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

Majority’s new cheap soundbar beats Amazon's by adding a nice big sub
By Carrie Marshall published
You could wait for the Amazon Fire TV soundbar to make it to the UK or you could spend a bit less and get something much louder right now.

No One Will Save You on Hulu/Disney Plus shows why your TV’s sound needs an upgrade
By Matt Bolton published
In this era of movies coming to streaming first, how you watch them can make a big difference to your enjoyment.

How to buy a soundbar
By Steve May published
Here's our take on how to buy a soundbar, from what to look for to what to pay.

Bose’s new Dolby Atmos soundbar uses AI to try to take down the Sonos Arc
By James Davidson published
The Bose Smart Ultra soundbar sounds like it could be a rival to the Sonos Arc, with one particularly interesting new sound mode – AI Dialogue.

Amazon's super-cheap soundbar could be the new default buy – but it's also a missed opportunity
By Matt Bolton published
If the Fire TV Soundbar is good, it'll be hard to beat at this price, but Amazon could have ushered in the wireless revolution.

I tried Sonos and Samsung's compact Dolby Atmos soundbars and if you want big sound, Sonos is king
By Amelia Schwanke published
After testing two all-in-one small soundbars for two weeks, there was a clear winner for me.

The best soundbars for 2023
By Matt Bolton last updated
Buying Guide From budget-friendly bars to Dolby Atmos wonders, the best soundbars make it easy to get a serious TV audio upgrade.

Samsung HW-S60B soundbar review: wireless Dolby Atmos for a modest price
By Amelia Schwanke published
Samsung's wireless HW-S60B compact soundbar is a great way to take your first steps into fully immersive spatial audio.
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