Whereas soundbars are getting higher and higher at recreating the expertise of a full encompass sound system, they nonetheless include some simple limitations to their skills. Fortunately, soundbar producers are more and more conscious of the center floor that is forming – of residence cinema followers that need the efficiency of a full system in a extra handy package deal.

The Samsung HW-Q990B is a kind of packages, made up of the corporate’s flagship soundbar, alongside a sub and wi-fi rear audio system to make an 11.1.4-channel system. It builds on the success of earlier fashions by not solely refining the class-leading immersive speaker structure, but additionally bettering just a few different issues, similar to a redesigned cupboard and enhanced subwoofer. However does it maintain as much as its flagship standing?

Samsung

Samsung HW-Q990B soundbar

Editor’s Alternative

The Samsung HW-Q990B is a class-leading soundbar that flawlessly delivers Dolby Atmos and DTS:X utilizing a room-filling and extremely immersive 11.1.4-channel system. The general sound is excellent, with loads of energy, immersion and low-end impression. There are a bunch of helpful new options, and except for some minor gripes concerning the HDMI connections, it’s arduous to fault.

Professionals

• Extremely immersive sound
• Seismic levesl of bass
• Auto room correction
• Alexa in-built

Cons

• No 4K/120Hz and VRR passthrough
• Solely two HDMI inputs

Design and construct

• Soundbar dimensions: 1232 x 70 x 138mm (WxHxD) / Weight: 7.7kg
• Rear audio system dimensions: 130 x 201 x 140mm / Weight: 3.4kg
• Subwoofer dimensions: 220 x 413 x 410mm (WxHxD) / Weight: 11.7kg
• Black end solely

The Samsung HW-Q990B sports activities a big cupboard with angled corners and a sturdy metallic mesh grille. The design is intentionally unassuming and would not draw consideration to itself underneath your TV.

Samsung

The matte black end is non-reflective, the construct high quality is great, and the soundbar’s dimensions swimsuit TVs with display screen sizes of 55 inches or bigger. There is a alternative of stand or wall mounting, and should you determine on the latter Samsung contains devoted brackets for this objective.

The subwoofer and rear audio system are additionally completed in matte black, with the latter utilizing a brand new curved cupboard, and the identical metallic mesh grille because the soundbar. This creates a higher feeling of aesthetic cohesion, and these rear audio system can both be stand or wall mounted too.

The subwoofer has been improved this time spherical, and now boasts an 8-inch driver mixed with an acoustic lens design that produces bass with higher uniformity, making the low-end extra exact and clearer.

After all, whereas each the sub and rears are wi-fi, they do require an influence socket, in order that’s one thing to keep in mind.

Connections and management

• HDMI output (eARC); 2 x HDMI enter; Optical digital enter
• Wi-Fi; Bluetooth; AirPlay 2
• Full distant management
• SmartThings app (iOS/Android)
• Alexa built-in

The Samsung HW-Q990B has a fundamental set of bodily connections housed in a recess on the rear. Right here you may discover an optical digital enter, two HDMI inputs and an HDMI output that helps eARC. When it comes to wi-fi connectivity, you additionally get Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and AirPlay 2.

A few additional HDMI inputs can be good, however all of them go 4K/60p, and each model of HDR (HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ and Dolby Imaginative and prescient) too. Additionally they assist ALLM, however not the brand new next-gen gaming options of VRR and 4K/120 excessive body price, which seems like a missed alternative.

The redesigned One Distant Management provides extra buttons on this iteration, however stays snug to carry and intuitive to make use of. The SmartThings app can be successfully designed, making setup simple by permitting customers to rapidly create a Wi-Fi connection, configure Alexa, and replace the firmware.

When it comes to the day-to-day operation of the HW-Q990B, customers have a alternative of both the buttons on the soundbar itself, the offered distant, the SmartThings app, voice management by means of Alexa, or utilizing their TV distant through HDMI-CEC – so there are many choices for getting it to do what you need.

Options

• 11.1.4-channel system
• Dolby Atmos and DTS:X
• SpaceFit Sound Gen II
• Q Symphony
• Hello-Res Audio (24-bit/192kHz)

The Samsung HW-Q990B’s headlining characteristic is an extremely immersive 11.1.4-channel speaker structure. It utilises this functionality to its fullest extent by internally decoding most multi-channel codecs, together with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-based audio.

The system consists of entrance, left, proper and centre channels, entrance and rear overhead channels, width channels on the entrance, and facet channels on the entrance and rear. The soundbar makes use of up-firing wide-range tweeters as a substitute of the earlier acoustic beams to increase the frequency vary.

The rear audio system and subwoofer hook up with the soundbar wirelessly, and should you like the thought of conserving the cabling to a minimal, you may attempt Atmos wirelessly, in case you have considered one of Samsung’s suitable 2022 TVs. This enables the format to be transmitted wirelessly through Wi-Fi utilizing Dolby Digital Plus.

SpaceFit Sound Gen II makes use of a microphone constructed into the subwoofer to calibrate the bass response for higher integration with the opposite audio system, whereas concurrently optimising the room correction for a particular surroundings. It periodically adjusts this if essential, similar to should you make any adjustments to the structure.

For non-Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content material, the AISound robotically enhances voice readability at low volumes, in addition to optimising the sound primarily based on scene-by-scene evaluation of the content material for a greater general efficiency. Moreover, there are settings for Commonplace, Encompass, and Recreation, however we discovered the AI mode labored nicely sufficient for us to keep it up for almost all of content material.

The inclusion of Amazon Alexa not solely turns the HW-Q990B into a completely functioning sensible assistant, but additionally supplies entry to Amazon Music. This implies you may hearken to your favorite songs, and even take pleasure in music blended in Dolby Atmos in case you have an Limitless subscription.

You may as well get Atmos music from Tidal (in case you have a Hello-Fi subscription) and Apple Music (in case you have an Apple TV). Lastly, there’s Hello-Res Audio assist, Q Symphony Gen II for pairing the sound with Samsung’s suitable TVs, and the Lively Voice Amplifier (AVA), which will be useful in noisy environment.

Efficiency

Regardless of its inherent complexity, the Samsung HW-Q990B is surprisingly simple to put in. The subwoofer and rear audio system pair flawlessly when first powered up, and the SmartThings app discovers and connects the soundbar to the Wi-Fi community with out challenge.

Samsung

The upgraded SpaceFit Sound Gen II is equally easy to run, making certain the soundstage is calibrated for the room, eliminating the extra egregious elements. The subwoofer can be correctly built-in with the opposite audio system, making a cohesive system with balanced bass.

The menu supplies quite a few controls for manually altering the degrees of the varied channels and the subwoofer, however there ought to be no want to regulate these as a result of SpaceFit Sound robotically optimises the acoustics, and periodically corrects when essential.

In relation to music, the Q990B is genuinely succesful due to its bigger drivers and general width. There’s good stereo separation, whereas the beefed-up subwoofer supplies a strong basis of bass that feels tight and managed due to the efficient room correction.

There’s additionally a delightful readability to the supply, with a clear midrange and a transparent treble. The side-firing audio system present actual width to the entrance soundstage, whereas the centre channel ensures dialogue is evident and targeted on the display screen.

The HW-Q990B builds on these strengths in relation to multi-channel audio, with the rear audio system making a cohesive 5.1-channel sound subject. Any encompass results are nicely outlined and expertly steered across the room. The wi-fi connections are additionally freed from delays and dropouts.

As quickly as you progress on to totally immersive object-based audio soundtracks that use Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, the whole 11.1.4-channel soundstage comes into play. The sense of sonic envelopment is exceptional, and superior to some other soundbar we examined in 2022 – and even some AVRs.

Using entrance and rear up-firing audio system makes a giant distinction, permitting the system to maneuver sounds round a sensible sonic bubble. Nonetheless, the up-firing drivers effectiveness in creating overhead channels will rely in your ceiling – the decrease and flatter, the higher.

The general soundstage is large, with results steered exactly and positioned across the room inside a hemisphere of sound. There’s enough amplification to retain glorious dynamic vary, and sufficient energy to fill a decent-sized room. The brand new subwoofer supplies exceptionally deep and highly effective bass too, with out dominating the opposite channels or swamping the soundstage.

This was completely demonstrated when watching Blade Runner 2049, which boasts a sound design that is usually overwhelming in its sense of scale and skill to mine the low-end depths.

The music is unfold throughout the entrance of the room, dialogue is evident and targeted, and results like flying automobiles and drones zip overhead. The sub performs its half, however all the time stays easy and managed.

The efficiency is equally spectacular with gaming, and the general tonal steadiness means results transfer from speaker to speaker with out sounding noticeably totally different. That is very efficient throughout first individual shooters, making a seamless acoustic expertise as you alter your viewpoint.

Whether or not you are watching TV or motion pictures, listening to music or enjoying video games, the HW-Q990B delivers an interesting, fulfilling and extremely immersive efficiency that is certain to please.

Verdict

The Samsung HW-Q990B is a powerful soundbar system, which can delight residence cinema followers by providing object-based audio while not having to resort to an AV receiver and speaker package deal.

This soundbar’s high-end specs are headlined by means of assist for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, together with HDMI connections that go each model of HDR together with Dolby Imaginative and prescient and HDR10+. Solely the shortage of passthrough for 4K/120p and VRR disappoints within the period of next-gen consoles.

The general sound high quality is great, the engineering spectacular, and the SpaceFit Sound characteristic means that you can right for the extra egregious elements of any room. It’s not low-cost, and further HDMI inputs can be good, however this can be a vastly sonically completed soundbar, and considered one of our favourites in 2022.