TV speakers often sound thin, even on models with impressive picture quality.
The main reason is physics: TVs keep getting slimmer, leaving little room for drivers large enough to fill a living room with sound.
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Some brands include decent audio on their most expensive sets, but that usually costs thousands of dollars.
A more affordable solution is a soundbar, and two new contenders have entered the category.
TCL has announced the Q95K in China, boasting 1420W peak output and 11.1.4-channel audio.
Samsung refreshed its home audio lineup for 2026 after the HW-Q990F won major awards throughout 2025.
Both offer a full, room-filling home theater setup without the need for separate speakers around the room.
Design and What's in the Box
The TCL Q95K ships as a four-piece system: a main bar, a wireless subwoofer, and two wireless rear speakers.
Inside, it packs 22 physical drivers across 12 independent amplifier chips, which TCL says reduces crosstalk between channels.
The subwoofer uses two opposing 7-inch drivers designed to minimize vibration during heavy bass.
The Samsung HW-Q990F takes a similar four-piece approach with a main bar, subwoofer, and two rear speakers.
Samsung redesigned the subwoofer this year, making it smaller and about one pound lighter than the unit on the older HW-Q990D.
The bar mixes aluminum with plastic, a change from the nearly all-metal build of last year's model.
Both systems are built for wall mounting and feature a dark, minimal look without fabric mesh covers.
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Channels, Power, and Audio Formats
The TCL Q95K is the loudest on paper, with an 11.1.4-channel setup and a peak output of 1,420 watts.
TCL says the system covers a frequency range of 30Hz to 20kHz while keeping distortion under 1 percent.
The company partnered with Bang & Olufsen for tuning, and the Beosonic app interface lets you adjust sound profiles from your phone.
Samsung's HW-Q990F also runs 11.1.4 channels, spread across 16 real speaker channels.
Instead of an outside audio partner, Samsung uses its own software, including SpaceFit Sound Pro for room calibration and Active Voice Amplifier to keep dialogue clear at low volumes.
