Most other features and settings are accessible with the Bar's remote and onboard display, but it's generally easier to use the SmartThings app. The basic layout lets you choose sound modes (I generally stick to Standard), adjust EQ, engage enhancements like Active Voice Amplifier, and set channel levels.
I appreciate Samsung's inclusion of channel levels for most of the bar's audio channels, but locking the levels was the hardest part of my evaluation. Due to space constraints I had the surround speakers directly behind my sofa, which meant I had to turn them all the way down and also raise the other channels to balance things out.
This task was much easier with Sonos' Era 300 speakers (9/10, Wired recommends) is connected to the Arc Ultra, as Sonos TruePlay calibration adjusts the sound to your room (though Stand-alone Wi-Fi speakers may have their own specificationsAuto calibration is something I'd expect in any system that costs nearly $2,000, yet every year Samsung fails to add it. The company's Space Fit feature supposedly analyzes sound in real-time, but I didn't notice any meaningful changes.
My other problem is the constant volume issue when using Spotify Connect. If you're streaming directly from Spotify, adjusting the volume level bizarrely bounces up or down seven steps per annoying tap, so it's always too loud or too quiet. Add the lack of Chromecast, and Android users are forced to control streaming directly from SmartThings or grab an otherwise unnecessary remote. It's a small solution, but that's also why it's so annoying.
sound vortex
Despite streaming quirks, the Q990D has what counts. Every component in the four-piece system works together to deliver a powerful, balanced and fantastically fluid sound stage in everything you play. You won't get the premium detail you find in bars like the Arc Ultra, but there's enough tactile touch to appreciate the little things, and plenty of bombast to literally take your cinematic moments to new heights.
Dolby Atmos is surprisingly the star of the show. The “Amaze” scene from my Atmos demo disc was definitely a showpiece moment. In the beginning I could almost feel the moisture around me in the buzzing of the insects, while the peals of thunder echoed with wonderful wonder and at the end the rain actually reached from top to bottom and carried me deep into the jungle vegetation. Gave.