Samsung HW-Q990D Review: Atmos Tested, Gamer Approved

Most of the different features and settings are accessible with the bar’s distant and onboard display, but it’s usually easier to usage the SmartThings app. The basal layout lets you take the dependable mode (I mostly instrumentality to Standard), set the EQ, prosecute enhancements similar Active Voice Amplifier, and acceptable transmission levels.

I admit Samsung’s inclusion of transmission levels for astir of the bar’s gazillion audio channels, but getting the levels locked successful was the astir onerous portion of my evaluation. I had the situation speakers straight down my sofa owed to abstraction constrictions, which meant I had to crook them each the mode down and adjacent rise the different channels to equilibrium things.

This task was overmuch easier with Sonos’ Era 300 speakers (9/10, WIRED Recommends) connected to the Arc Ultra, due to the fact that Sonos TruePlay calibration adjusts the dependable to your country (though stand-alone Wi-Fi speakers tin person their ain quirks). Auto calibration is thing I’d expect successful immoderate strategy that costs astir $2,000, yet each twelvemonth Samsung fails to adhd it. The company’s Space Fit diagnostic supposedly analyzes the dependable successful existent time, but I didn’t announcement immoderate meaningful change.

My different beef is simply a persistent measurement contented erstwhile utilizing Spotify Connect. If you’re streaming straight from Spotify, adjusting the measurement level bizarrely jumps up oregon down 7 steps per maddening tap, truthful it’s ever excessively large oregon excessively quiet. Add successful the deficiency of Chromecast, and Android users are forced to power streaming straight from SmartThings oregon drawback the different superfluous remote. It’s a tiny fix, but that’s besides wherefore it’s truthful annoying.

Sound Swirl

Streaming quirks notwithstanding, the Q990D has the goods wherever it counts. Each constituent successful the four-piece strategy works successful performance to connection a powerful, balanced, and fantastically fluid soundstage crossed everything you play. You won’t rather get the premium item recovered successful bars similar the Arc Ultra, but there’s capable tactile interaction to admit the small things, and plentifulness of bombast to rise your cinematic moments to caller heights, literally.

Dolby Atmos is unsurprisingly the prima of the show. The “Amaze” country from my Atmos demo disc was decidedly a showpiece moment. I could astir consciousness the humidity each astir maine successful the insect buzz astatine the intro, portion the rolling thunder cracked with visceral astonishment and the rainfall astatine the extremity genuinely reached down from overhead to enactment maine heavy successful the jungle flora.