The number on the box counts channels, not speakers you can see

Soundbar labels follow an X.Y.Z pattern: ear-level channels, then the subwoofer channel, then height channels. A 2.1 bar is stereo with a subwoofer. A 3.1 adds a center channel. A 5.1 adds two surround channels, and 5.1.2 puts two height channels on top. The shorthand people search for, 2.1 versus 3.1 versus 5.1, is this notation with the height digit left off.

What the label does not tell you is where the channels come from. The Samsung HW-Q800H is 5.1.2 and ships with a wireless subwoofer but no rear speakers. The LG S80TR is 5.1.3 and arrives as four pieces: bar, wireless subwoofer and two wireless rear speakers.

The top end works the same way. Sonos describes the Arc Ultra as 9.1.4 spatial audio from 14 drivers in a single bar; two of its nine tweeters fire upward for height, and the side and rear imaging is virtualized. The Samsung HW-Q990H is 11.1.4 across 23 speakers split between the bar, a subwoofer and two rear speakers that sit behind the seat.

So the first question is not “how many channels” but “do I want speakers behind me, and is there anywhere to put them.” That sorts these eight bars into three groups: single bars with surround virtualized or front-fired (Roku Streambar SE, Beam, Arc Ultra, Bose), a bar plus subwoofer with no rears (Q800H), and complete systems with rear speakers (LG S80TR, JBL Bar 1000MK2, Q990H).

Measure the stand first

Published widths run from 9.6 in (244 mm) for the Roku Streambar SE to 48.5 in (1232 mm) for the Q990H main unit. Between them sit the Beam at 25.63 in (651 mm), the JBL bar alone at 33.6 in (854 mm), the LG S80TR at 39.3 in (1000 mm), the Bose at 43.3 in, the Q800H at 43.7 in (1110.7 mm) and the Arc Ultra at 46.38 in (1,178 mm). The Bose and Q800H are within half an inch of each other.

The JBL needs a second number. Its two surround speakers dock onto the ends of the bar to recharge, and JBL gives the docked system as 47.4 in (1203 mm). If the speakers will live on the bar between movies, plan for the longer figure.

Depth matters on a shallow stand. The Roku is 3.5 in deep and the Beam 3.94 in (100 mm). The Arc Ultra is 4.35 in (110.6 mm), the Q800H 4.7 in (120 mm), the Bose 4.9 in, the JBL 5.0 in (128 mm), the LG 5.3 in (135 mm) and the Q990H 5.4 in (138 mm).

Then measure the space behind the seating

Rear speakers need a surface or floor spot behind or beside the viewer.

Subwoofers take floor space too. LG’s measures 7.9 x 16.02 x 15.9 in and weighs 22.1 lb. The Q800H’s is 249.0 x 251.8 x 249.0 mm, roughly a 9.8 in cube. JBL’s uses a 10 in driver and weighs 20 lb (9.1 kg); its cabinet dimensions are not in the spec sheet retrieved. Samsung does not publish Q990H subwoofer dimensions in the retrieved spec sheet.

If there is no space behind the couch, the complete systems lose their main advantage over a single bar, and the decision narrows to the Q800H, which adds a subwoofer but no rears, or one of the four single bars.

Streaming dialogue: all eight publish a named voice mode

If most of your viewing is news, talk and dialogue-driven series, channel count predicts little about what you will notice. The feature to check is a manufacturer-named dialogue mode and whether it is adjustable. Every bar here publishes one:

  • Roku Streambar SE: Speech Clarity, with Off, Low, High and Auto settings
  • Sonos Beam (Gen 2): Speech Enhancement, adjustable in the Sonos app, plus Night Sound
  • Sonos Arc Ultra: Speech Enhancement with four customizable levels
  • Samsung HW-Q800H: Active Voice Amplifier Pro
  • Samsung HW-Q990H: Sound Elevation, which Samsung describes as lifting dialogue toward the center of the screen
  • LG S80TR: Clear Voice EQ mode, plus a Center Up-firing Channel for dialogue
  • JBL Bar 1000MK2: PureVoice 2.0, which JBL describes as automatically raising dialogue based on ambient sound and volume
  • Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar: SpeechClarity

Two distinctions follow. The Roku and both Sonos bars publish stepped or adjustable control, and JBL describes its mode as automatic. For the Samsung, LG and Bose features, the retrieved pages name the mode but do not say whether it has levels. A dialogue-first viewer in a small room gets adjustable control from the Roku or Beam without buying channels they will rarely drive, and the Arc Ultra’s four levels are the most granular control published in this group.

Movies with directional sound: check the format list

Object-based movie mixes arrive as Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, and the two are not interchangeable. Dolby Atmos appears on the published format lists of the Q800H and Q990H (both also list Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus), the LG S80TR and the JBL Bar 1000MK2. Bose describes its expanded 7.1.4 configuration as Dolby Atmos. Sonos describes the Beam’s Atmos height as virtual. The Roku’s published formats are PCM, AC-3, AAC, FLAC, EAC3, ALAC, WAV, WMA and MP3, with no Atmos and no DTS:X.

DTS:X is where the group splits. Four bars list it: the Q800H, the Q990H (Samsung notes it requires DTS:X-enabled source content), the LG S80TR and the JBL. The Arc Ultra lists DTS Digital Surround, a different format that is not object-based, and does not list DTS:X. DTS:X does not appear in the retrieved specifications for the Beam or the Bose, and Roku confirms it is not supported.

Room calibration

Six of the eight publish a named calibration routine. Samsung lists SpaceFit Sound Pro on the Q800H and Q990H. Sonos lists Trueplay on both the Beam, which requires a compatible iOS or Android device, and the Arc Ultra. LG lists AI Room Calibration on the S80TR. JBL names “Easy sound calibration” on the Bar 1000MK2 without describing the mechanism. Roku and Bose publish no calibration feature for their bars.

When the simpler bar is enough

The Roku Streambar SE is the case for stopping at stereo. It has a built-in 4K HDR streaming player running Roku OS, so a small room gets its streaming box and its speaker in one piece. Connections are HDMI 2.0a with ARC, optical, USB 2.0, Bluetooth 5.0 and dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi. If you later want more, Roku names the Wireless Bass and Wireless Speakers as compatible add-ons. It is not enough if you want Atmos or DTS:X decoding, because it supports neither.

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is the case for a single compact bar with surround processing. It fits a mid-size stand, carries Trueplay tuning and adjustable Speech Enhancement, and connects by HDMI eARC with an optical adapter included for TVs without it. Its Wi-Fi is 802.11n on 2.4 GHz only, with a 10/100 Ethernet port as the wired alternative. It grows with the Sub Mini and Era-series rears. It is not enough if your library includes DTS:X discs, since the format does not appear in its retrieved specifications.

When you need the full system, and which one

If the room has space behind the seating and movies are the point, three systems ship complete.

The LG S80TR’s WOW Orchestra feature pairs with compatible LG TV speakers.

The JBL Bar 1000MK2 publishes 960 W maximum (480 W RMS at 1% THD), three HDMI inputs plus an eARC output with HDCP 2.3 and HDR10+ and Dolby Vision passthrough, Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 802.11ax. It is the pick for a room where the rears can only sit somewhere temporary.

The Samsung HW-Q990H has the highest channel count here at 11.1.4, two HDMI inputs plus eARC out, Bluetooth 5.3, and named Auto Volume and AI Dynamic Bass Control features. Its main unit is the widest in the group, so the stand has to match. Its Q-Symphony expansion only works with a compatible Samsung TV.