Samsung HW-Q990D

The Samsung HW-Q990D is Samsung’s flagship soundbar package, and unlike most soundbars it is not just a bar. The box contains the bar, a wireless subwoofer and two wireless rear speakers, giving a genuine 11.1.4 channel layout with real speakers behind the listener.

That is the important distinction in this category. Real rear speakers do what no amount of processing from a single bar can.

What Apple Home actually does with it

This is an AirPlay 2 device rather than a HomeKit accessory.

• It appears in the Home app as a speaker you can play to, and as an AirPlay target in Control Centre.
• You can put it in a room and group it with HomePods for synchronised multi-room audio.
• Siri can send music to it by room name.
• It can be the audio output in a scene or an automation.

Television sound does not go through Apple Home at all. That arrives over HDMI ARC or optical from the television, and the soundbar’s own remote and app control the modes and the volume.

Before you buy

The rear speakers need mains sockets behind the seating. That is the practical constraint people discover after buying, so check for sockets before you order.

Samsung’s Q-Symphony feature uses the television’s own speakers alongside the bar, but only with Samsung televisions. If you have another brand, you lose that and nothing else.

The HW-Q990C is the previous generation, often heavily discounted and very close in performance.

Specifications