Samsung - Q990F

I don't understand, you bought the best soundbar in that price range and returned. Jbl will not be as good. You should have stuck with 990d and if you really hate the music on it so much, then get something dedicated for music. I am sorry, but I have been reading for a while and 990d/f are the top in that price range

I upgraded from Vizio Atmos system to the Q990f. In terms of clarity and immersion, the Q990f blows the Vizio away. The only thing i had some time adjusting was the the subwoofer. The Vizio bass filled the room in a way the Samsung sometimes doesn't. Like its not lacking power by any means. Sometimes the woofer literally shakes my entire living room. But i know some movie scenes where the bass of the Vizio was just more present. Samsung is tuned to be more precise.

I actually own the Samsung Q990F, and in my space it’s been incredible. In fact, for movies the bass can be overwhelming — it shakes the whole room — and that’s without even increasing the subwoofer level beyond the default. In a large open store it can feel underwhelming, but in a typical living room it hits much harder than you’d expect, while still keeping dialogue crystal clear. For music, my experience matches yours from the demo: it’s very clean and detailed with great separation, and it doesn’t get overly boomy. That’s one of the reasons I went with it — I wanted something I could listen to for long stretches without fatigue. The JBL 1300 definitely gives you that “cinema rumble” right away, but you’ll need to dial it back for news or dialogue-heavy content. The LG S95TR is a good middle ground, but personally, I prefer the Samsung’s vocal clarity and surround separation, especially for mixed content. If you can, I’d still take that JBL home demo since it’s being offered — just keep in mind that the Samsung will likely deliver more bass in your home than what you heard in-store, so I wouldn’t write it off purely based on the showroom experience.

If you care more about fuller bass and that “room-filling” feel, the JBL Bar 1300/MK2 is going to lean into that strength, especially with the detachable rears giving you true surround. If you want something more polished, consistent, and with cleaner dialogue clarity out of the box, the Samsung Q990F is the safer pick. From what you described—liking the bassier sound when you demoed them—the JBL seems more in line with your preference, while the Samsung is more about balance and refinement.

UK based here - I bought the 990f from amazon a few months ago when it dropped to £799 and for that price its a really good buy - not sure it's good value at over £1000 though. I have a 4 year old Samsung 900A in my bedroom with the 950 rears - and I am still constantly impressed by it - bought with a cashback deal for around £500 in the good old days. I have a LGSN11RG in another room I picked up used for around £400 about 4 years ago - I've struggled with the LG - but am happy with it now - again for the price paid I'm not complaining. I am disabled and can spend days - sometimes weeks confined to bed - so I enjoy having a nice picture sound in vatious rooms around the house - and the rooms don't allow for a dedicated atmos amp etc - in my opinion it's all about performance and value. If the 990F Drops in price again - then I would absolutely consider it. I personally have no problem with the sub.

Nakamichi Dragon is the best right now but I dont have 4000 dollars for that. But yes I had the Q990D and currently have the Q990F and is great.

Got a Sonos Arc (not the Ultra) for the wife, and she's happy with it. I have the Q990F in the living room. You can get the Sonos Arc or Arc Ultra and later add the Sub and the rear speakers. I'm amazed with the Sonos Arc; it sounds like I have rear speakers. As a standalone soundbar, the Sonos Arc music reproduction is top-tier. The Q990F, on the other hand, is great for movies and gaming. Not that the Sonos Arc isn't good for gaming, but Samsung's game mode just sounds amazing. I use my Q990F as a reference because it's literally the same as the Q990D, just with 100 watts more, a revamped subwoofer, and an IAMF decoder (aka Eclipsa Audio). I would say if you want a complete system, go for the Q990D. If you don't have the space for the rear speakers or you want a more simplistic look, go with the Sonos Arc Ultra, knowing that later you can add a sub and rear speakers if you choose to.

Normal surround content like 5.1 or 7.1 sounds awesome to in adaptive mode, feels like the atmos bubble to just without the height speakers. just watched terminator 2 with dts hd 7.1 and expendables 3 with dts hd 5.1 and ist just fantastic. It is definitely worth the upgrade. and in atmos content you can definitely hear the side speakers from the rears line in 007 no time tondie the car scene in the beginning, you can clearly her shots coming from there

Yes, exactly, I live in Germany and there are the common models with 5 at the end like the 935 and or 995, but I bought the general European version, i.e. the 990, because it was simply €300 cheaper where I live. And yes, I would really recommend the upgrade if you have the money then go for it

I dont know what are u expecting more from it . I have Q990f and its the best sound ive ever experienced. Dolby atmos works really good, the rears sound perfect. Music works amazingly especially the dolby atmos ones from Apple Music. And my ps5 pro works great too (im playing indiana jones and the sound is blowing my mind) I personally have 0 complaints

How ? But i have it and its the best investment ever. Get Apple Music and try dolby atmos music

The subwoofer on the f is much much better

Hey Everyone, Just got the q990f and this is after over 6 months of checking Sony and Sonos. (Funny how the top choices all start with S). Installed it, set it to adaptive and boom - brilliant sound. While the Sony and Sonos may sound slightly better in certain areas - the complete Samsung set for its price is unbeatable. The new subwoofer is amazing and I have to literally turn it down to prevent noise complaints. What clinched it for me was this - I had no plans to add Sonos speakers around the house due to the fact that I have a B&W zeppelin already. Therefore the Samsung was the best choice. Disclaimer - I had an old Sony HTB (around 9 years old) so any modern soundbar would have admittedly blown me away. Dialogue delivery is crisp, I've left most of it at factory settings other than boosting the height levels, immersion is great, bass is lovely.

Honestly I've had no issues. The atmos effects are coming through well. They were off initially and I was wondering why - set to adaptive and then the sound was sorted.

I boosted the height (upfiring speakers) of the soundbar and the rear speakers

I got the Q990F on Woot for $967, a little over a 1000 after taxes. Definitely worth it. Mine was brand new.You'll see the listing is new too

The Samsung is better. Don’t get an LG just for the soundbar+TV feature (“WOW orchestra” or something like that), the consensus seems to be that it’s a pretty dumb feature and certainly inferior to just having a good soundbar on its own. Other brands offer the same thing with their TV+soundbars and it’s a complete gimmick always. The Q990F is very solid and often on sale. I went down the soundbar route too (space limitations, so can’t have a proper avr + speaker system) and ended up with the Q990D. Very similar to the Q990F and am quite satisfied with it.

In terms of audio your system is probably better. That being said if it keeps dropping out, and doesn’t work for pass through hdmi, Q990d could be the better system for you. I have the Q990f and really like it, similarly bought for pass through function.