This soundbar is the next generation of Samsung’s 2021 flagship, the Samsung HW-Q950A. It scores a bit better overall, but as our users have pointed out, the scores don’t always tell the whole story. Technology is constantly evolving, and there will always be certain aspects of a product’s performance that aren’t accounted for in our current test benches. We’re always working to improve our methodologies — in fact, we’ve gone back and updated the text for the Samsung HW-Q950A to include more subjective impressions. Also, we wanted to use this forum to address some questions about the difference between the Samsung HW-Q950A and the Samsung HW-Q990B.

Which one should you buy? Well, a group of us sat down recently to answer that very question. We compared the performance of the Samsung HW-Q950A with the Samsung HW-Q990B by listening to each bar back-to-back. Here are some of our main takeaways:

Both bars will please most people.

Yes. For the price, you definitely get premium soundbars with versatile performances. Audio is clear and detailed, and both bars offer a pleasant sound.

We watched scenes from Ready Player One back-to-back on each bar. Overall, there wasn’t much of a difference between the two bars. Both offered an immersive sound. We noted that they each did a really good job representing sound effects that came from the sides — for example, in a race scene, you got the impression that cars came from each side of you. Surround sound is where these bars really shine.

They offer decent height, too. Drones seem to fly from over your head. Buildings feel like they topple from above. Of course, neither are quite as good as what you would get with a home theater setup with down-firing speakers — but if you’re set on a soundbar, their performances are really good.

That said, if you really want to split hairs, the Q990B is a bit better overall.

Why?

Build Quality + Better Sub

The Samsung HW-Q990B is definitely better-built. Its plastic and metal build stands out against last year’s model. We’ve owned the HW-Q950A for about a year, and already, the fabric sides have collected a lot of dust and debris, even though it’s been stored in a clean location.

Also, the Q990B fixes an annoying design feature. The Q950A’s screen is on top of the bar itself, meaning that you can’t read it from your couch. You have to stand over the bar if you want to see the settings. Fortunately, the Q990B’s screen is on the front of the bar, so you don’t have to move from the couch to read it.

The redesigned subwoofer makes a difference in the sound, too. The Q990B’s sub is a little bigger, and you definitely get more rumble out-of-the-box. When you watch movies, you feel more rumble in your chair with intense action on the screen. Of course, you can always adjust the Q950A’s sound for a similar result, but if you don’t want to mess around with the graphic EQ, the Q990B’s better out-of-the-box.

ARC Compatibility Issues

There are some compatibility issues between the Samsung HW-Q950A and certain TV brands that make it less-than-ideal for certain users.

Some of our readers wrote in to report that the Q950A doesn’t support 5.1 PCM content with LG and Samsung TVs. We experienced the same issue — though it worked just fine with Sony TVs.

Also, if you own an LG TV, you also might run into issues with Dolby Atmos content when in Passthrough mode. Multiple users wrote in to us to report the issue, and we were able to confirm it on our end.

We tested the Samsung HW-Q990B with multiple TV brands, and these issues didn’t arise — another point in its favor.

Bass and Treble Adjustments

In our testing, we found that the Samsung HW-Q950A’s bass and treble adjustments don’t actually result in a different frequency response. Despite multiple firmware updates, the issue hasn’t been fixed.

While the subwoofer level adjustment tool as well as the graphic EQ should make this issue obsolete for most, if you really want bass and treble tools, the Samsung HW-Q990B’s worked without issue.

So, which one should you buy? As always, the answer is going to come down to each individual and their unique needs. The Q990B gives you a better performance out-of-the-box, and it’s a better choice for those looking to stream content from certain TV brands. That said, the Q950A might be the more wallet-friendly pick, especially as Samsung moves to its 2022 lineup. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.