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The Best Soundbar

By Brent Butterworth
Updated
Our pick for best soundbar overall, the Polk MagniFi Mini AX Atmos soundbar, next to its remote control and subwoofer.
Photo: Brent Butterworth

The use of a soundbar is the easiest, most affordable way to get a cinematic surround-sound experience at home, and the Polk MagniFi Mini AX’s excellent sound and simple setup make it our favorite all-purpose choice—though we have additional picks that suit different budgets and performance priorities.

Everything we recommend

Our pick

Despite being simple, small, and affordable, this soundbar outperforms many larger, more complicated competitors. But the package doesn’t include surround speakers.

Runner-up

This system includes dedicated surround speakers and motorized upward-firing speakers to produce more immersive sound from Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks.

Buying Options

$550 $400 from Woot (refurbished)

Free (delayed) shipping for Prime members

Budget pick

The Yamaha SR-C30A sounds much more natural than most inexpensive soundbars, even if it can’t match the volume and envelopment of more expensive models.

Buying Options

Upgrade pick

The S95QR includes a powerful subwoofer, surround speakers, five upward-firing Atmos speakers, and lots of inputs and audio streaming options.

How we picked and tested


  • Panel testing

    We tested the soundbars in front of a listening panel, concealing the identities of the soundbars to eliminate bias.

  • No price limit

    We did not set a maximum or minimum price for soundbars to test, and we have recommendations priced from $60 to $1,500.

  • Connections count

    All of our top picks have an HDMI eARC connection, which is the most convenient way to connect a soundbar and TV.

  • Much better bass

    Some of the latest soundbars include subwoofers that our measurements show are competitive with standalone subs.

Read more

Our pick

Despite being simple, small, and affordable, this soundbar outperforms many larger, more complicated competitors. But the package doesn’t include surround speakers.

Looking at the super-compact Polk MagniFi Mini AX, you might not expect much. But in our brand-concealed tests, where the listeners couldn’t judge it by its size, this soundbar outperformed larger, more feature-packed models costing hundreds more. The soundbar measures just 14.5 inches wide, but thanks to its digital signal processing (DSP) technology, it produced a surround-sound effect that was, in some cases, more natural-sounding (if less dramatic) than soundbars using dedicated surround speakers.

The package includes a compact subwoofer that also performed better than its size suggests, producing deep, punchy, satisfying bass, and the system sounded better with music than most soundbars do. The MagniFi Mini AX is compatible with the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive audio formats, and can also stream audio over Wi-Fi via Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast, as well as via Bluetooth.

It offers the essential connection options we like to see—HDMI eARC, optical digital audio, and analog audio—but lacks a dedicated HDMI input to connect a source directly. Optional surround speakers are available.

Runner-up

This system includes dedicated surround speakers and motorized upward-firing speakers to produce more immersive sound from Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks.

Buying Options

$550 $400 from Woot (refurbished)

Free (delayed) shipping for Prime members

If your priority is to get an enveloping surround-sound experience, the Vizio M-Series Elevate is for you. This system is more costly and much more complicated than our top pick, but our listening panel felt it delivered an experience more like being in a commercial cinema—though it did not sound as good with music.

The soundbar has internal, motorized speakers that tilt up and bounce the sound off the ceiling to create a more immersive effect, while a purple-lit sound vent slides out from each side to enhance the surround effect even further. The system also has dedicated rear speakers that connect via cables to the surprisingly powerful 6.5-inch subwoofer.

Features include Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatibility, one standard HDMI input, an HDMI eARC jack, optical and analog audio inputs, lots of adjustments for fine-tuning the sound, Bluetooth, and a dedicated signal-sensing input that lets you connect an Amazon Echo Dot so that the soundbar works as a smart speaker.

All that’s missing is Wi-Fi connectivity to stream music wirelessly via a platform like AirPlay or Chromecast, which is a feature you often get at this price.

Budget pick

The Yamaha SR-C30A sounds much more natural than most inexpensive soundbars, even if it can’t match the volume and envelopment of more expensive models.

Buying Options

If you just want a simple, affordable soundbar to improve your everyday TV-watching experience, the Yamaha SR-C30A is the best soundbar we’ve heard for less than $300. There’s a natural, comfortable character to its sound that’s rare in soundbars at any price, although it doesn’t have the bass power and enveloping surround-sound effects of our pricier picks.

At just 23.5 inches wide, this two-channel (stereo) soundbar is relatively compact. The subwoofer is too small to shake your couch, but it’s got enough power to add a decent amount of kick for action movies and games. The sound with music is smooth, although it can’t match the dynamics and bass power that our other picks have.

The SR-C30A offers one HDMI eARC port, two optical audio inputs, one analog audio input, and Bluetooth—which is the standard complement of features we’d expect for this price.

Upgrade pick

The S95QR includes a powerful subwoofer, surround speakers, five upward-firing Atmos speakers, and lots of inputs and audio streaming options.

The LG S95QR gets you pretty close to the sonic experience of having an AV receiver and surround-sound speaker system, but with easier setup. Billed as a 9.1.5-channel system, the S95QR has three upward-firing immersive speakers built into the top of the soundbar, plus one more upward-firing speaker built into each of the wireless surround speakers.

This system’s extra upward-firing speaker and IMAX Enhanced feature produce an even more enveloping sound than our Vizio runner-up pick, especially with movies encoded in the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats—and it also plays louder without strain. The subwoofer produces powerful, punchy deep bass that really energizes a room (and your emotions).

This full-featured system has both Google Home and Amazon Alexa voice-control compatibility, and it can stream audio via Apple AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, Alexa, and Bluetooth. The S95QR has an HDMI eARC port, plus two HDMI inputs and an optical digital audio input, but no analog audio input.

I have been reviewing audio gear professionally since 1990, having worked as an editor or writer for SoundStage, Sound & Vision, Home Theater Review, Home Theater Magazine, and numerous other publications. In that time, I’ve conducted and published more brand-concealed tests of audio devices than any other journalist in the world, and I am an acknowledged expert in audio measurement. I’ve evaluated and measured more than 140 soundbars in final or prototype form.

For our recent tests, I asked a couple of Wirecutter subscribers, Katy Cook and Andrew Lyman, to give me their opinions on the top contenders. Both of them are tech-savvy, but neither considers themselves to be an audio enthusiast.

If you want better sound than you’re getting from your TV’s built-in speakers but don’t want to piece together separate components (such as an AV or stereo receiver and a speaker package), a soundbar is the way to go.

Separate components usually provide better performance, but they also take up more space and require additional cables, and their operation is more complicated. A good soundbar strikes a balance between performance and convenience, delivering improved sound quality in a package that’s easier to set up and use.

If your top priority is getting the absolute best surround-sound experience, or if you have a lot of source devices (like a cable box, gaming console, streaming media player, and music player) to connect to your TV, you’re better off with an AV receiver and a multi-channel speaker system.

If your primary concern is hearing the dialogue in movies and TV shows, almost any soundbar is better than the speakers built into your TV, and some soundbars have effective voice enhancement modes. We brought in some hard-of-hearing listeners to test the voice enhancement on a few soundbars; you can read the results in this blog.

To decide which soundbars to call in for testing, we considered the following criteria:

  • Number of channels: Soundbars can have anywhere from two to 16 channels of sound. They’re designated as something like “5.1.2,” which means five main speakers, one subwoofer, and two upward-firing immersive speakers for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio formats. Generally speaking, the more channels, the more immersive the surround effect is. Some listeners prefer a simpler, less-expensive model with fewer channels, and some want a more cinematic experience, so we tried everything we could get our hands on.
  • Wireless audio support: We considered only those soundbars that had the ability to stream music from a phone or tablet, via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi (or both). Wi-Fi systems such as AirPlay, Chromecast, and Sonos are more complicated to set up, but they offer potentially better sound quality than Bluetooth because they do not apply additional data compression to the audio signal, and they can work in conjunction with other compatible speakers in a multiroom audio system.
  • HDMI ARC connection: Almost all of the soundbars we tested have an HDMI ARC or eARC (Audio Return Channel) jack, which lets you transmit audio via a single HDMI cable between the TV and soundbar. A basic ARC connection can pass compressed audio formats, while the newer eARC connection (enhanced Audio Return Channel) can pass an uncompressed Atmos signal, if both the TV and soundbar support eARC. The inclusion of an HDMI ARC port is important because when you power up the TV, the soundbar should automatically power up as well, and the remote for the TV or media player can control the soundbar’s volume.
  • HDMI inputs: This feature may be essential if you have a 5.1-channel or Atmos-capable soundbar and want to get the highest-quality sound from streaming media players, Blu-ray players, and video game consoles. Many older TVs can’t pass a full-quality surround-sound signal to a soundbar. If your soundbar has HDMI inputs, you don’t have to worry which version of ARC your gear supports because you can connect your sources directly to the soundbar instead of to the TV.
  • Voice command: Some higher-priced soundbars feature compatibility with Amazon Alexa or Google Home voice-command systems, both of which also allow multiroom audio capability. We’ve tried these features on many soundbars, but in our experience, they don’t work as smoothly or set up as easily as Amazon- and Google-branded devices. Some Vizio models include a signal-sensing input, which lets them function like smart speakers when they’re connected to an Amazon Echo Dot.
  • Configuration: We tested only standard, powered soundbars with built-in amplifiers and audio processing, as opposed to passive soundbars that must be connected to an AV receiver.

Before doing tests with outside listeners, I tried out each soundbar’s various sound modes, tested the different connection options, and got a general feel for how they performed and operated.

For our official listening tests, I concealed the identities of the soundbars behind thin, black fabric. I told the panelists nothing about the soundbars. I set the volume of each soundbar to the same playback level, using a sound pressure level meter and a shaped noise tone taken from a Dolby Digital receiver. I then played various movie and music selections, plus one music track of the listener’s choice.

During these tests, I asked the panelists to pay particular attention to:

  • how clear voices sounded in music and movies
  • the balance of bass to midrange to treble
  • how clean the bars sounded when cranked up
  • the volume, depth, and clarity of the bass response
  • how enveloping the sound was with movies and music
  • how effective the different listening modes were
  • how easy the soundbar was to set up and use

With soundbars that offered special sound modes, I generally employed the mode intended for the type of content I was listening to—movies or music, for instance—but I also experimented with all of the other modes available. If the soundbars had an “auto” or “AI” mode, I relied mostly on that one but tried the others as well. For soundbars with HDMI inputs that support 4K HDR video pass-through, I tested whether this function worked properly with an HDR-capable TV.

To specifically test every soundbar system’s bass capabilities beyond the listening tests, I measured each system using the same process we use for our guide to the best subwoofer. These measurements provide a precise assessment of a speaker’s or subwoofer’s bass capabilities. Below is a chart that shows the results for our recommended soundbars:

Soundbar modelMid-bass output (40–63 Hz)Low bass output (20–31.5 Hz)
Polk MagniFi Mini AX106.8 dB93.6 dB
Vizio M-Series Elevate107.0 dB89.9 dB
Yamaha SR-C30A107.8 dBN/A
LG S95QR114.2 dB95.1 dB
Our pick for best soundbar overall, the Polk MagniFi Mini AX Atmos soundbar, next to its remote control and subwoofer.
Photo: Brent Butterworth

Our pick

Despite being simple, small, and affordable, this soundbar outperforms many larger, more complicated competitors. But the package doesn’t include surround speakers.

For most people, the ideal soundbar is one that delivers a huge upgrade from the sound of their TV’s built-in speakers, with a reasonable cost, a small footprint, and no setup hassles. That perfectly describes the Polk MagniFi Mini AX.

This small package delivers big sound for movies. The two-piece system consists of a soundbar and small subwoofer. The bar measures just 14.5 inches across, but in our brand-concealed listening tests, it beat out larger and more expensive models (including Polk’s step-up model, the MagniFi Max AX). In my lengthy listening tests that preceded our more structured tests, I found its big, spacious, and detailed sound to be competitive with everything else I heard in the mid-three-figures range.

Our listeners agreed: “With this one, I can perceive more layers of sound and more of the sound effects, like the whistling sound that happens when the depth charges explode in U-571,” one said. In some ways, the simulated surround sound that the MagniFi Mini AX produces seems more natural than the “real” surround sound of the more expensive 5.1-and-up models we tested because there are no rear speakers blaring into your ears and distracting you from the dialogue. Even without surround speakers, we heard what seemed like sounds coming from all around us and even above us at times.

Polk offers the SR2 wireless surround speakers as an optional add-on. We tried them and found that, while they don’t really make the sound of the MagniFi Mini AX more enveloping, they do let you hear specific sound effects from the rear channels more clearly.

The 7-inch-wide subwoofer that comes with the MagniFi Mini AX is fairly compact, with a single 5-by-7-inch oval-shaped woofer. While it can’t really shake the couch, it does reproduce the lowest bass notes in music and the low-frequency sound effects in action movies without distorting or audibly clamping down on the bass.

Our CTA-2010 measurements showed that its output averaged 106.8 decibels in the mid-bass and 93.6 dB in the low bass. The mid-bass number is comparable to what we got with our other mid- and low-priced picks, but the low bass number is only 1.5 dB less than our upgrade pick, the LG S95QR, produced. For a soundbar in this price range, this is impressive.

The MagniFi Mini AX has four preset sound modes labeled Music, Movie, 3D, and Night, all of which are easily accessible from a button on the remote control. The 3D mode gave us that big, enveloping sound we loved for movies; but with music, it seemed to add some extra reverberance that we didn’t like.

It’s great for music, too. In the Music mode, there’s not as much stereo spaciousness as the larger soundbars produced, but the Mini AX also didn’t produce the vocal-mangling tonal shifts we heard with so many other soundbars when they tried to reproduce music.

There’s also a Voice Assist mode intended to make dialogue sound clearer, which can be activated and adjusted from the remote. It doesn’t produce the kind of voice boost that hard-of-hearing people will probably find helpful, but it does make dialogue easier to understand for people without hearing loss.

The MagniFi Mini AX has one HDMI eARC port, plus optical digital and 3.5 mm analog audio inputs. Photo: Brent Butterworth

It’s simple to set up and operate. In most cases, setup will involve placing the soundbar below your TV and running one HDMI cable between the two. The subwoofer connects wirelessly to the soundbar, so you can put it anywhere in the room.

The top-mounted controls have raised white labels against a black background, so they’re easy to see in the dark. The same is true of the remote, which lets you access all of the soundbar’s adjustments directly, instead of requiring you to navigate a menu system.

You can stream audio wirelessly from a phone, tablet, or computer using Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2 (which requires an iOS device for setup), or Google Chromecast (which can be set up using iOS or Android devices).

Flaws but not dealbreakers

  • There are no dedicated HDMI inputs for connecting source devices. The MagniFi Mini AX has just one HDMI eARC port to connect directly to your TV. So if you have multiple sources (such as a Blu-ray player and a gaming system or two) that you want to connect directly to the soundbar, you might want to opt for a soundbar with more inputs.
  • It can’t play as loud as larger models. But most people don’t need any more volume than the MagniFi Mini AX can muster.
  • It doesn’t have holes for wall-mounting. However, it can be positioned on the wall using soundbar wall-mount brackets.
Our pick for best soundbar with more immersive surround-sound, the Vizio M-Series Elevate Atmos, with speakers and a remote.
Photo: Brent Butterworth

Runner-up

This system includes dedicated surround speakers and motorized upward-firing speakers to produce more immersive sound from Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks.

Buying Options

$550 $400 from Woot (refurbished)

Free (delayed) shipping for Prime members

If you want a more immersive surround-sound experience, we recommend the Vizio M-Series Elevate. It offers more features, inputs, and adjustments than our top pick, but it’s also more costly and much more complex to set up and use.

This system adds up-firing drivers and dedicated rear speakers. The soundbar itself features motorized speakers that tilt upward automatically (or at your command) with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content, to create a sense of sound effects happening above you, while purple-lit vents slide out from the sides to add extra sonic immersion around the sides. And the package includes two rear speakers to be placed at the sides or back of the room for more convincing surround effects.

Our panelists enjoyed the extra spaciousness they heard through this system. Even though they felt that the Polk MagniFi Mini AX sounded more natural and had a better balance of bass to midrange to treble, they thought the M-Series Elevate sounded more exciting with action movies. It also reproduced impacts and explosions in movie soundtracks with more gusto.

Our CTA-2010 measurements showed that the M-Series Elevate’s subwoofer output averaged 107.0 dB in the mid-bass and 89.9 dB in the low bass. That’s about the same as the Polk MagniFi Mini AX in the mid-bass, but 3.7 dB less in the low bass, so the Elevate’s sub might deliver a tiny bit less kick on explosions in action movies. Unlike many Vizio soundbars, the M-Series Elevate’s factory-preset subwoofer level isn’t overly loud, and you can turn it up or down if it doesn’t suit your taste (or your neighbors’ tolerance).

Its performance with music was just OK. The panelists liked the sound well enough with music, but it didn’t stand out for them. I thought the M-Series Elevate sounded clearer and more natural with song vocals than most soundbars do, but our listeners thought the music sound was just average.

The M-Series Elevate offers a nice selection of inputs. You get one HDMI eARC port, one HDMI input (good for connecting a Blu-ray player to get full lossless sound from discs with Dolby Atmos or DTS:X), optical digital and 3.5 mm analog inputs, and an extra 3.5 mm input with signal sensing.

The signal-sensing input is intended for connection to a smart speaker with an analog audio output, such as an Amazon Echo Dot. When you speak a command to the Dot, the M-Series Elevate automatically turns on and switches to the signal-sensing input, and you hear the sound of the Dot through the soundbar. When I asked it to play radio station KNTU, it should have responded “The One, from Tune-In,” but it cut off “The.” We can live with that.

The soundbar has a slide-out vent on each end that provides more immersive surround sound with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks. Photo: Brent Butterworth

The remote is useful but complex. It has a backlit alphanumeric display at the top, with four buttons that access different control menus (EQ, Level, Setup, and Effect), and each of those offers several control functions—so it’s complicated to operate.

However, it’s also powerful, allowing adjustment of the different channel levels (such as subwoofer, center, and surround), tone controls, and sound modes (such as Movie, Music, and Game). You can even turn off the purple lighting on the slide-out sound vents.

Physical setup is more complicated. Though the subwoofer communicates wirelessly with the soundbar, the rear speakers must be wired to the subwoofer. The included speaker cables are long, but it still means running cables across the room and will affect where you place the subwoofer.

Beyond that, the M-Series Elevate is fairly living-room-friendly. The soundbar measures 41.2 inches long, and the subwoofer is one of the shortest we’ve tested—just 9.5 inches high—so it should be able to tuck under many end tables. The M-Series Elevate doesn’t have holes for wall-mounting, but it can be wall-mounted using soundbar wall-mount brackets.

There’s no Wi-Fi capability. This is the only significant downside to the M-Series Elevate because it means there’s no built-in support for Apple AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, or Amazon Alexa. These are fairly common features in this soundbar’s price range.

However, the system does offer Bluetooth for wireless audio streaming, and connecting an Amazon Echo Dot to the M-Series Elevate allows voice-activated streaming of popular internet music services.

Our pick for best soundbar on a budget, the Yamaha SR-C30A, next to its subwoofer and remote control.
Photo: Brent Butterworth

Budget pick

The Yamaha SR-C30A sounds much more natural than most inexpensive soundbars, even if it can’t match the volume and envelopment of more expensive models.

Buying Options

If you want a simple, affordable solution that provides a huge step up from your TV’s built-in speakers, the Yamaha SR-C30A offers the clearest sound we’ve heard from a soundbar/subwoofer combo priced under $300. The compact, 23.5-inch-long bar is a good fit for almost any TV, and while the soundbar doesn’t have a lot of inputs, it has all the ones most people will need. It also lacks Atmos/DTS:X support and any kind of Wi-Fi streaming, but it has Bluetooth.

Vocal clarity is great for this price range. Most soundbars in this range have flaws that make voices sound hoarse, boomy, or strained, but our panelists thought the SR-C30A’s voice reproduction approached that of the more expensive models we tested.

We all felt the SR-C30A had a more natural-sounding balance of bass to midrange to treble than the other inexpensive models we tested, meaning that no frequencies of sound seemed boosted, which might make the sound boomy or harsh.

We were also surprised to hear that, with the 3D Sound mode enabled, the SR-C30A gave us a fairly convincing sense of surround sound; it didn’t make us feel quite like we were part of the action, but we could hear sounds seeming to come from the sides of the room.

The sound with music was fairly one-dimensional, much like what we’ve heard from one-box home Bluetooth speakers, but the SR-C30A’s natural-sounding tonal balance left our panelists thinking it was just fine for casual music listening.

The system’s weak spot is the subwoofer. While pretty good for its size, it’s one of the smallest subs we encountered, with just a 5.2-inch woofer. On effects like the cannon shots and depth charges in U-571, the sub gave us a polite, restrained boom rather than a couch-shaking experience. However, at just 6 inches wide, it can nestle almost unnoticed against the side of a couch or under an end table.

Our CTA-2010 measurements showed that its output averaged 107.8 dB in the mid-bass, but the output was unmeasurable at 25 and 20 Hz, so we couldn’t calculate a low bass average. That’s acceptable bass performance for a small living room or bedroom, but for a larger space, we recommend stepping up to something bigger.

The SR-C30A has one HDMI eARC port, two optical digital audio inputs, and one 3.5 mm analog audio input. Photo: Brent Butterworth

The SR-C30A’s inputs aren’t numerous, but they’re similar to what’s found on most soundbars around this price: one HDMI eARC port, two optical digital audio inputs, and one 3.5 mm analog audio input. So you’ll have to connect your video sources to your TV, then connect the TV to the soundbar. The SR-C30A has holes on the back for wall-mounting.

The remote control is simple and straightforward. All the controls are clearly labeled, and there's no menu system to fuss with. It provides dedicated buttons for all of the inputs and sound modes, plus a Clear Voice dialogue enhancement and Bass Extension buttons, neither of which seemed to do much.

Note that Yamaha says another model, the ATS-C300 soundbar, is identical to the SR-C30A, but was given a different model number to indicate that it’s sold through different retailers than the SR-C30A. We haven’t tested the ATS-C300, but we couldn’t spot a difference between the two models when we scanned the specs on Yamaha’s website.

Our pick for best soundbar that is closer to a surround-sound speaker system, the LG S95QR Atmos soundbar.
Photo: Brent Butterworth

Upgrade pick

The S95QR includes a powerful subwoofer, surround speakers, five upward-firing Atmos speakers, and lots of inputs and audio streaming options.

For theaterphiles who also appreciate simplicity, the LG S95QR is the best way to get performance close to that of a real surround-sound speaker system without the complicated setup and confusing operation of a typical AV receiver. The package includes the large soundbar, a subwoofer, and two wireless surround speakers.

The system has a total of five upward-firing speakers, to create a better sense of immersion. There are three in the soundbar, and one in each of the surround speakers. This setup allows it to produce exciting, enveloping sound with any good surround-sound movie, but especially with movies encoded in Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

An especially nice feature of the S95QR is its AI Sound Pro mode, which automatically adjusts the surround-sound effect to suit whatever you’re listening to. I left this mode on for most of our listening tests, and it seemed to deliver a just-right surround effect no matter what we played.

This system can play louder than our other picks. The soundbar, rear surround speakers, and subwoofer are all large enough to fill an average living room with powerful surround sound that doesn’t get harsh when it’s played loud; the system always seemed ready and willing to play louder when we wanted it to. The one caveat is that the sound sometimes seemed a little bright, and the rear surround speakers too loud, but it was pretty easy to fix these flaws using the remote control to adjust the treble and surround levels.

The S95QR is the first IMAX Enhanced soundbar we’ve tested. We tried streaming Iron Man in its IMAX Enhanced version from Disney+, and comparing the S95QR with the similar (but non-IMAX) Samsung HW-Q990B soundbar: The sound from the LG definitely seemed more enveloping, with more sound seeming to come from all around us.

The powerful subwoofer can easily shake the couch. The subwoofer is just as big a star as the soundbar in this system, producing powerful, floor-shaking bass when the depth charges went off in U-571, and strong deep bass notes when we played pop and R&B tunes. This subwoofer doesn’t boom annoyingly like a cheap soundbar sub—it has the punch and clarity of a small dedicated subwoofer. (The woofer size isn’t specified, but it appears to be about 8 inches in diameter.)

Our CTA-2010 measurements showed that its output averaged 114.2 dB in the mid-bass and 95.1 dB in the low bass. The mid-bass number is about 7 dB higher than what our other picks achieved, which means you’ll feel more punch during impacts and explosions in action movies. The low-bass number is a little more than we got from the Polk MagniFi Mini AX, but still far short of what you’d get with a dedicated subwoofer.

The S95QR has two HDMI inputs, along with an HDMI eARC port; the only other input is an optical digital input. Photo: Brent Butterworth

The S95QR is packed with features. It has an HDMI eARC port plus two HDMI inputs, so you can connect a Blu-ray player and a gaming system (or two gaming systems) directly to it and get the maximum fidelity of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks. It also has Bluetooth, plus Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay 2 streaming through Wi-Fi, and it can also function as a Google Home and Amazon Alexa smart speaker, so it can stream through Alexa, too.

The remote control is OK, but the control app is better. The remote looks as simple as the ones that come with inexpensive soundbars, but it’s far more capable. Many of the adjustments are made through a cryptic, five-character alphanumeric display on the soundbar’s front panel, but LG offers an easy-to-navigate smartphone app that accesses all functions, plus AI Room Calibration, which plays some test tones and automatically optimizes the sound for your room.

The components are large. At 47.2 inches long, the soundbar may be too big for some TVs and TV stands; it barely fit between the feet of my 65-inch Vizio TV. The subwoofer’s not small either, but at just 7.6 inches wide, it should be easy to slip between pieces of furniture. The soundbar doesn’t have holes for wall mounting, but it can be positioned there using soundbar wall-mount brackets.

If you want to improve your TV’s sound but don’t want to fool with a subwoofer: The Denon DHT-S217 is a 2.0-channel Atmos soundbar that doesn’t include a subwoofer—although it has a subwoofer output, so you can add the sub of your choice if you like. Two 3.5-inch woofers on the bottom give it a surprising amount of bass, and it still sounds clear even when cranked up loud. Even though it doesn’t have upward-firing speakers, this soundbar produced a strong immersive effect when we played Dolby’s Atmos demo disc. It has an HDMI eARC port, an HDMI input, plus optical digital and analog audio inputs.

If you want a super-affordable, super-compact soundbar with streaming built in: Consider the Roku Streambar, a 14-inch-long, 2.0-channel, HDMI-equipped bar with the equivalent of a Roku Streaming Stick 4K streamer (a current pick in our best media streaming devices guide) built in. The Streambar sounds much clearer, louder, and fuller than almost any TV speakers, and it’s better than most inexpensive 2.0 soundbars. In our tests, we found it nice for all but the loudest movies, as well as for streaming music from Spotify and YouTube through Roku, and it includes Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay 2 support. It’s also available packaged with the Wireless Bass subwoofer, but the Wireless Bass falls well short of the power of the subwoofer included with our budget pick, the Yamaha CR-30A, so we’d suggest going with the Yamaha and getting a separate streamer or using the streaming features built into your TV or other devices.

If you want a soundbar that’s slim, simple, and under $100: The TaoTronics TT-SK023 sounds so good for its size and price that we seriously considered making it a pick—even though it doesn’t have an HDMI ARC port and it can’t match the full sound of the Roku Streambar. If you can get by with just Bluetooth plus analog and optical digital inputs, it’s a great choice for a vacation home or kids room.

If you want excellent sound but don’t want a subwoofer: The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 is a one-piece Atmos soundbar with optional subwoofer and surround speakers. It produces exceptionally enveloping and spacious sound, and it incorporates Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, and Bluetooth, so it works well with audio gear from many other companies. It also has a slim, beautiful design and an included remote control. But it lacks HDMI inputs, DTS:X support, and an analog input.

If you want the least-expensive 5.1 soundbar that still sounds good: The TCL Q6510 can’t match the oomph (the maximum volume and deep-bass power) of the Yamaha SR-C30A, but it sounds clear with voices. And thanks to its included surround speakers (which connect via wires to the subwoofer), it delivers a convincing surround-sound effect. This bar doesn’t include Dolby Atmos support, but its DTS Virtual:X processing somewhat increases the immersive effect. It includes Bluetooth plus optical and analog outputs, but only a single HDMI ARC jack and no extra HDMI inputs.

Several new soundbars were announced at the CES 2024 trade show, and we hope to get them in for testing when they’re available.

Klipsch’s new Flexus modular audio system includes two soundbar models, surround speakers, and a subwoofer. All of them use electronics designed by Onkyo, which is owned by Klipsch’s parent company, Voxx International. The Core 100 ($300) and Core 200 ($450) soundbars feature Dolby Atmos; the latter has upward-firing drivers to enhance the Atmos effect. The Surr 100 ($250 for a pair) surround speakers and Sub 100 ($300) subwoofer are optional. Klipsch expects the Flexus system to be available in April.

LG showed three new Atmos-compatible models but did not announce pricing or availability. The SG10Y is about as flat as a typical TV; mounted on a wall, it won’t stick out as far as most soundbars do. The S95TR is the latest version of our current upgrade pick, the S95QR. Both the SG10Y and the S95TR add Wowcast, which connects the soundbar wirelessly to select LG TVs to provide lossless audio, so the only connection the soundbar needs is power. LG also showed the S70TY soundbar, a compact model that attaches directly to LG QNED TVs via an optional bracket.

Samsung debuted several new models at CES 2024 but did not announce pricing or availability. The HW-Q990D, the company’s new flagship model, has an 11.1.4, Dolby Atmos–compatible configuration that includes upward-firing drivers in the soundbar and surround speakers. It’s one of the very few soundbars we’ve encountered that are compatible with the subscription-based Roon music-management system. It also features 4K 120 Hz video pass-through for better compatibility with gaming consoles. In addition, Samsung showed two new slim soundbars: the HW-S800D, the latest version of the 1.6-inch-deep model introduced in 2022, and the HW-S700D, a smaller model measuring just 1.5 inches deep. There’s also the HW-G60C, a model designed primarily for gaming, with four built-in microphones for gaming communications and smart-assistant functions.

SoundFun demoed the Mirai Speaker ($300), which is designed to enhance and clarify dialogue. The front grille hides two curved driver panels to create what the company says is a broad sound wave that produces clear sound for multiple listeners, although it cautions that the effect varies from person to person. However, the Mirai offers only analog and optical digital inputs, no HDMI.

TCL announced several new Atmos-compatible models. The Q85H is a 7.1.4-channel model that includes rear speakers with upward-firing drivers for Atmos, while the Q75H 5.1.4 model has built-in side surround speakers. TCL will also have two more affordable models, the 2.0-channel S45H and 2.1-channel S55H, both of which offer automatic room calibration, a rare feature in affordable soundbars. TCL did not announce pricing or ship dates.

We’ve tested numerous soundbars over the years, so we can’t cover them all here. Below are write-ups on some of the more recent and noteworthy models we’ve evaluated. If you don’t see a certain model you’re interested in, check out our running list of the soundbars we’ve tested.

The Bose Smart Soundbar 600 is similar to the Smart Soundbar 900 (featured in Other good soundbars) in terms of features and sound, but it’s smaller and less costly and it needs a subwoofer more than the Smart Soundbar 900 does.

Our listeners liked the immersive surround effects and powerful subwoofer of the JBL Bar 1300X, but they didn’t consider it significantly better than the LG S95QR, and they found the concept of its detachable, rechargeable surround speakers confusing.

With its dual 8-inch subwoofers, Nakamichi’s Shockwafe Elite 7.2 eARC produces much stronger bass than any other soundbar we tested for our latest update, but its Dolby Atmos immersive sound effects are unimpressive, and with music, vocals often sounded buried in the mix.

Samsung’s HW-Q900C is the latest version of a former top pick. It combines a powerful subwoofer with a soundbar that has upward-firing and side-firing drivers built in. Our panelists found the LG S95QR’s sound to be as dynamic, but more immersive. If you want powerful home-theater sound but don’t want to fool with surround speakers, it’s a good choice.

The Samsung HW-S800B is a super-slim soundbar that’s only 1.5 inches high but is sonically competitive with larger models. It includes an amazingly powerful and punchy mini subwoofer. All of our listeners loved the subwoofer, but two out of three felt it was weak on dialogue and Dolby Atmos effects.

The Sonos Arc is a former pick. It offers great sound, easy operation, built-in voice control via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, and the same extensive access to streaming services that other Sonos speakers offer. However, many owners have noted loud popping sounds when playing Atmos material; this reportedly can be fixed by disabling Atmos, but it makes us hesitant to recommend the Arc. The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is similar and about half the price, but its smaller size means it doesn’t play as loud or offer as much bass.

The Sony HT-S2000 is a one-piece bar to which you can add an optional subwoofer and/or surround speakers. It’s a nice-sounding unit, but pricey for a one-piece bar—and adding the extra components more than doubles the system price.

The Sony HT-A5000 produces dramatic overhead speaker effects with Atmos soundtracks, but it seems to emphasize the upper range of voices in a way that makes the sound rather glaring—and despite a large, button-filled remote and a dedicated smartphone app, we could find no way to fine-tune the sound.

The Vizio M512a-H6 is a former also-great pick, and still probably the best bet if you want an under-$500 soundbar that includes surround speakers. We’d rather step up to the Vizio M-Series Elevate, but if you want to save a couple hundred dollars, the M512a-H6 is a great choice.

The Yamaha True X Bar 50A sounds especially clear with voices (even without its Clear Voice feature activated), but its surround effects and subwoofer seem somewhat subdued compared with what we heard from other mid-three-figure models. Also, we were unable to get the optional surround speakers to pair with the bar, a problem we haven’t had with any other soundbar that uses separate surround speakers.

If you’re just looking for a simple option to deal with dialogue clarity and don’t need all the bells and whistles of a full-fledged soundbar, Zvox’s AccuVoice TV speakers are a good choice, as they use hearing-aid technology to improve dialogue clarity. Read more about Zvox devices here.

This article was edited by Adrienne Maxwell and Grant Clauser.

Meet your guide

Brent Butterworth

Brent Butterworth is a senior staff writer covering audio and musical instruments at Wirecutter. Since 1989, he has served as an editor or writer on audio-focused websites and magazines such as Home Theater, Sound & Vision, and SoundStage. He regularly gigs on double bass with various jazz groups, and his self-produced album Take2 rose as high as number three on the Roots Music Report jazz album chart.

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