Decent enough soundbar--channel placement, effects & bass are quite good for movie watching. For listening to stereo audio though, this is not really the product for you as the stereo soundscape and upper frequencies leave much to be desired. The Q990B also does not remember which settings you used for your device inout; so if you for instance watched a movie on HDMI1, using the surround preset and higher bass levels, switching to BT for stereo listening will use the exact same settings--even though these were changed to stereo and -12dB for bass last time it was used -- thus they have to be modified every time.Some phone apps playing audio over BT insist on maxing the volume to 100 during start of playback, and the soundbar *really* should have options to prevent ... MoreDecent enough soundbar--channel placement, effects & bass are quite good for movie watching. For listening to stereo audio though, this is not really the product for you as the stereo soundscape and upper frequencies leave much to be desired. The Q990B also does not remember which settings you used for your device inout; so if you for instance watched a movie on HDMI1, using the surround preset and higher bass levels, switching to BT for stereo listening will use the exact same settings--even though these were changed to stereo and -12dB for bass last time it was used -- thus they have to be modified every time.Some phone apps playing audio over BT insist on maxing the volume to 100 during start of playback, and the soundbar *really* should have options to prevent this -- turn it up to this and play something to understand what I mean, it woke the neighbours up at 08:00 in the morning just playing for a few seconds. btw. this was not the cause for the rear channel distortion referenced below, it occurred todayAnother drawback is the longevity of the speakers--Samsung only offers a measly 12mo warranty on their products, and the left rear speaker turned shrill when playing certain effects after this period had passed; only the left speaker, the right is fine and did not exhibit the issue. Seems to be an impossible task to replace it now that the short warranty period has expired.For high-def music playback, the ability to support aptX would have been highly appreciated, but it is a missing feature with the Q990 soundbars. My 2y/o phone has it (priced at 1/4 of this product), so I do not see why it could not have been included for us music lovers.Lastly, the firmware updates are rather scarce, and do not at all describe what has actually been changed--or improved--in the form of a changelog. Seriously, Samsung?For a $2000 product I frankly expected more.

I felt a bit of nostalgia as I unboxed the HW-Q990D and set it up in my main TV viewing room. I still recall my first Samsung Soundbar, the HW-K950, a revolutionary soundbar that introduced the world to Atmos. For most of my adult life, I had used big, boxy speakers and an expensive receiver to get to surround sound nirvana, and the fact that Samsung had released a soundbar with wireless sub and speakers to give me 5.1.4 Atmos sound was astonishing! When Samsung released the HW-N950 with sound by Harmon Kardon, I sold my big box speaker system and enjoyed it until it died a few years later. In my opinion, Samsung has been the go-to for soundbar systems. I know there are some big name brands out there, but Samsung consistently makes an amazing product that envelops ... MoreI felt a bit of nostalgia as I unboxed the HW-Q990D and set it up in my main TV viewing room. I still recall my first Samsung Soundbar, the HW-K950, a revolutionary soundbar that introduced the world to Atmos. For most of my adult life, I had used big, boxy speakers and an expensive receiver to get to surround sound nirvana, and the fact that Samsung had released a soundbar with wireless sub and speakers to give me 5.1.4 Atmos sound was astonishing! When Samsung released the HW-N950 with sound by Harmon Kardon, I sold my big box speaker system and enjoyed it until it died a few years later. In my opinion, Samsung has been the go-to for soundbar systems. I know there are some big name brands out there, but Samsung consistently makes an amazing product that envelops the user in surround sound.Now that I’ve probably bored you with my experience with Samsung soundbars, let’s talk about the HW-Q990D soundbar. It is an 11.1.4 Atmos soundbar, complete with wireless subwoofer and a pair of wireless satellites. The wireless sats serve several purposes: They supply surround and surround back effects, as well as Atmos effects using upfiring woofers built into the speaker. They are basically three speakers in one cabinet.If you have select Samsung TVs, you can use SpaceFit Sound to calibrate the soundbar to the area. I do not have a Samsung TV, so I was unfortunately not able to use the room calibration process. Which is a bummer. Many of Samsung’s competitors have room EQ on their soundbars, many of them costing less than the Q990D. Unfortunately, there is no white noise generator for the Q990D either, which would allow the user to use their own microphone and set channel levels. Nope, it is left up to the user to adjust settings and hope they get it right.The addition of Chromecast to the Q990D is excellent. In practice it functions perfectly. I was also able to use AirPlay to send music from my wife’s phone to the Q990D. Two HDMI ins as well as an eARC HDMI complete the inputs. I was able to play both my Xbox One X and PS4 without any issues through the Q990D. Picture quality was excellent, as well as the sound quality.Getting to sound quality…. While not as powerful sounding or as warm and smooth as my old HW-950, the Q990D is more enveloping and crystal clear with surround tracks. The first John Wick movie is an absolute bedlam of action, with extended fight scenes, lots of gunfights, and roaring cars. The Q990D handled the scenes with aplomb, the subwoofer digging down surprisingly low to add good heft to the sound. There is an end scene that takes place in the rain, and the upfiring speakers in the sats and main bar did a good job of making it seem like the rain was coming straight down from the ceiling. I was impressed for sure. Jumping ahead to John Wick 4, I watched the beginning scene where Keanu Reeves is punching a wooden 2x4 over and over again. The scene is mixed with heavy, heavy bass, a resounding thump taking place every time he hits that piece of wood. You’d think a semi was striking a steel tank, the way it sounds. Each impact came through resoundingly good through the Q990D system, the sub handling the hard bass impacts without issue. Again, pretty impressive for just an 8” sub. During extremely active scenes, there are times when the voices get a little lost, as if the center channel fades out a bit, but this is pretty typical of all soundbars. 99 percent of the time, the Q990D provided an excellent experience listening to movies of all genres.I only discovered one shortcoming (in my opinion) when it came to the 990D: Stereo music was not as good as with my prior Samsung soundbar. The 950 had Harmon Kardon tuning, and it really sounded good with plain old stereo music. The 990D is not quite as detailed, warm, and enjoyable when it comes to enjoying music. But it’s just a small quip, and most folks will be happy with the 990D as an all-around soundbar.All-in-all, I am very pleased with the Q990D and it occupies the place of honor below my main TV.

I've always had soundbars - and surround sound. But nothing that integrated completely/easily between components. Having a new Samsung tv, this was the answer. I can't believe how easily this package set itself up. With setup instructions coming from the tv screen, it was truly plug & play. The hardest part was having to do a wall mount bracket for one of the rears. (Brackets are provided for the soundbar itself, but not the rear speakers.) Once I had it set up, I had to walk to the rear speakers to see the LED lit up blue showing connection as I didn't want to believe my ears! Thank you Samsung, I've had fits connecting soundbars before, but not this time.The first feature I encountered was Q-Symphony. When you have a compatible Samsung TV, the tv speakers work in ... MoreI've always had soundbars - and surround sound. But nothing that integrated completely/easily between components. Having a new Samsung tv, this was the answer. I can't believe how easily this package set itself up. With setup instructions coming from the tv screen, it was truly plug & play. The hardest part was having to do a wall mount bracket for one of the rears. (Brackets are provided for the soundbar itself, but not the rear speakers.) Once I had it set up, I had to walk to the rear speakers to see the LED lit up blue showing connection as I didn't want to believe my ears! Thank you Samsung, I've had fits connecting soundbars before, but not this time.The first feature I encountered was Q-Symphony. When you have a compatible Samsung TV, the tv speakers work in conjunction with the soundbar. I felt this was superfluous and turned it off. Why should I have tv speakers competing with a top of the line soundbar? Your impression may vary. At least it's easily disabled.Another feature, Spacefit Sound Pro, I was more interested in. This "calibrates" and adjusts the sound based on your specific area & acoustics. Having a room that was more "open" on one side than another, this suited my purpose. Not knowing the mechanics of it, I assume it is pumping more sound to the open area to fill the gap, I can only report that there is a difference, and it does sound better with the feature activated.The rear speakers are impressive units, and are front, top, and side firing. They appear well constructed and deliver a clean clear sound with no evidence of distortion, rattling, etc. If you don't have a stand or mount for them, you will need to pick up a suitable product.I'm not a student or disciple of surround sound, all I can say is I've been intrigued over the last week, hearing things in programming I haven't heard before, even in commercials. There is content that I wouldn't believe had been programmed for surround, yet I'm hearing distinctive sounds coming from the rear speakers - for instance, the Nascar race where you hear the sportscasters in the front, and the roar of the engines in the rear. Or maybe a commercial jingle pops different sounds out of the rear. I assume there is some decoding tech going on in the electronics, all I can say is I'm enjoying the hell out of it!Also using the unit in combination with different devices, for instance, tapping on the soundbar with my Samsung phone to play content. Even more interesting, if you know what the Sound Burger is (a revival of an 80's mini portable turntable, now with Bluetooth - photo down below), I've connected that to the Q series to pump out some tunes. Yes, I do have an audiophile turntable in the same room, but as that doesn't use Bluetooth, I'll need some kind of RCA to HDMI device to make that magic as the Q only provides HDMI inputs.If there's one thing I'd knock on the Q, I really don't care for the LED screen behind the grill - it's small & hard to see behind the grill. I would've preferred a small screen, perhaps on top, to better identify inputs - it's very difficult to determine what Bluetooth device you're connecting.Other than that, very happy with the unit, and once again, thanks for making it so easy to hook up!