Review: Samsung HW-Q90R Soundbar with Wireless Sub & Speakers

Samsung HW-Q90R Soundbar

Guest blog by Peter,

The HW-Q90R is Samsung’s flagship soundbar for 2019. As you would expect, it boasts some truly impressive specs and an audio performance that stands out from other premium soundbars on the market.

Firstly, let’s have a look to see what you are getting in the box. Upon opening the well thought out and attractive packaging, you are greeted with the main soundbar unit itself, the two rear surround speakers and the rather substantial subwoofer. Delving deeper into the packaging you can find the remote control, a pair of wall mounting brackets (including the associated fixing screws) and three mains power wires. Also included with the Samsung HW-Q90R soundbar is a handy paper wall-mount guide so that you can position the soundbar in the perfect position under your TV.

Having a look over the main soundbar and rear speakers, you can tell that these are very well made, with sturdy metal grilles on the front and a nice ‘carbon silver’ finish. The system components also have a rather nice sleek, modern and understated look to them.

The setup is fairly straightforward; just connect the soundbar to the TV using a HDMI cable and the ARC port. This means that the remote control will also be able to control the soundbar – cutting down on the number of remotes to lose down the side of the sofa! Setting up the rear speaker positions is effortless as long as you follow the diagram in the manual. Of course, it would be nice to have an auto configuration tool to get the positioning of the speakers perfect, but with a little fine-tuning it was easy enough to get right. Once everything has been switched on, the speakers should pair themselves up automatically without you having to touch a single button.

With Harmon Kardon involved in the development of the Samsung HW-Q90R, you can expect great things from this piece of kit. The sound produced is impressive with the results sounding both natural and not too overly processed. Even though most soundbars are not really designed for stereo music purposes in mind, Harmon Kardon’s input has ensured that this soundbar can take it in its stride. When watching your favourite films, the true 7.1.4 channel configuration with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding sounds absolutely stunning. The subwoofer has a lovely controlled response and can produce some serious low-end sound that never gets out of control or ‘flabby’. The other surround speakers are crisp, clear and sounds are positioned with pinpoint accuracy around the room. Overall, customers will be pleased to know that the word ‘immersive’ can definably be used to describe the HW-Q90R.

In conclusion, the Samsung HW-Q90R never fails to leave an impression and the end results are thoroughly enjoyable. Even audio purists can appreciate the work that has gone into this elegant product and it is sure to be highly recommended from all of us at Hughes in the months to come. For full product specifications please click on the product page here or pop into your nearest store for a chat with our team of experts. For more advice you can also visit our new Buying Guide pages to help decipher the jargon and make the best purchase for you!