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 We're used to Samsung updating its Q990 soundbar at CES every year, and 2026 is no different. However, the company also debuted the HW-QS90H: a new all-in-one option that Samsung says won't require a standalone subwoofer due to its Quad Bass Woofer system. The QS90H offers 7.1.2-channel audio with 13 total drivers. Before the show properly kicks off, we got to listen to the new soundbar for a quick judge of its merits.
The first thing I noticed about the QS90H is its impressive bass performance. Most of the time when a company claims its soundbar doesn't need a subwoofer, that proves to be untrue. But even in the chaos of a noisy demo area, I could clearly hear the bassy thump coming from the QS90H's built-in subwoofers. For once, I think would-be buyers could get by without a sub, especially in smaller living rooms.
Samsung achieved this with two of those Quad woofers. These drivers push air in two directions rather than just one, which helps with the extra low-end tone. The company didn't sacrifice clarity either. The nine additional drivers, positioned for front, side, wide and up firing sound, provide the clear detail I've come to expect from Samsung.
Samsung QS90H soundbarBilly Steele for Engadget
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 There's a good chance you spend more time talking to your phone's virtual assistant, or dictating text with your voice, instead of actually calling people these days. But, as convenient as voice input can be, you don't want to be the obnoxious person shouting commands to Siri or ChatGPT in a quiet library. And you probably won't have much luck dictating an email in a room with toddlers screaming and Peppa Pig blaring on the TV. (Ask me how I know.)
At CES 2026, the startup Subtle is unveiling its solution to those issues: Voicebuds. While they look like a typical pair of wireless earbuds, they feature a custom AI model that lets you dictate text below the sound of a whisper. Additionally, they can also filter out noisy environments so that you don't have to shout for dictation and voice commands. The Voicebuds seem similar to the WHSP ring we saw at CES 2024, which let whisper to your phone, and they also compete with other AI earbuds like the Notebuds One.
Subtle Voicebuds.SubtleSubtle claims its Voicebud
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There are a slew of keyboards and apps that help people learn how to play the piano, but a small company called PopuMusic is showing off an intriguing set of products at CES to make the process easier. PartyKeys and PartyStudio are a 36-key MIDI keyboard and MIDI / Bluetooth speaker that pair together in seamless fashion. The PartyStudio is particularly interesting because it has a built-in library of 128 instrument tones and more than 50 different drum machine patterns. Naturally, it works with the PartyKeys, but any MIDI keyboard can connect to it and use those sounds.
The PartyStudio and PartyKeys both use NFC to connect to each other — you can just tap and hold the keyboard up to the speaker for pairing. You can connect up to three devices using MIDI over Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE MIDI) as well as a fourth using a wired connection. If you have more than one keyboard, meanwhile, you can connect them together with NFC as well — you can pair three keyboards together total, giving you a huge 108-key surface to play.
Both the PartyStudio and PartyKeys have an understated but appealing look to them (they're available in black or white) and feel quite substantial and well-made. PopuMusic has been releasing hardware via Kickstarters campaigns for a few years now, so even though they're a relatively small and new company they have some experience in this department. The speaker seems to hit a nice balance of portability and power; it has two tweeters and two woofers and weighs in at 3.75 pounds. It's about 13.5 inches wide, 5.2 inches tall and 4 inches deep, so it's not a tiny speaker you'll just throw in your bag, but it still feels easy to tote around thanks to its attached handle.
The other trick that the PartyStudio and PartyKeys have is on the software side. Using a companion app, multiple people can play along with a song. The light-up keyboard can show you what to play, and if you have multiple people playing each keyboard can display compli
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