of internally hinged parts (such as drawers) that are already partially constructed and simply fold out to their final shape, and easy-to-use lever cams that pull the final pieces together and hold strong. The new designs both speed and simplify construction—something to celebrate if you've ever pieced one of these together the old way.

Soundbar ReviewsSurround Sound System Reviews
Savant Smart Audio WiSA Soundbar System Review
Rob Sabin  |  Aug 26, 2020

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $3,000 (system bundle, minus installation; $4,000 as tested)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Superb sonics
WiSA wireless connection for surrounds and sub
Integrated Savant automation platform
Control via app or touchscreen remote
Minus
No Dolby Pro Logic or other stereo surround mode
No HDMI-ARC connectivity
No processing for lossless surround formats

THE VERDICT
Savant's smart soundbar may be a gateway to home automation, but it distinguishes itself first through its excellent sound quality.

Sound & Vision readers will know Savant as one of two upstarts that, along with Control 4, arrived in the early 2000s to challenge Crestron and AMX in the emerging home automation market. Today, some 15 years after its founding by tech entrepreneur/billionaire Bob Madonna, Savant continues to expand its Mac-based smarthome solution, and with some recent acquisitions, to broaden its market reach. Most notable is the high-profile purchase this year of GE Lighting.

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Editor's Eye
Saving the World From Bad Sound One Earful At a Time…
Rob Sabin  |  Apr 24, 2013
Hold your index finger up to the air for a moment. Can you feel that? It’s the fresh breeze of good sound wafting ever so gently across the horizon.

After years of living in a desert of low-res MP3s, crappy white ear buds, wafer-thin flat-panel TV speakers pointed away from the listener (come on!), and increasingly anemic AVRs, there is a revolution afoot.

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Editor's Eye
Shanghai Diary: CES Debuts in Tomorrowland
Rob Sabin  |  Jun 08, 2015
Shanghai, for me, is literally halfway ‘round the world. Some 20 hours flying time from New York, it is 12 hours ahead in time zones and across the International Dateline: the very definition of “Tomorrowland.” The post-modern, sci-fi landscape of the Pudong section of China’s biggest trade center and most cosmopolitan city does little to deter that notion. Bound on one side by the 128-story Shanghai Tower and on the other by the Oriental Pearl, a futuristic, 1,500 foot broadcast tower, it looks like a bold experiment in animation made concrete, a slice of society that has, to date, only been imagined for amusement parks. On first sight I could only gasp at both the scale and shape of it, then grew silent with respect for not just the accomplishment, but the gutsy vision it must have took to start it.

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