My highest-rated flagship soundbars are already discounted before Black Friday — up to $500 off

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!

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. 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.

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Erin Bashford is a senior writer at Tom’s Guide, focusing on reviews. She has a Masters in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from the University of East Anglia. As an ex-barista, she knows her way around a coffee machine, and as a music lover, she’s constantly chipping away at her dream of having a multi-room home sound system. In her spare time you can find her reading, practising yoga, writing, or stressing over today’s NYT Games.