Soundbars
A soundbar is a long, thin speaker designed to sit just in front of or below your television, to provide much bigger, clearer and more immersive sound than a TV alone can manage. Today’s flat and thin TVs don’t have much space for powerful speakers, so their sound is often thin and unsatisfying. Adding a soundbar can just make people’s voices clearer – or it can create a home theater experience.
Soundbars come in different sizes, with different levels of features, aimed at different budgets. You can get small ones suitable for TVs of 32 inches that just add louder, clearer sound, for example. You can get mid-sized ones that start from being cheap and simple, but will range up to options with virtual surround sound. And you can get big soundbars suitable for TVs of 55 inches and up that deliver a huge audio upgrade, usually with Dolby Atmos 3D sound.
Pretty much all soundbars either connect over HDMI ARC to a compatible HDMI port on your TV, or over an optical digital connection. HDMI ARC means you can control them from your TV’s remote with no extra steps, so is usually the preferred option – and it’s the only way to get Dolby Atmos. Some soundbars come with subwoofers for better bass, or even rear speakers to deliver a true surround-sound experience.
Latest about Soundbars
Sony's 2024 Dolby Atmos soundbar range has arrived - here's what you need to know
By James Davidson published
Two new soundbars, a wireless speaker system and a personal home theater neckband make up Sony's 2024 audio range.
Sharp’s new cheap Dolby Atmos soundbar undercuts Denon and Sonos but you'll need to wait for it
By Carrie Marshall published
The new Sharp HT-SB700 soundbar looks like great value for money, but it's not made it outside of Europe just yet.
I tried Klipsch’s affordable Dolby Atmos soundbar – and Sonos and Bose have been put on notice
By Al Griffin published
Klipsch's new Flexus Core 200 is an impressive Dolby Atmos model that should shake up the budget soundbar space.
Want an easy TV sound upgrade? Meet 3 budget-friendly Dolby Atmos soundbars that also save on space
By James Davidson published
If you want Dolby Atmos sound without big speakers everywhere, these compact soundbars might be just what you're looking for.
The best soundbars for 2024
By Matt Bolton last updated
Updated From budget-friendly bars to Dolby Atmos wonders, the best soundbars make it easy to get a serious TV audio upgrade.
Denon launches a new cheap soundbar that rivals the Sonos Ray in two big ways
By Carrie Marshall published
Denon's new affordable soundbar promises a big audio upgrade without a big price tag.
We love the Bose Smart 600 Dolby Atmos soundbar – and it's had its priced slashed at Amazon
By James Davidson last updated
The Bose Smart Soundbar 600 offers Dolby Atmos in a compact design that's also great for music – and it's been discounted as part of Amazon's Spring Sale.
Samsung’s new high-end Dolby Atmos soundbar with 120Hz gaming support gets a huge price hike
By James Davidson published
Samsung’s 2024 flagship soundbar, the HW-Q990D, looks largely the same as its predecessor apart from a couple new features and a $400 price increase.
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