This big box of wonder will do incredible things to your sound. If you watch movies on 4K Blu-ray discs still the best source for Atmos soundtracks you need to make sure you have a TV released in the past year.
If you have trouble picking out dialogue, then the AccuVoice AV200 is the model to go for. Length: 35Wi-Fi / Bluetooth: BluetoothWhat We Like: Great sound for the price, solid range of features.What We Don't: Definitely not for bass lovers.
One word of warning: home theater is a bit of a rabbit hole, and its entirely possible to spend thousands of dollars building a system. Fortunately, its easy to add a virtual assistant to your chosen soundbar for a very small outlay.
Soundbars can be connected to a computer tower, usually via HDMI or Aux, as most PCs include at least one HDMI ARC port. And for an alternative to soundbars, check out our list of the Best Soundbases. The ZVOX bar has no wireless connectivity, and in terms of overall sound quality (aside from vocals) it doesnt quite have the finesse of the Samsung bar, or even the cheaper Yamaha YAS-109, below. If you can deal with these limitations, however, youll find that the Creative Stage Air deserves your time - especially if you game while travelling.
Most transition quite happily from playing Netflix or Xbox to playing Spotify. And if you want to find out more about how satellite speakers and subwoofers work, check out the section below. Other connections, like optical, wont allow this. We use affiliate links andmay receive a small commission on purchases. eARC isn't widespread at the moment, and for most people, regular HDMI ARC will be just fine. This is particularly noticeable with movie dialogue, which can be a little indistinct. Some soundbars also have a Wi-Fi connection.
Think about it like this: any music system has at least two channels (left and right) for stereo sound. The only way to add a subwoofer onto the Alto 5 is to get whats known as the Alto 5+ option, which comes with a dedicated wireless subwoofer you cant add a third-party sub into the mix. In that case, its worth investigating a soundbar that comes with its own separate, wireless subwoofer. You can set those speakers up around your room and connect them directly to the soundbar, which is made very easy through the Sonos app. The Sony HT-S350 is an attractive soundbar that could be considered if you dont want to pay nearly $400 for the Sonos Beam. The first is the lack of connections available on the rear. This is particularly noticeable with elements like dialogue. Thats not to say that the Bose Soundbar 300 isnt good. You will need a very large TV and a very big living room to get the most out of it. While it is a relatively basic soundbar and tends to distort at higher volume levels, were impressed with the sound quality it produces for the price. Channels are referred to using a numbered format: a 3.0 system has three channels and no subwoofer, and a 5.1 system has five channels and one subwoofer.
While the top-ranked Samsung HW-T450 is better overall, the AccuVoice AV200 is simply light years ahead of it in terms of dialogue clarity. Although they are common, theyre now largely outdated; unless you have no other option, HDMI and Optical connections will always provide better sound. This is because it lacks the ability to send advanced sound, like Dolby surround audio.
Optical connections actually use light to transfer audio, and consist of thin, bendy little wires with a distinctive connector at the end, making it look like a little transparent blob. It has a lot to recommend about it, including an excellent subwoofer that provides very good bass, giving movie and TV audio a real kick. Generally speaking, a shorter soundbar under a larger TV will look just fine. As you can imagine, thats a pretty major failing with a soundbar, and its enough to knock the Signa S3 out of the top 10. That model uses optical connections. But if you want a little more from your sound, then you may want to look into the world of home theater.
But if you were to match it up with something like the $399 Bose Soundbar 300, then it would clearly come off second best. Theres no denying that home theater systems can be complicated. We recommend something like the Razer Leviathan, which not only costs under $200, but also comes with a wireless subwoofer to really crank up your bass.
The good news is that you can wall-mount your bar, either above or below the TV. Soundbars can be used as so much more than soundbars. The Soundbar 300 sounds much deeper and cleaner; in general, more expensive soundbars will have better speaker drivers, providing a louder and crisper sound. Its excellent value in terms of the features, and is a good all-rounder, but it has significant problems.See the Polk Audio Signa S3. You can have it up and running within minutes, and at no stage during the process did we ever feel confused or irritated. It helps the sound as good, if unspectacular, with a punchy energy that is addictive. This soundbar will happily compete with a multi-speaker home theater setup, and if you demand the very best from your audio, this should be your only port of call. Soundbar manufacturers do love their jargon. The overall sound quality is just out of this world, and with elements like music, the Beam performs better than most soundbars weve heard. And while we think the overall sound is excellent, there are better options if youre specifically looking for exceptional dialogue (like the ZVOX AccuVoice AV200, below) or bass (like the Yamaha YAS-109, ditto). By home theater, we mean full surround sound with speakers that have the size and power to really push your audio quality, matched with a dedicated A/V receiver to amplify them.
And unfortunately, the subwoofer in the Alto 5+ package is pretty poor. With music, it rocks, but we just didnt feel like we were getting the full picture with movies and series. The V-Series 2.1 is still a great bar, and is ideal if you get frustrated with setting up equipment, but it has a little way to go before it becomes a first choice.See the VIZIO V-Series 2.1. By the way, you can spend a little more ($87 total) to buy the soundbar with a competent wireless subwoofer, which is an excellent deal.See the Creative Stage Air. In terms of value-for-money, where a soundbar delivers features far above the price tag, we dont think theres a better option here. All at once, youll have full surround sound. Their biggest area of expertise is in surround soundbars - I.e soundbars with multiple included speakers. The fact that the Leviathan only has optical and auxiliary connections (no HDMI here) adds to that impression as well.See the Razer Leviathan. Its also worth noting that you can use any soundbar for PC gaming. Even in its smaller 28 version - theres a 40 model available for $100 - it manages to impress with some truly powerful sound. The Sonos Beam is a great example. The latter often separates the speaker systems, putting midrange and treble drivers into a slim bar, and usually requires a separate subwoofer.
The latter, if you didn't know, is a rectangular box that sits directly underneath your TV. So, in the spirit of making things clear and because we despise jargon lets break down three of the most common wired connections youll find on the back of your soundbar: HDMI, HDMI ARC/eARC, and Optical. A soundbars length has very little relation to its sound quality; short soundbars do not necessarily sound worse than long soundbars.
This means that youll be able to easily connect your soundbar to your home with no more than a few taps on your phone, and without having to go through the complicated, multi-step route presented by most virtual assistant apps.
And its ideal for those who dont want to spend hours setting up their soundbar. However, basic does not mean bad. Length: 35.4Wi-Fi / Bluetooth: BothWhat We Like: Powerful, punchy, and packed with features.What We Don't: Better at music than movies. One big downside to bear in mind is that the tiny size of the Streambar means there is a lack of bass, and unfortunately, theres no subwoofer output.
Let's say you have our top budget pick, the $85 Taotronics 32 connected to your TV. Weve indicated the number of channels for each soundbar in the list above. In fact, VIZIO are leading this charge with a forthcoming bar, called the Elevate, that has ten channels and speakers that rotate to face upwards when they detect Dolby Atmos content. What if you dont have a handy cabinet to place your soundbar? Investing in a soundbar, even an inexpensive one, will give you a much more pleasurable experience in whatever you watch or play. Its only when you get a bar that is longer than the TV that things start looking weird. But if youre looking to spend under $100, then in our opinion theres no better place to drop your money than on the Taotronics 32 Soundbar.See the Taotronics 32 Soundbar. A stereo recording, like youd get out of a hi-fi system, would have two channels: a left and right, which combine to form a stereo image. Overall, we think the Samsung HW-T450 offers better value, which is why its in our top spot, but if you need the best bass around, the newer YAS-109 is the way to go.
That said, out of all the soundbars weve heard, none have impressed us quite as much as the ridiculously good HW-T450.See the Samsung HW-T450. From there, you should easily be able to start playing music from your prefered streaming service. Length: 16.1Wi-Fi / Bluetooth: BluetoothWhat We Like: Compact, lightweight, affordable.What We Don't: Unimpressive sound quality, limited connections. But, you may very well be asking, what happens if your TV is mounted directly on the wall? Youll often see soundbar systems referred to with numbers, like 2.1 or 5.1. Speaking of Dolby Atmos: more soundbar manufacturers are starting to look at incorporating this tech into their bars.
We think this soundbar is a good option for those who like volume and bass, but it may not be the best choice.See the Sony HT-S350. While Siri is still pretty rare to find in a soundbar none of the bars on our list have it many soundbars will now include both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Length: 14Wi-Fi / Bluetooth: Wi-FiWhat We Like: There is simply no better way to stream content.What We Don't: The small size means theres an unfortunate lack of bass. HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a slim, multi-pin connector with a distinctive shape.
Length: 27.3Wi-Fi / Bluetooth: BothWhat We Like: Amazing sound (especially dialogue), excellent app control.What We Don't: Very expensive, getting the best audio quality means investing some time in the settings. Because while a soundbar may not be able to place speakers behind your sides, it can use some clever processing to make it appear as if the sound is coming from both directions. It uses height audio in addition to sound that comes from the sides and rear, and in the absence of a full home theatre system, the Sonos Arc is the absolute best way to experience it.
Simply pause Netflix, connect via Bluetooth to the bar and start streaming music. If youre curious about the differences between soundbars and soundbases but still unacquainted, lets delve into their features, similarities and differences - and give you everything you need to choose between them. These numbers refer to the bars surround sound capabilities. We adore the sound, especially movie dialogue, which comes through crisp and sharp. If you want to use your TV remote to control the sound, make sure youre connecting via HDMI ARC.
We recommend below - it means the bar will be at ear level - but theres nothing to stop you from mounting the bar above the TV either. Movie dialogue, in particular, is crisp and clean, while explosions and bullet impacts have real punch thanks to the included wireless subwoofer.
While Sonos maybe the first brand to turn to for ease-of-use, they arent always affordable. Broadly speaking, there are two main ways of positioning your soundbar. The most glaring downside is the included virtual surround sound settings, which are easily beaten out by less expensive bars like the VIZIO V-Series 2.1.