Samsung - Q800F

Sound bars have their place. Typically a small apartment. I have a Samsung Q 800 it’s quite good. Would it be better with individual speaker of course but for my use case I prefer this. It’s cleaner looking and it works well.

I find my samsung Q800 looks alright. It blends in fairly well on my tv stand. Everyone has been impressed with it so far.

I find the cheap Samsung or the slim ones sound rough that’s why I called out the specific one I have. You have tried the Q800 or Q910/990 series? I used to have a Vizio that also sounded solid for what it was but the Samsung Q800 is far better. I went to a large audio shop and I wanted a soundbar for a variety of personal reasons and it was the best one that I could find.

IMHO, the Q800D is an incredible value and will not disappoint. While the F series does have the newer compact sub, the actual driver size is smaller. The Q800D has an 8in driver, while the Q800F is a 6.5in driver with an 8in passive radiator. Both are superior to the S800 series, as they'll have much richer tone due to their larger drivers and higher wattage.

Ya I went from a JBL 2.1 soundbar that maybe cost me $300 in 2019, to the Q800 it there was little to no difference. Some movies even sounded worse especially with voices or dialogue. Luckily I got it on sale but the normal price of these Samsung set ups for the quality is insane. Just get a decent speaker and avr set up for that.

Q800d/f is your best option. Slightly over your budget but worth it. I have bought 800d and q930f and both were excellent for movies.

Soundbars (high tier) nowadays are very good. Although. But if you really appreciate surround sound and/or music I would recommend at least a 3.1 system+AVR instead. I was never pleased with my Samsung Q800 soundbar, so I went back to regular speakers again and couldn't be happier.

Q800 and Q990 are both the absolute best price/perf in their respective categories. Are they the best thing singe bread came sliced? No. Are they the best package you can buy in their price ranges? Absolutely.

go for jbl bar 800 or samsung q800/930, jbl have excellent bass while samsung have excellent clarity

I get where you’re coming from, but I’d respectfully disagree. A HomePod 2 stereo pair does an excellent job with clarity, imaging, and smart room correction. For music, it’s genuinely impressive, especially if you’re invested in Apple’s ecosystem. That said, when it comes to home theater performance, an entry-level premium soundbar like the Q700f or Q800F brings things the HomePods simply don’t, dedicated centre channel for clearer dialogue, a wireless subwoofer for deeper and more powerful low-end, and up-firing drivers for true height effects in Atmos. Those aren’t just marketing terms, they’re measurable hardware advantages.

I can understand your logic. I’ve got a bunch of Apple devices, one HomePod 2, and a Samsung Q700C. Let me give you some perspective. If you’re comparing a HomePod 2 stereo pair vs the Samsung Q800F, it comes down to use case. Objectively, the Q800F is the stronger home theater setup because it has a dedicated sub, a centre channel, and real up-firing speakers. That translates into around 40–60% better performance overall for movies and TV: deeper bass, louder output, and clearer dialogue. HomePods hold their ground in music playback though. In a medium-sized room with Apple TV and Apple Music, a stereo pair sounds very clean, accurate, and integrated. The gap there is smaller, maybe only 10–20%, and in some cases HomePods actually feel more natural. So: For big cinematic Atmos, explosions, and room-filling sound - Q800F wins hands down. For music, simplicity, and Apple ecosystem integration - HomePod 2 pair can be just as satisfying. Basically, if your main priority is movies and immersion, go with the soundbar. If it’s music and seamless Apple integration, the HomePods won’t disappoint.

Get at least. 3.1 bar. I like the Samsung q600f for it's value. It's enough. It's good. It's a hell of a lot better than the tv speakers. Something like the q000f will blow you away without being too bulky. But it's double. Split the difference with the q800. I quite like the Samsung bars. Sony's good but expensive and piecemail. I don't really like their sub and bar combo ones. Some with sonos or bose. Nice but expensive and piecemail. TCL and Hisense have stuff but I've never heard it. But also haven't heard discussion about it. I like JBL. But their bars are just too bass heavy and the mids aren't great. Lg's not bad either. But Samsung is my choice

If not the q990f get the q900f. Same bar and sub, no rears. It's honestly a fairly big difference, though I quite like the q800f

Firstly q-symphony is more of a gimmick so don't bother with it(it is nice but no big deal). Also the q800c is a better soundbar than the bar 500, so go with the samsung. Yes go with the q800f if u can.