The most effective soundbars to spice up your TV audio in 2024

The built-in audio system in most TVs aren’t sufficient to fill your front room with immersive sound that adequately showcases the finer particulars of films and TV reveals. Fortunately, you do not have to splurge for a five-speaker (or extra) surround-sound system to enhance your audio expertise. Usually, a single soundbar and perhaps a subwoofer can usually drastically enhance the standard of Dolby Atmos content material. To help with your property theater buying, I’ve compiled a listing of the most effective soundbars in premium, mid-range and price range worth ranges, together with a abstract of what units them other than the competitors. Simply know getting into that the extra you pay, the extra you’re going to get — each when it comes to further options and efficiency.

What to search for in a soundbar

Options

On the subject of options, the extra you pay the extra you are going to get in your new audio system. Most reasonably priced choices ($150 or much less) will enhance your tv’s audio high quality, however that is about it. Step into the $300 to $400 vary and you will find a wise soundbar with issues like built-in voice management, wi-fi connectivity, Google Chromecast, AirPlay 2 and even Android TV. They’re all useful once you need to keep away from on the lookout for the distant management, however the most effective sound high quality is often solely within the high tier and the codecs these premium soundbar methods assist. I’m speaking about issues like Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and different high-resolution audio requirements. These are what you may need to search for if really immersive sound is what you crave to your front room setup. And never all Atmos soundbars are equal, so you may want to take a look at the finer particulars rigorously earlier than you break into the financial savings account. When you’re after the most effective small soundbar, measurement and high quality change into necessary components, however do not overlook streaming services assist for a well-rounded expertise.

Ports

It is a huge one. Numerous the extra reasonably priced soundbars are restricted in relation to connectivity choices. They both provide an optical port or one HDMI jack and, in the event you’re fortunate, each. Issues get barely higher within the mid-range part, however that is not all the time the case. The Sonos Beam, for instance, is $449, however solely has a single HDMI port. Even on the higher-end, the $899 Sonos Arc nonetheless solely has one HDMI port. If you wish to join your set-top field, gaming console and extra on to your soundbar for the very best audio, you may doubtless need to search for an possibility with at the very least two HDMI (eARC) inputs. HDMI connections are important for issues like Dolby Atmos assist, DTS:X and different high-res and immersive audio codecs. And with the HDMI 2.1 spec, soundbars can assist HDR, 8K and 4K/120 passthrough to make these speaker methods a fair higher companion for a recreation console.

Channels

One other huge factor you’ll need to take note of when on the lookout for the most effective soundbar is channels. That’s the two.1, 7.1.2 or different decimal quantity that corporations embody in product descriptions. The primary determine corresponds to the variety of channels. A two would simply be left and proper whereas a extra sturdy Atmos system, particularly one with rear {surround} audio system, might be 5 or seven (left, proper, heart and upward). The second quantity refers back to the subwoofer, so in case your new soundbar comes with one or has them inbuilt, you’ll see one right here. The third numeral is up-firing audio system, necessary for the immersive impact of Dolby Atmos. Not all Atmos-enabled items have them, but when they do, the third quantity will let you know what number of are in play and the way they contribute to the general soundstage.

Wi-fi

Most soundbars nowadays provide both Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or each. On the subject of Wi-Fi, that connectivity affords you luxuries like voice management (both built-in or with a separate system), Chromecast, Spotify Join and AirPlay 2. Relying in your preferences, you would possibly be capable to reside with out a few of these. For me, AirPlay 2 and Chromecast are necessities, however the remainder I can reside with out. These two give me the flexibility to beam music and podcasts from my go-to apps with out having to accept — or wrestle with — a Bluetooth connection. As an illustration, Sonos audio system usually provide seamless integration with iOS gadgets, making it simple to attach and stream music wirelessly. When you’re on the lookout for a wi-fi speaker that may improve your TV setup whereas additionally providing flexibility for audio all through the home, it is value contemplating a multi-room system.

Measurement

This one might sound apparent however humor me for a minute. Nothing is extra soul-crushing than getting a dear soundbar in your front room solely to find you need to rearrange every little thing to discover a spot for it. This was my plight when the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar arrived at my door. Sure, that speaker is absurdly giant (and heavy), and most soundbars aren’t practically as huge. I discovered a useful lesson: Be sure that the house the place you need to put a soundbar will accommodate the factor you are about to spend tons of (if not 1000’s) of {dollars} on.

Principally, all of it comes right down to the TV you’ve gotten (or are planning to get) and what the first purpose is to your living-room audio. Is it ease of use? Would you like the very best sound from a single speaker or speaker/sub combo? Do you simply need to have the ability to truly hear your TV higher? Or do you need to flip your front room into an immersive residence theater system with {surround} sound?

By taking note of every of these areas, you need to have a good suggestion of what to search for in a soundbar, soundbar/subwoofer combo or a extra sturdy setup. With that stated, we have put quite a few merchandise by way of their paces at Engadget and have just a few favorites for greatest soundbar at numerous worth factors to get you began.

The most effective soundbars for 2024

SAMSUNG

Dimensions: 48.5 x 2.7 x 5.4 inches (foremost unit) | Ports: 2 x HDMI In, 1 x HDMI Out, 1 x Optical | Channels: 11.1.4

Learn our full Samsung HW-Q990D review

Samsung’s Q990D is my high decide largely due to its spectacular, immersive sound high quality. However, I additionally put it forward of the pack as a result of it’s a whole residence theater setup. For $2,000, you get the soundbar, subwoofer and rear {surround} audio system all in the identical field. Whereas that’s expensive, placing collectively a comparable bundle amongst the competitors will value the identical, or in some circumstances extra.

Throughout all the numerous items, Samsung packs in 22 whole drivers that create an 11.1.4-channel speaker setup. The audio is crisp and detailed for Dolby Atmos content material, making films and TV reveals as near a theater expertise as you’re more likely to get out of a soundbar setup. The Q990D additionally has further options like Personal Rear Sound that solely use the rear audio system when you’ll want to pay attention at a a lot quieter stage. It is a nice possibility for music too, with the subwoofer offering booming bass when wanted and elevating finer parts of tracks alongside the best way.

Professionals

• HDMI 2.1
• All-in-one {surround} setup
• Glorious, immersive audio
• Helpful options

Cons

• Expensive
• Not an enormous replace over final 12 months’s mannequin

$1,059 at Walmart

Sony

Dimensions: 51 x 3 x 5 inches (foremost unit) | Ports: 2 x HDMI In, 1 x HDMI Out, 1 x Optical, 1 x Anologue, 1 x USB-A | Channels: 7.1.2

Sony has an extended observe report of fantastic high-end soundbars and its latest is one other great-sounding product. The A7000 is a sturdy Dolby Atmos soundbar, able to immersive 7.1.2 audio because of Sony’s 360 Sound Mapping, Sound Area Optimization, vertical {surround} know-how and S-Pressure Professional entrance {surround}. There’s a variety of tech at work right here, and I haven’t even talked about 360 Actuality Audio or DSEE Excessive upscaling, each helpful in relation to listening to music. Talking of audio, you’ll have the choice of utilizing Chromecast, Spotify Join or Apple AirPlay 2 to ship your tunes to the A7000. The general soundstage is immersive, with wonderful readability for each TV reveals and music.

Two HDMI eARC inputs imply you possibly can hook up a number of streaming containers or gaming consoles. And because of HDMI 2.1 assist, you possibly can anticipate 8K and 4K/120 passthrough to your tv, so the A7000 is a good possibility for avid gamers. This soundbar is pricey at $1,198 and it doesn’t include a separate subwoofer (although it does have one inbuilt). Nevertheless, Sony does offer you a number of choices for each a sub and rear satellite tv for pc audio system. The SA-SW3 sub is $298 whereas the SA-SW5 is $699. For rear audio system, the SA-RS3S is $350 whereas the really wi-fi speaker (and significantly better wanting) SA-RS5 set is $598. When you’re wanting to avoid wasting cash on the soundbar itself, Sony presents the HT-A5000 for $999 (though we’ve seen it on sale for $798 lately). It packs nearly all of the same bells and whistles because the A7000, solely in a 5.1.2-channel configuration.

Professionals

• Dolby Atmos assist and 360 Sound Mapping
• Works with AirPlay 2
• Consists of two HDMI eARC ports

Cons

• Costly
• Does not embody a separate subwoofer

$998 at Amazon

Sennheiser Shopper Audio

Dimensions: 70 x 10 x 6.5 inches (foremost unit) | Ports: 1 x HDMI Out, 1 x USB-A | Channels: 7.1.4

Learn our full Sennheiser Ambeo Mini review

Whereas that is probably the most compact of Sennheiser’s Ambeo soundbars, the Mini stays within the premium class for 2 causes. First, you’ll have so as to add a subwoofer to maximise its potential, which provides one other $600. Secondly, the Mini is already $700, so a whole package deal places you at a comparable place to flagship items from the competitors. Upon getting each although, the Ambeo Mini is really spectacular for a small soundbar.

The primary function is Sennheiser’s spatial Ambeo know-how that first debuted on the huge Ambeo Soundbar Max in 2019. With it, the corporate supplies extra immersive sound with a mixture of driver placement and 3D virtualization. On the Mini, the audio profile is extra reliant on virtualization than the larger Ambeo soundbars due fewer audio system inside. Nevertheless, you’ll nonetheless get a virtualized 7.1.4-channel speaker setup that works properly for films and music. That’s, as long as you splurge for the Ambeo Sub too.

Professionals

• Compact design
• Glorious readability
• Nice bass
• Simple setup

Cons

• Costly
• No bundled sub
• Ambeo impact is proscribed
• One HDMI port

$800 at Macy’s

Engadget

Dimensions: 25.63 x 3.94 x 2.68 inches (foremost unit) | Ports: 1 x HDMI Out, 1 x Ethernet | Channels: 5.0

Learn our full Sonos Beam review

Strong sound high quality? Verify. Dolby Atmos? Yep. Compact and simple to arrange? Uh huh. Appropriate with different Sonos audio system for a extra sturdy system? You betcha. The primary-gen Sonos Beam has been one among our favorites since it arrived in 2018, however there was one factor it didn’t have: Dolby Atmos. That was the massive addition to the 2021 model, although it’s a bit restricted because the Beam doesn’t have any upward-firing audio system. Sonos manages to make issues appear extra directional by tweaking audio timing and frequency as an alternative of including extra drivers. The new Beam nonetheless solely has the one HDMI port which suggests you received’t be connecting a gaming console or set-top field on to this. It additionally signifies that in case you have an older TV with an optical jack, you’ll want an adapter.

Professionals

• Comparatively compact design
• Good sound for its measurement
• Helps Dolby Atmos

Cons

• One contains one HDMI port

$449 at Sonos

Engadget

Dimensions: 21.93 x 3.66 x 2.76 inches (foremost unit) | Ports: 1 x Optical, 1 x Ethernet | Channels: 2.0 (non-surround), 5.1 ({surround})

Learn our full Sonos Ray review

Sonos’ newest bid for greatest soundbar could also be its most reasonably priced to this point, however at $279, it’s not precisely a price range decide. Particularly when you think about there are cheaper choices that include a subwoofer. Nonetheless, the compact design doesn’t command a variety of house in entrance of your TV or in your TV stand, making it a terrific possibility for smaller dwelling areas. The Ray is straightforward to arrange and supplies nice sound high quality for each TV and music, and it pairs seamlessly with iOS gadgets. There are some trade-offs in relation to the immersive nature of the audio, but it surely’s a very good possibility for upgrading your TV sound with minimal fuss.

Professionals

• Excellent sound high quality for each TV and music Good bass efficiency for such a small speaker
• Compact, unobtrusive design
• Simple setup
• Affordable worth

Cons

• Sound isn’t as immersive as you get from bigger fashions
• Individuals with huge dwelling rooms would possibly need a louder speaker
• No voice controls

$279 at Sonos

VIZIO

Dimensions: 24 x 7.68 x 2.28 inches (foremost unit) | Ports: 1 x Optical, 1 x USB | Channels: 2.1

When you’re on the lookout for a method to enhance your TV sound on a price range, Vizio has some high-quality options. With the V21t-J8, you get a 2.1-channel setup in a compact soundbar and 4.5-inch wi-fi sub combo for $160. This could be a terrific alternative in the event you don’t need your add-on TV speaker to take up a variety of house. There’s no Wi-Fi connectivity, however that’s actually the one sacrifice in relation to the fundamentals. HDMI ARC/eARC and optical connections hyperlink to your tv whereas a 3.5mm aux jack and Bluetooth will let you play music out of your cellphone or one other system. DTS Digital:X compatibility presents a number of the impact of {surround} sound with out a greater unit or further audio system.

Professionals

• Compact design
• Consists of wi-fi subwoofer

$102 at Amazon

Different soundbars we examined

Sonos Arc

There’s little question that the Arc is Sonos’ best-sounding soundbar, but it surely’s additionally the corporate’s most costly. With a brand new mannequin primarily based on the Arc rumored to be on the way, it’s troublesome to advocate this product over the likes of Samsung and Sony. The Arc works properly as each a soundbar and a speaker, and the system will slot in properly with different Sonos gear you would possibly have already got for a multiroom setup. It solely has one HDMI port although, the place a lot of the competitors permits you to join streaming and gaming gadgets on to their soundbars.

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus

I don’t suppose Sennheiser’s medium-sized model presents sufficient to face out from the extra highly effective Ambeo Soundbar Max or the Ambeo Soundbar Mini. The Mini is extra reasonably priced and does a stable job with immersive audio in its personal proper. Like the remainder of the Ambeo lineup, there’s no possibility for satellite tv for pc audio system as you possibly can solely add a subwoofer to the soundbars. Nevertheless, the Ambeo Soundbar Plus does have RCA enter, so you need to use it with a turntable in the event you’re into vinyl.

Soundbar FAQs

Is a soundbar higher than audio system?

It actually will depend on what you’re after. A soundbar is unquestionably an easier, extra compact resolution in comparison with a full speaker setup. If you’d like higher sound than your TV’s built-in setup however don’t need to take care of a number of audio system and wires in every single place, a soundbar might be the best way to go. Some soundbars may even ship spectacular {surround} sound results, because of options like Dolby Atmos and digital audio know-how.

Nevertheless, in the event you’re an audiophile or need true {surround} sound for an at-home theater expertise, a multi-speaker setup with a receiver, {surround} audio system and subwoofer offers you a richer soundstage and extra management over your expertise.

What connection do I want for a soundbar?

Most fashionable soundbars connect with your TV by way of HDMI ARC or eARC, which is the best and best choice for reaching high-quality audio. In case your TV helps this, all you want is an HDMI cable, and also you’ll get not solely nice sound but in addition some additional options like controlling the soundbar together with your TV distant.

If HDMI ARC isn’t an possibility in your TV, you need to use an optical cable, which additionally delivers stable audio high quality. Some soundbars even provide Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections for streaming music, and some nonetheless have a 3.5mm aux jack for connecting to older gadgets.

Do all soundbars include subwoofers?

Not all soundbars include subwoofers, however many do or at the very least provide one as an optionally available add-on which you could buy individually. A subwoofer is what provides you that deep, booming bass, so in the event you like motion films or need a fuller sound for music, having one could make an enormous distinction. Some soundbars have a built-in subwoofer, however these usually don’t present the identical punch as a separate one.