The best TVs for sound combine dynamic, room-filling audio and awesome picture quality to match. It might seem as though the better TV displays get, the worse the sound becomes, but there are a few excellent TVs on the market with built-in sound systems that'll blow you away.
The backslide in TV audio is linked to how sets have gotten thinner over the years. It means there's less space in the display's physical frame for speakers, and the result, in some cases, is an audio experience that's as thin as the TV itself. It makes voices particularly hard to pick out, too, especially if they're mixed with music and booming movie sound effects.
We often recommend pairing your shiny new TV with one of today's best soundbars, but what if you don't want to splash more cash? What if you don't have the room? The good news is that there are TVs available that boast great sound quality – no extra gear or expenses necessary.
We've tested hundreds of TVs over the years, so we know what makes a good audio package. Whether you're looking for a high-end OLED or a budget-friendly option, we've shortlisted the best TVs that sound just as good as they look.
August 4, 2026
Revamped our product reviews to better emphasize each TV's audio specs, features, and sound quality, as well as how the built-in sound systems performed in our real-world tests.
The best TVs for sound
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The best TV for sound overall
✅ You want a top-tier TV for movies: With its beautifully balanced color, accuracy, and cinematic polish, the Z95B makes films look fantastic.
✅ You want to skip the soundbar: A powerful 5.1.2-channel audio system packs a punch – so you don't have to fork out for a soundbar.
❌ You don't want to dim the lights: The Z95B performs best in darker rooms, and its anti-reflection handling isn't the best during daytime viewing.
❌ You don't like diving into menus: Having plenty of picture and audio settings to tweak is handy, but navigating through menus can quickly become tiresome.
The Panasonic Z95B is a premium OLED that delivers outstanding sound and picture in one package – which is no easy feat.
The built-in 5.1.2 channel speaker system is seriously powerful, and we found that it delivered some of the most immersive audio we've come across. Dialogue is clear and crisp, bass notes are rich and full, and the Dolby Atmos compatibility is the final cherry on top. The Z95B is a full audio package – most people won't need a soundbar to go with it.
Panasonic has also upgraded the speakers for this latest version, improving the driver layout and bass output, and the results are fantastic. Sound placement is accurate across the screen, height effects register convincingly, and the system can go loud without losing clarity. Features like Space Tune, which calibrates audio to your room, and Sound Focus, which lets you aim sound toward off-center seating, make it adaptable.
Picture quality is just as impressive, though there are brighter OLEDs on the market (like the Samsung S95F). The Z95B excels when it comes to accuracy, however, and colors pop – particularly when watching animated movies. Contrast is sharp, too, and when we watched Barbarian, the darker scenes weren't washed out at all. The only minor quibble we have is that while the anti-reflection screen does a decent job of reducing glare, we still encountered some mirror-like reflections from our lamps and overhead lights.
The Z95B sits at the higher end of the price scale, but its picture accuracy and class-leading built-in sound justify the premium price tag. If you want an OLED that delivers a cinematic experience straight out of the box, no soundbar required, it’s one of the best options you can buy.
Read our full Panasonic Z95B review
The best OLED TV for sound
✅ You want a great TV for films: It delivers excellent picture quality, and 4K movies look stunning, whether streaming or on a Blu-ray disc.
✅ You own a Sony soundbar or speakers: When used with a Sony soundbar or wireless speakers, the Bravia 8 II’s Acoustic Center Sync feature lets the TV’s built-in audio system be used as a center channel speaker.
❌ You want the brightest OLED TV you can buy: The Bravia 8 II’s picture brightness is strong for an OLED, but premium and mini-LED models still offer more punch and better reflection handling.
❌ You want a gaming TV: Gaming performance is good, but there are only two HDMI 2.1 ports, and it misses the cloud gaming options available from rivals.
The Sony Bravia 8 II delivers some of the best built-in sound you’ll find on a mid-range OLED, and we found that it performs particularly well in bright conditions, too, thanks to its anti-reflective screen.
In terms of sound, the Bravia 8 II's Acoustic Surface Audio+ system uses actuators behind the screen to create sound through the panel itself. This keeps dialogue clear, maintaining a sense of placement and accuracy. We pumped up the volume without noticing any distortion, and the Bravia 8 II feels more immersive than the typical TV speaker setup.
When we tuned into Civil War's action sequences, we were pleased to find that there's precise directionality, and ambient effects didn't come through muddy or hard to differentiate.
Pivoting to picture quality, the Bravia 8 II is impressive. Contrast and colors are as rich and vivid as you'd expect from an OLED TV. Sony's processing is great for sports fans, too, as it sharpens textures and ensures smooth motion handling – so you won't miss a second of any fast-paced action. Shadow details are also strong, and we found that tweaking the Brightness submenu settings can fine-tune black levels and bring out even more details.
The Bravia 8 II misses out on our top spot because Panasonic’s Z95B offers more immersive sound overall, and brighter OLED rivals give you extra headroom for daytime viewing. But if you want an OLED with genuinely impressive built-in audio, and don’t want to rely on a soundbar, the Bravia 8 II is a great pick.
Read our full Sony Bravia 8 II review
The best mid-range mini-LED TV for sound
✅ You want a super-bright TV: Using a powerful mini-LED backlight, the U8N picture brightness exceeds most other TVs on this list.
✅ You’re on a budget: Despite its high brightness and impressive sound quality, the U8N is among the more affordable TVs in this guide.
❌ You want a TV that looks great from all angles: The U8N’s picture contrast and color saturation quickly fade when viewed from off-center seats, making it less optimal for viewing with large groups.
❌You want the best TV for gaming: The U8N’s gaming performance and features are average at best. If you’re looking for the best possible TV for gaming, you’ll want to look elsewhere.
The Hisense U8N is a powerful, budget-friendly mini-LED TV that delivers bright images with bold colors – and is another TV you won't necessarily need to pair with a soundbar.
That's thanks to the built-in 2.1.2-channel speakers with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support. The U8N doesn’t provide the same extensive sound features as the Panasonic Z95A and Sony Bravia 8 (our #1 and #2 picks, respectively), but it does offer better-than-average sound quality. There's even a built-in 'subwoofer' to enhance bass.
In our Hisense U8N review, we said that “dialogue was clear and full, and the built-in subwoofer made bass effects sound surprisingly weighty.” When we watched a chase scene in No Time to Die, directional effects of racing cars and motorcycles came across vividly, and Atmos effects like ringing church bells had a solid sense of height. We normally recommend adding a soundbar to a TV, but the U8N could easily go without one and still deliver sound that will satisfy most people.
Aside from its sound, the Hisense U8N is one of the brightest sets we’ve tested, and that capability, plus its low-reflection screen, makes it a great option for both daytime TV and sports viewing. That brightness lends itself well to colourful scenes, too, and even darker, more contrasting pictures (like those often featured in House of the Dragon – which we watched during our testing) contained plenty of detail in backgrounds and textures.
The Hisense U8N is an exceptional value, and it improves on last year's Hisense U8K – our previous mid-range pick – in almost every way, including sound quality. One downside to keep in mind is that the U8N's off-axis uniformity means that picture quality suffers when viewed from off-center seats.
Read our full Hisense U8N review
The best budget TV for sound in the UK
✅ You’re on a tight budget: The Omni QLED offers good overall picture and sound quality for the money, but there are much better options available if you can spend extra.
✅ You’re an Amazon Prime TV subscriber: The Amazon Fire TV smart interface provides tight integration with the Amazon Prime TV services, with targeted recommendations for subscribers.
❌ You want a TV with great picture quality: The Omni QLED’s picture quality is at best average. You’ll get better brightness, contrast, and black uniformity by spending more for a higher-quality TV.
❌You want a great TV for gaming: While the Omni QLED has low input lag and impressive motion processing, it lacks key gaming TV features such as 4K 120Hz support.
If you're looking for a bargain and you're happy to sacrifice a bit of overall audio quality, then the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED is well worth checking out.
Admittedly, the Omni QLED doesn't beat out the other recommendations on our list when it comes to sound. It's limited to two 12W speakers with no Dolby Atmos support. However, it does deliver a direct, clear sound that suits day-to-day viewing – better than any other cheap TV we've tested.
In our Omni QLED review, we found that if you set the sound mode to Movie, you'll get a clear, direct sound that carries decent bass levels that demonstrate the rumble of jets in Top Gun: Maverick with plenty of punch and clear speech levels – even in scenes with unclear dialogue. There's no Dolby Atmos speaker system here – unsurprising at this price range – but it's clear Amazon has taken a no-frills approach with the Omni QLED's sound, focusing on clarity rather than immersion.
Elsewhere, the Omni QLED offers solid picture quality. We tuned in to Star Wars: The Last Jedi and were pleased with the vibrant colors and clean textures, and the predominantly red color palette came across well without becoming overblown. Contrast levels were decent, too, though black portions of scenes did take on a dark-grey tone. This is a somewhat typical downfall of QLED screens compared to mini-LEDs and OLEDs. Still, for a budget TV, the Omni QLED is impressively bright and does a great job of reducing reflections despite lacking any anti-glare screen coating.
While the Omni QLED could benefit from a soundbar for those looking for a more cinematic sound, its built-in sound is decent and will serve most people for casual viewing well, and while it won't blow any minds, not many TVs at a budget price can beat the Omni QLED.
Read our full Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review
The best budget TV for sound in the US
✅ You’re on a budget: Roku Pro Series TVs deliver impressive picture and sound quality for the money, and they even use a mini-LED backlight to boost picture brightness and contrast.
✅ You want a great smart TV interface: Roku has one of the best smart TV interfaces around, offering easy, intuitive navigation with significantly less screen clutter than its competitors.
❌ You crave brightness: Despite having a mini-LED backlight, the Pro Series manages only average picture brightness compared to its mini-LED TV competition.
❌You crave bass: While we gave the Pro Series high marks for overall sound quality when we reviewed it, other TVs in this guide deliver better built-in bass.
The Roku Pro Series is a flagship mini-LED that's supremely budget-friendly – though there are audio and display caveats to keep in mind. On the bright side, the thicket shadowbox-style design of the TV means that it can pack bigger speakers, and the built-in sound is impressive for the price point as a result.
When describing the TV’s sound quality in our Roku Pro Series TV review, we said “Details in the high frequencies retain body as well as clarity,” and that “mids are nice and full.” We felt that bass was missing, however, though this can be easily (and inexpensively) fixed by adding one of the company’s wireless subwoofers to the TV. (Roku wireless surround sound speakers that link up with Roku TVs are also available.)
The Pro Series' speakers are side-firing, rather than downward-firing, and that means that the audio waves are projected outward on a direct path to the listener rather than down, bouncing off onto the surface beneath the TV. This improves clarity, particularly with dialogue, and improves steering of Dolby Atmos soundtracks.
Unfortunately, the Pro Series lags behind the rest of our picks in terms of display – though it does a solid job for day-to-day viewing, it doesn't dazzle. Colors are generally good, though skin tones can appear muted, and Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse came across nicely, though there's room for more vividness. When we switched to The Batman, which features a ton of shadowy scenes, black tones were not as deep as we'd like them to be, and resulted in a slightly flat image at times.
Still, for a budget TV with clear and crisp sound, the Pro Series is a solid choice that won't break the bank.
Read our full Roku Pro Series review
The best premium mini-LED TV for sound
✅ You’re a film buff: The Bravia 9 creates an immersive 4K cinema experience thanks to high peak brightness and refined local dimming.
✅ You watch sports during the day: In addition to a dazzlingly bright picture, the Bravia 9's anti-reflection screen prevents distractions from spoiling high-intensity, daytime sports events.
❌ You're working with a budget: While the Bravia 9 is undeniably powerful, other mini-LED sets boast similarly impressive brightness, local dimming, and gaming performance for much less.
❌You really want an OLED: We've all got preferences, and the Bravia 9 comes pretty close to matching OLED-levels of performance - but it isn't an OLED.
The Bravia 9 is a premium pick that ticks every box – outstanding audio, a bright and punchy display, and an anti-reflective screen that defeats pesky glare.
The audio technology is where the Bravia 9 shines. Its 2.2.2-channel speaker system is powered by 70 watts of amplification, supported by Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive soundtracks. That results in great, immersive audio that's way above average. We tuned in to Top Gun: Maverick and found that dialogue came across clearly without any confusion or muddiness.
Diving deeper into the tech, the Bravia 9’s Acoustic Multi Audio+ design uses tweeters installed in the left and right sides of the TV’s frame. These elevate dialogue so it sounds like it’s coming directly from the mouths of characters talking onscreen, and they also make the positioning of sound effects accurate and natural. And in contrast to the virtual Dolby Atmos processing used by most TVs, the Bravia 9 has 'Beam' drivers located on top that create a real sense of spaciousness by bouncing sound off your room’s ceiling.
The Bravia 9 looks just as good as it sounds, too, and is dazzlingly right. During testing, we watched Ripley, and the high brightness gave water and clouds a glistening sheen. Contrast excels, and black tones are rich, while maintaining detail, even in shadowy scenes that other TVs might wash out.
The downside here is that the Bravia 9 is expensive – especially for a mini-LED, and there are other options available at a much more modest price.
Read our full Sony Bravia 9 review
The best TV for sound: FAQs
How to choose the best TV for sound
If you're looking for the best TV for sound, first consider whether you need one. There are many more options available if you're willing to get a great-looking TV with mediocre sound and pair it with a soundbar or sound system instead.
However, if you have your heart set on an all-in-one package like the TVs listed above, keep your eyes peeled for a few key specifications. For example, power is important when it comes to sound. We've listed this as the number of Watts under each TV. The higher the number, the more powerful the sound. Granted, the best sound isn't always the most powerful, but it's a good indication as to whether you're going to get an immersive, room-filling sound from your new TV.
The number of built-in speakers matters, too. Many TVs have 2 speakers, but the more you have, the wider and more expansive the soundstage will be. For example, the Panasonic Z95B in our list above has a 5.1.2ch speaker system for a fuller-sounding experience.
Although sound is a priority, don't overlook other important factors, too. Ensure that the picture quality is going to work well in your living room. For example, some TVs work better in bright light environments than others. And, of course, be sure to measure your space first to check you have room for your new display.
What's the best sound quality in a TV?
DTS:X and Dolby Atmos are the main home cinema audio formats. These rival technologies are both audio compression technologies that create a surround sound effect, both in cinemas and in the home.
So which is better? Opinion is divided. DTS:X is encoded at a higher bitrate, so it should technically be better quality audio. But Atmos claims to be more advanced and capable of producing a higher quality sound at a lower bitrate. As is often the case, it comes down to personal taste.
Atmos is more widely supported – by Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, among others – and most modern TVs are compatible with it, whereas DTS:X requires a separate audio system.
Read more in our DTS:X vs Dolby Atmos vs DTS Play-Fi guide.
How we test the best TVs for sound
☑️ More than 2,600 TV and home theater reviews
☑️ 16 years of product testing
☑️ Over 16,000 products reviewed in total
☑️ Nearly 200,000 hours testing tech
To test the best TVs for sound, we watched a range of content on each of these displays, really listening out for some key criteria. This mostly included how the audio formats DTS:X and Dolby Atmos performed. Did they give the experience of surround sound? What was lacking? Did settings need to be adjusted considerably to get the desired effect? Did the TV deliver on the power listed in the specs?
In our reviews above, we've answered the key questions you'll need to know when considering the best TVs for sound, ensuring we tried TV shows, movies, and games to let you know which might be better suited for certain kinds of content.
Although this guide is very much focused on audio specs, no one wants a TV that sounds great and looks mediocre. That's why every TV on this list has also been tested against the criteria we apply to all of our TV buying guides.
This includes rating picture quality, clarity, and brightness. It also involves testing smart features, assistants, and checking that all of the best streaming apps work well. As well as living with the TV for some time, ensuring that all content types display well, viewing angles are good for a range of environments, and much more.
We've tested hundreds of TVs over the years, which means you're in safe hands. Not only are we well equipped to pick the best TVs for sound, but we also have extensive experience of the market as a whole, so we can confidently select the TVs that deliver rather than relying on their specs.
Latest updates to this guide
August 4, 2026
Revamped our product reviews to better emphasize each TV's audio specs, features, and sound quality, as well as how the built-in sound systems performed in our real-world tests.
April 24, 2026
Refreshed introduction and updated specs to align with most recent testing data.
November 16, 2025
Replaced the Panasonic Z95A as our best overall pick with the Panasonic Z95B, based on our recent testing. Also switched the Sony Bravia 8 in second place as our best mid-range OLED choice with the newer Sony Bravia 8 II.
May 9, 2025
Added 'New TVs for 2025' section to FAQ.
February 10, 2025
Added in 'Buy it if' and 'Don't buy it if' boxes for each entry to summarize pros and cons for quick reading.
Read more updates
December 16, 2024
Added Roku Pro Series as 'Best budget (US)' option.
October 16, 2024
Gave this list an overhaul with new rankings and entries. Panasonic Z95A was introduced and became 'best overall'. Sony Bravia 8 became the 'best mid-range OLED'. The Hisense U8N became the 'best mid-range mini-LED' Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED introduced and became 'best budget' and the Sony Bravia 9 became the 'best premium mini-LED'.
Also introduced 'Quick List' with short summaries for each entry at the top of the list.
August 15, 2024
Replaced Hisense U8K with newer Hisense U8N model as 'best midrange.'
June 18, 2024
Replaced Samsung S95C OLED with the Sony Bravia 9 mini-LED as 'best premium US.'
February 5, 2024
Added the Sony A80L as 'best tv for sound for most people'. Panasonic MZ2000 and Samsung S95C were introduced as 'best premium UK' and 'best premium US' respectively. Hisense U8K added as 'best mid range TV for sound'. Removed Sony X90J, Samsung Q80B, LG C2, Philips OLED+936 and Sony A95K from guide, mostly due to receding stock.
