Bar 1300

Can say from personal experience that the 990D is better than the 1300(not mk2). Voices are clearer. Bigger atmos. More precise bass (the JBL subwoofer is ridiculous and there IS NO QUIET MODE on the thing. Also the JBL remote sucks. Having to turn off the enhanced sound mode every time sucks. As does having to remember the “secret combos” to do everything On the remote. The Samsung is a superior product. Supposedly the MK2 improves sound on JBL but the same co trial issues and sub issue remain. Too annoying.

Yeah, but what can you expect for 1000 euros/dollar? It IS a soundbar...playing music is not it's purpose. I have a 990d, a jbl1300 and even my ambeo max of 2500€ doesn't play music well.

Samsung, the JBL is more bass heavy out of the box. But the overall tone and soundstage the Samsung provides is clearer and more full. Just adjust the settings to your liking and the Samsung takes the cake.

I demoed both jbl and sony. I choose jbl over sony. Sony made my head ache and felt very claustrophobic in sound idk how else to explain, it wasn't the most pleasent sound i have heard in a while even my old DAV hme theatre was more pleasing to me. As for jbl it might lack vocal clarity and surround volume, i am optimistic for the Mark 2 to fix all that and provide an even more movie theatre experience

But With 1200w power? It might be a huge upgrade if you love bass. I will get a home demo done before i make any decisions if i were you. As for clarity i found 1300 enough in my home demo, samsung on the other hands lacks punch and was very shrill

I demoed three soundbars today, attaching indian prices: JBL 1300 - 1200 usd Samsung Q990F - 1000 usd LG S90TR (closest demo available, but I’d be buying the S95TR or AR) - 700 usd My impressions: JBL 1300 → Amazing bass, punchy and cinematic, literally vibrates the space. Feels like a movie theatre. Vocals are a bit muddy at higher bass levels, but lowering the bass to 2–3 makes it more balanced and listenable. Max is just too much for dialogue. Samsung Q990F → Clearest, most vocal-driven sound with great separation and detail. Fantastic for music. But… bass was underwhelming, even when maxed out. Felt like it lacked low-end impact compared to the others. LG (S90TR) → Feels right in the middle — Cinema mode sounded excellent with good layering, more punch than Samsung, less overwhelming than JBL. Immersive, but vocals weren’t as clear as Samsung and it cracked a bit at times. For music, Samsung was the best. For bass-heavy content, LG and JBL win. Worth noting — this was in a huge, loud store, so not a real-world home listening scenario. Only JBL is offering me a free home demo, so I’ll try that first to see if it’s clear enough for news/vocals for my family. If not, I might end up with the Samsung for clarity’s sake. My question to you: If you own any of these — are you happy with the bass on the Q990F? Do you feel LG or JBL strikes the best balance for movies and clear dialogue in a living room?

Yeah the surrounds for JBL were a weak spot and so is the vocal clarity at times. And for samsung the bass is very poorly done. Samsung was also very sharp and hurt my ears sometimes. I would pick jbl because i only watch tv for movies while my dad uses it for news and he doesn't care which soundbar we buy. Waiting for MK2 to finally upgrade from a dying DAV

I have the JBL Bar 1300, a great deal, but nowhere near the depth on the sonos sub and arc my dad have. I still think it’s waaay to much to spend for watching movies, where Samsung and JBL is better for cinema for half the price. And sonos is the best for music and only great for cinema experience. And with Mette Frederiksen messing up everyones economy here in Denmark🇩🇰🥲🤣 I would personally go with the smaller Samsung model tbh - unless you have a REALLY big living room and you need the extra watts. Think about how much you actually need to play on max volume…