5 features that convince me about the Samsung HW-Q990B Dolby Atmos sound bar, and 2 that don’t, after using it for a month
Lately there has been talk about how television technology has improved and now, practically, you can enjoy more quality at home than at the cinema.
However, the audiovisual experience also has to do with precisely the beginning of that word, the audio.
The integrated sound of modern TVs is sufficient for a large number of users, but if you want deep bass and spatial sound positioning with Dolby Atmos support, it is interesting to opt for a good sound system.
You could put 11 speakers around you and 4 in the ceiling, plus a subwoofer, to get a completely immersive feelingbut thanks to audio systems like the Samsung HW-Q990B bar and its virtualization system, you only need the bar, two rear satellites and the subwoofer to recreate that sensation.
Let’s see what convinces me most about this system after using it for a month to watch all types of content.
5 features that convince me of this sound bar
The first of them is the simplicity of installation and assembly. You take all the speakers and the bar out of the box, plug each one individually into an electrical outlet and they are directly paired. You only need to provide a sound source to the bar and it does the audio distribution.
It also has a SpaceFit Sound+ mode that can be activated and adapts the sound balance between the different speakers and virtual channels to offer the feeling of immersion depending on your living room or bedroom.
The second characteristic is eARC support and the option of connecting two HDMI devices to it, which makes it possible to expand the number of devices that we can connect to our TV and also control the bar directly with the TV remote.
You can configure the sound to your liking in terms of treeble, bass, the volume of each channel (virtual or not) separately and choose the sound mode you want between adaptive, surround or one dedicated to gaming. After that, you can raise and lower the volume with the TV remote regardless of the sound source used.
The third is the Dolby Atmos supportin 11.1.4 configuration, with only four units: bar, subwoofer and two rear satellites.
The bar performs soundfiring at the top as well as the rear satellites giving that sensation of spatiality not only surround but also in height and the result is a three-dimensional sound that completely surrounds you.
The fourth is the availability of a mode for improve dialogues and the ability to individually adjust the level of the subwoofer or individual channels.
The last one is that With only 4 pieces we have an audio configuration equivalent to 22 speakers individual, which makes this Samsung bar pack much more versatile, being able to fit in many more homes.
The feature I don’t like about this system
Although this last point of only four pieces gives versatility, it is also true that each of them needs to be connected to a socket which will mean that you will have to adapt with extensions for at least the two rear ones.
In traditional systems, you carry the audio cable and it may already be amplified, this avoids the wall plug. So yes, the parts of this Samsung HW-Q990 are wireless in terms of sending audio, but they need to be connected to an electrical outlet.
And lastly, and not least, perhaps comment that at the price at which it reaches the market, I do not expect more than the maximum and here I miss that the HDMI that it offers do not support HDMI 2.1 and high frame ratesperfect for next-generation consoles.
It is true that you can use the HDMI 2.1 with 120 Hz support on your TV to connect these devices and through eARC pass the audio to the sound bar to process the sound, whether Dolby Atmos or not.
And well, this may be because I’m being picky, but the screen is very discreet, pretty, but perhaps too small (3 letters) to understand the settings without reading the manual.
In conclusion, it is true that it is a very simple system to install and use. It integrates with your TV’s volume control thanks to eARC and you don’t need any additional remote control.
The sound quality is very good and offers a spatiality typical of installations with many more speakers. If you are looking to have Dolby Atmos support with good volume and bass power, it is a very good option.
