Samsung HW-Q90R Soundbar Review
Product Name: Samsung HW-Q90R Soundbar
Product Description: the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar comes with tweeters and a subwoofer for a surprisingly good movie-theatre sound experience from the comfort of our home. It is undeniable that the new model Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar provides amazing sound with its forwarding and upward-firing speakers. These front speakers help to bounce the sound upward, downward, and straight into our ears to give the illusion of ceiling-mounted speakers.
Offer price: 1,600 - 1,700
Currency: USD
Availability: OnlineOnly
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Build Quality
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Performance
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Features
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Easy to Use
Summary
If quality and great sound is what you are after, then the Samsung HW-Q90R is the right soundbar for you. It is a great substitute or follow up from last year’s HW-N950 with its improved overall design. Both have a 7.1.4-channel layout, rear speakers, and subwoofer with Dolby Atmos, DTS: X, and Harman Kardon support. The Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar has a rich and exciting sound that will be hard to forget once you have experienced it. It is true that HWQ90R is one of the most expensive soundbars in the market today, but with its amazing features to match, it’s worth every penny. It will also make an absolutely killer companion to the Samsung Q90R 4K TV or the LG C9 4K TV, making it a combo to die for.
Pros
Immersive sound quality
Outstanding performance
Easy to setup
Beautifully-designed soundbar
Dolby Atmos and DTS: X support
Cons
Basic setup options
No room sound correction
No eARC support
Too wide soundbar
A bit expensive
User Review
( votes)Samsung HW-Q90R Soundbar Review
Nothing compares to the sound quality of soundbars, it is a fact of life, whether you like it or not, just like what the Samsung HW-Q90R can deliver. No matter how powerful the built-in speakers of our TV are, there will always be something missing in the audio range that only a Samsung soundbar can provide. In essence, the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar produces outstanding sound quality because it has more space for the sound to bounce around than the speakers inside the TV.
In terms of what you get for your money, the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar comes with tweeters and a subwoofer for a surprisingly good movie-theatre sound experience from the comfort of our home. The whole thing is as simple as connecting a single cable from your TV to the soundbar and you can experience awesome sound quality that you would never ever get out of your TV set. The design won’t let down either, slim and oblong-shaped so you can easily hang it on the wall or just put it on the TV stand or cabinet. It will also make your TV set look that extra cool. So, if you look for a superb cinema experience or just great music playback, then you should definitely start taking the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar into consideration.
Overview
It is undeniable that the new model Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar provides amazing sound with its forwarding and upward-firing speakers. These front speakers help to bounce the sound upward, downward, and straight into our ears to give the illusion of ceiling-mounted speakers. It is actually a really cool effect. In addition, the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar also has a side-firing subwoofer that produces low bass frequency for a deep and rich sound.
In terms of design, the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar has a similar look to last year’s HW-N950 as both showcase metal grilles, Carbon-Silver finish, and wide shape that essentially is designed to match today’s big-screen TVs. The best way to mount this soundbar is to hang it on the wall in order to keep things organized. The Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar also has a simple LED display that lights up on command along with several controls such as power on/off, inputs, and volume along with a user-friendly remote that has all the necessary buttons to operate this soundbar. Basically, everything that you need to get you going in no time.
Key Specifications
- Dolby Atmos and DTS: X supported
- Harman Kardon custom-tuned
- Wireless rear speakers and subwoofer
- 7.1.4 channel system
- 512 watts audio power output
- Measures 1226 x 83 x 136 mm
- Weighs 8.8 kg
- HDMI, USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and optical digital audio input
Design
Samsung claims to be the only manufacturer to produce soundbars with immersing sound and they have proven that with the updated follow up to the HW-N950, the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar. Both have the same rectangular-shaped design with metal grilles all over the bar and a Carbon Silver color finishing to the rear and edges. Where the HWQ90R differs is that the new Samsung soundbar includes an LED display located on the front right of the soundbar which lights up when you control any of the settings such as the volume, inputs, or power. This is great as it gives you a visual clue as to what the settings are and the adjustments you are making.
Instead of spending a lot if time and money creating uniquely-designed soundbars that lack real functionality and improvements, Samsung has decided to focus on giving an unrivalled high-quality sound experience. The Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar has three front speakers, left and right width speakers, two up-firing speakers in the front, left and right, wireless rear speakers, and a wireless subwoofer. With so many speakers, you know that Samsung means business. The company also made the speakers wireless to eliminate the need for long cables running on the floor or hanging on the wall. No more cables welcome to the 21st century, about time! It is worth mentioning though that the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar measures 48.2 x 3.2 x 5.35inch (122.6 x 8.3 x 13.6cm) and weighs 19.4lbs (8.8 kg) so this is not a lightweight unit, it is a wide and heavy unit to hang. Quality comes at a price, not just financial but also ergonomically. The question is, what do you really get with this heavy and large soundbar? Is it really worth it?
Features
Dolby Atmos and DTS: X
What makes the Samsung HW-Q90R special and stand out from other soundbars is that it can deliver Dolby Atmos and DTS: X using their 7.1.4-channel setup to produce sounds that feel literally, above the listener. This genuinely feels like a truly cinematic experience, and including the Dolby Atmos adds versatility and provides flexibility. The Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar audio formats produce real-life sound effects to enhance the movie or show you are watching. Rest assured we can attest to that, it is mind-blowing. With this soundbar, you won’t have to leave home and pay for tickets for the theatre experience, the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar will get you that, guaranteed. You will definitely have a lot of fun and quality time with your family and the expression “home cinema” will take a new meaning (for the better).
Speakers/Channels
The Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar has 12 speakers with a total of 17 drivers, all powered by a 512-watt output. It goes without saying that having more speakers help create the perfect surround sound setup as well as a more accurate sound in any room. It is also very helpful that these speakers are positioned well in order to distribute the sound evenly. This is what is great about soundbars, the front speakers are fitted in already at the correct position and distance. Most TV sets have the speakers placed on the side of the TV itself and simply put, they can’t give you the right and let alone accurate sound. We bet that if the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar has additional automatic calibration, then for sure, everything works in high-precision every time.
Connections
There are two HDMI inputs and one HDMI output that support ARC (audio return channel) to digitally transfer the audio from game consoles, A/V receivers, or Blu-ray players. All the HDMI connections support 4K/60p, 4:4:4, Rec.2020, High Dynamic Range (HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision), 3D and HDCP 2.2. In this price range, we would have liked to see a third or even fourth HDMI input but you still get plenty of options to maximize the use of the soundbar, not just the typical TV speaker. Optical digital input and wireless connections such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are also included to link our smartphones and other devices. This is a lot of functionality built-in and we love it.
Sound Modes
As a Samsung subsidiary, Harman Kardon provided input in tuning the speakers in this Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar so you can rest assured that the sound quality is second to none. With added four sound modes such as Adaptive, Game Pro, Standard, and Surround, you have the power to decide which one fits your taste or mood. Similar to other modern and high-end soundbar, the HW-Q90R supports popular audio formats with high-resolution and high-quality audio playback. The actual stereo sound from the soundbar itself is great and you do feel the quality in the stereo separation. The left and right speakers integrate really nicely with the subwoofer to deliver a crisp and sharp audio experience. The bottom line is, the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar offers customization on a whole new level.
Smart Apps
One thing that we were very impressed by and loved is the fact that the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar has SmartThings app support for easy and hands-free control through Amazon Alexa. Thumbs up to this. Many smart devices these days are controlled via voice commands as part of the ever-increasing home automation that we all seem to be falling in love with. You can connect the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar to Spotify Connect to stream music online. It is also capable of setting alarms, checking the news, or making a to-do list. Unfortunately, Samsung fails to include support for Chromecast and Apple AirPlay which lets us play the content directly from our smartphones to the soundbar. This, however, is very simply overcome by having an actual Apple TV box and connect it directly to the soundbar. It is not as efficient as having the apply Play built-in within the soundbar but hey, at least you can still enjoy awesome sound watching any movie or content through these platforms.
Performance
Samsung HW-Q90R is truly a fantastic soundbar. The sound effect it produces by using identical drivers means that you get an additional boost coming from rear speakers that balances the tone and volume you get from the front speakers. You can totally feel the cinematic experience from this even distribution of sound, which is what you are looking for in a speaker system or soundbar. If you listen to music, all instruments spread across the room harmoniously and in fine detail while the dialogue in movies sounds crisp and clear. We all know how most speakers sound a little rough around the edges when turning the volume up, but with Samsung HW-Q90R, the sound remains precise, sharp and with no distortion. The combination of the quality of the front and rear speakers, as well as the subwoofer, results in a finely tuned stereo representation regardless of whatever source the sound is coming from, whether streaming or multi-channel.
We are very impressed by the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar, it works wonderfully in all sound modes but the Standard mode, in our humble opinion, is the best one so far for every day watching. It works perfectly with the music as the sound is properly distributed from left to right speakers. We can hear the guitar riff and vocals while the subwoofer controls the drums that drive the whole music, feels like we’re experiencing a true live concert. On the other hand, the Adaptive mode is great for sports broadcasting, while the Surround mode is best for mixing up soundtracks that can be used for overhead channels, perfect for movie nights. It also mixes all the sound produced by the bass which is very effective in supporting the overall soundtrack. Moreover, the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar manages to deliver every kick, punch, and gunshot with incredible clarity, and even if the movie has an old soundtrack from a classic movie, it will make the sound better than ever.
Conclusion
If quality and great sound is what you are after, then the Samsung HW-Q90R is the right soundbar for you. It is a great substitute or follow-up from last year’s HW-N950 with its improved overall design. Both have a 7.1.4-channel layout, rear speakers, and subwoofer with Dolby Atmos, DTS: X, and Harman Kardon support. The Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar has a rich and exciting sound that will be hard to forget once you have experienced it. It is true that HWQ90R is one of the most expensive soundbars in the market today, but with its amazing features to match, it’s worth every penny. It will also make an absolutely killer companion to the Samsung Q90R 4K TV or the LG C9 4K TV, making it a combo to die for. Because of it size and weight, unless you mount it on a wall properly with large wall plugs and screws, we suggest placing it on the surface due to its heavy, bulky, and wide-body. To sum it all up, you get an attractive soundbar that includes wireless rear speakers and a wireless subwoofer. In addition to that, it also supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and it produces a genuine 7.1.4-channel audio playback thanks to the small but powerful front and rear upward-firing drivers. What matters is that it provides the sound quality you paid for.
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