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The Samsung HW-Q990F and Sonos Arc Ultra represent two distinct approaches to premium home theater audio, but both are highly praised for their quality and features. Both are excellent systems, but they're built for different kinds of buyers with somewhat different priorities.
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The Samsung HW-Q990F is Samsung's 2025 flagship, offering a complete surround sound package. The Sonos Arc Ultra takes a different approach, at least in its base form. It's a standalone soundbar that works within the Sonos ecosystem, allowing you to use it on its own or expand it with additional Sonos speakers and a subwoofer in the future.ย
So, which of these systems is better than the other? Here's my take.
Specifications
|
Samsung HW-Q990F |
Sonos Arc Ultra |
|
|
Dimensions |
48.5 x 2.8 x 5.4 inches |
46.4 x 4.4 x 3.0 inches |
|
Colors |
Black |
Black, White |
|
Channels |
11.1.4 |
9.1.4 |
|
Ports |
HDMI (x2), Optical, Ethernet |
HDMI eARC, Ethernet |
|
Wireless connectivity |
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 |
|
Wireless compatibility |
AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect |
AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect |
|
Expandability |
Samsung TVs |
Sonos speakers, subwoofers |
|
Price |
You should buy the Samsung HW-Q990F if…
1. You want a complete surround sound solution
The Samsung HW-Q990F is the system to get if you want everything you need for an immersive surround sound setup right out of the box. The package includes the main soundbar, featuring 15 drivers, two wireless rear speakers with three drivers each, and a subwoofer equipped with dual 8-inch drivers. That adds up to a true 11.1.4 channel configuration, which is about as immersive as soundbar systems get.
Review:ย Samsung HW-Q990F
What makes this system particularly impressive is that the rear speakers feature up-firing drivers for height effects, rather than solely forward- and side-firing elements. That helps…