JBL Bar 5.1 Surround

I had the JBL 5.1 multibeam for years and wasn't that happy with the subwoofer, now I got the Samsung HW Q995D and it just sounds like a cinema. They've reworked it a bit, but I think the thing still doesn't sound as good as the Samsung one. I only got it back then because it was 10 inches

I concur that the Samsung Q990 series are incredible but I also think they get tons of pub already. I started with a smaller Polk soundbar which was fine but missing something. It was my first soundbar coming from a home theater background so I didn’t expect much. I upgraded to the JBL Bar 5.1 and gave my son the Polk. The JBL sounded good as it gave me the volume, bass and clear dialogue I wanted. We had moved to a small condo and I had to give up the theater room which is why I had gone to a soundbar in the first place. Still missing the theater experience I craved I kept lurking online even after getting the JBL. I ended up jumping in on a Q990C after seeing a great close out price for it on Woot when the Q990D was released. I love this thing, it does a fine job of immersing you into the movie. Atmos music on Apple Music sounds great too. I’m have recently bought a new house and will have a dedicated theater again but the Q990C ain’t going anywhere, it’s staying in the living room - the audio is good and the wife is happy so win-win. I still have the JBL too which will work great for a bedroom, office or maybe the outdoor patio 🤞

Don't get the 1300x. The batteries will wear out in the wireless speakers after a while. That happened to me with the JBL Bar 5.1 system. I had to plug them in by USB cord and was super annoyed by that. It took maybe 2-3 years for the battery to start dying faster. Also, almost daily issues with connectivity to the surround. They would cut in and out and create a really awful movie watching experience. I would go with the Q990D if $1k is your budget, or maybe even the Q990C which is cheaper. Or you can buy a refurbished Sonos Arc Soundbar from the Sonos Refurbished website ($579), and 2 refurbished era 100s ($159 each) from the Sonos Official eBay store. They have refurbished subs too if you need that.

JBL 1300x doesn't have HDMI 2.1 passthrough. Also, I had the JBL Bar 5.1 for 4 years and the wireless surround speakers weren't great. The battery in them wouldn't keep much of a charge starting in year 3, and the batteries are not meant to be replaced although you can find tutorials on YouTube (definitely a pain in the you know what to do). I got rid of the JBL Bar 5.1 system early last year and got the Q990D. More than pleased with it.

The 5.1 is better they have a beefy 10” subwoofer. I use the 5.1 mostly as a Bluetooth speaker but do have it hooked up eArc to my tv to in my small garage setup.

Thanks for sharing! I'm considering the Q990F as an upgrade from my JBL 5.1 Surround. The sound is good with great bass, but dialogue has always been an issue and I have been wanting to experience Atmos for a while - I do wonder how much "Better" it will be...

I have both the Samsung Q990D and the JBL Bar 5.1 and find them both to be great.. you can get the Samsung off their website and with the discount from the EPP program you can get for $688 last I checked.. the JBL you can check Best Buy goes on sale for $450 regularly $650

The JBL I have does not have rear satellite speakers the Samsung does they are Bluetooth but each need to be plugged into outlet

I still have an older 2022 JBL BAR 5.1 that still sounds great. I do want one of the newer Atmos ones though for our new TV set up.