The very best soundbars to spice up your TV audio in 2024

Let’s be sincere — most built-in TV audio system simply don’t lower it. They’re usually unable to supply the immersive expertise you’re searching for, leaving a lot to be desired. That’s the place a soundbar is available in, giving your setup a critical audio improve with out the effort (or price ticket) of a full surround-sound system. In order for you a extra cinematic expertise at house, a soundbar is the right middle-ground resolution.

There are totally different soundbars to go well with every kind of setups and budgets. A number of the greatest Dolby Atmos soundbars ship next-level immersion with audio that feels prefer it’s coming from all instructions. Others include a devoted subwoofer, good for listening to each rumble and bass drop. Even price range fashions nonetheless handle to make outdated motion pictures really feel contemporary, including readability to dialogue and depth to soundtracks.

And for those who love codecs like Dolby Digital or need the comfort of wi-fi connectivity, there’s a soundbar on the market for you. Whether or not you’re after a budget-friendly choice or a premium choose, we’ve obtained you lined with one of the best soundbars to deliver your leisure to life.

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 sensible soundbar with issues like built-in voice management, wi-fi connectivity, Google Chromecast, AirPlay 2 and even Android TV. They’re all useful while you wish to keep away from searching for the distant management, however one of the best sound high quality is normally solely within the prime 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 important if you need really cinematic sound to your living-room setup. And never all Atmos soundbars are equal, so you may want to have a look at the finer particulars rigorously earlier than you break into the financial savings account. In the event you’re searching for among the finest Dolby Atmos soundbars, dimension, channels and subwoofer choices will likely be necessary components to contemplate. Some fashions even embody a devoted subwoofer to boost bass efficiency, bringing an additional punch to motion scenes and soundtracks.

Ports

Sony HT-A7000 soundbar, SA-SW5 subwoofer, SA-SW3 subwoofer and SA-RS3S speakers. — Sony

This can be a massive one. A number of the extra reasonably priced soundbars are restricted in terms of connectivity choices. They both provide an optical port or one HDMI jack and, for those who’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. In the event you plan to attach a number of units like a set-top field, gaming laptop computer or console on to your soundbar for one of the best audio expertise, you’ll need an choice with at the very least two HDMI (eARC) inputs. HDMI connections are important for supporting Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital audio codecs, in addition to high-res passthrough for HDR and 8K/4K content material.

Channels

One other massive factor you’ll wish to take note of when searching for one of the best soundbar is channels. That’s the two.1, 7.1.2 or different decimal quantity that firms embody in product descriptions. The primary determine corresponds to the variety of channels. A two would simply be left and proper whereas a extra strong Atmos system, particularly one with rear {surround} audio system, could possibly be 5 or seven (left, proper, heart and upward). The second quantity refers back to the devoted 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 lately 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 gadget), Chromecast, Spotify Join and AirPlay 2. Relying in your preferences, you may be capable of 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 battle with — a Bluetooth connection. As an illustration, Sonos audio system usually provide seamless integration with iOS units, making it simple to attach and stream music wirelessly. In the event you’re searching for a wi-fi speaker that may improve your TV setup whereas additionally providing flexibility for audio all through the home, it is price 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 all the things to discover a spot for it. This was my plight when the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar arrived at my door. Sure, that speaker is absurdly massive (and heavy), and most soundbars aren’t almost as massive. I realized a invaluable lesson: Make sure that the area the place you wish to put a soundbar will accommodate the factor you are about to spend lots of (if not hundreds) of {dollars} on.

Mainly, all of it comes all the way down to the TV you will have (or are planning to get) and what the first objective is to your living-room audio. Is it ease of use? Would you like the absolute best sound from a single speaker or speaker/sub combo? Do you simply need to have the ability to really hear your TV higher? Or do you wish to flip your front room into an immersive house theater system with {surround} sound?

By taking note of every of these areas, it is best to have a good suggestion of what to search for in a soundbar, soundbar/subwoofer combo, Dolby Digital system or a extra strong setup. With that stated, we have put quite a few merchandise by means of their paces at Engadget and have just a few favorites for greatest soundbar at numerous value factors to get you began.

The very best soundbars for 2024

Picture by Billy Steele / Engadget

Top: 2.95 inches | Width: 46.38 inches | Depth: 4.35 inches | Ports: 1 x HDMI Out, 1 x Ethernet | Channels: 9.1.4

Learn our full Sonos Arc Ultra review

At $999, the Arc Ultra is a dear addition to your front room, and enlargement solely will get costlier from right here. Nevertheless, Sonos presents important upgrades over the Arc in just a few key areas. First, because of new Sound Movement tech, the Arc Extremely has much more low-end tone by way of elevated bass efficiency. Added bass makes this a greater speaker for music while you’re not watching TV. That improve additionally allowed the corporate to reconfigure its mid-range drivers and tweeters, increasing the soundbar’s dimensional sound and immersive talents.

The on-board controls had been relocated and up to date, which can also be an enchancment – as is the addition of Bluetooth connectivity. The expanded speech enhancement function comes with a level of customization and there are actually two choices for room calibration. Plus, you’ll get all the things that’s nice about Sonos merchandise: multiroom setups and crisp, clear audio high quality.

Execs

Improved bass efficiency
Crisp, clear and immersive sound
Expanded Speech Enhancement
Suitable with Ace headphones

Cons

Nonetheless only a single HDMI port
Enlargement stays expensive
Massive footprint

$999 at Sonos

Sony

Sony has a protracted monitor report of wonderful high-end soundbars and its latest is one other great-sounding product. The A7000 is a strong Dolby Atmos soundbar, able to immersive 7.1.2 audio because of Sony’s 360 Sound Mapping, Sound Subject Optimization, vertical {surround} know-how and S-Pressure Professional entrance {surround}. There’s a whole lot of tech at work right here, and I haven’t even talked about 360 Actuality Audio or DSEE Excessive upscaling, each useful in terms of 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 glorious readability for each TV exhibits and music.

Two HDMI eARC inputs imply you’ll be able to hook up a number of streaming bins or gaming consoles. And due to HDMI 2.1 assist, you’ll be able to count on 8K and 4K/120 passthrough to your tv, so the A7000 is a superb choice for avid gamers. This soundbar is dear 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 a lot better wanting) SA-RS5 set is $598. In the event 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.

Execs

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 Client Audio

Learn our full Sennheiser Ambeo Mini review

Whereas that is essentially 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 an entire bundle places you at a comparable place to flagship items from the competitors. After getting each although, the Ambeo Mini is really spectacular for a small soundbar.

The principle function is Sennheiser’s spatial Ambeo know-how that first debuted on the large 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 nicely for motion pictures and music. That’s, as long as you splurge for the Ambeo Sub too.

Execs

Compact design
Glorious readability
Nice bass
Simple setup

Cons

Costly
No bundled sub
Ambeo impact is proscribed
One HDMI port

$700 at World Wide Stereo

Engadget

Learn our full Sonos Beam review

Stable sound high quality? Examine. Dolby Atmos? Yep. Compact and straightforward to arrange? Uh huh. Suitable with different Sonos audio system for a extra strong system? You betcha. The primary-gen Sonos Beam has been one in every of 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 for the reason that Beam doesn’t have any upward-firing audio system. Sonos manages to make issues appear extra directional by tweaking audio timing and frequency as a substitute of including extra drivers. The new Beam nonetheless solely has the one HDMI port which implies you received’t be connecting a gaming console or set-top field on to this. It additionally signifies that when you’ve got an older TV with an optical jack, you’ll want an adapter.

Execs

Comparatively compact design
Good sound for its dimension
Helps Dolby Atmos

Cons

One contains one HDMI port

$449 at Sonos

Engadget

Top: 3.66 inches | Width: 21.93 inches | Depth: 2.76 inches | Ports: 1 x Optical, 1 x Ethernet | Channels: 2.0 (non-surround), 5.1 ({surround}) | Voice assistant: None | Max wattage: 10W

Learn our full Sonos Ray review

Sonos’ newest bid for greatest soundbar could also be its most reasonably priced thus far, however at $279, it’s not precisely a price range choose. Particularly when you think about there are cheaper choices that include a subwoofer. Nonetheless, the compact design doesn’t command a whole lot of area in entrance of your TV or in your TV stand, making it an incredible choice for smaller residing areas. The Ray is straightforward to arrange and supplies nice sound high quality for each TV and music, and it pairs seamlessly with iOS units. There are some trade-offs in terms of the immersive nature of the audio, however it’s a very good choice for upgrading your TV sound with minimal fuss.

Execs

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

Cons

Sound isn’t as immersive as you get from bigger fashions
Individuals with massive residing rooms may need a louder speaker
No voice controls

$279 at Sonos

VIZIO

In the event you’re searching for a manner 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 is able to be an incredible alternative for those who don’t need your add-on TV speaker to take up a whole lot of area. There’s no Wi-Fi connectivity, however that’s actually the one sacrifice in terms of 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 telephone or one other gadget. DTS Digital:X compatibility presents a few of the impact of {surround} sound and not using a greater unit or extra audio system.

Execs

Compact design
Consists of wi-fi subwoofer

$159 at Amazon

Different soundbars we examined

Sonos Arc

There’s little doubt that the Arc is Sonos’ best-sounding soundbar, however it’s additionally the corporate’s most costly. With a brand new mannequin based mostly on the Arc rumored to be on the way, it’s tough to advocate this product over the likes of Samsung and Sony. The Arc works nicely as each a soundbar and a speaker, and the gadget will slot in properly with different Sonos gear you may 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 units on to their soundbars.

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus

I don’t assume 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 strong job with immersive audio in its personal proper. Like the remainder of the Ambeo lineup, there’s no choice for satellite tv for pc audio system as you’ll be able to 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 for those who’re into vinyl.

Soundbar FAQs

Is a soundbar higher than audio system?

It actually relies on what you’re after. A soundbar is certainly a less complicated, extra compact resolution in comparison with a full speaker setup. In order for you higher sound than your TV’s built-in setup however don’t wish to cope with a number of audio system and wires all over the 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, for those who’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 provides you with a richer soundstage and extra management over your expertise.

What connection do I want for a soundbar?

Most fashionable soundbars hook up with your TV by way of HDMI ARC or eARC, which is the best and best choice for attaining 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 additionally some additional options like controlling the soundbar along with your TV distant.

If HDMI ARC isn’t an choice in your TV, you need to use an optical cable, which additionally delivers strong 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 units.

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 that you could buy individually. A subwoofer is what offers you that deep, booming bass, so for those who like motion motion pictures 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.

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