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if you've just bought a fancy new TV, you may be surprised to find it sounds just as bad as your old one (or worse). Even the best TVs we've tested need a hand to provide sound that keeps up with their fantastic displays. But it can be tough knowing where to start when it comes to upgrading your TV audio. Never fear, intrepid buyer: The easiest and most affordable solution is to just get a soundbar. Modern soundbars come in all shapes, sizes, and prices. Here, we've made a checklist of sorts to consider before pressing the Buy button.
Be sure to check out our Best Soundbars and Best Bookshelf Speakers guides, our advice on How to Buy a TV, and How to Upgrade Your Home Audio. Our Best TVs guide will help you get started on the perfect screen too.
Table of ContentsWhy You Need a SoundbarFinding the Right SizeDo You Need a Subwoofer?Connecting Your SoundbarWhat About Surround Sound and Dolby Atmos?Advanced FeaturesHow Much Should You Pay?Brands We Like
Updated September 2024: We've added new information about HDMI eARC connection, the latest soundbar tech, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X format compatibility, and more.
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Why You Need a Soundbar
Soundbars are a great first step into home theater audio because they are generally compact and easy to set up and sound vastly better than most built-in TV speakers. Seriously: TV speakers are bad! The spectrum of quality you can get from a soundbar ranges from basic improvements to the bass and overall soundstage to the type of room-filling sound you might expect from a more traditional home theater audio system (a system with wired speakers and a dedicated receiver). Regardless of what you're watching, a soundbar is a low-effort way of getting more out of your viewing experience.
Finding the Right Size
Soundbars come in multiple size configurations, denoted by the size of the acoustic chamber and the amount of built-in full-range, bass, and height channels. You can think of soundbar channels as the number of individual zones emitting sound. A “2.1” soundbar system has at least two individually powered speakers and a dedicated subwoofer. A 5.1 system has at least five main speakers (a center, left, right, plus two surrounds) and a subwoofer. Our favorite soundbars usually have at least three channels in front (left, center, and right) and a subwoofer. That's a 3.1 system. The center channel is generally the most important because that's where TV and film mixers put dialog. Have trouble hearing dialog in movies and shows? Get a 3-channel bar at the very least.
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Sometimes, you'll see an additional number at the end, like a 5.1.2 system. The “.2” means there are two height channels. In soundbars, these are upward-facing speakers that bounce sound off the ceiling and walls, simulating ceiling-mounted speakers for content mixed in 3D audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Basically, these soundbars try to re-create a full surround-sound experience without requiring you to string up a bunch of speakers. Pricier soundbar systems will come with additional dedicated rear and side-firing drivers that bounce sound off your walls for more immersion.
The more channels, the bigger your soundbar will likely be. The most important step is to make sure whatever you buy will fit on your media console (ideally, it'll fit right between your TV's legs too).
Do You Need a Subwoofer?
For most spaces, it's highly worth considering a soundbar with a dedicated subwoofer. If these are too expensive or you're worried about the neighbors, some soundbars have a less overt bass channel built in, while other systems let you add a subwoofer later, including models from Roku, Sonos, Klipsch, Polk, and others. Many of these allow you to add surround speakers as well, letting you upgrade to a full surround-sound system.
You'll need to make some space for the subwoofer. (These are chunky boxes with big speakers inside to crank out powerful bass, after all.) Thankfully, since bass is omnidirectional and most subs are wireless, you have some latitude in placement, though exactly where it works best may depend on your room's acoustics and power outlet location. If you get surround speakers (more on this later), you'll probably need speaker stands or mounts.
Connecting Your Soundbar
Most modern soundbars use what’s called HDMI ARC (“audio return channel”), allowing you to easily connect them to a TV via a single HDMI cable. Then just plug in the power and you're connected! This also usually lets you use your TV remote to control volume and power, though older TVs may require you to turn on CEC (consumer electronics communication) in the settings. Newer TVs and soundbars offer the newer HDMI eARC (enhanced audio return channel) protocol, which provides higher bandwidth to let your TV pass through high-quality, uncompressed audio from connected devices, as well as a few other upgrades. Both your TV and soundbar must support eARC to reap the benefits, but it's backward compatible with HDMI ARC.
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Most soundbars also offer optical audio inputs for older TVs without HDMI ARC support, but you'll want to check to make sure (or you could just upgrade to a new TV too!). We recommend sticking to soundbars with HDMI ARC at a minimum. It's a much simpler connection, and it's the minimum requirement for sending 3D audio formats that use height channels like Dolby Atmos or DTS:X.
Most soundbars support wireless streaming via Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth. Higher-quality models may also provide spare HDMI inputs to plug in source devices directly and pass video through to your TV like a traditional A/V receiver. What you need depends entirely on your use case, but for most people, a simple HDMI connection for HDMI ARC/eARC will suffice. These cables are usually included in the box. If not, here is an affordable cable we like.
What About Surround Sound and Dolby Atmos?
Surround sound is exactly what it sounds like—you're surrounding yourself with sound. It can make movies, games, or live sports feel more realistic. The best surround soundbars use dedicated rear surround speakers. Others use digital audio processing, sometimes mixed with side-firing drivers to create a virtual surround effect. Some virtual surround systems can be effective, but they can't replace the true immersion of dedicated surround sound speakers.
The same goes for 3D sound formats with height channels like Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. While no soundbars we've tested use ceiling-mounted speakers, the best models place up-firing drivers in both the soundbar and rear surround speakers to fully submerge you when playing supported content.
If you're considering true surround speakers, you'll want to look into using stands to place them behind your sitting area. You'll also want to consider whether to get wireless speakers (which still usually require a power outlet) or wired speakers that need to connect back to the bar.
Advanced Features
Many Wi-Fi-ready soundbars feature smart assistants, multiroom audio connectivity, and other bells and whistles. If you’ve already got a smart assistant you love like Alexa or Google Assistant, keep this in mind when shopping. You might not need a smart speaker in your living room if you end up with a smart soundbar instead. Conversely, if you don’t want those features, you can save some money by avoiding soundbars with all the fancy stuff. For example, Klipsch soundbars tend to skip Wi-Fi and smart features to focus on sound quality and extra components instead.
How Much Should You Pay?$100 or Less
You can find small, budget soundbars in this price range, and they’re still better than the speakers in your TV. They can be a good option if your budget is tight, but they're most useful for TVs in smaller spaces like bedrooms or kitchens.
$100 to $400
This is a good price range for most non-surround soundbars. Look for recognizable brands like Samsung, Vizio, Sony, Polk, LG, Bose, Klipsch, and Sonos. You usually don't want to purchase a soundbar in this price range without a wireless subwoofer included, though Sonos and Bose have soundbars in this range that sound pretty good, and come with advanced networking features. You can also find soundbars with true surround sound speakers below $400, but most of them aren’t the best for truly immersive sound. Similarly, many bars will offer Dolby Atmos and/or DTS:X “support,” but the effect will be limited unless they offer dedicated up-firing drivers.
$400 to $1,000
This is the price category where you’ll start to see high-quality surround soundbars with subwoofers, real satellite speakers, and Dolby Atmos support. At this range, you'll also start to see advanced features like Wi-Fi streaming, multiroom audio, spare HDMI inputs, and the ability to add wireless surround sound speakers and subwoofers later. Depending on your use case, anything at this level should offer lots of extras, multiple audio components, or both.
For serious music fans, this is also where you can get into quality powered/active bookshelf speakers. These all-in-one stereo systems offer much higher fidelity and musicality than most soundbars, and often come with versatile connectivity like HDMI ARC, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Brands like KEF, SVS, and Klipsch are currently among our favorites.
More Than $1,000
At this price, you’ll see the biggest, boldest soundbar systems with the most possible speakers for height and surround audio. These are aimed at those with the cash to build out a small home theater system but without the room or patience for systems that require lots of wiring and discrete components like an A/V receiver. If you're going much higher, I'd consider a true, traditional home theater system with speakers, amps, and a receiver, or audiophile-grade speaker systems like the KEF LS50 Wireless bookshelf series.
Brands We Like
Virtually all well-known electronics brands make decent soundbars. Our favorites include Samsung, Sonos, Bose, Polk, Vizio, Klipsch, Yamaha, JBL, Sony, Sennheiser, and a few others. Try to visit a store that has many soundbars to audition. You'll be surprised how different they can sound. Be sure to check out our Best Soundbars guide for our favorites.
