Samsung HW-Q990B Full Review

I get pretty handsy with Samsung's loftiest sound bar offering ... the HW-Q990B
Clarification (11-1-22): Chromecast compatibility may be subject to region
Business: [e-mail]
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
2:09 Design and Build
6:54 Driver Array
9:23 Sound Adjustments
14:23 Connectivity
16:30 Ports
18:01 Display
18:15 Controls
19:39 Sound Check
22:08 Sound Quality
27:11 Wrap up
Buy HW-Q990B
👉 amzn.to/3DM4KDF

[@saadshahid4687]

This is by far the best review of this soundbar. You were not giving a sales pitch and coming across as a very honest reviewer. Thanks. I have subscribed.

[@counselingpsychology]

This dude should have 10x the subs. Info + dead pan funny = gold

[@michael-4k4000]

Should he though? Tell you one thing, I'd tickle his pickle

[@Punisher-1]

I really like your video reviews. No one else does it like you do. Much love and appreciation.

[@neverenoughtech]

Encouragement helps. Thanks!

[@richardcable3168]

Mine finally arrived after a 2 week wait. Thank you for your advice as it does truly sound amazing.

[@nufsioohay]

You're gonna go places man! Another very detailed review!

[@webada]

Nice to see another bar review. Awesome job as usual, please keep it up!

[@RK-jp4xe]

Great video! Very detailed and informative. This helps me understand my bar even better. Thank you!

[@marchev1982]

This is the best review I watch for this soundbar , the presenter talk slowly and understandable especially for people with no first English language speaking , well don't my friend , connections functions .materials , speakers , keep up the good work definitely earn my subscribe

[@DrVagax]

I rarely laugh at KZbinrs but your humor hits the spot for me. Also great in-depth review, we need more reviewers like you!

[@neverenoughtech]

I’m good being the XX (dos Equis) of KZbinrs 😀

[@LowFast23]

Top tier review, thanks for your work. The review is funny, informative, and entertaining. I just ordered my 990B.

[@FeedbackPete1]

Great review very informative. I only started looking into sound bar models this morning and this is the one that caught my eye. On the subject of Samsung TVs. I had one for the first time a few years ago. It only lasted two years before the screen got a dark shadow on it. The woman on the phone said not worth replacing because of how much that would cost. Admittedly it was a curved screen. Big mistake on my part. Happy with my LG TV.

[@lremo002]

You have a weird way of presenting that is very appealing. I am not speaker guy, but your thoroughness couples with a bit of sarcasm works perfect. See you at 2 million subscribers.

[@alextai5730]

Very detail review and as funny as usual, keep it up!

[@volcalstone]

First time viewer. What a pleasantly great review with several jabs. 😁 I might be picking up this system soon but I do wish it had a bit more features tho like you mentioned. Stuff like Chromecast and HDMI 2.1. it would've been the perfect system tbh for the price.

[@patb5266]

I have this system, it's amazing although I agree 2.1 would be nice. For me Chromecast doesn't matter but not sure why Samsung didn't include it, seems like a miss.

[@toddt85]

Great review man! Made me chuckle more than a few times. Subscribed ✅ 😊

[@makingfunofmacgyver]

Great review, as usual. Appreciate the effort you put in with these!

[@tuolumne9]

X2!!

[@bradz9413]

Bloody brilliant and informative review.

[@sirqdoled1203]

Awesome review👏

[@dogsarefun2]

One of the best informative reviews....

[@jdolci1702]

Outstanding & informative review

[@AlonAbraham1]

Great video Daniel, loved especialy your monolouge at the sound quality section where you shared your experiance as a dad with kids with different sonic preference behavior to meet the house needs and not listening only by your self. I'm in a big dillema to push the cash for 2.1ch with jbl hdi3600 and musical fidelity amplifier with my 15 year old subwoofer and my bluesound node 2 just for sonic musical and detail pleasure or just to buy samsung hwq990b to enjoy audio in more entartaining for all the family and keep it simple

[@neverenoughtech]

Personally I save the 2.1 for my personal space office and the soundbars for the shared. If there is only a shared space I’d go soundbar as it’s less likely to lead to blowback (usability / aesthetically) from my wife. The 990B is a very sane choice for whatever kind of audio you might be seeking

[@AlonAbraham1]

@@neverenoughtech absolutely.👍 Thank you

[@its1me1cal]

Great review thanks 👍🏻👍🏻

[@patb5266]

Great review thanks!

[@rudeyute2k]

Awesome detailed review. Can you also please do a review of Samsung - HW-Q930B/ZA 9.1.4ch to see if it's a worthy contender to the Q990b

[@eggyolk2519]

Hey.. great review.. I like your sarcasm.. Love from India.

[@HPMIKE55]

Great job! 😎👍

[@JL-ku7wo]

The 990b is the standard for now can’t wait for your review of the JBL Bar 1000! I hope it is as good then it would be awesome because of the simplicity and the cool design.

[@thenonexistinghero]

I'd say the price makes it the standard. I bought it for just €900 and nothing else comes even remotely close to offering this much bang for that buck. Save for perhaps a custom surround system, but that also requires a good amount of effort and work to properly set up and install.

[@mickmin999]

Mee too. But I think JBL Bar 1300(X?) will be a more suitable opponent. We will see everything soon I hope.

[@taklayagelensermest]

​@@mickmin999 its out and expensive what do you thing i believe 990b is better choice.

[@dharmasx2]

I got this bar and i apreciate they had put: - a Music mode - Rear level in remote control (as Sony soundbars do) Thanks so much for your review!

[@patb5266]

I had enough of speakers all over(7.1) and wires everywhere in my small (10×12ft) living room and bought the 950 T and was as impressed with its sound as I was unimpressed with the position of the display (dumb). However after a year it started having problems, thankfully lol, and the vendor offered me credit so I paid the small difference in cost and got the 990B. This system sounds amazing, I'm literally hearing information I never have in familiar movies. I watched Predator on BluRay on my non Atmos DVD and a couple times I had to skip back to make sure I actually heard what I did, this is a familiar theme on many movies. The depth and width of the soundscape as well as the transition to and from the rears blows away my former system. The height information is equally impressive with sounds clearly coming off the right and left well above me. I've had no connectivity issues at all, the app opens fine no problem and that's what I use at times. Honestly most of the time I use my TV remote. The system remote sits in my storage untouched. The room EQ is great and on of the things I would have liked in the 950. My only pet peeve is the tight HDMI port space. I had to use a 90' adapter to get my woven jacket cable into the eArc and more flexible cables for the 1 and 2. Mounted on the wall and this is less of an issue. I highly recommend this system and there's nothing better currently that I'm aware of, I've been involved in audio and video for 40 years so I've seen my share lol. If you're in the market for a soundbar check this out.

[@o.c.g.m9426]

They make cord managers(Legrand in 3 different sizes). I have a 7.2.4 & don't have wires anywhere

[@jesustsa1]

Any disconnections problems ?

[@TravionMusic]

Better than the Ambeo?

[@Elite_Installatietechniek]

What do you think about the Bose soundbar 900? Is it better or simular

[@user-jr3xu7tw3u]

@@TravionMusic yes

[@CryptoGod79]

Nice review

[@ComCast68]

Great work and review, thanks!

[@usmankhalid990]

Hey Daniel, just got the 990b and was hoping you could share your settings here. I’m running adaptive mode but not sure where to go from there. Do you have space fit and the voice amplifier on? And how did you end up tuning treble and bass? Appreciate all your help!

[@jc74435]

Great review. If you can, also review the 930B. It’s 9.1.4 for half the price of the 990B

[@patb5266]

Great idea as the 930B looks great and for many I'm sure it's a far better option. Not even wants to spend $2k. I'd be curious to see a review on it too.

[@mingomane1]

Seems to me the 930b is basically the 950t

[@vilhelmstein2091]

I'll be purchasing the q990b

[@randomname9758]

Rogue one was the only redeeming new Star Wars movie ! 👊 I picked this up a few days ago and I am enjoying it so far.

[@michaeltorpy3366]

Hi I have a q 90 r sound bar and rear speakers don't work anymore just have blue lights flashing any ideas thanks

[@gamewalker3623]

200% True Honest Review iam from india Bro i impressed your honest review ..💯👌🤟

[@vilhelmstein2091]

This guy needs more subs!

[@neverenoughtech]

yeah .. what this guy said

[@Ratt1eHead]

I just picked up a 990c from woot for $1200. I'll have it in a few days and I'm so excited!!

[@zoup]

This lead me to buy one today ;)

[@samnichols]

Great video as always! I've just bought this system to pair with my 75 inch qn95b. Very excited to set up. Will the rear surrounds be ok tight in the corner of my room? Worries the side speakers might not work as well. Thanks, Sam

[@dm002a8686]

Hi the two rear speakers have one side that has no speaker is it best to place them away from sitting area. And have the side with speaker facing towards sitting area. Thanks

[@anoop1054]

Hi Daniel, I liked your review on q990b, just wondering about dropouts. I guess q990c is available in US now. Please do a q990b vs q990c review🤘🏻

[@dogsarefun2]

I have the 800b & 9500s rears, excellent system....

[@renatoalencar3552]

Hi! I have to install my surrounds on the wall, quite a bit higher than ear level due to my small room. Usually this would mean that I would just point the speakers downwards, towards the main listening position. However, since the Q990B's surrounds have Atmos drivers on top and also side surrounds, wouldn't that cause everything to sound wrong? Especially the Atmos, since the system is expecting to bounce the sound from the ceiling, and in this case they would be pointing almost towards the my projector screen.

[@ShashankKatiyar0]

My journey from Q90R to q950b is from where I noticed your channel the first time to find out how well you are doing 😀. Congratulations, and I wish you all the best ( has Samsung finally done Sonos in your opinion, consideringthe whole package)?

[@neverenoughtech]

Planning a video along these lines so don’t want to spill my premature conclusions. I’d say both are prudent choices in this space - in the end the winner may come down to how much you weigh various aspects of the experience.

[@ahchun338]

Im Q90R owner as well. How big is the upgrade q990b compared to Q90R?

[@jollama]

@@ahchun338Ever heard of Google? Use it

[@DjLuCKyCHaRM]

Tried this and the new JBL 1000 and like the 1000 more, what is your thoughts?

[@sivakumarvenkataraman8305]

Many complaints about wireless disconnection between rear speakers and sub.

[@R6ex]

Would like the Kipsch HT 1200 more if it had auto-room-correction feature.

[@snakeyes273]

Whenever I connect to the soundbar hdmi in I have to power cycle everything because it doesn't detect any signal. When I use the TV hdmi in its fine. Any idea why?

[@bangladeshdocumentarycircl6367]

Its wat comes once in many years ppls should try this if u r in soundbars seg its that good

[@richponani9607]

Hey, thanks for helping me out the other time i asked a question here. this time i have a new issue. Often when i watch movies, in this case Dune. I get some amazing sound of deep rumbling spaceships etc, BUT the voices are so freaking low compared to them. I have to sit and watch the movie with the remote in my hand. turning the sound up and down whenever they are speaking or there is some action scene. how can i fix this?

[@zakk6363]

I bought hw-q 990 b I am very satisfied one question can I expand this soundbar with other Samsung speakers in addition to those supplied?

[@AC_Milan1899]

Mmmm might retire my wired system for this. Very intrigued by this and it's Atmos ability. Rear speakers are a must. Can't stand fake surround.

[@eewroiroieutrip]

Does this soundbar has class D amplifiers like Sonos Arc? If not, are the speakers from this soundbar that great? to replace sonos Arc. I am not getting dolby atmos from Arc becuase my TV doesnot have earc. Didnot research completely before jumping onto sonos arc.

[@davesiva4524]

Great review and many thanks for all the simplification of the Q990B as it helped me in operating mine easily, but is there any way I can add a wired power subwoofer to the tv as I need more bass please

[@Braconara1981]

If placing bass traps in all corners of your room is an option go for it, the results will be better than having another sub, and cheaper too.

[@mikejensen7464]

Does anyone having problem with the Subwoofer? When I got it the subwoofer was powerful and now it’s weak (Within 1-2weeks). I don’t think the speaker is blown since there’s no change in the sound itself it’s just playing now like 1/4 of the beginning and I tried to test the power supply from another room and there was no change. There was one time while using the sound system it got back to the normal sound power for 1-2 second and then went back to being weak.

[@roscodotemmas]

Still my hw-q90r(harman kardon & Samsung), my oh my the best

[@Cocker_Spaniel]

So if I want to buy this set, and I have a ps5 and Apple TV how do I connect them? One hdmi to the earc in the sound bar and the devices directory to the tv? Or connect all of them to the sound bar? Also which system you recommend more the q990b or an arc+sub gen3+2Xera100

[@BranaSB1]

Weight connectivity number of channels but what about the power of the sub? How much rms whatts on how many ohms?

[@columcreaven8860]

Great review, pity about the drop out issues, can you hardwire this soundbar or any other soundbar as a fix?

[@neverenoughtech]

No - at the mercy of the radio waves

[@reece6068]

It's doing my head in now I've had two of these now sent one back as sub was making a tapping noise when ear is near it on certain frequency now this one is doing it now don't know what to do I have volume at 16 sub on -4

[@proffandy4all]

Hello, I love your videos. All the sound bars you have reviewed both the lg and Samsung, which is louder. I mean which can fill up a large duplex sitting room with high roof ?

[@neverenoughtech]

Both but you want Samsungs sound to do the filling for sure

[@SirNick87]

24:58 - Polyphia + Vai, great choice!

[@joecorte5620]

Great review. I am waiting for JL 1000 v 990b. Will you be reviewing the JBL 1000 soundbar?

[@neverenoughtech]

Well they did one up Samsung with the 1000 so probably will

[@Aki1991]

@@neverenoughtech which is better

[@zackfair7]

Just receved 990b the sound is so loud and i love it but i set it at 20 volume beyond that its too loud.and i was thinking if i shoud have bought 930b, does the sound of the 990b is better than 930b?or it just the same sound but the 990 is just louder?

[@kylestaker9279]

How would this bar sound without the rears? Like just bar and sub? Reason being is I have little kids and right now I don’t want to hook up rears in my room because they will get ruined. So I been leaning towards a stand alone bar or a bar and a sub. Bose 900 or Sonos arc on the radar too.

[@jollama]

You’re not getting an answer

[@mexdrago3009]

Im still confused on standard or surround for Atmos movies?

[@HyperionGaming]

I have the Samsung 950A connected to Sony TV, the volume adjustment stuck at 9 whenever I drop the volume too fast

[@neverenoughtech]

I wrote a song titled “silly Samsung software” … though I have not experienced that one

[@johnlocke5108]

Thanks review, After all, do you think can we get our money's worth?

[@clashott4372]

What scene is he talking about from ROGUE ONE ?

[@mmcpa]

I have the Q950A which I love. Despite the nice review/rating, other than the dust collecting fabric, so sure if this is worth to upgrade to from where I'm at.

[@neverenoughtech]

It’s not worth it. It’s worth buying if you need a nice SB

[@patb5266]

Andrew Robinson said the same thing about the upgrade. The 950A is great from my understanding, far better than the 950 I had.

[@hugocassianoferreiravilaca382]

I just upgraded from a Q950T to the Q990B (still waiting to be delivered) i sold my old one and got the new one on a special promotion the upgrade costed 115 euros. for me it was worth the upgrade, gave me more warranty time and some nice functionalities.

[@marksullivan3424]

I have the Q950A as well, not worth upgrading. Unless….you want to splurge when the Nakamichi Dragon becomes available! That thing will probably blow every ‘Soundbar! out of the water

[@TillTheLightTakesUs]

Hey Q990b-c or Ambeo plus or max for surround sound gaming at 4k 120?

[@Nelly41288]

The BASS!!! 💯👍🏿

[@Cocker_Spaniel]

Does the q990b have problems with connecting to a Sony tv?

[@movielover4900]

Great review. How does it compare with bose 900 full system? Which one is better thanks

[@neverenoughtech]

Bose 900 full system is elegant and nice sounding … but not much of a comparison with the 990B … so much more (quality) sound /$ on the Samsung side

[@EskoTV-VIDEO]

Thank you for this detailed review. Did you say that there is no optical audio connection? I saw one near USB-port. Frankly I don't know where optical connection is useful. Only two HDMI outputs: is it possible to share HDMI with a HDMI multiplier (when you have more than two to connect; PS5, Nvidia Shield TV Pro,...DVD/VHS)? 🤗

[@neverenoughtech]

I said the optical connection is treated as the same input as the eARC, meaning it’s not meant for a CD player or streamer … as with the cinema 1200. There is definitely optical.

[@EskoTV-VIDEO]

@@neverenoughtech Ok thanks. eArc means that this main port is HDMI 2.1. Do you know, what HDMI type are those input HDMI ports? 2.0 or 2.1?

[@usmankhalid990]

Hey Daniel, reaching out for some help with a general question about rear speaker placement. About how far behind and out to the sides should the rears be? Thanks for all your help!

[@neverenoughtech]

I like to place at least 6 feet … the best location would be something like 45 degree … and face the front speaker towards you

[@usmankhalid990]

@@neverenoughtech perfect, thanks a ton!

[@jamieseoulman]

Hi guys. I have a old LG 5.1 home cinema set up (HX976TZW), with 5 individual speakers. Do you think I will hear much of a difference upgrading to a modern sound bar surround system, specifically the Samsung Q990B? Thanks for any input.

[@sivakumarvenkataraman8305]

If you really want a channel separation you have to go with AV receiver & individual speakers setup.

[@jollama]

Bro thinks this is Discord

[@therealgandalfvr]

Still rocking my hw-k950

[@yvanokuba1649]

I didn't know of a hw-k950

[@therealgandalfvr]

@@yvanokuba1649 that’s the first Samsung dolby atmos 5.1.4 soundbar with rear speakers.

[@marianovercelli9891]

Hi Daniel, congrats 4 the Channel, i got the Samsung Q930B, its 9.1.4 i think its excellent with mi 4k player, im thinking to upgrade to Q990D for LATAM, its 11.1.4 speakers. Its a big diference when you Watch some movies with Atmos, can you hear the aditional 2 speaker from the side? Please, if you can help me i apreciate!! The best 4 you and you followers. Saludos from Perú.

[@jakeyang1198]

How does this compare with the full Sonos Arc+sub+S1 setup?

[@jollama]

Ever heard of Google? Use it

[@prezodent2371]

Rogue 1 is phenomenal

[@jollama]

Cool story bro

[@FeedbackPete1]

I've been looking at the specs of my current TV an LG SK8500. It unfortunately appears to only have 4x 2.0 ARC HDMI. Not eArc. So I'm wondering if I bought this sound bar would I be able to get proper Dolby atmos with it. As much as I'd love to get this sound bar I couldn't justify buying a new TV just to make the sound bar work fully. I've had two TVs in the last 6 years.

[@neverenoughtech]

You can, plug a BR player into the soundbar for lossless formats including atmos. Regular ARC can pass Dolby digital plus (Netflix etc). But I still recommend just getting a streaming box and plugging into the bar … you will get an atmos confirmation more consistently

[@FeedbackPete1]

@@neverenoughtech Thank you that's great advice I will now feel confident enough to spend that amount of money on the Samsung. I'll be playing my 4K discs via Xbox One X. I have a chrome cast that is probably just HD I'll look into those streaming boxes. Can't wait to watch something like Top Gun Maverick.

[@marioeisenmajer2432]

Where can I get this mountingtool under the tv

[@bhanuprakashande9]

Would you suggest this(samsung q990b) or Q acoustics m20(active speakers) with Sub, for movies and music ?

[@jollama]

You’re not getting an answer

[@yeadeem]

Excellent review. I have a 4k projector and I watch content with chromecast with google tv. What is the effective way to connect to the soundbar and enjoing dolby atmos?

[@neverenoughtech]

If the projector has an ARC port it’s simple just connect the projector and bar via HDMI. If there is not an HDMI cable you will need a far more complicated Receiver solution where you feed the receiver the chromcast signal and audio and video are routed accordingly … it might be that you would need to use optical in that case which is a big loss. Soundbars are really designed to be connected directly to an ARC port on a tv or projector

[@yeadeem]

@@neverenoughtech Thanks. I don't have hav ARC in my projector. Can I connect the chromecast with google tv to the hdmi in port in the soundbar and the projector to the eARC in the sonbar? Will this transfer the video to the projector and the 3d sound to the soundbar?

[@drsatyam29]

@@yeadeem Yes... Absolutely perfect

[@rafars2246]

I still have my old vizio lol I can get the new q990c for $1,130.84 after tax and fees, before coupons. Unfortunately when I purchased the q990b last year, I wasn't impressed vs my Vizio. I could hear more things which was nice, but small sub, and for some reason high tones would hurt my ears (this happens to many other people and this model). But my q990b arrived on a broken box with a dented subwoofer. Not sure if that had to do anything with my bad experience. A year later I have better cleaner ears, maybe I should give it a try.

[@Dr-AK]

If I have a LG TV 2022 will this not work as well or miss a lot of features?

[@neverenoughtech]

It’ll work just fine - Q symphony is skippable

[@williamsc025]

I’m having issues with the two devices I have connected through the Q990B’s two HDMI outputs. Is it possible to only have the soundbar connected to my TV’s (Samsung Q90A) eARC port, and the two devices (Apple TV 4K and Nvidia Shield) connected straight to the TV through the TV’s other HDMI ports? Will the soundbar pass audio properly that way when watching the two mentioned devices?

[@neverenoughtech]

If the tv is eARC you can theoretically use the inputs to get lossless audio. It’s just usually more of a sure thing if you use the soundbar inputs - not sure why using your SB inputs is causing you issues

[@prasaddlegend]

Just bought dese…. Boy o boy…. One hell of a soundbar system🥹

[@hyesunchoi2773]

How does this compare to the Bose Sound bar 900 with 700 rear speakers and sub?

[@neverenoughtech]

Fuller more immersive sound - and significantly cheaper. If you love Bose go Bose as the 900 is very Bose-y - if on the fence go Samsung

[@amitgota]

Great review, Can we use google voice instead of alexa?

[@neverenoughtech]

Not the NA version. It seems that Chromecast is supported in other regions like AU - there may be some google voice compatibility there. I would not count on it.

[@davidthanos]

I have the 900a. The only reason I would get this is because of no fabric. Love the way it looks. Would you upgrade from last year's Samsung

[@neverenoughtech]

Upgrade is probably not worth it unless you get a good trade in value for the last or you would like to repurpose the A

[@davidthanos]

@@neverenoughtech so this one or the 95qr. What volume you usually have the sub at

[@mangeshdhore]

How does it perform against bose 900 soundbar(loaded with surround and woofer) ?

[@neverenoughtech]

Way better

[@dmann3042000]

This is a very very good and solid product, thanks very much for the wonderful review however I noticed when gaming on my xbox X it seems like it doesn't go back to adaptive sound when I go back to my invidious shield any idea why

[@jollama]

You’re not getting an answer

[@jerkol4146]

I would like to use Q990B/Q930B with my macbook/iphone only is it worth to so with samsung if im not using tv? or should i go with Sonos?

[@neverenoughtech]

My take is you are giving up a lot if you are using these systems as a BT/Airplay speaker - I would go with something that at least had a USB audio interface like the Klipsh sixes - to use with your MacBook - that may sound much better considering your connection plan

[@chazcarpenter1559]

Does it matter that it’s only HDMI 2.0 and not 2.1? I want to pair this with my 2022 LG C2 with my Xbox series X. Will I still get all the bells and whistles? (Dolby vision/Atmos 4k 120fps)?

[@neverenoughtech]

You don’t get the 4k 120 if you plug the Xbox into the bar

[@MariusSnd]

Waiting for the Q990C to arrive.. Do you think it will replace my 2.1 Kef Ls50 Meta + Amp/Sub Setup? My wife has an argument about keeping just one setup, and I am anxious trading my 2.1 system for this one. .. :D

[@avinashcs2138]

I have this SoundBar connected with my Sony Bravia X900 using HDMI ARC Cable. Problem I'm facing is when I increase the Volume using TV Remote, it goes up nicely. But when I'm reducing the volume using the TV Remote, the volume only reduces to 14 or 12 or 5 and holds there. It never goes down all the way down to Zero. When using the Samsung Remote, it does work as expected. Anybody else having the same issue. Please help.

[@faraon2012]

you need samsung tv brooooooooooooooooo

[@avinashcs2138]

@@faraon2012 :-(