Samsung HW-Q990B assessment: Most immersion, minimal fuss

Whereas soundbars are getting higher and higher at recreating the expertise of a full encompass sound system, they nonetheless include some plain 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 bundle.

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 format, but in addition enhancing just a few different issues, similar to a redesigned cupboard and enhanced subwoofer. However does it maintain as much as its flagship standing?

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 strong metallic mesh grille. The design is intentionally unassuming and would not draw consideration to itself beneath 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 sizes of 55 inches or bigger. There is a selection of stand or wall mounting, and in case you resolve on the latter Samsung consists of devoted brackets for this goal.

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 better 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 better uniformity, making the low-end extra exact and clearer.

In fact, whereas each the sub and rears are wi-fi, they do require an influence socket, in order that’s one thing to remember.

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 primary set of bodily connections housed in a recess on the rear. Right here you will discover an optical digital enter, two HDMI inputs and an HDMI output that helps eARC. By way of wi-fi connectivity, you additionally get Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and AirPlay 2.

A few additional HDMI inputs could be good, however all of them cross 4K/60p, and each model of HDR (HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision) too. Additionally they help ALLM, however not the brand new next-gen gaming features 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 comfy to carry and intuitive to make use of. The SmartThings app can also be successfully designed, making setup simple by permitting customers to rapidly create a Wi-Fi connection, configure Alexa, and replace the firmware.

By way of the day-to-day operation of the HW-Q990B, customers have a selection 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 by way of 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 function is an extremely immersive 11.1.4-channel speaker format. 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 aspect 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 in case you like the concept of protecting the cabling to a minimal, you’ll be able to strive Atmos wirelessly, you probably have one among Samsung’s suitable 2022 TVs. This enables the format to be transmitted wirelessly by way of 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 selected surroundings. It periodically adjusts this if needed, similar to in case you make any modifications to the format.

For non-Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content material, the AISound robotically enhances voice readability at low volumes, in addition to optimising the sound based mostly on scene-by-scene evaluation of the content material for a greater general efficiency. Moreover, there are settings for Commonplace, Encompass, and Sport, 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 totally functioning sensible assistant, but in addition gives entry to Amazon Music. This implies you’ll be able to hearken to your favorite songs, and even get pleasure from music blended in Dolby Atmos you probably have an Limitless subscription.

You can too get Atmos music from Tidal (you probably have a Hello-Fi subscription) and Apple Music (you probably have an Apple TV). Lastly, there’s Hello-Res Audio help, Q Symphony Gen II for pairing the sound with Samsung’s suitable TVs, and the Energetic Voice Amplifier (AVA), which could 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 situation.

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 also be correctly built-in with the opposite audio system, making a cohesive system with balanced bass.

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

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

There’s additionally a lovely 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 obvious and targeted on the display.

The HW-Q990B builds on these strengths on the subject of 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 completely immersive object-based audio soundtracks that use Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, your entire 11.1.4-channel soundstage comes into play. The sense of sonic envelopment is exceptional, and superior to every 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. Nevertheless, the up-firing drivers effectiveness in creating overhead channels will rely in your ceiling – the decrease and flatter, the higher.

The general soundstage is big, with results steered exactly and positioned across the room inside a hemisphere of sound. There may be enough amplification to retain wonderful dynamic vary, and sufficient energy to fill a decent-sized room. The brand new subwoofer gives 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 obvious and targeted, and results like flying automobiles and drones zip overhead. The sub performs its half, however at all times stays easy and managed.

The efficiency is equally spectacular with gaming, and the general tonal stability 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 perspective.

Whether or not you are watching TV or films, listening to music or taking part in video games, the HW-Q990B delivers an interesting, gratifying and extremely immersive efficiency that is certain to please.

Verdict

The Samsung HW-Q990B is a powerful soundbar system, which is able to delight residence cinema followers by providing object-based audio without having to resort to an AV receiver and speaker bundle.

This soundbar’s high-end specs are headlined by means of help for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, together with HDMI connections that cross each model of HDR together with Dolby Imaginative and prescient and HDR10+. Solely the dearth 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 function means that you can appropriate for the extra egregious elements of any room. It’s not low cost, and additional HDMI inputs could be good, however this can be a massively sonically completed soundbar, and one among our favourites in 2022.