Samsung HW-Q990C
Was: AU$2,099
Now: AU$1,245 from Appliance Central (save AU$854)
Overview: The best is rarely cheap, and with an original price of just over AU$2,000, Samsung’s best Dolby Atmos soundbar ever is a considerable investment, which makes this AU$854 saving very welcome indeed. Serving up 11.1.4 channels of audio immersion, coupled with 656W of power, your movies will never have sounded so good.
What’s most impressive about this Samsung soundbar is that the audio channels are ‘real’ as opposed to virtual, and with four upward firing speaker drivers, sound is genuinely delivered above you to create a totally enveloping soundfield.
Samsung has also improved music playback compared to its predecessor, so you can dance, rock out or chill out to your favourite tunes, all delivered in sublime quality.
Key features: 11.1.4 channels; Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support; multiple audio file support for music; Q-Symphony for connecting with Samsung TVs to deliver a more detailed front soundstage; Alexa voice control
Product launched: May 2023 in Australia
Price history: Appliance Central has previously listed the Q990C for AU$1,210, back in June. In our experience, we’ve noticed the online retailer regularly adjusts prices. At only AU$35 more than that previous low, this current deal is still a cracker.
Price comparison: Samsung Australia: AU$1,499 (until August 2, 2023) | The Good Guys: AU$1,492 | JB Hi-Fi: AU$1,499
Reviews consensus: The Samsung HW-Q990C delivers class-leading power and immersion, resulting in the best Dolby Atmos soundbar experience money can currently buy. There have only been incremental upgrades over its predecessor, but they’re meaningful ones, such as improving music playback and providing an auto-calibration system to adjust the sound profile to whatever space it’s placed in.
The main downside is that the Q990C doesn’t support 4K/120Hz passthrough, meaning a connected games console won’t be able to output video signals at its absolute best. However, if your TV supports it, you can connect a console directly to it, and then feed the audio back into the soundbar. Not many soundbars offer this feature though, so Samsung isn’t alone here.
TechRadar: ★★★★★ | T3: ★★★★★
Buy it if: You want the best possible Dolby Atmos experience from a soundbar. While a fully-fledged multi-speaker system will perform better, the convenience and space-saving aspects of a soundbar will suit most people. The Samsung HW-Q990C delivers the best and most effective Dolby Atmos experience, making movies and supported music so much more immersive.
Don’t buy if: You need 4K 120Hz HDMI passthrough. Virtually the only ‘fault’ of Samsung soundbar is its inability to passthrough 4K 120Hz signals to a TV, but there is a workaround for this, and Samsung’s soundbar isn’t the only one to not offer this feature.
