Just checked; Amazon has the HW-Q990D for $885.99 brand new, '/ZA' model which is the U.S. version, not the Canadian model.
https://a.co/d/5xvi3hX
[Edit] Just checked Samsung's EPP price (wife's account); the Q990D price is $749.99. The Q990F is $1199.99.
I got my Q990D straight from Samsung via Perkspot due to my wife's ex-employer. But that was this past summer. With a $20 extra discount (per Perkspot) and the discounted price on the Samsung site, I got mine for ~$689.00 excluding tax. That's hellava deal for a $1800 soundbar. Rtings dot com has the Q990 series as the top dog of sound bars. Easy peasy setup, too. If you can get it under $900, either the 990D or 990F (newer model), it's a win. Woot has the F for just under 900. But, as previously noted, it's the Canadian version, so a limited warranty. But it's the same soundbar.
Well, it sounds a lot better than the older model Vizeo 5.1 soundbar it replaced. It really opens up the sound stage, especially on movies with advanced Dolby formats. Atmos content (overhead sound effects) aren't as pronounced as if you had a dedicated AVR system with ceiling mounted speakers, but does a halfway decent job if you place the bar at ear level (a bracket attached to TV, assuming your TV is wall mounted) and adjust volume levels accordingly in the app (or the remote). The Samsung SmartThings app is very convenient for making a lot of the adjustments. The bar is decent for music too, although we have a dedicated stereo tube integrated amplifier system for that.
All that said, I would find it hard to spend anywhere near retail price for this (or any other high-end soundbar for that matter). But that's just me...a 'value for the dollar' kind a guy. But this bar for <$900, I think is a good buy for a do-it-all sound system. That's just my take as an audiophile and musician. Hope all this helps.
[Edit]- and btw, some people mount the rear surround speakers on the wall(s). That didn't work for me (wife objected), so I bought these stands. They worked out beautifully.
https://a.co/d/2jbxIzk
Go to rtings.com and read the reviews for soundbars. Spoiler alert!...The Samsung Q990D or F is their top-rated soundbar. I have the Q990D (predecessor to the 990F). Only difference is the sub woofer. The 'D' has a 10" woofer in a ported cabinet and the 'F' has two 8" woofers in a sealed cabinet. I like mine a lot. Never heard the JBL so can't compare. The JBL rear surrounds are completely wireless (i.e., battery operated) but you have to recharge them periodically. I would find that a bit inconvenient myself. The Samsungs' you just need to plug-in to an AC outlet. The Q990D is onsale at Amazon for $886. That's a pretty good deal!
https://a.co/d/i2mQDuP
I haven't heard of any reliability issues relating to their soundbars (other than that one time where they bricked the 990D's with a firmware upgrade). Now I have heard about reliability issues with their refrigerators. But LG isn't exempt from reliability issues there themselves.
Yep. Got my 990D via EPP (wife's perk) for $685 (excluding tax). Couldn't be happier. It rocks! Fwiw, any sound bar's Atmos feature is rather gimmicky and doesn't project much of a height/overhead presence. Proper placement helps, though.
Well, I have the Q990D also and would disagree with your assessment of the bass being underwhelming. We have our sub in the corner of the family room (open concept) and the bass can get quite OVERwhelming. No need to turn on "bass enhancement" in most cases. Placement of the subwoofer plays a big part.
Yeah, I got a great deal on a brand new 990D late last summer directly from Samsung for $680 through my wife's EPP (she retired from Abbott Labs and AL was a participant in the employee purchase program). Love it! But had I come across a deal like you did on the 930 then, I would probably have jumped on it. Good score!
Yeah, probably the Sammy Q900F. Just be aware it only has a 6" bass driver (plus an 8" passive radiator, i.e., dummy speaker) so the bass isn't going to kick quite like it's bigger brother (Q990 series). But, you can add rear speakers later if your environment changes (for an additional $250 or so).
I had a 5.1 with Boston speakers and a Denon reciever before I got a Samsung HW Q990D. The Samsung soundbar sounds just as good if not better than the 5.1 setup.
I just got the Samsung Q990D last night. Sounds incredible. [DECENT PRICE ON AMAZON HERE](https://a.co/d/3Dynmqr) or if you have a .edu email or you you get a discount through your work, you can get It for $699 from Samsung direct [CHECK ELIGIBILITY HERE](https://www.samsung.com/us/shop/offer-program/workplace/)
I was able to get [this](https://www.samsung.com/us/televisions-home-theater/home-theater/sound-bars/q-series-11-1-4-ch-wireless-dolby-atmos-soundbar-rear-speakers-w-q-symphony-hw-q990d-hw-q990d-za) from Samsung for ~$790 shipped (student discount) not trying to brag, but is this worth it?
Personally, I don’t like LG. I’ve had two LG sound bars and the performance was always mid. It didn’t impress, it wasn’t terrible but somehow was just barely pass okay levels.
I gave it to my parents and eventually I got tired of hearing it that I upgraded my parents sound bar to the Q990D. It sounds amazing, and far exceeds my expectations of a sound bar.
So my vote will be for Samsung only because I have no opinion on JBL.
I mean, the Q990D sounds great in the bass department, but I did have to mess with the EQ. So maybe you'll just need to download the app and tune the sound bar to your liking. I know my parents love their Samsung.
You can get the Samsung Q930D for $700 on Woot.
I bought my parents the Q990D and it's an amazing sound bar. Those rear speakers pack a punch, and the Dolby Atmos performance is great.
If that is a little above your budget, you can get the Samsung Q910D for $490 from Walmart. It's a different set of rear speakers, but still a great sound bar.
I agree with everything this person said. I bought the Q990D for my parents and the sound bar is fantastic. It would be the perfect fit for your new S90F.
My vote would be the Samsung Q990F.
While I don't have any experience first hand on the JBL 1300, I do know that the Q990F has much better surround sound performance and audio format support. Plus the Q990F supports HDMI 2.1 which is great for connecting any gaming consoles or anything else that you would need 4K 120Hz support.
I bought my parents the Samsung Q990D so I can attest to how great the sound bar is.
So I took a look at Woot to see if they had any good deals on sound bars.
They have the Samsung Q800F 5.1.2 for $515 and Samsung Q600F 3.1.2 for $300.
That would be the best options that would meet your budget. Although, I personally would aim for the Samsung Q930F for $700 for the full surround sound effect. However, I know that's above your budget. I just know it sounds really great because I bought my parents the Q990D as a surprise upgrade and it really knocked their socks off.
I just bought my parents the Samsung Q990D and plan on setting it up as a surprise later today. I'll let you know what I think.
From what I heard, the Samsung Q990D is one of the best and most highly recommended sound bars. So I am excited to test it out. I have a Sony 3000ES receiver with a 5.2.2 setup at home, so I'll be putting the Q990D to the test.
Yeah, I recently got them the Panasonic W95A as a surprise about a month ago. They love it, but I still hated the LG sound bar I got them several years ago. I came across a REALLY great deal for on the Q990D for $680 basically new in the box. I think someone legit just bought it, opened it and brought it back. Everything still has the wrapper on it. I wasn't going to pass up such a deal.
It sounds incredible!
It was kind of a pain to setup at first, but that was probably more user error than the bar itself because I didn’t realize that the rear speakers and subwoofer weren’t paired. So I kept arguing with the TV and Apple TV trying to get it to work… eventually after an ungodly amount of time messing with those things… I checked the rear speakers to see that it was blinking blue which meant they still needed to be paired. 🙄
However, after all said and done… blows their old LG SK10Y with rear speaker kit out of the water.
I have the full home theater surround sound setup for both my bedroom and living room. However, I also bought my parents the Samsung Q990D for their living room and was just as impressed with it. I still like my setup more, but for someone coming from TV speakers, both would sound amazing and be a huge improvement.
Top Soundbars on Reddit
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Compact, easy setup, great value, but virtual Atmos disappoints.
alectivism
