(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

As oxymoronic as it sounds, even cheap soundbars are expensive. Flagship soundbars? Oof, don't look at the price tag if you're already feeling a bit weepy, because you won't like it. "How many zeros? That has to be a typo, right?"

Nope. No typo. Unfortunately, dropping well over $1,500 for one of the best soundbars is... normal? How can this possibly be normal ? Who has that kind of money? Not me, that's for sure, but I'm here to help you make well-informed purchasing decisions.

I recently reviewed the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 and the Samsung Q990H — both the American and Korean behemoths' current flagships. While the JBL option came out in late 2025, it's still the current flagship, hence my referring to it as 2026's flagship. Samsung's was released earlier in 2026.

These two soundbars represent the best of the best. While I'm sure you won't be disappointed by either, I know which one I would buy, and here's why.…