Soundbars have many advantages over traditional home theatre speaker systems. They take up less space, are easier to set up, and are often less expensive. There seems to be a soundbar out there for everyone, whether you want one that works with Dolby Atmos or one that you can connect your MP3 player to directly. Still, not all soundbars have been thought to be the same, as some sound better than others.
No matter how Big, Bright, and Smart TV gets, there has always been a gap between how well it can show images and how well it can play sounds. This is the case because almost all new TVs, no matter how big or small, have speakers that aren’t very good hidden in smaller and smaller spaces. Adding a soundbar to your system is a simple way to make your viewing experience more interesting, clear, and entertaining.
Best Sound Bars:
Sonos Arc
The Sonos Arc is a high-end soundbar that most people will like. Dolby Atmos makes all of your media sound like it’s coming from a movie theatre. Once upon a time, to get the best surround sound, you would have needed a soundbar with a number of speakers. Still, Dolby Atmos is changing that, and the Arc can give you 3D sound with a simpler design.
The unit is self-contained and only needs a power cable and an HDMI In. Sonos doesn’t even include a remote. They suggest instead that you hook up the Soundbar to your TV. Use your TV remote and the audio return channel to control everything.
You can also use the Sonos S2 app on your phone to control the soundbar. The Soundbar can be placed below your TV or on the wall. It has metal speaker grilles on the top, front, and both ends. The sound bounces off the walls and ceiling to give you a 3D soundscape.
Touch controls let you play, pause, change the volume, and skip tracks by swiping. A small set of status LEDs shows you what your commands are doing. The Arc also works with Alexa voice commands, so you can play music, check the news, set alarms, and do more without having to use your hands. Inside, there are three angles silk dome tweeters and eight elliptical woofers, some of which fire up for Dolby Atmos effects.
Pros:
- Excellent sound for music and Television
- It may also be used as a music speaker.
- EARC indicates that it is future-proof.
Cons:
- Bluetooth is not supported.
- It isn’t suitable for every room.
Sonos Beam (Gen 2)
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is a great way to improve the sound of your TV, and its small size makes it perfect for smaller rooms. The second generation of the beam has clean lines and nothing flashy to make it stand out, which is exactly how a soundbar should be.
The grille is made of plastic instead of woven fabric. This was not done to save money on production but because plastic is easier to clean than fabric, which tends to gather dust.
The Soundbar has a touch-sensitive control on top that lets you play music, change the volume, and turn off the built-in microphones when you want to be private. On the back, there are ports for getting power, HDMI optical, and Ethernet.
Even though the Beam Gen 2 is small, it has more than enough power to fill your living room with sound. The virtual Dolby Atmos isn’t as good as it could be, probably because the beam doesn’t have the same up-firing drivers as the Sonos arc. However, the sound does give a sense of height.
Still, it works better than a soundbar that doesn’t have Atmos, but the effect isn’t as good as with something like the Sonos arc. The width of the sound stage is impressive, and it makes you feel like the action on the screen is happening all around you. Listening to music is a great time, and it gives you deep, well-controlled bass sounds.
Pros:
- Dolby Atmos compatibility with 3D audio
- Compatibility with high-resolution audio
- The setup is straightforward.
Cons:
- No tweeters that up fire
- The acoustic architecture is identical to the previous model.
Yamaha YAS-209
The Yamaha YAS-209 makes a high-quality sound that improves the sound of movies, music, and more. It also makes gaming more fun and doesn’t break the bank. Most TVs have great screens, but their sound systems aren’t usually as good. Adding a soundbar like the YAS-209 is a simple way to improve this. Its low-key design helps it blend into the background and has several ways to connect.
There is one 4k, HDR-compatible HDMI input and an arc-enabled HDMI output. For TVs that don’t support Arc, there is an optical input and an ethernet port for people who prefer to use a wired network connection instead of Wi-Fi. And you can get full control by downloading the Yamaha app, which lets you change sound modes, music, and more.
But the YAS-309 can stream more than just audio for movies and TV shows. You can stream from your smart device using Spotify Connect or Bluetooth, or you can stream from Amazon Music, Audible, Kindle, and more. Behind the speaker grilles are two 1-inch tweeters and two 1.75-inch drivers that handle low frequencies. A separate 6.25-inch wireless subwoofer has a DTS virtual X surround mode, adding virtual height and roomy, lifelike effects that pull you into your favorite movies and games.
Pros:
- Dialogue that is clear and resonant
- Ideal for musicians
- The Yamaha YAS-209 produces outstanding audio.
Cons:
- Low-frequency effects are absent.
Samsung HW-Q950A
The Samsung HW-Q950A soundbar has 16 different channels of sound that work together to make a truly immersive Dolby Atmos experience. The HW Q950A is a long, thin speaker that comes with a subwoofer with an 8-inch driver and a pair of wireless bookshelf rear speakers with three drivers each.
To get height effects from Dolby Atmos or DTS-x sources, you have to fire upward. The third one looks out into the back of your room.
The main soundbar has two more up-firing drivers and a separate front center channel from the left and right front channels. Samsung has processing modes that can re-mix any sound source so that the full number of speakers and channels can be used by the Soundbar. It also has a game preset that uses surround and ambient effects to make games more immersive.
Pros:
- Presets, as well as a visual Equalization
- The volume increases the excellent surround sound performance.
Cons:
- Atmos’ performance is adequate.
Bose Smart Soundbar 900
The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 makes it easy to fill a room with clear, Dolby Atmos-enhanced sound, and it also looks good. It also sounds about the same as the Sonos Arc, but it costs a lot less. The Soundbar 900 has up-firing speakers and precise placements of sound to the right and left channels that make a large sound stage.
When there is no Dolby Atmos input, the horizontal soundstage is kept by mixing signals to add a virtual height channel. This Soundbar has nine drivers, two tweeters, four racetrack transducers, a center tweeter, and two speakers that fire up. There is HDMI EARc connectivity, and Wi-Fi is available for streaming services and voice commands.
The soundbar 900 makes a clear, room-filling sound whether it’s playing 5.1 Dolby atmos or a standard 2-channel stereo mix. Vocals and TV dialogue have a clear, high-energy sound, and there are a lot of basses if you like that.
Pros:
- Exceptional breadth
- Elegant design
- The vocal projection is clear.
Cons:
- DTS isn’t supported.
- The sound has been heavily manipulated.
JBL Bar 9.1
One of the best ways to enjoy great sound at home is with the JBL Bar 9.1. Because of this, Dolby Atmos soundbars with wireless speakers and surround sound, like the JBL Bar 9.1, are highly recommended for every home. The JBL Bar 9.1 has two surround speakers that can be taken off and placed in different parts of your home to fill it with high-quality sounds.
This Dolby Atmos soundbar is perfect for people who like deep bass because it comes with a 300-watt subwoofer that makes the best bass of any soundbar.
This Dolby Atmos soundbar is liked by a lot of people because it has 4 speakers that fire up. This makes it sound like the sound is coming from the ceiling. It also only weighs 8 pounds, which makes it easy to move to the right places in your home.
It even comes with a wall mount that lets you attach the detachable surround speakers to the wall or any other surface you want. It has a power output of 820 watts, and its rich sound brings your games and movies to life. Instead of playing your high-definition 4K video on speakers that don’t work well, give it a JBL that does.
This Dolby Atmos soundbar works with Chromecast, so you can use its built-in Wi-Fi to stream as much music as you want. You can also use a Bluetooth connection on your phone to stream music wirelessly. Apple users can get the most out of their listening experience with the JBL because it comes with built-in AirPlay 2.
Pros:
- The audio quality is well-balanced.
- It cannot be quiet.
- For a more realistic experience, it enables Dolby Atmos.
Cons:
- There’s no visual EQ and only a few EQ settings.
Nakamichi Shockwave Ultra
Most Dolby Atmos soundbars are used by a lot of people because they sound good and last a long time. This is where the Nakamichi Shockwave Ultra fits in. It has two-inch subwoofers that make one of the most ground-shaking basses to keep everyone in party mode.
It spreads the bass throughout your home so that you can’t tell where it’s coming from. This great Dolby Atmos Soundbar also stands out because it has 4-way surround speakers that are made to provide 360-degree surround beats.
Nakamichi has been making great sounds for over 70 years, and their Dolby Atmos soundbars are known for having great sounds. It is made with the most up-to-date SSE technology for making and sending sound. It also has DTSX multi-dimensional audio, which makes sounds that seem to come from all over the room. You can stream thousands of sounds from your phone or smart home device to your Nakamichi using Bluetooth.
It makes it much easier to understand what is being said and sung in your favorite videos. It also has a bigger soundstage and is about 35% more expensive than other soundbars.
Pros:
- Lightweight materials were used
- Excellent bassa
- A bold and powerful soundstage
Cons:
- Substantial compression of the maximum volume is possible.
- The stereo component might not be as distinct.
Sony HT-A7000
The Sony HT-A7000 is made to fix the problems that other soundbars have. For the first four months after you buy it, Sony lets you listen to as many songs as you want on Amazon Music. With this Dolby Atmos soundbar, every part of your home is a sweet spot because it fills every corner with high-quality sounds.
Sony is a good choice if you want to improve the sound field because it can turn regular audio into 7.1.2 channels with its great sound-enhancing features.
It also has two well-made subwoofers that can make a lot of basses and a strong speaker in the back that gives the sound even more depth. Sony lets you stream music through Wi-Fi, Spotify, Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, and Bluetooth, so you can get the most out of your listening experience and make things easier.
Pros:
- Optional voice commands
- Friendly to users
- a whole soundscape
- High compatibility
Cons:
- Smudges are readily removed.
TLC Alto 6 Plus
If you’ve been wondering if it’s good enough to justify spending a lot of money on better audio for your TV, the TLC Alto 6 Plus makes it much easier to decide. This Soundbar does exactly what you would expect it to do. Compared to the speakers that came with your TV, the sound quality is much better. The Alto 6 Plus has an amazing sound with a much wider range than you might think at first.
This 31.5-by-4.2-by-2.4-inch Soundbar, which has round corners instead of the usual square ones, has two internal drivers. The Bluetooth subwoofer is also small, measuring 12.8 inches by 7.9 inches by 7.9 inches. With this item, you can connect to your TV using HDMI ARC, an optical digital or 3.5-millimeter sound connector.
There is a USB port for inputs, so you can listen to music and stream it over Bluetooth wirelessly. There are only a few knobs on the Soundbar itself: power, input, Bluetooth, and volume. There are five LED lights on the front. One shows which input is being used, and the other four flash in different patterns to show which audio mode you’ve chosen and how loud it is.
Pros:
- Three different EQ settings are provided.
- With a little pounding and compression artifacts, it can get loud.
Cons:
- Atmos is not supported.
- Poor surround sound quality.
Vizio 36″ 2.1 Sound Bar
The Vizio 36′′ 2.1 Sound Bar might not have as much power as some more expensive options, but it is a great choice if you need to fill a smaller space with sound or want a good listening experience. It’s small enough to fit under most TVs without having to spend a lot of money.
It comes with two wall mount brackets to give you more options for where to put it. It has four main drivers: two 2.6-inch full-range woofers and two subwoofers to improve the low-end response and play frequencies down to 50 hertz.
It also has two extra passive radiators that boost the bass even more. It comes with a remote control, so you can easily change the settings without getting up. It also has a graphic equalizer, which lets you tune the sound to your liking. There are different ways to optimize the audio depending on what it is. For example, there are ways to optimize the audio for movies and ways for music.
It doesn’t have as many ways to connect as higher-end models, which is a shame. But you still get an optical input, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a USB port to play music stored on your computer, and Bluetooth to stream your favorite music. It supports Dolby Audio and DTS virtual x to create a more accurate stereo image, which is a good value for the price and gives you good spatial audio.
Pros:
- Adjustable equalizer.
- Simple to use.
- Bluetooth audio is streamed.
Cons:
- No HDMI ports were available.
Conclusion
When buying, there are a number of things to think about. Check your TV’s size to figure out how big your current Soundbar is. You don’t want it to be hidden by the display, but a big bar with a small TV might look strange, like putting a small head on too big shoulders. Start by reading the specifications and comparing the bar’s width to your TV’s width.
