The Best Soundbars for Your TV and Budget 2024

The Polk Audio Magnifi Mini AX Ultra-Compact Dolby Atmos and DTS:X Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer is an easy winner for our Best Small Sound Bar Under $500 because of its pristine sound quality, compact and comfortable size, and how easy it is to get set up and enjoy.

Immersive Audio with Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compatibility, and VoiceAdjust™ technology paired with Magnifi’s integrated center channel speaker make the Polk Audio Magnifi Mini AX and Wireless Subwoofer the perfect one-two combo for any home entertainment system.

At just 15” wide, this five-speaker sound bar pushes crystal clear midrange and high-end sound. At the same time, the down-firing wireless subwoofer completes an expansive soundstage with deep and rich bass. Bring certified Dolby Atmos, DTS:X cinematic surround sound, and Polk’s patented fourth-generation SDA 3D Audio technology to your living room and enjoy captivating surround sound that adds new levels of intensity to movies and music alike.

One problem we’ve seen a few times with sound bars is that you may love them, but your neighbors... Well, sometimes they don’t love it. Luckily for them, the Magnifi Mini AX has Night Mode, which optimizes sound by reducing bass and enhancing dialogue to ensure that you still hear what you want, and your neighbors or roommates don’t have to.

With HDMI, eARC, Optical, AUX, and Roku TV Ready TV connections and Apple AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, and Spotify Connect enjoying high-quality sound from your phone, tablet, or computer has never been easier.

When the weather’s nice, nothing beats relaxing and watching a game or the latest binge-worthy show out on your patio. But having to worry about your sound gear when it starts to rain can be a major bummer. Furrion — whose TVs have been leaders in the outdoor TV marketplace for a long time — has solved this problem with their new weather-proof sound bar. Rated at IP45, the Furrion Outdoor Sound Bar will continue to operate safely and keep putting out excellent sound, even when you have to run inside to get out of a downpour.

And with its substantial 70-watt power output and built-in subwoofer, you might even be able to still hear dialog and sound effects while you keep dry behind closed doors and shut windows. That kind of output doesn’t always guarantee a first-rate listening experience, but in the case of the Furrion Outdoor Sound Bar, louder is still excellent. Its clear mid-range, sweet highs, and blast-capable lows make any soundtrack, dialog, or music a cinematic experience.

Designed to work with Furrion’s Aurora Outdoor TVs, this sound bar can connect to any Bluetooth-enabled TV or media player. You can also hard-wire your connections to the RCA, 3.5mm, and coax inputs.

The Polk Audio React gives you a lot of reasons to give it a close look and an even closer listen. As a stand-alone sound bar, its sound quality is remarkable, with an extremely wide soundstage that gives you great surround effects without sacrificing clarity of dialogue, smoothness of highs, low booms and bass, or the refinement of a beautiful movie score. You can add a subwoofer and surround speakers wirelessly, with the touch of a “connect” button. And it’s jaw-droppingly affordable. We've made it easy for you - check out the systems of the React with subwoofer here and the complete React home theater system here.

The remote puts just about everything you would ever want at your fingertips in clearly labeled buttons. Need to increase voice clarity or rein in the bass? Just press the dedicated up and down buttons on the remote. Feel like letting Alexa handle the adjusting? Just say what you need. Alexa is integrated into the React so deeply that the Amazon Echo control panel appears to be built right into the top.

It may not have DTS:X or eARC compatibility, but for this price, the sound is so good, you might not feel the need for uncompressed audio.

If you’re looking for a sound bar that can double as a sledge hammer, Bluesound’s got one. At 15 pounds, the Pulse Sound Bar+ is a brute – and that’s a good thing. (Like we always say, “bigger is better when it comes to all-things audio.”) Bottom line, wow. Close your eyes and you’ll think “no way that’s a sound bar.”

This sound bar is designed to support hi-res playback and streaming of the following high-resolution music files: MQA (Master Quality Authenticated), WAV, AIFF, and FLAC, with sampling rates up to 192kHz. And you can wirelessly connect your sound bar to other Bluesound players in the house to enjoy your hi-res music in any room.

Under the hood, 120 watts of power drives a full speaker array – custom-tuned for mid and high frequencies. As a result, you get a sound stage that blends beautifully and spaciously.

We’re also giving the Pulse Sound Bar+ an A+ for looks and an A+ for brains. Elegant and understated in spite of its brawn, this just may be the fullest-featured, all-things-streaming sound bar on the market.

The slim profile of this sound bar and the compact size of its included subwoofer make the Denon DHT-S517 sound bar system perfect for home theater setups that are challenged for space. Remarkably lightweight and unimposing in its appearance, this system nonetheless beefs up your TV and its audio system to an impressive 50 watts with the sound bar and the 100 watts with the subwoofer.

But it’s not just the power that makes this reasonably-priced system so attractive. The DHT-S517 has full Dolby Atmos capability, so you get the benefits of the complete cinematic immersion provided by Dolby Atmos content. The clarity of the sound that the DHT-S517 delivers is truly impressive, and by choosing the Dialog Enhancer setting you like best, you’ll catch every whisper. Sound modes for movies, music, and the Pure Mode for high-resolution audio make sure you’re always getting the best sound possible.

Setup is very simple with just a single HDMI cable to connect to your TV, and a simple button press to pair the subwoofer to the sound bar. You can also easily expand the DHT-S517 by adding Denon’s compatible wireless subwoofer and surround speakers. You can’t ask for a better Dolby Atmos system for this price.

If that's still a little out of your price range, consider the Denon DHT-S217 Dolby Atmos 2.1 Sound Bar with Bluetooth as an alternative!

Dolby Atmos is an all-encompassing surround sound theatrical
experience and (usually) that is reflected in the price tag. However, every now
and again a product comes along that can provide an exceptional Dolby Atmos
experience without breaking the bank. The Denon DHT-S217 Dolby Atmos 2.1 Sound
Bar with Bluetooth features dialog enhancement technology, Bluetooth streaming
capabilities, and incredible sound reproduction abilities. Oh, did we forget to
mention that it’s a sound bar with Dolby Atmos 2.1 capabilities for under $300?
If you ask us, it's not a bad alternative if the DHT-S517 if out of your price
range.

There’s a certain magic to big, authentic, cinematic sound – and Sennheiser’s AMBEO Plus sound bar does a better job of recreating that magic than, arguably, every other sound bar on the planet. The reason: Dolby Atmos – a home theater technology that creates a layer of sound that not only hovers above and around you (Atmos = atmosphere), it hovers in different areas above and around you. The net effect is so immersive, you find yourself quite literally ducking bad guys and bullets headed your way. (See our guide on “How to Choose the Best Home Theater System” for a full explanation of Dolby Atmos.)

To make it happen, the AMBEO Plus comes with 7 high-end aluminum cone drivers working in concert to put you in the center of a true 3D soundscape. What’s more, the AMBEO Plus sound bar generates thundering bass with built-in 4" dual subwoofers – eliminating the need for an extra subwoofer. And Sennheiser’s Smart Control app makes it easy to fine-tune the sound bar to your specific room.

As for connectivity, the AMBEO Plus = an embarrassment of riches. Ports include 2 HDMI in and 1 out, plus optical, AUX, USB, ethernet, a subwoofer pre-out, a mic input, and of course: Bluetooth and Google Chromecast. Is it pricey? Yes. Is it worth it? Short of buying multiple home theater components – 5 to 7 speakers, a subwoofer and a good AV receiver – definitely yes.

This sound bar hits a sweet spot between convenience, affordability, and features that can really improve your home theater experience. You can connect your TV to the SR-B20A with a single cable, either an HDMI ARC or with the supplied optical cable. In addition to two 30W stereo speakers, the SR-B20A has two 60W subwoofers built in, so it’s as self-contained as they come — plus, at less that 36 inches wide, it’ll fit nicely under smaller TVs. The remote is really well designed, with all the important features, options, and controls accessible via clearly labeled buttons.

But how about the sound? DTS Virtual:X surround sound simulation enables the SR-B20A to put you in a remarkably believable 3D sound stage, with sounds located vertically, above your head, as well as to the sides — an achievement that usually requires satellite speakers and a separate subwoofer. Yamaha’s Clear Voice processing brings the dialogue up in volume, so you don’t miss a mumble. You can also stream uncompressed audio content from any of your devices via Bluetooth with high-resolution AAC capability. The SR-B20A really delivers on the promise of an audio upgrade to your TV’s built-in stereo speakers.

With its compact footprint and profile, great sound, and world-class voice control and smart features, the original Sonos Beam was as close to a no-brainer choice as you can get for a sound bar — especially for TVs smaller than 50", since it’s one of the few sound bars that doesn’t overwhelm smaller TVs. Now for just a shockingly small price increase over the original Beam, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 adds Dolby Atmos compatibility to its already impressive feature set, making it one of the least-expensive ways to add Atmos content to your home theater experience.

Sonos gave a major upgrade to the Sonos Beam Gen 2’s chipset, increasing its processing power by 40%, and added eARC support as well, which means the Beam Gen 2 has all the brawn it needs to deliver awesome multichannel sound into a soundstage that’s expanded not only horizontally, but vertically, as well. And it does it all with the same one-cable-does-it-all setup as the original Beam.

That added brainpower doesn’t just give you Dolby Atmos compatibility — it also opens the door to many existing and just-around-the-bend multichannel formats. The Sonos Beam Gen 2 can deliver the full DTS multichannel audio you’ve been missing from your Blu-ray discs, which will re-ignite your love affair with all those bonus features. It also opens the door to 3D music, such as Dolby Atmos Music, with which you can access truly immersive recordings by your favorite artists on streaming services like Apple Music, Amazon Music HD, and Tidal.

Sonos has simplified the process of pairing your phone and tablet with the Beam Gen 2 with the addition of Near Field Communication (NFC), which makes connecting your devices a breeze. A new polycarbonate grille makes the Beam Gen 2 not only attractive, but more likely to keep looking good for many years to come.

Check out our full review of the Beam Gen 2!

The Sonos Arc sound bar packs an immersive Dolby Atmos experience into a slim package. The Sonos Arc is our best all-in-one sound bar because of it's Dolby Atmos capabilities, impressive speech clarity, sleek design, and ability to wirelessly stream music. It does a little bit of everything, including take voice commands. Whether you place it on your TV stand or mount it to the wall directly beneath your television (the wall mount is sold separately), you’ll be instantly impressed with the performance.

The 11 built-in speakers (two in the top of the sound bar, one at either end, and the rest front-facing) not only produce exquisite detail from the movies, TV shows, or games that you are enjoying, they also envelop you in the sound thanks primarily to the top and side speakers in the sound bar. Bass response is tight and deep thanks to the dual bass drivers that Sonos employed in the Arc’s design. Need more bass? No problem! Add the Sonos Sub for even more impact. Don’t forget that Sonos started making their systems for music, so the high-quality components that are employed in the Sonos Arc ensure superb sonic performance and sound quality.

The Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa services are built into the unit to streamline music streaming services (“Hey, Google. Play my romantic dinner playlist in Spotify”, for example), set a reminder or an alarm, check the forecast for the evening, etc. This feature alone really resonated with us because we love to use one of these two assistants to help us manage our lives. Also, Apple AirPlay 2 is built into the Sonos Arc, so you can connect your compatible iPhone or iPad easily to the unit to stream audio directly to it. With all these features, you can easily control the functionality and volume of the Sonos Arc with the Sonos S2 app (available from the App Store or Play Store) right from your iPhone, iPad, or Android device.

The Sonos Arc is extremely simple to set up: plug it into the wall with the supplied power cable and into your TV with the supplied HDMI cable and you’re all set. But perhaps the best feature is simply that you can very easily connect the Sonos Arc to your existing Sonos equipment (or add more Sonos equipment to the Arc if you’re new to Sonos) and really set up that killer whole-house audio solution you’ve been craving.

Need a smaller, more compact option with similar features? It's little brother, the Sonos Beam Gen 2, is another top choice.

The Ray takes full advantage of its speaker array that consists of four Class-D digital amplifiers, two tweeters (off center), two elliptical Mid-woofers (centered), and proprietary low-velocity ports as part of Sonos’ bass reflex system to help lower distortion. Sonos also put in two split waveguides at the tweeter locations that expand the soundstage so the tweeter sound spreads wider and encompasses the room. Sonos made all of the speaker elements front facing, which means you can tuck it away just about anywhere without interfering with the sound quality.

Voice Enhancement helps boost dialogue and if you have a compatible iOS device you can take advantage of Sonos' Trueplay tuning to adapt the sound to the acoustics of your space and ensure that you’re always hearing your content the way it was meant to be heard. Available in black or white, the Ray is 22" x 2.79" x 3.74" (W x H x D), and weighs 6.95 pounds. One thing we love is that Sonos really showed us that they care about how this will look in your room and that you can have a sound bar that looks great without sacrificing quality.

If you want a full surround experience, add a matching pair of speakers for rears and a Sub. The Sonos Era 100, Era 300, and Sonos Five will work as surrounds and the Sonos SUB would be your go-to subwoofer. You can also use the Sonos AMP to power in-wall, in-ceiling, or other passive speakers as surrounds. Throw it all together and you got yourself a pretty good little surround system at a pretty good price.

Check out our full review of the Sonos Ray and our comparison of the Sonos Ray vs the Beam and Arc.