The ultimate soundbar buying guide

By Madhurima Nag on Feb 24, 2021, 8:59 am EST under Daily Digest

No matter your budget, you can find a soundbar to blend with your living room setup. Choose one that works with Alexa or go for one that won't burn a hole in your pocket. And today's ultimate soundbar buying guide is a must-read for all of you looking to upgrade your home media setup. After all, yoyu don't want to watch those weekend movies or games with basic audio, do you?

Sonos Arc Premium Smart Soundbar with Sonos Sub Gen 3 subwoofer

When you buy a high-tech smart TV for your living room to watch your favorite Netflix movie or soccer match in the best quality, you get to enjoy only half of the fun. Picture quality is not the only feature that makes a great home theater setup. What takes it to the next level is a full-fledged speaker system—specifically, soundbars. And that’s why we wrote this soundbar buying guide. Because without that ultimate soundbar setup, you don’t get the full experience.

So today’s digest is all about soundbars. From ones that are compatible with Alexa and other smart assistants to ones that come with 3D audio, the gadgets in our ultimate soundbar buying guide offer something for all the audiophiles out there. Let’s take home entertainment to the next level.

Polk Audio React Home Theater Soundbar

You can go big and stay home with the Polk Audio React Home Theater Soundbar. Engineered by Polk’s renowned speaker designers, it has both Dolby and DTS for room-filling sound. And, with Alexa built in, it’s easy to switch up the volume, sound modes, and more with your voice.

Denon Home Sound Bar 550

Upgrade your TV audio with the Denon Home Sound Bar 550. This product on our soundbar buying guide is specifically designed to give you 3D audio with Dolby ATMOS and DTS:X for your TV. You’ll also love its space-saving footprint and minimalist lines.

: Denon Home Sound Bar 550 design

Samsung 2021 Q Series Soundbars

The Samsung 2021 Q Series Soundbars support Apple AirPlay 2. So you can wirelessly stream content to it from your Apple device. And, with their SpaceFit Sound technology, these soundbars calibrate your audio to fit the room.

Samsung 2021 Q Series soundbars on an entertainment console

LG QP5 Éclair Soundbar

Shaped just like the famous French pastry, the LG QP5 Éclair Soundbar supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X in a small form factor. It’s only 11.7 inches wide and 2 inches tall, making it a great choice for small rooms.

LG QP5 Éclair soundbar on a black background

JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam Soundbar

The JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam Soundbar is another excellent product on our soundbar buying guide. It combines Virtual Dolby Atmos and JBL beamforming technology, MultiBeam, for a luxurious 3D sound experience.

JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam soundbar on a black background

Roku Streambar Bluetooth Soundbar

You can upgrade any TV with the Roku Streambar Bluetooth Soundbar. It has Dolby Audio for cinematic sound and gives you crisp, clear dialogue so that you can catch every word. It even makes it easy to stream content via AirPlay.

Bose Solo 5 TV Soundbar

The Bose Solo 5 TV Soundbar tailors audio to your content thanks to its multiple audio programs. With its sleek design, it’s another great product on our ultimate soundbar buying guide.

Bose Solo 5 TV soundbar under a TV

Razer Leviathan Desktop Bluetooth Soundbar

The Razer Leviathan Desktop Bluetooth Soundbar gives you lifelike sound effects for your computer. It’s equipped with a powerful downward-firing subwoofer and surround-sound technology, letting you hear explosive effects as though they were right next to you.

Razer Leviathan desktop Bluetooth soundbar on a desk

Yamaha YAS-109 TV Soundbar

The Yamaha YAS-109 TV Soundbar solves the issue of low-quality TV speakers. It has built-in subwoofers for heart-thumping bass as well as Clear Voice technology so you can hear every word. And, with Alexa built in, it’s easy to control the volume and change modes.

Yamaha YAS-109 TV soundbar in a living room

Samsung Q800T Dolby Atmos Soundbar

The Samsung Q800T Dolby Atmos Soundbar actually includes Q-Symphony technology. This product on our soundbar buying guide works alongside your TV’s top speakers for immersive sound no matter your living room’s size.

Samsung Q800T Dolby Atmos soundbar in a modern living room setup

Yamaha SR-C20A Home Soundbar

Hear your favorite music wirelessly at home with the Yamaha SR-C20A Home Soundbar. It connects to your devices via Bluetooth and has sound modes for music, watching TV, and playing games.

: Yamaha SR-C20A home soundbar design

Bang & Olufsen Beosound Stage Soundbar

Beautiful and versatile, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Stage Soundbar is worth adding to your home theater. You can hang this soundbar on your wall for a streamlined setup. And, with 50-watt amplifiers in each of the 11 drivers, it delivers powerful audio.

: Bang & Olufsen Beosound Stage soundbar design in a living room

Sennheiser AMBEO 3D Soundbar

And, for an incredibly immersive audio experience, look no further than the Sennheiser AMBEO 3D Soundbar. It gives you the power of a multispeaker home cinema in one state-of-the-art gadget. With 13 drivers in total, this product on our soundbar buying guide gives you rich surround sound.

: Sennheiser AMBEO 3D Soundbar in black

Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Sleek Speaker

For better everyday audio, go for the Bose Smart Soundbar 300 Sleek Speaker. Its acoustics provide clear dialogue, rich bass, and complex audio for movies, music, and games. And it’s so easy to use thanks to Amazon and Google Assistant built-in.

: Bose Smart Soundbar 300 sleek speaker on a TV console

TCL Alto 6 2.0 Channel Soundbar

The TCL Alto 6 2.0 Channel Soundbar is the device you’ll want for your Roku TV. Super affordable, this soundbar works seamlessly with your Roku TV and offers Dolby Audio decoding. It fills your room with virtual sound and works with pretty much any music app.

TCL Alto 6 2.0 channel soundbar beneath a wall-mounted TV

The soundbars on this soundbar buying guide are sure to give you audio that’s more immersive, realistic, and convenient. Leave a comment letting us know which of these products you’re most interested in.

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