Most people aren’t using physical media anymore, which is why I spent the majority of my time testing the HW-Q990F with streaming media. I find that Apple TV has the best audio quality of any of the major streaming services, which tracks with my experience testing this bar: Atmos-mixed shows like sci-fi hit Foundation come through with gorgeous clarity and dynamic bass as you’d expect with any soundbar worth its salt.
It’s the overhead, object-based Atmos audio effects that really stagger me. Raindrops and creaky chairs seem to exist in my testing room with me; the burbling engines of Ford GT prototypes fill the room when watching Ford v Ferrari.
Samsung has both stellar processing and the ability to bounce sounds around smaller and medium-size rooms nailed. The side speakers on the satellite drivers and the various angled speakers on the main bar really make you feel like you are being attacked on all sides by audio. I really loved the way sounds swirled around me when watching my 4K Blu-Ray copy of Blade Runner 2049, with wavy synths meeting ship sounds and rainy backgrounds among other on-screen noises in 3D space.
Photograph: Parker Hall
There’s tons of adjustability when it comes to sound modes (Standard, Game, Surround, and Adaptive), EQ levels, and volume of each speaker, and I’d recommend tuning the settings to your personal taste in your specific room. I found the settings to be pretty bang-on out of the box; I have a fairly traditional home theater setup with two speaker stands behind my listening position and the subwoofer next to the TV stand, and it sounded great almost instantly (I did have to adjust the subwoofer level slightly up).
The soundbar can pair with modern Samsung TVs like the S95F in a mode Samsung calls Q-Symphony, allowing it to use the TV speakers in addition to the bar, subwoofer, and surrounds. I didn’t find this particularly enticing; it seemed to boost the highs a bit but didn’t really do much for overall immersion. If you have a Samsung TV, it’s worth trying both on and off, but this feature isn’t a deal breaker if you want an LG, Sony, TCL, Panasonic, or Hisense TV.
The best part of this system is that it works just fine with any other products in TV land, not just Samsung’s. I love how easy it is to set up, and I love that it really does feel like it is offering me the highest-quality sound in the most compact package. The fact that last year’s bar is still for sale (and still very similar sounding) is actually a plus: Samsung has pretty much nailed the existing needs of listeners at this point. There are very few soundbar systems that compete, but I’d say that higher-end bars from Sonos, Bose, and LG do give this system a run for its money. That said, none of them have this many channels done this well, which makes Samsung’s HW-Q990F the top of the pile for me in 2025 so far.
