My highest-rated flagship soundbars are already discounted before Black Friday — up to $500 off
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Erin Bashford is a senior reviews writer at Tom’s Guide. She has a Master’s in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from the University of East Anglia and 7 years of experience reviewing music and events for various publications. She has edited publications such as Outline Magazine’s Guide to Norwich, and she has written for a number of music magazines and websites such as Clash Magazine, Outline Magazine and Dork Magazine. She has a strong interest in audio gear and the music world. As an ex-barista, Erin is passionate about coffee tech. She also loves finding the best cooking hacks and kitchen appliances, including her beloved Instant Pot. In her spare time, you can find her reading, practising yoga, hiking, writing fantasy novels, or stressing over NYT Games.
Black Friday is still a month away, but the deals are seemingly already here. I know, I know, I was just as confused as you. I was researching a long-form comparison piece, and randomly discovered both JBL and Samsung's flagship 2026 soundbars are already discounted — and obviously I had to let you know about it.
The JBL Bar 1300XMK2 and the Samsung Q990H are two of my highest-rated soundbars of this year. I adore both of these soundbars — Dolby Atmos performance is truly immersive (but the JBL is better!), dialogue is always perfectly clear, and bass is powerful thanks to the 300W subwoofers.
Are they the best soundbars ? 100%. But at $1,699 (JBL) and $1,997 (Samsung), they're not cheap. I find it tricky to recommend soundbars at this price because it's just not accessible for most of us. Even so, it's your lucky day! Right now, the JBL Bar 1300XMK2 is just $1,399 on Amazon , and the Samsung Q990H is just $1,497 also at Amazon . Score!
At $1,399, the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 is even better value — and it was already good value at $1,699. JBL's treating us ahead of Black Friday, clearly! I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon this deal, and I hope you are too. View Deal
Just like the JBL Bar 1300X MK2, I was extremely surprised to see the Samsung Q990H discounted already. Either it's completely random, or Black Friday's coming early? Who knows! Right now you can save a whole $500 on this full cinematic setup for the ultimate movie night. View Deal
Both the JBL and Samsung models have 23 drivers and 300W subwoofers, and an 11.1.4 channel configuration. In real terms, this means there are 11 channels in the center soundbar, one subwoofer channel, and four rear speaker channels.
If you want genuine Dolby Atmos, you need at least a 3.1.2 channel — so you know 11.1.4 means business. With so many channels, the soundbars can project layers of sound in all directions, providing a genuinely immersive experience.
On top of that, the Samsung soundbar has 4K pass-through at 120Hz, which is great for gamers. While the JBL misses out on this, if you're not a gamer, it probably won't be a huge issue.
I would probably buy the JBL because it's a better-value product than the Samsung.
I would probably buy the JBL because it's a better-value product than the Samsung. You get better immersion for less money, but there's no dedicated dialogue mode. If you struggle to hear dialogue sometimes, you might need the Samsung's AI dialogue enhancer.
But both flagships discounted at the same time before Black Friday? It's almost too good to be true.