The best Soundbar in 2024: Samsung, Sonos, Roku & more
DexertoLooking for the best Soundbar for your TV? We’ve looked at the market to devise the best soundbar brands, with elements like Dolby Atmos, 2.1 or 5.1 channel types, and more.
Most modern smart TVs boast premium sound output and features like Dolby Atmos. But, adding a soundbar to your home entertainment setup will make a world of difference.
Not only do you get a vastly improved sound quality, but when you start noticing the smallest details in voice and music, you’ll surely get the actual returns on the money you’ve spent.
Though most soundbars have an external sub-woofer to add extra bass, you also have standalone sound bars ideal for smaller houses or bedrooms. Apart from being compact, standalone soundbars are also lighter on your pocket.
Remember, each soundbar has unique advantages, which include immersive sound, customization options, affordability, and advanced features like Dolby Atmos support, making them stand out as the best options in their respective categories.
We’ve scoured the internet to list the top soundbars you can buy in 2024. We’ve chosen them based on their sound quality, features, price points, and overall value compared to their closest competitors.
1. Samsung HW-Q990C: Best Dolby Atmos soundbar
| Pros | Cons |
| Immersive Atmos experience | No HDMI 2.1 support |
| Powerful Bass | Expensive |
| Details and rich sound with 11.1.4-channel audio system | |
| Build quality |
The Samsung HW-Q990C is one of the best soundbars to pick if you want a stellar Dolby Atmos experience. It has an 11.1.4-channel setup, offering a truly immersive audio experience.
This multi-speaker soundbar boasts an 11.1.4 channel and 656W power output, offering a cinematic, room-filling, and rich sound output. The colossal channel count means getting the best of every sound, including dialogues, music, songs, and more.
The HW-Q990C has three HDMI ports for input apart from optical, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity. It even supports Alexa with an option of Alexa device grouping to create effective multi-room setups.
The Samsung HW-Q990C is one of the best flagship soundbars that excels at almost everything, including crisp and clear dialogue, a wide soundscape for TV shows and movies, as well as for listening to music. This soundbar offers a very rich and detailed soundstage and lets you enjoy action scenes with bassy sound, offering you cinematic immersion.
If you’re willing to spend over $1000 for a soundbar with equally good performance with music, movies, and shows, then the Samsung HW-Q990C should be your top choice.
2. Roku Streambar Pro: Best soundbar for streaming
Roku| Pros | Cons |
| Decent audio performance | No Dolby Atmos support |
| Affordable | No Chromecast support |
| Simple to set up | |
| Single device for streaming and sound |
The Roku Streambar Pro brings the best audio with a streaming experience. This unique soundbar enhances the audio experience and is also a streaming device that lets you stream your favorite content online.
While its audio output might not match most premium soundbars listed here, it considerably upgrades your TV’s sound output.
The Roku Streambar Pro is an incredible option for budget-conscious people who want to get the best of everything while not investing in too many gadgets. After all, if you’ve already spent much money getting a TV and a gaming console, why splurge on a soundbar and a 4K streaming device separately?
It also lets you add a wireless sub-woofer if you want to improve the sound output, which is already decent.
The Roku Streambar Pro is an excellent device for someone with limited space on the entertainment hub but doesn’t want to skimp on features and audio experience.
The Streambar is perfect for users who prefer Roku’s no-frills streaming experience and want to improve the audio quality of their TV. That said, it doesn’t support streaming over Chromecast, and the lack of Dolby Atmos support means that the cinematic immersive experience will be missing.
3. Sonos Arc Soundbar: Best standalone smart soundbar
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent sound | Limited ports |
| Impressive additional features | No Bluetooth streaming |
| Great build quality | |
| Perfect for movies and music |
Do not write off the Sonos Arc soundbar for its mundane tube-shaped design. This incredibly powerful standalone soundbar packs 11 speakers in a single unit and can produce detailed, rich, and immersive Dolby Atmos surround sound.
These speakers are specially engineered and strategically placed to ensure that you always feel that the sound from the Sonos Arc is enveloping you.
That is not all. This smart soundbar lets you stream music from various devices or services, including Alexa or Google Assistant. This soundbar is ideal for people who do not have enough space to set up a multi-speaker system yet do not want to compromise on audio quality.
The Sonos Arc is a premium soundbar that can pair with other compatible Sonos devices with the help of the Sonos App to create a multi-room listening experience.
The Sonos Arc is a premium product with audio quality that matches its higher price. It delivers an impressive audio performance irrespective of what you’re listening to – instrumentals, songs, dialogue from movies or shows, or rumblings from action movies.
Aside from the highlights, which include the impressive build quality, the Sonos Arc only has one HDMI 2.1 port and doesn’t allow you to stream music over Bluetooth.
4. Vizio V Series V51-H6: Best budget soundbar
Vizio| Pros | Cons |
| Pocket friendly | Lackluster design |
| Customizable audio | |
| Incredible surround sound performance | |
The Vizio V Series V51-H6 might have a tongue-twister of a name, but it is one of the best budget soundbars around. Despite its affordable price tag, it doesn’t compromise much on sound quality and punches way above its weight.
It comes with a subwoofer and a couple of satellite speakers and is among the very few in this price range with rear satellite speakers.
This 5.1-channel speaker system misses Dolby Atmos; however, the Vizio V Series V51-H6 is still a bargain at this price point.
The Vizio V Series V51-H6 adds that extra bass and thump required for an engrossing movie-watching experience which is missing from most smart TVs.
If you’re looking for an affordable home theatre system with surround-sound audio, this will deliver it. But, you have to be on board with the older-looking design and lack of features like a customizable EQ.
5. Sonos Beam Gen 2: Best small soundbar
Sonos| Pros | Cons |
| All-in-one device | No up-firing speakers |
| Hi-res audio | |
| Sleek design | |
| Dolby Atmos support |
If you have limited space on your home entertainment setup and need the best compact soundbar, look no further than the Sonos Beam Gen 2.
This speaker is compact, supports Dolby Atmos, offers you a good listening experience, and is also the smartest soundbar in its price range.
While it competes with the Bose Soundbar 600, which might offer a slightly better audio output, the Beam Gen 2 has more intuitive features that help edge the Bose out of the competition.
The Sonos Beam Gen 2 gives you a slightly better Bass, a tried and tested Sonos sound stage, and multi-room capabilities. While it is a standalone soundbar, you can pair it with compatible Sonos sub-woofers for better audio output.
The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a well-built round soundbar that might not get very loud, but is perfect for smaller setups. But, don’t be fooled by its diminutive size, you can still get great performance from it when watching movies, or streaming songs. Just be aware that it has a limited number of ports, so you’ll be relying on the eARC HDMI input a lot.
The overall performance of the Beam Gen 2 is impressive, considering its size and form factor. However, it is best suited for mid-sized apartments or smaller rooms.
6. Sony HT-A7000: Best Soundbar for Gaming
Sony| Pros | Cons |
| All-in-one device | No up-firing speakers |
| Hi-res audio | |
| Sleek design | |
| Dolby Atmos support |
Sony’s HT-A7000 is Sony’s flagship standalone soundbar that offers an immersive audio experience, making it an excellent choice for gaming enthusiasts and home entertainment enthusiasts alike.
The HT-A7000 supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-based surround sound formats. It delivers a cinematic audio experience, with sound effects and music coming from all directions, creating a more realistic and engaging movie-watching experience.
It boasts an array of EQ presets, including Standard Surround, Music, Cinema, and Auto Sound, allowing you to quickly switch between different modes based on the content you’re watching.
The soundbar offers a variety of connectivity options, including HDMI eARC, optical audio input, and Bluetooth, allowing you to easily connect it to your gaming console, TV, or other devices.
It does not get as loud as some premium soundbars and may struggle with bass. That said, the HT-A7000 offers video passthrough for devices like PCs, TVs, or gaming consoles with 4K @120 Hz, ALLM, and VRR support, making it ideal for gamers.
7. Yamaha Audio YAS-209BL: Best soundbar under $200
Yamaha| Pros | Cons |
| Balanced sound output | No on-device display |
| Alexa built-in | Average surround sound experience |
| Vocals and dialogue clarity | No AirPlay 2 or Chromecast |
| Great value for money |
The Yamaha Audio YAS-209BL offers a 2.1 setup and a wireless subwoofer to add that extra thump to the audio output.
The soundbar offers a DTS Virtual:X for simulated surround effects and also has several presets to choose from, including Music, TV programs, Movies, Sports, Games, and Stereo. For connectivity, YAS-209BL has HDMI in and HDMI (ARC) out, optical digital, and Bluetooth for wireless streaming.
If you’re looking for a soundbar under $200 with smart features, the YAS-209BL fits the bill perfectly. It offers internet connectivity via Ethernet and Wi-Fi, allowing you to stream music directly from Spotify. You get Alexa support while there is no AirPlay 2 or built-in Chromecast.
Honorable mentions
- Vizio Elevate
- Sennheiser Ambeo Max Soundbar
- Yamaha YAS-209
- Klipsch Cinema 400
- Sony HT-X8500
- JBL Bar 1300X
- Devialet Dione
How do you choose the best Soundbar for your setup?
Polk AudioBefore zeroing in on a soundbar for your home entertainment setup, you need to consider various things. The first thing to check is the location of the soundbar. You need to check how much space you have and how you would like to set up the soundbar.
The room size and TV’s placement also play a key role in deciding the soundbar. If you have a spacious room large enough to house satellite speakers, you should not get a standalone speaker.
Another essential thing to note is the features that you need on your soundbar. If you want an immersive viewing experience, consider soundbars with Dolby Atmos support.
Similarly, connectivity options and budget are crucial in deciding the best soundbar for your setup.
Where should I place my sound bar?
Buying a soundbar is solving one part of the problem. You must ensure the soundbar is placed correctly for the best audio experience. The ideal location of a soundbar is at the ear level of a seated user, which means putting it directly in front of your TV – either mounted on the wall below the TV or placed on a TV stand or cabinet.
Also, ensure there are no obstructions between the soundbar and the place where you’d watch the TV. Any objects or obstructions might reflect the sound improperly and could ruin the experience. Also, the soundbar should be centrally positioned for an evenly distributed sound. An off-positioned soundbar may result in unwanted surround sound reproduction sounding a little bit wonky.
Who makes the best soundbars?
FreepikSony are generally considered to be at the top of the pack when it comes to soundbars. However, various companies are known for making great soundbars. Brands like Sony, Samnung, LG, Sonos, Yamaha, Polk, Vizio, JBL, Sennheiser, and others are known for making soundbars to suit various user requirements across the price range.
It is impossible to name one brand that makes the best soundbar. The soundbars that align with your home entertainment setup, budget, and feature requirements, provide satisfactory after-sales support, and offer a great listening experience are the best soundbars for you.
What are the best soundbars for dialogue?
Almost all the soundbars mentioned in the list above are great for dialogue. Just be aware that certain soundbars may require a specific setting to be toggled on to enhance dialogue, or when listening to music. This is common in most home theater setups, so just be aware of what features you want to focus on before buying one.
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