New TVs are generally thin, which makes them look great on your wall or in your entertainment center. However, a slender frame isn’t an advantage for sound quality. Speakers typically need a lot of space to produce good audio (with a few unique technical exceptions, like expensive and rare electrostatic panel speakers or the actuators on certain high-end OLED TVs), and there simply isn’t much real estate in slim sets. This means that, as pleasing as the picture looks, your TV’s built-in speakers probably don’t sound too good. You need a separate sound system if you want loud, high-quality audio for your home theater that isn’t thin or tinny: You need a soundbar.
Soundbars are long, usually thin (but still thicker than your TV) speakers that incorporate stereo, left/right/center surround sound, or even Spatial audio in an easy-to-set-up device you plug into your TV’s HDMI or optical port. They’re add-on sound systems that don’t take up much more space than your TV but add much-needed power, range, and clarity to your audio experience.
You don’t technically need to stick to a soundbar for a simple audio system for your TV. Almost any Bluetooth speaker or one with an optical, RCA, or 3.5mm input (if your TV has a headphone jack) can greatly improve your audio experience, though its power and ability to produce a sound field might be better for smaller screens. It also might not fit as neatly under or in front of your TV. See our roundup of the best computer speakers for some ideas.
The Best Prime Early Access Soundbar Deals This Week*
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More About Our Picks
Best Affordable 3.1 Audio
Bottom Line:
The Klipsch Cinema 600 soundbar delivers theater-like rumble and excellent clarity for movies and music at a relatively affordable price.
Pros
- Powerful audio performance with deep, theater-like sub-bass and crisp high-end definition
- Wireless subwoofer
- Bluetooth streaming
- Virtual surround mode sounds good
- Can be expanded to a true 5.1 system
Why We Picked It
The Klipsch Cinema 600 is a reasonably priced and powerful soundbar that puts out a strong sound profile with rumbling bass and crisp treble. This 3.1-channel system isn’t Atmos-compatible, but you can expand it into a 5.1 setup with optional satellites.
Who It’s For
This is for users willing to pay a bit more for sound quality, but for whom surround isn’t a priority. The emphasis here is all on power and frequency response. It’s a strong value for $500, but because it’s a few years old, you might be able to get it for even cheaper.
The Best One-Piece, Multi-Room Soundbar
Bottom Line:
The impressive Sonos Arc takes the best parts of the company’s other soundbars and combines them into one Dolby Atmos-compatible package.
Pros
- Large sound field with powerful bass, even without a subwoofer
- Supports Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
- Can easily be expanded with satellites and a subwoofer
- Dolby Atmos compatibility with angled tweeters
Cons
- Expensive
- Only works with pricey Sonos subwoofer
Why We Picked It
The Sonos Arc is pretty expensive for a single soundbar, but it packs enough power to produce a bass-filled, surround sound experience. This Dolby Atmos soundbar features angled tweeters that create a large sound field with height as well as breadth. And, as a Sonos speaker, it integrates into any Sonos multi-room system, plus supports expansion via Sonos One satellites and the Sonos Sub (or recently announced Sub Mini) for even more surround imaging and low-end thump. It also enables hands-free Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant commands.
Who It’s For
If you want big sound without plugging in and arranging multiple speakers around your room, this is one of your best bets. It’s especially appealing if you already have Sonos speakers elsewhere in your home. But even if you don’t, the highly capable soundbar works equally well with your Amazon Echo or Google Nest setup.
The Best Affordable 5.1-Channel Sound
Bottom Line:
The affordable Vizio M-Series 5.1 Sound Bar (M51ax-J6) combines a subwoofer and two rear satellites to produce powerful audio for movies and music.
Pros
- Well priced for a system with a subwoofer and rear satellites
- Good surround imaging with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support
- Powerful bass
Cons
- Treble isn’t quite as crisp as it could be
- Small visual control panel on the remote
Why We Picked It
True surround sound with rear satellites can get a bit pricey, but Vizio’s system is surprisingly affordable. The package includes a three-channel soundbar, two satellites, and a subwoofer, which all work together with support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. It doesn’t have upward-firing drivers or other high-end features that can improve imaging from the sides and back, but we don’t expect that at this price.
Who It’s For
If you want a true surround sound system with rear satellites, but don’t want to spend a lot of money, this is one of the best options. It presents a strong value for its performance.
The Best 9.1-Channel System
Bottom Line:
The JBL Bar 9.1 soundbar might be expensive, but it delivers powerful, thunderous audio with detachable rear channels for an immersive listening experience.
Pros
- Powerful audio with thunderous bass depth
- Dolby Atmos drivers
- Wireless rear channel speakers
- Easy setup
Cons
- Expensive
- Large
- Could use more precise EQ controls
Why We Picked It
This spatial audio system is ideal for Dolby Atmos content because of the angled drivers on the main soundbar and the detachable satellites that enable both vertical and horizontal imaging. As a bonus, the satellites are completely wireless and connect to the sides of the soundbar for more powerful stereo sound when you want to listen to music. And then you can just pull them off and set them behind you when you want to watch a movie or play a game with Spatial audio.
Who It’s For
If you can splurge a bit and want a true Dolby Atmos experience with real rear channels that offer height, this is the soundbar to get. It’s particularly convenient if you don’t want to run multiple power cables behind your couch: Because the satellites are completely wireless, you don’t need to plug them in like with most systems.
The Best Soundbar With Chromecast
Bottom Line:
Polk Audio’s Sigma S3 soundbar and subwoofer combo deliver a relatively powerful 2.1 audio experience for the price.
Pros
- Powerful audio performance with deep bass and crisp highs
- Wireless subwoofer
- Voice Adjust mode for clearer dialogue
- Supports Chromecast audio and Google Assistant voice commands
- Ships with both HDMI and optical cables
Cons
- No EQ
- Lacks visual indicators for various audio modes
Why We Picked It
This is another inexpensive 3.1-channel soundbar that offers solid performance with deep bass from its included wireless subwoofer. Its big distinction is built-in Chromecast support: This means you can stream music from your Android phone over Wi-Fi and get better audio quality than with Bluetooth-only competitors. If you prefer the convenience of Bluetooth, however, that’s also an option.
Who It’s For
If you’re an Android user who wants to play music on your soundbar as much as watch movies and TV, this might be an ideal pick. It’s inexpensive, offers strong audio, and Google Cast support unlocks hi-res streaming.
The Best Affordable Sonos Soundbar
Bottom Line:
The second-generation Sonos Beam soundbar adds Dolby Atmos support and two more audio processing channels, for an impressive sound field that retains the previous model’s compact size.
Pros
- Big sound field for its size
- Full and crisp sound, from low-mids to highs
- Dolby Atmos audio sounds precise and immersive, even without rear speakers
Cons
- Not much deep bass without optional (and pricey) subwoofer
- No Bluetooth support
- Trueplay audio tuning only available for iOS
Why We Picked It
The Beam sits in the middle of Sonos’ soundbar lineup between the low-end Ray and the high-end Arc. It doesn’t sound nearly as good as the Arc, but it’s a capable soundbar that fits a modest (55 inches or smaller) TV quite well. The device supports Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and, if you have an iPhone, you can even use Sonos’ Trueplay tuning to automatically tweak the sound to fit your room. Its biggest weakness is mediocre bass response. Yes, you can get a Sonos subwoofer to go with it, but even the smaller Sonos Sub Mini costs slightly more than the Beam itself.
Who It’s For
If you want to improve your TV’s sound, add a voice assistant to your living room, and start building a Sonos multi-room system for less than $500, the Beam is a good choice. Its bass might be lackluster, but it still packs plenty of features for its price and probably still offers an improvement over your TV’s speakers in the low-frequency range.
TCL Alto R1 Roku TV Wireless Soundbar (TSR1)
The Best Roku TV Soundbar
Bottom Line:
TCL’s wireless soundbar for Roku TVs, the Alto R1, is a simple way to add powerful stereo sound to your compatible TV, even if the speaker doesn’t support any surround sound standards.
Pros
- Powerful, balanced sound
- Easy to set up
- Can be augmented with a Roku Wireless Subwoofer
Cons
- Requires a Roku TV
- TV needs to be on in order to use the speaker
Why We Picked It
On paper, this soundbar is unimpressive: It’s stereo-only and requires a Roku TV. But, for its size and price, it offers powerful sound. And its wireless integration with Roku TVs means you only have to plug it into power. You can also augment it with Roku’s first-party subwoofers if you want more bass. Just as importantly, this soundbar is often on sale for well under its list price.
Who It’s For
Roku TV owners should give this soundbar a shot if they want better sound for not much money. We’ve regularly seen it available for around $100, and at that price, it’s a steal considering its commendable audio performance even without a subwoofer.
Read Our TCL Alto R1 Roku TV Wireless Soundbar (TSR1) Review
Do You Need a Subwoofer?
If you plan on building a sound system with more than one piece, the most important addition is a subwoofer. Many soundbars include subwoofers that wirelessly connect to the rest of the system and that you can tuck behind, next to, or under your couch (low-frequency sounds don’t rely as much on acoustics as higher frequencies, so you can still feel the effect of the rumble). You may need to plug a wireless subwoofer into a power outlet, but that’s likely the full extent of the setup process for wireless models.
Klipsch Cinema 600
(Credit: Klipsch)
Soundbars can put out a lot of sound from low-mid to high frequencies, but they usually can’t reach deep down into the low-frequency ranges. Because of how sound travels, you need a lot of physical volume to get very powerful bass, and the wide, shallow shape of soundbars doesn’t offer that. That’s why many soundbars include separate subwoofers.
A subwoofer is a speaker designed specifically for putting out low-frequency sound in the bass and sub-base ranges. It’s typically bulky and uses a large driver (usually around six inches) so it can move a lot of air to get that low-end rumble. You can get a good listening experience with just a soundbar, but if you really want to make the walls shake and feel your favorite movies or music, you should invest in a subwoofer.
If your soundbar doesn’t include a subwoofer, you might still have options. Some soundbars have subwoofer outputs, so you can add one after the fact. You have to consider cables if you add a subwoofer this way, though. You also need to either make sure your subwoofer is powered (has a built-in amp) or connect a preamp between your unpowered subwoofer and the soundbar. Just like it takes a lot of space to move that much air, it also takes a lot of power. A few soundbar systems, like those from Roku and Sonos, also support expansion with separate wireless subwoofers. They require specific subwoofers from the same manufacturer, though, so your options are much more limited.
Check out our article on how to set up your speakers for more on soundbar placement and how to get the best possible audio out of your system.
What About Surround Sound?
Most soundbars claim to offer some form of simulated surround sound, but this can be a bit misleading. Audio processing and driver placement can create a sense of surround sound even if the speakers are just directly in front of you, but this type of setup isn’t capable of reproducing the accurate imaging of a surround system with dedicated satellites for each channel. If you really want a sense of immersion and for every sound effect to come from just the right direction, you need a full surround sound speaker system or at least a soundbar with separate satellites for the rear audio channels.
Sonos Beam
(Credit: Sonos)
There’s also the matter of the type of surround sound you want to listen to. Conventional 5.1- and 7.1-channel audio is common for a lot of content, but home theater sound has gone beyond that with Spatial audio. Spatial sound systems like Dolby Atmos map every source of sound from what you’re watching to a location around you in a 3D space, and calculate just how to mix the audio to best reproduce their locations whether your speakers have two drivers or dozens. It’s very immersive, especially with the addition of upward-facing drivers to produce sounds that give a sense of height and not just horizontal movement. Not all soundbars support Dolby Atmos, though, and not all that support Atmos have the drivers necessary for height.
None of this means that a true surround system is the best choice, though. While surround sound is authentic with these multi-speaker sets, several drawbacks make them less appealing than a single soundbar. Conventional surround systems mean much more clutter for your room. Each satellite requires wires running either to the wall or a centralized device like an A/V receiver, and that means a lot of cables to potentially trip over. You can hide them with rugs or in-wall conduits, but it’s still going to be more expensive and less convenient than a soundbar, especially when newer Dolby Atmos soundbars do an admirable job of producing a spatial effect even without rear satellites.
Even soundbars with dedicated rear satellites require some wire juggling, usually connecting the two rear speakers to a wireless subwoofer or to power outlets (but you probably won’t need to physically run anything directly to your soundbar). And, of course, you need stands, shelves, or some other sorts of nearby flat surfaces to place all the speakers in your system besides the subwoofer, which can just sit on the floor. If you have the budget to build or remodel your living room around a surround sound system, it’s a great choice for your home theater, but this isn’t practical for most users.
Streaming Audio
All of the speakers on this list can wirelessly stream music from your smartphone or tablet. Most of them use Bluetooth, and some use Wi-Fi-based wireless audio systems like Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, or Sonos. Bluetooth is easy to use and lets you connect your phone to your soundbar just like it was a pair of headphones. This setup won’t offer the best audio quality, though, especially if the soundbar doesn’t support high-end Bluetooth codecs.
Wi-Fi isn’t quite as simple to configure as Bluetooth, but it lets you set up multi-room sound systems so you can seamlessly play music all over your house. It can also support lossless audio because of the higher bandwidth Wi-Fi allows.
Recommended by Our Editors
Either way, because of wireless audio, you probably won’t need to get a separate wireless music speaker for your living room if you have a soundbar. For more, read our roundup of the best wireless speakers. Voice assistant integration is also available in many Wi-Fi-compatible models, meaning that many of the soundbars above double as smart speakers.
Roku Streambar Pro
(Credit: Roku)
Can a Soundbar Beat a Full Home Theater System and Receiver?
Home theater audio has traditionally been a big, complex field reserved for audiophiles, or at least for people who are comfortable building a sound system out of individual components. The last decade has popularized soundbars as an easy alternative that’s less expensive, simpler to set up, and takes up less physical space.
In terms of sheer potential power and system flexibility, no single soundbar or all-in-one sound system can match what you can build if you set up a home theater from components by yourself. With a standalone A/V receiver, amp, and set of big speakers, you can get much more power and control over your home theater sound. You just have to put in much, much more legwork, and likely spend much more money. A good receiver can easily cost as much as a good soundbar, and that’s before you start adding speakers. You also need to run the wires yourself, integrate an amp if necessary, and spend more time on the setup than with a soundbar.
An elaborate home theater speaker system can be incredibly rewarding, but you need relatively deep pockets and a good feel for the technology, or even deeper pockets and a willingness to hire a custom installer to make it all happen.
This list comprises the best soundbars we’ve tested, ranging across all prices, sizes, and feature sets. For more soundbars and other audio solutions, check out our speakers coverage, as well as our roundup of the best Bluetooth and wireless speakers.
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