Samsung HW-Q990F review: I tested this high-end Dolby Atmos soundbar and it blew me away

Telegraph

23-05-2025

What is the Samsung HW-Q990F?
The HW-Q990F is Samsung's best soundbar for 2025, offering high quality Dolby Atmos out of the box, with dedicated rear speakers. It replaces the Q990D from 2024.
The Q990F is a complete sound system, comprised of the bar itself, a pair of rear channel speakers and the subwoofer. The speakers fire upwards which helps to create the immersion and sense of space, which you might call the 'Dolby Atmos' effect. So this is a comprehensive all-in-one package; it's more than just a standalone bar.
All of that comes at a high price, but compared to other Dolby Atmos bars with this much capability, the cost starts to become more reasonable. That was also true of the 2024 model (which you will find at a discount now), with the biggest difference being that the new version has a redesigned subwoofer.
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How we test soundbars
I always test soundbars at home for a minimum of two weeks, connecting to my main TV so it gets plenty of activity. I tested the HW-Q990F with the Samsung QN900F and other televisions during my review time. I examined the build quality and design of the soundbar and tested how easy it was to set up and use.
I tested the remote control and smartphone app, looking at connectivity, including unique features for Samsung televisions. Ultimately, I assessed the soundbar with a full range of content, from streaming of all types, including Dolby Atmos, as well as testing DTS sound performance from Ultra HD Blu-ray movies, as well as CDs for music.
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Design, setup and usability
Score: 9/10
It might surprise you to learn that Samsung is a significant player in the soundbar market. The wide range of soundbars that it offers, as well as the number of TVs that it sells, makes it a natural combination. The Q990F is Samsung's flagship soundbar and its most ambitious Dolby Atmos solution to date.
There's nothing subtle about the design of the Samsung HW-Q990F. It's the same as the Q990D and you can trace this design back to the Q990B from 2022. The soundbar itself is an angular block and is 13.8cm deep and over 1.2m wide. The angles at each end incorporate speakers that are designed to spread the sound around the room, so they aren't just there for decoration.
The change for 2025 comes in the smaller format of the subwoofer. What's perhaps strange is that everything else is angular, but the sub has rounded corners, so it doesn't quite match aesthetically. However, it now features a dual-woofer design, with two 8-inch speakers back-to-back, where the 2024 version had a single 8-inch woofer. The new sub is more compact, which makes it look more modern and is a welcome change.
Samsung has clearly expressed a preference for setting up and controlling its devices via the Samsung SmartThings app on your phone. If you own a Samsung TV, you'll probably have encountered it before, and it's the best way to visually control the settings, so if you don't currently use it, it's worth installing.
Otherwise, connecting your soundbar and plugging in all the parts will see them connect to each other automatically. If you're plugging it into a Samsung TV, you'll get options on the TV to control Q-Symphony, which is where the soundbar's speakers work with the TV's speakers for even more immersive results.
If you're connecting to one of the best TVs that isn't from Samsung, like the Sky Glass 2, you don't get Q-Symphony, but once you've connected your HDMI cable, you'll be good to go. Samsung TV owners also have the option to connect via Wi-Fi, so if you don't want the additional cable, perhaps because you've wall-mounted the TV, then you don't have to have it.
The supplied remote offers basic controls, allowing adjustment of individual channels, changing the sound modes and switching inputs, but for more advanced control, it's much easier to see what you're doing in the SmartThings app in your phone, rather than relying on the tiny screen hiding behind the mesh on the front of the soundbar.
Sound quality
Score: 10/10
The Samsung HW-Q990F is equipped with a total of 23 speakers arranged in an 11.1.4 channel configuration. This means that there are 11 channels dedicated to the surround sound part of this system, there's one bass channel (the subwoofer) and four channels for height, with upfiring speakers on both the bar and the rear speakers. This is essentially the same configuration as the 2024 Q990D, with the additional speaker in the subwoofer that I mentioned earlier.
Within the actual soundbar, these channels are divided, with distinct left, right and centre audio channels, to ensure that vocals remain direct and clear.
The thing that differentiates the Samsung Q990F from other soundbars is those rear speakers. Adding those means you can create a much more enveloping soundscape. While other soundbars, like the Sonos Arc Ultra, offer Dolby Atmos, unless you add proper rear speakers, you don't get the same effect that you do here. Likewise, some of the best OLED TVs also provide Dolby Atmos sound, such as the Panasonic Z95A, but they don't come close to the performance of this dedicated system from Samsung.
These rear units contain three speakers each, one for direct sound, one for surround sound and one for Atmos height. Combine that with a soundbar loaded with 15 speakers and you have the ability to control and direct that symphony very accurately. As long as you can get those rear speakers behind your seating position, you'll get incredibly immersive audio.
I watched Ready Player One on Blu-ray, which offers both a Dolby Atmos soundtrack and DTS-HD Master Audio. While Dolby Atmos was more immersive, the clarity of the lossless DTS soundtrack (essentially, the unimpeded original audio track) impressed through the Q990F speakers.
Switching to streaming, Dolby Atmos came through in Thor Ragnarök, pulling me into the action and demonstrating some deft bass handling from the subwoofer. But even typical 5.1 tracks have immersion and detail to enhance the watching experience, which is important, because a lot of content you watch is presented as Dolby Digital Plus. This would complement the Sony Bravia 7 Mini LED TV, bolstering its cinematic experience. Music is wonderfully delivered, too, so you're not just buying a sound system for your TV; you'll get a great experience no matter the source.
To check the format that the soundbar is currently using, you can tap the 'i' button on the remote a couple of times, with the small LED screen on the front of the bar displaying the information. If you don't know what these different formats mean, Samsung has a useful guide here. It's worth noting that if you want DTS and you're using a Samsung TV, there's no passthrough (where the TV sends the signal to the soundbar via a connection called eARC), so you will need to connect your Blu-ray player directly to the soundbar instead – but I'll talk about that below.
I found that the rear channels were a little too loud, but these are easily adjusted in the SmartThings app or via the remote. Otherwise, the Samsung Q990F is a tour de force. There's huge volume and even when cranked up, I didn't experience any distortion. With direct control of the subwoofer from the remote (or the app), you can easily adjust the bass up and down, too.
Samsung's Q-Symphony (supported on recent TV models) takes things up a notch, increasing the immersion further by adding the TV's speakers. I found the biggest benefit was dragging the voice channel slightly higher, so it sounds more like it's coming from the screen, rather than from the soundbar alone. Pairing this Samsung soundbar with another brand of TV will give great results; there's just an added incentive for Samsung TV owners.
Score: 10/10
The connectivity that the Q990F offers is a big part of the equation and it's a sophisticated solution. You have the expected optical and HDMI eARC from your TV, but the Q990F can also act as a hub for other HDMI devices, allowing you to connect directly to the soundbar rather than via the TV.
This might appeal to those who can't access the TV's inputs because the TV is wall-mounted, or those who want to play DTS content through the bar if your TV doesn't support it. That means you have two HDMI 2.1 inputs, as well as the HDMI 2.1 eARC output that you'll connect to your TV.
Importantly, the HDMI inputs support 120Hz passthrough (so will support the latest games consoles), while also passing through Dolby Vision and HDR10+ visuals to your screen. That means there's flexibility in how you configure your system, although I found that the soundbar would switch back to eARC from HDMI when I paused a Blu-ray, which was a little irritating, so it's worth testing out the connections to find what works best for you.
If you're using your TV's tuner or on-board apps, then it's the eARC that will pass the audio information to your soundbar, which most people will use. I mentioned that you can also connect via Wi-Fi with recent Samsung TVs and this supports Dolby Atmos, too, so if you want to use this option, it seems to work well enough.
There's support for Bluetooth 5.3, with the option to tap your Samsung phone on the soundbar to connect and send content. But beyond that, the Q990F also includes AirPlay 2 and Google Cast for sending content from your phone to the soundbar, while it's also compatible with Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect, for seamless music streaming.
I should also mention that although the connection between the soundbar, sub and rear speakers is wireless, I found this to be solid, with no dropouts during my testing time. I found occasional rear-channel syncing hiccups, both from Blu-ray disc and from streaming apps on the TV, but these all resolved themselves, without any manual adjustment needed.
Voice assistant
Score: 8/10
While using your voice to control your soundbar might not be on the top of your list of priorities, it's another option, with Amazon's Alexa supported on the Q990F. I found that this defaulted to a US time zone and voice, but after some scrabbling around in the Alexa app, I managed to bring it back to British.
You can use Alexa to get information, play music and control the volume, similar to how you can control the Amazon Fire Omni Mini LED TV. But it's not as well supported as an Amazon Echo, so I wasn't able to access BBC Sounds, for example. I also found the microphones weren't as good as those on the best smart speakers for detecting voice, so it's not quite as slick as it is elsewhere.
There's also 'works with Google' compatibility, allowing you to link Google Home with SmartThings, which, in theory, allows for some voice control via Google. However, I didn't find this to be as intuitive and Google's AI assistant, Gemini, couldn't be used to control the soundbar, despite telling me that it could.
Technical specifications
There are plenty of rivals to the Samsung HW-Q990F, but in the premium space, many will be interested in how the Samsung soundbar compares to the Sonos Arc Ultra, which is one of best soundbars available. While Samsung offers a complete package, to get a comparable system from Sonos, you would have to buy separate rear speakers and the subwoofer, making it a much more expensive package overall.
Should you buy the Samsung HW-Q990F?
The Samsung Q990F is a comprehensive soundbar system that puts everything you need in the box for an immersive Dolby Atmos experience when watching movies. While the asking price is high, you're getting the best you could possibly get without having to worry about adding speakers to expand the functionality in the future.
The performance is first class, coping incredibly well with everything that you throw at it, while it's simple enough to just plug in and start enjoying the performance. For those who want to tinker a little more, the SmartThings app lets you do that, while the option to connect HDMI devices makes for an even more versatile offering.
Yes, if:
You want the best from your Dolby Atmos movies with immersive audio
You want options for connections
You have a Samsung TV that supports Q-Symphony
No, if:
You're simply trying to improve your TV's audio
Living room space is limited
Samsung HW-Q990F FAQs
How is the Samsung HW-Q990F different to the Q990D?
The Samsung Q990F updates the Q990D with a new subwoofer. It's now more compact, but offers dual 8-inch woofers instead of the single woofer of the previous model. Otherwise, the design and functionality of the Q990F is the same.
Does the Samsung HW-Q990F support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X?
Yes, the Samsung Q990F supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound, as well as other Dolby and DTS formats.
Is the Samsung HW-Q990F the best soundbar to buy?
That depends on what you're looking for. The Q990F offers excellent performance as a package, especially for immersive Atmos audio when watching movies. But if you have a smaller TV, then it might be more than you need – and if you can't fit the rear channels behind your seating position, you might find they're not as effective as they could be, either.