Best Soundbar 2024: Tried and Tested Options at Every Price Point

If you want a true cinematic experience at home, there are no two ways about it: you need the best soundbar you can afford. A good soundbar brings films, TV shows, and sports to life with powerful, immersive audio. But with so many options available, finding one that meets your needs and is within your budget can be tricky.

That’s where we come in. Our audio experts have tested and reviewed dozens of soundbars in recent years, and below you’ll find our buying advice and our favorite picks across a range of price points.

For more information about the benefits of soundbars and the key features to look out for, head down to the buying guide at the bottom of the page. Or keep scrolling for our recommendations of the best soundbars currently available.

Best soundbar: At a glance

How we test soundbars

Our in-depth testing assesses every aspect of a soundbar, from build quality and ease of setup, to audio performance and customization options.

As soon as each bar is unboxed, we measure and weigh it to get a sense of how easy it will be to install, and check its sturdiness and the quality of finish. We then connect it via an HDMI cable to a 4K TV – or to a desktop computer, if that’s what it’s designed for – and we put each soundbar through its paces by feeding it a wide range of content, including films, sports, and TV shows.

We pay close attention to sound reproduction right across the frequency spectrum, focusing on the three cornerstones of soundbar performance: bass response, dialogue clarity, and treble crispness. If there are different EQ presets, we’ll try these out with appropriate content. All tests are run at various volume levels, including the maximum volume to really push the product to its limits.

We use 4K Blu-ray players and the latest blockbuster movies to test how each soundbar handles surround-sound audio encoded with DTS:X. We also test Dolby Atmos using compatible content from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney Plus.

After testing each soundbar with video sources, we try out any wireless music streaming capabilities it may have, whether that’s from Tidal over Bluetooth or Spotify Connect over Wi-Fi. We also try out any other features, such as Chromecast and AirPlay 2, to ensure they work as intended.

If the soundbar can be integrated into a multi-room speaker system, we’ll test that too, and we’ll note in our review how easy (or otherwise) it is to achieve. If there’s a built-in voice assistant, we trial it to see how accurately it can pick up and execute requests. And we always check whether there are any extra features hidden away inside a companion or control app, and detail them in our full review.

READ NEXT: Best Headphones

The best soundbars you can buy in 2024

1. Sonos Beam (Gen 2): Best soundbar under $500

Price when reviewed: $499 | Check price at Best Buy

• Great for… engaging spatial audio from a standalone soundbar
• Not so great for… physical connectivity, films with DTS:X soundtracks

The original Sonos Beam delivered superb sound quality in a compact one-box package and, thanks to the addition of Dolby Atmos, the second-generation iteration sounds even better. It also introduces NFC for a faster, more reliable setup and, while there’s no support for DTS:X surround sound, Amazon’s 3D Audio allows you to enjoy spatial audio on compatible platforms.

There’s no dedicated remote, but you can use the Sonos mobile app to control the bar from afar. There’s also built-in voice support for both Alexa and Google Assistant, and we found this worked so well that we never needed to open the app.

The Beam 2’s only real weakness is connectivity: it has only a single HDMI port and it requires a TV with an eARC HDMI port to make use of Atmos – those with older TVs won’t be able to get the best from it. If you do own a TV with eARC, you won’t find a better-sounding standalone soundbar at such a great price.

2. Samsung HW-Q990D: Best soundbar system for all-round immersion

Price when reviewed: $1,998 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for… cinematic surround-sound immersion, current-gen gamers
• Not so great for… those on a budget, small rooms

If you’ve got a big budget and want the best surround-sound experience available, the Samsung HW-Q990D is the one to buy. Its combination of a soundbar, subwoofer, and pair of rear speakers enables it to deliver exceptional Dolby Atmos and DTS:X experiences.

We were blown away by how immersive it is and were particularly impressed by the system’s powerful and controlled bass. The HW-Q990D handled stereo and 5.1-channel content admirably too: music sounded warm, detailed, and precise, while TV dialogue was clear and focused. This bar is also a great option for gamers, thanks to the inclusion of HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K/120Hz signals and can pass through every version of HDR. And its easy installation and excellent control options – including in-built Alexa – further enhance the appeal.

We’re not so fond of the front display, which is hard to read and not very useful, but that barely detracts from what is, overall, an awesome sound system.

3. Samsung HW-Q930C: Best value true surround-sound soundbar

Price when reviewed: $1,400 | Check price at Best Buy

• Great for… value, surround sound immersion
• Not so great for… musical insight, older eARC TVs

Samsung’s premium soundbars are incredible, but they’re not cheap. If you’re looking for cinematic immersion on a tighter budget, consider the HW-Q930C.

Although this is last year’s model, we were consistently impressed by the performance of its 9.1.4-channel setup during testing. The compact rear speakers punch above their weight, while the subwoofer digs deep to produce impactful bass, and the main soundbar gets seriously loud without quality suffering. The upward-firing speakers can handle the height effects of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks with aplomb, and the whole system works together brilliantly to provide perfectly coherent all-around sound.

We weren’t quite so impressed when we tried playing music through the HW-Q930C – we felt the sound was slightly constrained and lacking in expression. If you’re primarily interested in TV and film content, it’s a very satisfactory sound system with a great array of features, plenty of connection options, and built-in Alexa.

4. Creative Stage V2: Best soundbar and subwoofer for under $100

Price when reviewed: $110 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for… those seeking big sound on a small budget
• Not so great for… maximum volume or immersion

Value-for-money soundbars don’t get much better than the Creative Stage V2. For around a hundred bucks, you not only get a high-quality bar to sit under your TV but also a standalone subwoofer that adds rich, powerful bass.

For the best experience, there are different sound modes to choose from. For example, there’s Surround mode, which widens the soundstage to create a more immersive impression without the need for physical surround speakers, and Dialog mode, which tweaks the EQ to enhance voices on screen. We found Dialog mode worked particularly well, with the bar articulating mid-range and treble frequencies very capably.

The Stage V2 has connection options aplenty too. Optical, HDMI ARC, and AUX connections are all on hand, while a USB Type-C port also allows you to hook the bar up to your PC and use it as a desktop soundbar. Plus, wireless connectivity, via Bluetooth, is available for those wanting to stream content from external devices.

It can’t quite match the volume or spatial imaging of a top-shelf, multi-speaker sound system, but if you’re looking for a wallet-friendly way of improving your TV’s audio, the Creative Stage V2 offers incredible bang for your buck.

How to choose the best soundbar for you

What types of soundbar are there?

It’s important to pick a soundbar that suits your TV and living room. The first thing to look at is the size of the bar. If it’s too wide, it may not fit on your AV cabinet or it might stick out well beyond the sides of your TV, which may look unsightly, especially if you wall-mount the bar. If you plan to situate the bar under or in front of your TV, you should check its height too – you’ll need it to fit comfortably and you don’t want it to obscure the bottom of the screen.

Next, consider whether you want a standalone soundbar or one with extra speakers to enhance the audio experience. A standalone unit is the neatest and easiest to set up, but it won’t be able to provide true all-around sound, and such units often struggle to deliver convincing bass. In this case, a separate subwoofer will add richness and body to your audio and can deliver room-shaking low-frequency sound effects when called upon. Ideally, you want your subwoofer to be wireless, so you can easily hide it away out of sight – it doesn’t need to be in the center of your home cinema setup, as bass frequencies aren’t very directional.

Some soundbars will also come with rear speakers that enable it to deliver 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound, for a truly enveloping and immersive aural experience. These do tend to push the price up, but it’s sometimes possible to start with a single unit and then add extra speakers later on.

What’s the best way to connect a soundbar?

The most important connector is HDMI. Many bars have multiple HDMI inputs, which can be connected to different sources, such as a TV box, a games console, and so on. You’ll often then have a single HDMI output that passes the active video signal onto your TV.

A feature worth looking for is HDMI ARC (audio return channel) support. This lets the soundbar receive and play audio directly from the TV – useful for smart TV apps, such as Netflix – but ARC is also handy if you run out of HDMI inputs on the soundbar, as any audio that would normally play through the TV speakers is routed back to the soundbar.

Many bars have other connectors too, for different types of audio sources, which will give you more flexibility. One particularly useful connector is an optical digital socket (also called TOSlink or S/PDIF); this can’t carry a lossless surround-sound signal, such as Dolby TrueHD or DTS:X, but it’s an easy way to hook up a music source – or the TV, if the soundbar doesn’t support HDMI ARC.

You may also see analog connectors, such as stereo RCA and 3.5mm inputs – these provide an easy way to connect older audio gear – but they’re becoming less common and it’s normally not a disaster if your soundbar doesn’t have them. If you want to play music from a phone or tablet, many soundbars support Bluetooth for wirelessly streaming audio. Some soundbars also have Wi-Fi capability to allow for higher-quality streaming, integration into a multi-room wireless speaker network (if the bar supports it), and support for digital voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant.

Is it worth buying a Dolby Atmos soundbar?

Dolby Atmos is a relatively recent surround-sound standard that expands upon the previously established 5.1- and 7.1-channel setups to add audio height. In other words, where older systems could produce sound from the front, sides, and rear of the room, new Atmos gear can also make sounds that seem to come from above you.

Soundbars with Atmos generally work by using upward-facing speakers to bounce audio off your ceiling. This can be very effective but, for the best results, your ceilings will need to be the right height, so if you’re thinking of investing in a system like this, check the specifications first to confirm the recommended room dimensions.

It’s also worth noting that Dolby Atmos soundbars tend to be more expensive than simpler 5.1-enabled units, and they have a nasty habit of excluding support for non-Dolby surround-sound standards. This won’t be the end of the world, but many Blu-ray movies use DTS encoding for their surround sound and, if you’re watching such a disc with a Dolby-only soundbar, you’ll be limited to the standard stereo soundtrack.

↑ Return to top