"Sometime in the last five years, Samsung reached peak soundbar. After years of material updates to its flagship surround-sound HW-Q990, a multi-channel, multi-speaker whiz of a Dolby Atmos system, Samsung achieved what it looked to achieve. Once you put 22 speakers into an 11.1.4-channel masterclass of home theater efficiency, it becomes hard to improve upon materially. Audio physics only go so far, and processing only gets so much better."
"The last several models of the Q990 have seen only minor updates. We've gotten a slightly smaller and more efficient subwoofer, new software features, and-in the case of our current favorite, the Q990D-an upgrade to its HDMI ports for HDMI 2.1 support. These changes are nice, and the HDMI change is especially notable if you're connecting a couple of game consoles to the bar directly, but otherwise they're not exactly groundbreaking, and they certainly don't affect the sound much."
"Herein lies the rub: Samsung's 2025 model HW-Q990F retails for around $1,800 (sometimes dropping to $1,700), while at the time of writing, the Q990D sells for nearly half that price, at around $998. We found the Q990F remarkably similar in performance to the Q990D (and even previous Q990 models). While the new Q990H has yet to arrive, it appears to offer mostly minor software updates."
Samsung achieved a near-final form for soundbars with the HW-Q990 series, a 22-speaker, 11.1.4-channel Dolby Atmos system that leaves little room for material improvement. Recent Q990 iterations include only incremental changes: a slightly smaller, more efficient subwoofer, additional software features, and HDMI 2.1 port updates on the Q990D. These adjustments enhance convenience and connectivity rather than core sound quality. The 2025 HW-Q990F retails near $1,800 while the Q990D sells around $998, yet both perform remarkably similarly. The upcoming Q990H appears likely to offer mostly minor software updates rather than a major sonic leap.
Read at WIRED
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