Design and build:

Samsung HW-Q990C and HW-Q990B have the same design and size. The subwoofers and rear speakers are also similar sized. They will pair well with large TV sizes of 75 to 80”.  In terms of build, they have plastic body where the drivers are covered with metal grille. This is same for the satellites. The subwoofer is made of wood and plastic. These bars and satellites are wall mountable that will give a cleaner look and help users with space limitation. Overall, the build quality is great and feels sturdy.

Performance:

Samsung HW-Q990B soundbar consists of 15 driver arrays. The satellites have a 4.0.2 channel configuration. This system has 22 drivers that work to deliver massive sound. With side-firing drivers and rear speakers, the surround sound is excellent. You will feel sound around you as you watch movies. With four Atmos drivers, the height effects have good depth and are quite noticeable.

It has a broad soundstage that is as wide as the bar, and it has good accuracy. Low ends from the 8” subwoofer deliver adequate thump and rumble. We can hear 3-dimensional sound space around us that is much needed while watching movies. While the bar seems to be designed for movies, it handles music very well. With music, the bar offers a solid performance as well. During placement, try placing the rear speaker 6 to 8” above ear level.

Samsung HW-Q990C has a total of 22 speakers. It sounds large and room-filling with immersive surrounds. It has a wide soundstage, and you can improve it slightly by using the Adaptive Sound mode. Sound follows the actions on screen which makes TV watching quite enjoyable. It has a seamless and engaging soundfield. Bass response is ‘weighty’ and integrates well with the sound.

While playing music, vocals and instrumental sounds were refined, natural and fuller. Overall, the soundbar produces sound with good sonic accuracy and detail. It can create an enveloping sound around the user.

Both Samsung Q990B and Q990C have excellent clarity in dialogues. This Along with voice mode, the Samsung offers Active Voice Amplifier that will take care of vocals in every content step by step. This means the soundbars can handle dialogue heavy contents like TV shows, podcasts or movies easily. With a SPL of nearly 100 dB, both the bars can get quite loud. Try placing the bars in medium to large rooms.

They use SpaceFit and Auto SubEQ for audio calibration of the bar and subwoofer. These soundbar systems support major audio codecs like Dolby Atmos and DTS: X. Comparing Samsung HW-Q990C vs HW-Q990B, the Q990C can be considered as an improvement over the Q990B. It produces a more controlled sound.

Features: 

They are a good choice for gaming. Both the soundbars have HDMI 2.1 with VRR and ALLM features. They allow 4k@ 60 Hz passthrough. None of them support Google Chromecast which means you will not be able to enjoy multiroom facility or Google Assistant control. Apple users can take advantage of them. Users can stream from Apple devices and apps.

Users who own Samsung TV (selected models) can take advantage of Q-Symphony feature where the TV and bar plays together delivering a more realistic sound. There is a Tap Sound feature where you can simply tap your phone on the bar to start playing the file.  

Connectivity:

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are available to stream from smartphones and anywhere online. Wi-Fi opens doors to any online source to play contents like Tidal, Spotify, Deezer, etc. These soundbars can connect to Bluetooth TVs wirelessly eliminating the need for wires.

Control options:

The bars offer the following physical buttons: input, volume up/down and mute/unmute mic. They have handy remote control and Samsung SmartThings app. For voice support, there is only Alexa. If you have specific Samsung TVs, then you can use the TV remote for the bar.

Settings:

The soundbars have excellent audio settings and options. They have voice mode, night mode, equalizer that has 7-band EQ along with bass and treble level options. There are sound modes including Adaptive Sound, 3D Surround, Game Pro and Stereo. Among these, Adaptive Sound mode is seen to improve the overall sound in most cases.

Then, there is an option to adjust the volume level of height, surround, center and subwoofer channels. There is also a Virtual Surround setting. An AV Sync will allow audio and video sync without any noticeable delay.  

Cost:

Comparing Samsung HW-Q990C vs HW-Q990B, the Q990C is slightly less costly than the Q990B. They are available under $1000.

FAQ:

Samsung Q990C vs Bose 600, which is better?

Compared to Bose, Samsung offered better audio performance. The Bose 600 is a 3.0.2 channel soundbar that has good soundstage and height effects. However, the sound is improved with the Q990C. The Q990C has more immersive surrounds and punchier bass with dedicated satellites and subwoofer.