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Soundbars are the best way to take your home theater audio to the next level, especially if you complain about actors mumbling their lines. When it comes to high-end soundbars, there are a couple that beat out the competition, starting with the Sonos Arc (which is at its lowest price right now) for best overall sound—but the Samsung HW-Q900C is only marginally inferior to the Sonos, and you get a subwoofer as well for essentially the same price. The 7.1.2ch Samsung HW-Q900C soundbar and subwoofer combo are $565.68 (originally $1,399.00) right now, the lowest price it has ever been, according to price tracking tools.
The acoustics of the Samsung HW-Q900C won’t reach the quality of the Sonos Arc, but it will get pretty close for significantly less money. It also includes more features and it’s more adaptable. If you have multiple systems you want to hook up to your surround sound system, like gaming consoles or a Blu-Ray player, you’ll make good use of the HDMI-switching feature to transition seamlessly between devices without the need to get down and dirty with the cables.
The HW-Q900C is also highly adaptable, with four sound settings: standard, surround (gives a more soundstage presence), adaptive (adjusts on the fly based on what you’re watching), and Game Pro (adjusts the volume for gaming).
If you ever want to expand to a 9.1.4-channel system down the road, you’d just need to get the two rear satellite speakers, the SWA-9500S, and you’d have a top-of-the-line complete surround-sound system for under $900. However, if you have the money for it now, it’s better to get the 11.1.4-channel HW-Q990C for $979 right away, which comes with better satellite speakers. Getting the same system set up from Sonos would run you much more money for not that much of an upgrade, but if money isn’t an issue, then the Sonos surround system is the best you can get.
