This is the true soundbar king
If a new television is purchased, a suitable soundbar is often included in the shopping cart. An IT giant from Asia sells most of these TV speakers – and has done so for years.
Soundbars: Samsung is the global market leader
According to a new survey, the Korean group is standing Samsung world leader when it comes to soundbars. According to the market research company FutureSource Consulting, Samsung came up with one in 2022 with its TV speakers 20.2 percent of sales, based on the number of units sold worldwide, it is 18.4 percent. Samsung has now achieved victory for the ninth time in a row (Source: Samsung). Apparently, the manufacturer, which is dominant in the TV sector, can apply its brand power quite well to this product area.
One should know about Samsung that several audio brands belong to the group. Some well-known names can be found under the subsidiary “Harman International Industries”, such as AKG, Harman Kardon or JBL. The latter brand is sometimes mistaken for a competitor in the soundbar space, but it’s actually part of the amazingly large Samsung family.
The business with the additional loudspeakers for the – admittedly often weak-sounding televisions – has been one for years growth market. The future looks bright: According to the market researchers, the global market for soundbars recorded sales of 23.16 million units in 2022 and is expected to reach 26 million unit sales by 2025.
3D sound and more: Soundbars are technology monsters
So it’s no wonder that manufacturers in this sector have a lot innovation show – somehow you have to stand out in the hotly contested market.
Among other things, Samsung relies on “Q-Symphony” – a process in which the soundbar and television are matched in terms of sound, for example with the new Q-Soundbar HW-Q995GC (see Samsung). In contrast, the Californian competitor Sonos scores with its multi-room concept. The Japanese brand Sony divides the soundbar into four and promises 3D home cinema sound from 4 small boxes (HT-A9, have a look at MediaMarkt).
The current winner in the comparison of the Stiftung Warentest (Edition 08/2022) comes from Germany – and can “only” stereo, but perfectly: The Nubert nuPro AS-3500 (view at Amazon) received the overall grade 1.9 (“good”) and placed ahead of the international competition.
