The best TVs for sound deliver great picture quality and dynamic, room-filling sound to go with it. Although it might seem like as the picture performance of TVs advances, sound tends to suffer, there are a few excellent TVs on the market with a built-in sound system that'll blow you away.
As TVs have gotten thinner over the years, there is less space in the display’s physical frame for adding speakers. The end result—in some cases—has been sound that’s as thin as the TV itself. This makes hearing voices particularly difficult, especially when they are mixed with music soundtracks and movie sound effects.
So, even with many of the best TVs you can buy today, we highly recommend you invest in one of the best soundbars or the best surround sound systems. Of course, we also understand that going down that route requires more research—checking you have enough space and the right connections—and extra budget.
If you're looking to hit two targets with one arrow, however, know that there are also options for you. There are several TVs on the market that come with superb sound systems as standard, allowing you to get good sound quality with no extra gear or work necessary.
We've tested hundreds of TVs over the years, so we know what makes a great package. Rest assured, each of the TV displays on our list don't just sound good, they look fantastic and have much of the best TV tech built-in too. Whether it’s a Hollywood blockbuster or just back episodes of Friends, the TVs we've selected below will make sure that whatever you’re watching sounds as good as it can.
Best TVs for sound: Quick List
The best TV for sound overall
Delivering powerful, immersive built-in sound with realistic Dolby Atmos reproduction and smart sound zones, this is simply the best-sounding TV you can get.
The best mid-range OLED TV for sound
Accurate placement and impressive dynamics range are just two reasons why the Sony Bravia 8 is unbeatable for built-in sound at the mid-range OLED price.
The best mid-range mini-LED TV for sound
Outperforming its superb value price, the Hisense U8N delivers surprisingly accurate and vivid sound in a category that often falters when it comes to built-in audio.
The best budget TV for sound
Clear, direct and punchy, the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED takes a no-frills approach to its built-in sound. Not the most immersive, but does the job well at a budget price.
The best premium mini-LED TV for sound
Stacked with audio features and delivering impressive audio performance, there aren't any mini-LED TVs that can beat the rich sound here – but you'll pay a high price for it.
The best TV for sound overall
The Panasonic Z95A is a premium OLED TV that delivers on nearly all fronts, but it's its built-in sound that surpassed all other TVs, thanks to its comprehensive 5.1.2-channel speaker system with 160W of power. Dynamic, powerful and engaging, the Z95A really is your best bet if you're looking for a TV that offers cinematic sound without the need for a soundbar.
In our review, we were most impressed with the Z95A's consistently clear dialogue and also how effective its Dolby Atmos reproduction was, noting sound effects such as falling rain "actually sounded like they were falling from the ceiling." Bass was also surprisingly punchy during testing, with plenty of depth and impact on offer.
It's not just in sound performance where the Z95A impresses, but also features. Space Tune uses a built-in mic in the remote control to analyze the viewing environment and calibrate sound accordingly, with effective results. There's also Sound Focus mode, which allows for adjustment of off-center sound with four settings – Pinpoint, Area, Spot and Ambient – and again results were superb.
The Z95A is also a picture powerhouse, delivering excellent brightness levels for an OLED TV, but also superb shadow detail, bold colors and excellent motion handling. We found we had to adjust brightness settings on occasion, but this was the only real complaint.
The Z95A is at the pricey end of the TV market – with the 65-inch model retailing for roughly $3,199/£3,299, but its built-in sound is so good it didn't belong anywhere else other than top of the list for best TVs for sound.
Read our full Panasonic Z95A review
The best mid-range OLED TV for sound
The Sony Bravia 8 delivers better sound than any other mid-tier OLED TV – it's dynamic, accurate and has an expansive enough soundstage to stave off the need for a soundbar. But when it's paired with a compatible Sony soundbar, such as the Bravia Theater 8, even more magic happens with a feature called bravia Acosutic Center Sync, where the Bravia 8 TV can be used as a center channel to add more depth to the attached Sony soundbar's sound.
Using actuators to create vibrations for sound through the screen itself, the Bravia 8 delivers big audio to match its pictures. Sounds are accurately placed around the screen to match the action, and it can go loud without a loss of clarity.
We said in our review, regarding its speakers, that "it really is a remarkable system" and this was prevalent watching Shang Chi and the Ten Rings, where action sequences demonstrated the Bravia 8's accuracy of positioning through wind gusts, movement and more. While we did find bass lacking compared to a dedicated system, we said the Bravia 8 is "still more engaging than most other TV sound systems".
The Bravia 8 also delivers with its picture, offering the superb contrast and vivid colors you'd expect from an OLED TV, along with realistic details. Despite lower brightness than rival OLEDs such as the LG C4, the XR Processor does the work to ensure highlights are bright and bold, and colorful images still shine. While it also lacks the same level of gaming features as some other rival OLEDs, it still supporta 4K 120Hz with variable refresh rate on two of its four HDMI ports, and 'Perfect for PS5' features ideal for PS5 owners.
So, why is the Bravia 8 not top of the list? It comes down to performance. While the Bravia 8 is less expensive, it just can't match up to the Panasonic Z95A in terms of sheer immersion. However, for those who want an OLED with great sound and can't stretch their budget to the lofty heights of the Z95A, the Bravia 8 should be to top of the list.
Read our full Sony Bravia 8 review
The best mid-range mini-LED TV for sound
The Hisense U8N is a high-value TV that uses mini-LED backlight technology to deliver bright images with bold colors. It’s available in screen sizes ranging from 55 to 85 inches and has built-in 2.1.2-channel speakers with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support. While it doesn’t provide the same extensive level of sound features as the Panasonic Z95A and Sony Bravia 8 in this list, it offers much better than average sound quality, and even includes a built-in 'subwoofer' to enhance bass.
In our Hisense U8N review, we said of the TV’s sound quality that “dialogue was clear and full, and the built-in subwoofer made bass effects sound surprisingly weighty.” The TV’s two up-firing speakers also created an impressive sense of height when watching movies with Dolby Atmos soundtracks. 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.
Outside of its sound, the Hisense U8N is one of the brightest sets we’ve tested yet, and that capability plus its low-reflection screen make it a great option for both daytime TV and sports viewing. It uses the Google TV smart TV platform for streaming in the US (and Hisense’s own VIDAA smart TV platform in the UK and Australia) and supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HLG high dynamic range formats. Gaming features include two HDMI 2.1 ports with support for 4K 120Hz, VRR up to 144Hz (including FreeSync Premium Pro), ALLM, and Dolby Vision 4K gaming.
The Hisense U8N is an exceptional value and it improves on the last year's Hisense U8K – our previous mid-range pick – in almost every way, including sound quality. It even has an Auto Acoustic Tuning feature that uses the remote’s mic to adapt the sound to your viewing space. The U8N is a great choice if you have a tight budget and don’t want to spring for a soundbar when buying a big TV.
Read our full Hisense U8N review
The best budget TV for sound
The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED admittedly doesn't have a sound that will best the other entries on this list, limited to two 12W speakers with no Dolby Atmos support. But it does deliver a direct and clear sound that will suit people for 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 demonstrated 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, with vibrant colors and clean textures and despite the lack of 4K 120Hz support, the Omni QLED's gaming performance at 60Hz is good – and there's Dolby Vision gaming, variable refresh rate and ALLM support as well.
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 premium mini-LED TV for sound
The Sony Bravia 9’s Acoustic Multi Audio+ design solves the problem of disconnected TV sound by using tweeters installed in the left and right sides of the TV’s frame. These work to 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’s 2.2.2-channel speaker system is powered by 70 watts of amplification, and supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive soundtracks. 3D Surround Upscaling adds spaciousness to regular stereo or mono soundtracks, and a feature called Voice Zoom 3 uses AI to isolate dialogue and boost it separately to enhance the clarity of voices.
Another feature, Acoustic Center Sync, allows for a compatible Sony soundbar or speakers to be connected to the Bravia 9 so its built-in speakers can be used as the center channel in a surround sound system. When this setup is configured, Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping processing will create 'phantom' speakers between the actual ones for even greater immersion.
When we tested the Sony Bravia 9, we used Acoustic Center Sync to pair the TV with a Sony Bravia Home Theater Quad wireless speaker system, creating a 5.1.4-channel configuration. The result: “the Bravia 9 integrated perfectly with the external audio system, delivering smooth and seamless sound.”
On the picture quality front, the Sony Bravia 9 is a flagship mini-LED TV and exclusively features the company’s XR Backlight Master Drive with High Peak Luminance tech to deliver pictures with high peak brightness and refined local dimming for detailed blacks. It also has an anti-reflection screen, making it a great option for both movies and sports, and it supports 4K 120Hz for gaming on two HDMI 2.1 ports.
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 more wide and expansive the soundstage will be. For example, the Panasonic Z95A 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 in a higher bitrate so 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
How we test the best TVs for sound
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
☑️ 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 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, we also have extensive experience of the market as a whole, so can confidently select the TVs that deliver rather than relying on their specs.
Latest updates to this guide
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.
