Samsung's HW-Q990C was the best overall soundbar I tested last year, mainly due to its stellar audio and the fact that it was accompanied by a subwoofer and rear speakers. The company didn't change much for the 2024 version, the HW-Q990D, but one tweak offers a feature that last year's model should have had: HDMI 2.1. There are also some new audio modes, but you can find them on other Samsung soundbars. The Q990D is as powerful as ever, but still expensive in amazon;elmt:;cpos:3;pos:1″ href=”https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&siteId=us-engadget&pageId=1p-autolink&featureId=text-link&merchantName=amazon&custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL1NBTVNVTkctMTEtMS00Y2gtUS1TeW1waG9ueS1IVy1ROTkwRC1aQS9kcC9CMENUS1Y5RFJQP3RhZz1nZGd0MGMtcC12LWk5LTIwIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI0YTE4ZDBlNS1mNWIwLTQwYmQtOWRhNC0wM2MxN2M0YmQ2ZjUifQ&signature=AQAAAUPWzOdT4YbbjavpbMz0iqeeRVuj4H4ztABbRtxCn4m5&gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSAMSUNG-11-1-4ch-Q-Symphony-HW-Q990D-ZA%2Fdp%2FB0CTKV9DRP” class=”link rapid-with-clickid etailiffa-link” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:$2,000;elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:amazon;elmt:;cpos:3;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”>$2,000. If you already bought a Q990C, the company hasn't given you a reason to upgrade yet.
Samsung
The biggest addition to the Q990D is a feature that Samsung's flagship soundbar should have already had.
- HDMI 2.1
- All-in-one surround setup
- Excellent immersive audio.
- Useful features
- Expensive
- It's not a huge upgrade over last year's model.
What's new in the Samsung Q990D?
The biggest addition to the Q990D is HDMI 2.1. With this, Samsung addressed my main criticism of the Q990C, which debuted last year at a time when much of the competition had already adopted the standard. HDMI 2.1 offers 4K pass-through at 120 frames per second, which will improve visuals if you connect your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series x directly to the soundbar.
The Q990D also arrives with new audio modes. Private listening turns off all front speakers and uses only the rear satellite speakers. It's basically an expanded version of the night mode that many companies offer on sound bars, which aims to reduce booming bass when family or roommates are asleep. My house has an open floor plan and my TV faces the hallway of the bedrooms, which means any sound bar will emit noise in that direction. Private Listening sends audio in the opposite direction, and while you have to sacrifice some overall quality, it's good enough for all the times you need to be quieter.
There's also a new Party Play mode that provides more balanced sound between the soundbar and rear speakers for a better experience when hosting a furious event. When this is active, you get the full audio range instead of just the channels programmed specifically for the speakers behind you. In fact, I rotated the speakers and faced them away from the living room to project the retuned audio into other common spaces. This makes a bigger difference for movies and TV because music is already played from the rear speakers at more balanced levels.
These two modes are not exclusive to the Q990D; the rest of the Q-series 2024 range will also be able to use them. However, this is the first time I've tried them and it's notable that they really work well on Samsung's more expensive soundbar.
What is good
The combination of a sound bar with drivers, a large subwoofer, and beefier rear speakers produces surround sound that envelops my living room. Whether you're listening to music or the soundscape of Dune, the Q990D retains the sonic prowess of its predecessor. Dolby Atmos content on Disney+ is more immersive than ever. I could hear the finer details of Knowhere in the opening scenes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, including the realistic reverb of Radiohead's “Creep” played through a speaker. The directional sounds of the city, including the hustle and bustle of people moving around, make it seem like you're standing right there.
For music, there's deep, booming bass when a track calls for it, and that crisp detail I heard in movies is here, too. Justice hyperdrama shows the range of the Q990D, with rich bass tones on songs like “Neverender” accompanied by textured synths. Calmer genres like jazz are also a sonic blanket, with albums like that of Miles Davis. type of blue offering subtleties that make you feel like you're in the studio.
What I like most about the Q990D is that everything you need for a complete surround sound setup is included in the box. The subwoofer and rear speakers come with the sound bar and require no additional purchase. Those satellite speakers also house drivers that fire up and to the sides, which isn't always the case in comparable fixtures from competitors. And setup is as easy as plugging everything in because pairing with the rest of the system happens automatically.
What is bad
An all-in-one setup is great, but that also means the Q990D is expensive. For $2,000, this is a considerable investment even if you get everything you need in the package. The Q990D is currently on sale for $1,750, but we don't know how long that discount will last. For comparison, Sony's upcoming Bravia Bar 9 costs $1,400. The cheapest subwoofer and rear speakers you can get cost $400 and $350 respectively, putting the total cost at $2,150. Of course, with Sony you have two options for subs and rears, and you don't have to buy them all. LG offers some respite if you want to go that route, with its S95TR priced at $1,500 and including the subwoofer and rear speakers with upward-pointing drivers.
The overall size of the soundbar is something else you'll need to consider. The Q990D houses 11 front-facing speakers, two upward-facing drivers, and a subwoofer. All of those components need space, and accommodating them means this soundbar ends up being quite large at 48.5 inches wide. While that's not a deal breaker in and of itself, it does require some planning, so know that you'll need enough space.
Like sound bars from other companies, the Q990D has some useful features reserved for Samsung TVs. For example, Q-Symphony, which uses your TV's speakers in addition to the sound bar to expand audio capabilities, requires a compatible 2020-2024 Samsung TV. The Q990D sounds great without this, but know that you won't get all the tricks unless you also have a compatible TV.
Wrap
Unless you care about the latest HDMI standards, the amazon;elmt:;cpos:6;pos:1″ href=”https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&siteId=us-engadget&pageId=1p-autolink&featureId=text-link&merchantName=amazon&custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL1NBTVNVTkctMTEtMS00Y2gtUS1TeW1waG9ueS1IVy1ROTkwRC1aQS9kcC9CMENUS1Y5RFJQP3RhZz1nZGd0MGMtcC12LWk5LTIwIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI0YTE4ZDBlNS1mNWIwLTQwYmQtOWRhNC0wM2MxN2M0YmQ2ZjUifQ&signature=AQAAAUPWzOdT4YbbjavpbMz0iqeeRVuj4H4ztABbRtxCn4m5&gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSAMSUNG-11-1-4ch-Q-Symphony-HW-Q990D-ZA%2Fdp%2FB0CTKV9DRP” class=”link rapid-with-clickid etailiffa-link” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:Q990D;elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:amazon;elmt:;cpos:6;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”>Q990D It doesn't offer a huge improvement over last year's model. Its design and feature lists are almost identical, except for two new sound modes and 4K/120 pass-through. And some of those additions are available on the more affordable Samsung sound bars. So if you've already opted for last year's Q990C, there probably isn't enough reason to make another sizable investment. If you don't already own a flagship Samsung soundbar, the Q990D offers booming, immersive sound in an all-in-one package that now has all the modern conveniences it should.
