Samsung – HW-Q990B 11.1.4ch Soundbar with Wireless Dolby Atmos / DTS:X and Rear Speakers – Black

I upgraded to the HW-Q990b from the HW-Q850T, and it was a massive upgrade in audio fidelity. I ran the Q850T for approx 3 years with a 2020 QN75 Samsung TV for the QSymphony and “Dolby Atmos” compatability. Unfortunately, the Atmos effect was quite underwhelming, and I just didn’t hear any upward firing drivers for overhead sound.
I read several different reviews that convinced me to upgrade to the Q990b series a few weeks ago, and am quite happy I did. Dialogue is more crisp, and the Dolby Atmos effect is now very noticeable.
One can adjust the individual levels of the upward, side, and wide firing drivers on the main bar and the rear satellites. The rear speakers are now individually powered, and they make their presence known. Unfortunately, the power cables are short and need a nearby outlet if you dont want to run an extension cord.
The complete manual is not included though, and must be downloaded. It suggests placing the subwoofer along the same wall as the soundbar, which actually solved my previous problem of the rear speakers losing connectivity at times.
I used to have the subwoofer placed in the corner on the opposite wall when I ran the Q850t. Another TV in a nearby room seemed to affect the rear connectivity whenever it was on, as random disconnects became annoyingly frequent when the tv was on. The issue seemed to resolve when the tv was off.
I was very annoyed when the Q990b experienced the same issue, until I relocated the subwoofer to the same wall as the soundbar, and incidentally farther away from the other tv. The disconnects stopped, and everything now works as it should. The Q990B is now matched with a 2023 QN75, and it is quite the cinematic experience at home. We have noticed several subtle audio effects we’ve never heard before, in films we’ve seen many times.

Soundbar exceeded my expectation. Heard issues about rear speakers cutting out but haven’t had that issue. Awesome soundbar

This speaker system is so good that it made me hate listening to music on my headphones. I’ve had this system about 9 weeks now ($1399 Black Friday deal), and the signal dropping is not an issue at all. I have no experience with the speakers cutting out. The smart things app allows you to adjust the levels of each speaker to your liking, and I highly recommend running the auto EQ. I prefer my sound mode to stay on GAME because it emphasizes the mids, but if you experience voice issues while listening to atoms content, switch it back to standard. Because splurge purchase in a very long time.