As someone who loves movies, I really do enjoy going to the cinema too. Since moving out of London, however, that's harder to achieve – which has seen me leaning more towards home-cinema reliance.
It's part of my job to test the best TVs and the best soundbars, fortunately, so I see the comings and goings of audio-visual trends and advances – often benefitting from them at home during T3's real-life testing process.
Now, having just tested Samsung's latest flagship soundbar, I have to say that I'm completely blown away by the transformative surround sound experience the HW-Q990H offers. And I might never need to go to the cinema again.
What is the Samsung HW-Q990H?
Now the HW-Q990H isn't just the best soundbar for your Samsung TV. It's really more a surround sound system, with all the parts included in the one box – no receiver, amplifier, wiring or extras to worry about.
The system is an 11.1.4 channel arrangement, meaning you get 11 covering the front, side and rear; one central subwoofer; and four overhead channels handled by the soundbar at the front and the rear speakers.
This does mean you'll need to accommodate the soundbar itself, a separate sub, and two separate speakers – all of which require their own power, so you'll need four spare plugs in the relevant locations. Everything else is handled wirelessly though.
It can cater for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X mixes (or lower-grade surround mixes from either) for true immersive surround sound from those object-based solutions. That means true surround all around you, not just a virtual upmix.
Is the Q990H better than Sonos?
Now, I've also tested the Sonos Arc Ultra, which might be the best standalone soundbar solution on the market – one you don't need with a separate subwoofer.
But the Samsung HW-Q990H is just better than the Sonos in many conceivable ways. Firstly, it offers not one but two HDMI passthrough ports – so you can link up two 4K/120Hz systems without using up slots on the rear of your TV. The Sonos? It doesn't offer one at all.
The Sonos certainly delivers monster bass, too, but the Q990H's diminutive in appearance subwoofer is anything but in reality – cranking out big, clear and warm bass in swathes. It can hit those real lows with ease, too.
Furthermore, in addition to those rear speakers delivering true rear surround – like you'd hear in a proper cinema setup – the Samsung has a further trick up its sleeve that Sonos can't match. It's called Q-Symphony – that being the ability to also use a Samsung TV's speakers in tandem with a Samsung soundbar for further immersion and a better integration of on-screen action relative to the audio output.
Is the Q990H worth the money?
Going to the cinema these days costs a fortune. It's no longer 'two for Tuesdays' and a fiver to get in. My local Everyman would be £24.15 (circa $32.50) for one adult with the booking fee included – and I'd have to physically get there. That's before adding anything else.
I'm not saying it isn't worth it, because it is. But I've also started a 4K Blu-ray club as part of my 2026's resolutions, trying to get the utmost from top movies that the best streaming services just can't match. I've even bought Anaconda on disc and I have no shame.
The latest 4K Blu-ray discs cost £24.99/$44.99, which is like half price or better than the cinema when two or more people are watching. And, honestly, the sometimes small screening room at my cinema dooesn't have the biggest projection – so my 77-inch Samsung S99H setup with this HW-Q990H soundbar is, honestly, even better.
The soundbar is a fair wedge of cash, though, it can't be understated. At launch its £1599 / $1999 asking price is no small fry. And not to undermine its position, but the previous Q990F – note 'F', not 'H' – is, physically speaking, an identical product. It's just half the asking price. A no-brainer to buy, I can assure you.
So there we have it: I might never need to go to the cinema again, such is the quality of Samsung's latest flagship soundbar and surround solution. The at-home experience when paired with the best OLED TV and top-tier 4K Blu-ray player and discs delivers out-of-this-world quality.
