Performance difference between HW-N950 and the new Q990D soundbars

[Cultman1]

Considering upgrading my soundbar of HW-N950 2020 vintage to the recently released Q990D. In a nutshell is there a massive difference between these units and is it worth investing in the upgrade?

I mainly use it to play 4K ultra HD blu ray  movies and listen to music via CD and i phone music player.

Thanking for any advice  in advance.

[Mark Beech]

Did you upgrade? I have the HW-N950 and wondering whether it is worth upgrading to the Q990D. I have been very happy with the Soundbar and wondering whether I will really notice a difference. The one thing that does intrigue me is the room calibration.

[Cultman1]

I didn't in the end I am not entirely convinced the actual sound quality is a quantum leap when playing Dolby Atmos 4K ultra HD movies  and dts X movies since both soundbars offer this facility

I stand corrected though! 

[Mark Beech]

Thank you - I was hoping you would say that. I am sure the Q990D is better - but only marginally, and given I spent around £1,500 for the HW-N950 I think I will only consider replacing if I start having problems with it. Apart from the occasional crackling from the subwoofer it is working perfectly and hopefully last me a few more years. I got mine in 2018.

[Cultman1]

Same here ..... however I will monitor Samsungs annual upgrades with interest to get the best out of my 4K discs. It's paired with a Panasonic 2024 OLED 55" Z95 TV  with its own built in soundbar 

[Mark Beech]

In the end I bought the Q990D as I was upgrading my TV to 85' and there was an offer from Samsung of 50% off the soundbar and an additional £200 Trade In discount. I've not got the TV yet as it will arrive in three weeks, so I can't give a critique of the full Q Surround Sound. However, after a day of listening, it feels like the sound is a little tighter - especially the bass from the subwoofer. There are also a lot more tweaking options. I am looking forward to the SpaceFit Sound Pro feature when the TV arrives where it can optimise the sound after an analysis of your space. Overall very happy so far - though this is based upon the price I bought it at.