The Samsung HW-Q90R is a great soundbar that's versatile for a wide variety of uses and it's one of our best performing soundbars so far. It has a great overall audio reproduction, has a fairly wide and very focused soundstage, and it'll perform very well with pretty much all types of content. This 7.1.4 setup provides an immersive listening experience on supported content thanks to Atmos. It also offers plenty of connection options, both wired and wirelessly. The setup is well-built and feels high-end. If you're looking for a premium setup that has great performance and can get loud regardless of the content you're listening to, the Samsung HW-Q90R is a great option.
Our Verdict
Great for mixed usage. The Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar has a very good, neutral, and accurate sound profile. It will perform well with all sorts of content such as dialogue, a wide variety of music genres, and movies. You can also get an immersive listening experience since it supports Atmos on its 7.1.4 setup. This soundbar performs well even at very high volumes, and it offers decent manual sound customization, but lacks a room correction feature.
- Great audio reproduction.
- Multiple connection options.
- Great performance at high volume.
- Supports Atmos and height channels for immersive experience.
- Small interface screen.
- Very wide bar.
- No room correction.
Great for dialogue and watching TV shows. The Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar is also great for podcasts and audiobooks. It sounds neutral and the overall reproduction of voices is accurate. It gets very loud and has a feature to make dialogue clearer at low volumes too. You can also easily stream audio content from your phone to the bar.
Great for music. The Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar setup has an accurate and neutral sound profile which is suitable for a wide variety of music genres. It also has a good soundstage size and is also focused. This setup can get very loud and doesn't compress, even at higher volumes, which is great. You can easily EQ this setup and set the level of the subwoofer separately, to your liking.
Great for movies. The Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar sounds great and also supports Atmos, which gives you a more immersive experience when compared to some other soundbars. However, it won't sound as real as a setup with down-firing speakers. You'll still be able to play surround sound content with a good sound quality. There are also a few features to customize the sound to your liking, and you can easily set the amount of bass you want from the sub.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 22, 2021: Added third-party voice assistant support.
- Updated Mar 29, 2021: Added information about the sub not connecting to the bar during our testing.
- Updated Mar 29, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Sep 04, 2020: Sound Enhancement Features has been updated to reflect this soundbar's EQ presets.
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Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The Samsung HW-Q90R is one of the best performing soundbars we've tested so far. It's very versatile for every type of content you play and performs great overall. It's a high-end model that looks and feels premium and supports Atmos for an immersive experience with movies. See our recommendations for the best soundbars, the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, and the best soundbars for music.
The Samsung HW-Q90R is better than the Samsung HW-Q700A. The HW-Q90R is a 7.1.4 setup with dedicated satellites. It can reproduce a more extended low-bass, and it gets louder. It also has a better surrounds performance. However, the 3.1.2 HW-Q700A comes with a few additional features, such as an auto-volume mode and Apple AirPlay support.
The Samsung HW-Q90R is better than the full Sonos Arc with Sub + One SL Speakers setup. The Samsung has a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box, which some users may prefer. It also reproduces a more extended low-bass, and it comes with a graphic EQ to customize it. It performs better at max volume, too. However, the Sonos is better built with a better stereo soundstage. Unlike the Samsung, it has room correction and built-in voice assistant capabilities.
The Samsung HW-Q90R is a better overall soundbar setup than the Samsung HW-Q70T. While they are both versatile, well-built soundbars that perform well with a variety of uses, the Q90R is simply one of the best soundbars that we've tested to date. With rear speakers, the Q90R's 7.1.4 setup provides a more immersive listening experience when watching movies. It can also get louder than the Q70T, and it has a bit less compression at max volume. However, some users may prefer the Q70T's smaller, sleeker, and simpler design.
The Samsung HW-Q90R is better than the Samsung HW-Q800T. The HW-Q90R is a 7.1.4 setup that offers better soundstage, surround, and Atmos performances. Unlike the HW-Q800T, it comes with discrete satellites, and it gets louder. That said, the HW-Q800T has built-in voice assistant support, whereas the HW-Q90R only supports voice assistants through paired smartphones.
Test Results
