Top-tier Soundbars in 2025: Catering to All Requirements, Suggested by Our Professionals
Upgrade your home cinema experience with these unbeatable soundbars! Our team has put in the hard work and tested dozens of soundbars from various manufacturers, comparing them side by side with the best at their respective price points.
We have been testing soundbars since their emergence in the early 2000s and have a wealth of experience in evaluating their performance. We understand that every budget is different, so we have compiled a list of the top soundbars tailored to fit your needs.
Best Soundbars for Every Budget
Best Soundbar Overall - Sonos Arc Ultra
This flagship soundbar from Sonos punches well above its weight, delivering crystal-clear audio and an immersive surround sound experience, thanks to its Dolby Atmos capabilities. It boasts superb clarity, precision, and tuneful bass, making it the perfect choice for most people.
Best Cheap Soundbar - Sony HT-SF150 / HT-S100F
Looking for an affordable way to significantly boost your TV’s sound? Look no further! This Sony soundbar offers a significant sonic enhancement for a minimal investment, perfect for those on a tight budget.
Best Step-Up Soundbar - Sony HT-S2000
If you're looking for a soundbar that delivers excellent sound quality for a low price, the Sony HT-S2000 is a fantastic choice. Its price point offers features unavailable in comparative rivals, such as Dolby Atmos and HDMI eARC.
Best Entry-Level Dolby Atmos Soundbar - Sonos Beam Gen 2
This compact soundbar from Sonos does it all and does it exceptionally well. It delivers Dolby Atmos, stunning clarity, precision, and remarkable immersion, all while maintaining a small profile.
Best Mid-Range Soundbar - Sonos Arc
Sonos's flagship soundbar is a significant step up from the Beam (Gen 2) in terms of sound quality, excelling in larger rooms. Its sound performance is second to none, making it an ideal choice for those seeking a high-quality soundbar.
Best Soundbar with HDMI 2.1 - Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9
Sony's flagship Dolby Atmos soundbar offers near-identical performance to the Sonos Arc Ultra while boasting an HDMI 2.1 input, a feature missing from its Sonos rival. This difference could prove crucial for those wanting to utilize the latest gaming technologies.
Best Soundbar Package - Samsung HW-Q990D
This soundbar package from Samsung delivers Dolby Atmos in a way few standalone soundbars can match, combining the main soundbar, subwoofer, and wireless rear speakers for a true surround sound experience.
Best High-End Soundbar - Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max
This Sennheiser soundbar is expensive, large, and a bit fussy, but it sounds unbelievable. Its sound quality is arguably the best of any single-chassis soundbar, making it a worthwhile investment for audiophiles.
What to Consider When Choosing a Soundbar
Before you buy, bear these factors in mind:
- Dimensions of Your TV: Ensure that the soundbar isn't too small or too large for your TV, as this may affect the overall visual impact.
- Connectivity: Consider the available connectivity options, such as ARC or eARC-enabled HDMI ports, optical inputs, and wireless connectivity like Bluetooth, Chromecast, or Airplay.
- Features: Check for customization options like equalizer settings, voice assistants, and streaming services.
- Sound Quality: If you're looking for an immersive home cinema experience, prioritize soundbars that support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio.
- Content Viewing: Aspects like the TV's resolution and audio format support (such as Dolby TrueHD and eARC) can impact the soundbar's overall performance.
How we Test Soundbars
We meticulously evaluate soundbars in our state-of-the-art test facilities in London and Reading, allowing for extensive listening time and running-in periods. Each soundbar's performance is compared to the best in its class, giving an accurate and fair assessment. We strive for impartiality, comparing soundbars to the class-leading products we have in our stockrooms to ensure that our opinions are as unbiased as possible.
FAQs
What is a soundbar?
A soundbar is a long, thin speaker designed to improve the audio quality of TVs.
Are soundbars better than TV speakers?
In most cases, soundbars offer a significant improvement in sound quality over TV speakers, due to their dedicated technologies and larger speaker arrays.
Is a soundbar worth having?
Yes, a soundbar is well worth considering if you care about enhancing your TV audio, especially for those with premium TVs who want a more immersive experience. A soundbar provides a much more significant upgrade than simply increasing the TV's volume.
How do I connect a soundbar to my TV?
Most soundbars can be connected to TVs using HDMI or optical cables, although some newer soundbars support wirelessly connecting through Bluetooth, Airplay, or Chromecast.
Is ARC or Optical better for a soundbar?
While both ARC (Audio Return Channel) and Optical connections will offer improved audio quality for your TV sound, ARC allows for a bi-directional data transfer and supports higher-resolution audio formats, making it the preferred choice for most soundbars.
What are the best equalizer settings for a soundbar?
The ideal equalizer settings for a soundbar depend on the room's acoustics, the type of content being watched, and personal preference. However, many soundbars come with preset equalizer settings designed to optimize the sound based on the content type, such as movie, music, or news.
Sources:
- How to Choose and Set Up a Soundbar - What Hi-Fi?
- Best Soundbars - What Hi-Fi?
- How We Test All Soundbars - What Hi-Fi?
- How to Set Up a Soundbar - Mashable
- How to Buy the Best Soundbar For You - TechRadar
- 8 Soundbar Buying Tips to Consider Before You Buy - CNET
- [Soundbars Explained: Everything You Need to Know](https://www.v Though the inputs provided are comprehensive, it's essential to remember that not all details may be necessarily applicable or relevant in every situation. The restructured content aims to present the information in a more accessible and thoughtful manner, while maintaining the essence of the base article.
- The Sonos Arc Ultra, a top-tier soundbar, offers crystal-clear audio and immersive surround sound experience with its Dolby Atmos capabilities, making it an ideal choice for most people.
- For those on a tight budget, consider the affordable Sony HT-SF150 / HT-S100F soundbar, which provides a significant sonic enhancement for your TV.
- If you're seeking an upgrade without breaking the bank, the Sony HT-S2000 soundbar delivers excellent sound quality for a low price, offering features unavailable in comparative rivals.
- The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a compact soundbar that delivers Dolby Atmos, stunning clarity, and remarkable immersion, making it suitable for those wanting a high-quality soundbar with a smaller footprint.
- For those requiring a more robust soundbar to handle larger rooms, consider the Sonos Arc, which offers unparalleled sound performance in its class.
- For an immersive home cinema experience, the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 is an impressive soundbar, offering Dolby Atmos and near-identical performance to the Sonos Arc Ultra, along with the added benefit of an HDMI 2.1 input.
- For true surround sound, the Samsung HW-Q990D soundbar package includes the main soundbar, subwoofer, and wireless rear speakers, combining to deliver an unmatched Dolby Atmos experience.
Before making your purchase, consider the dimensions of your TV, available connectivity options, desired features, sound quality, content viewing aspects, and best equalizer settings for an optimal soundbar experience. It's also essential to test soundbars in controlled environments for an accurate and fair assessment.
