Sonos Arc Ultra vs Samsung HW-Q990F
Get the Samsung Q990F. Unless you want one tidy bar and no extra boxes — then the Sonos Arc Ultra is the best single soundbar.
Sonos Arc Ultra
The best single soundbar: crisp dialogue, surprising bass and convincing Atmos from one box. No HDMI inputs and no DTS:X.
Samsung HW-Q990F
A full 11.1.4 surround system with a sub and rear speakers, and the best Atmos you can get from a soundbar. Big, and the box is full.
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The Q990F is a full system with a subwoofer and rear speakers, so effects move around and over you, and it plays DTS:X and passes 4K/120 through two HDMI inputs. The Arc Ultra has clearer dialogue and needs only one box, but it can't match real surround.
- —You want one tidy bar under the TV.
- —Clear dialogue matters most.
- —You have, or want, other Sonos speakers.
- —You want real cinema surround.
- —You plug a console into the soundbar or watch DTS:X films.
- —You have room for rear speakers behind the sofa.
Key differences
Pros and cons
- +Very clear dialogue
- +Deep bass with no separate sub
- +Wide, high Atmos from one bar
- −One HDMI eARC port and no HDMI inputs, so consoles must plug into the TV.
- −No DTS:X, only basic DTS.
- −No remote in the box, and no Google Assistant.
- −The Sonos app has had bugs since its 2024 redesign.
- +Real surround and overhead effects
- +Deep, tight bass from the included sub
- +4K/120 passthrough for consoles
- −The front display is hard to read.
- −Setup needs Samsung's SmartThings app.
- −Some owners report the volume getting out of sync when streaming music.
- −The bar is 123cm wide, too long for TVs under 55 inches.
Ready to choose?
How we reached this verdict
We compared independent expert reviews with the manufacturer's specifications, then checked it's sold at a major retailer where you live. We don't test products ourselves.
Sources: RTINGS, What Hi-Fi, What Hi-Fi, manufacturer specifications.