You may be wondering why you would ever need to buy a soundbar. If you’ve bought a great TV, you’ll expect to have good audio in the mix. But for most TVs, the audio you’re getting is a huge downgrade compared to what an external speaker can accomplish.
That’s partially because of the slim nature of today’s flatscreen TVs. You may have noticed TV actors seem to mumble their dialogue or car crashes in an action movie are less explosive than the sound of your kettle, it’s probably because your TV speakers aren’t up to the task.
I’m here to tell you that better audio is possible with a soundbar and speaker system.
How I picked the best soundbars
I’ve worked as a gadget tester and home entertainment reporter for most of the past decade, with plenty of hands-on experience with soundbars, surround sound systems and TV audio. I have hands-on experience with a number of the models in this guide, and the industry knowledge needed to parse what’s worthwhile or good.
When selecting these recommendations, I drew on the advice of multiple sources from the audio hardware industry — cited further down in this guide — and kept the below criteria in mind:
- Price: TV speakers can be a tricky proposition, given it’s easy to spend as much on one as you would the television itself. I focused on offering a range of options for different budgets while considering how extensive a multi-channel system should be for that price.
- Immersive audio: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Sony 360 Reality Audio are all immersive audio formats. Each format helps sound designers better cater to the intricacies of the multi-channel audio systems in consumers’ homes. I looked specifically for models that supported these formats and were able to create virtual surround sound even without multiple separate pieces of hardware.
- Bass output: The main thing lacking from TV audio is usually bass and low-frequency response, as flatscreen TV designs don’t easily fit hefty subwoofers. I made sure to…