As TV displays get slimmer and slimmer, their built-in speakers tend to be lacking. Let’s face it, even the best Samsung TV could use an external speaker system – and that’s why we’ve round up the very best soundbars on the market in one handy guide.
If you admire the slim aesthetic of your new 4K TV over everything else, then a good soundbar is your best option. The top soundbars available to buy right now won’t stick out next to your shiny new slim screen like a normal stereo system would. Instead, they are built to be just as pleasing to the eye as they are to the ear. They’re also a good solution for smaller homes and rooms with little space that wouldn’t be able to squeeze a 7.1 channel speaker system in.
The majority of soundbars on this list are made to sit in front of your screen, but they can also be wall-mounted above or to the side of it as well, providing you with ultimate choice as to how your home entertainment set-up looks.
Despite most only featuring front-facing speakers, many soundbars are able to confidently project sound in a way that makes it seem as though there’s booming audio coming from every direction.
The main problem with soundbars? There’s so many to choose from. If you don’t find the right one for you, you can end up with a soundbar that doesn’t fit with your home theater setup – or barely sounds better than your TV’s built-in speakers. That, unfortunately, is what gives soundbars a bad name and is exactly the kind of thing that we want to help you avoid.
So, without further ado, read on below for the best soundbars available to buy in 2019, whether you’re after Dolby Atmos support, multi-room audio, sleek design, or any variety of other advanced features alongside your soundbar’s premium audio experience.
What’s the best soundbar for around $200/£200?
We can’t stress this enough: when it comes to soundbars, there’s a lot of choice. Despite being called soundbars, they tend to come in different shapes and sizes. They also range in price from under £100/$100 to over £1,000/$1,500 (see: Creative X-Fi Sonic Carrier).
The cheaper the model you go for, the more basic the connections are likely to be. Whereas more expensive ones add superior HDMI inputs (including 4K / HDR passthrough), wireless audio streaming (e.g. Bluetooth and AirPlay), better power, more refined speaker drivers, and decoding of Blu-ray sound formats.
Of course a full surround setup is the premium solution to bad-sounding TVs, but if you’re short on space (as well as budget) then a soundbar offers a good compromise. So what is the best soundbar for around £200/$200?
Best Soundbars 2019: TechRadar’s top picks
(Image credit: Samsung)
1. Samsung HW-Q90R Soundbar
Be afraid, traditional Hi-Fi speakers. Be very afraid.
Dimensions: 1226 x 83 x 136mm (W x H x D) | Speaker configuration: 7.1.4 | Claimed audio power: 512W | Connections: 2 x HDMI inputs, 1 x HDMI output with eARC, optical digital audio input, USB (service only), Bluetooth and WiFi
Impressive sound quality
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X
Easy to install and setup
Limited HDMI Inputs
The Samsung HW-Q90R is the company’s new all-singing, all-dancing flagship soundbar. It not only supports object-based audio in the shape of both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, it’s also the only 2019 model to achieve this with actual rear speakers and four upward-firing drivers.
No other soundbar comes close to producing the full Dolby Atmos and DTS:X experience, and thanks to tuning from Harman Kardon the HW-Q90 even sounds good with music. A decent set of features and fully-specified HDMI connections complete a nearly flawless package… as long as you can afford it.
Read the full review: Samsung HW-Q90R Soundbar
2. Sony HT-ST5000 Soundbar
An unashamedly upmarket soundbar that justifies its price tag
Dimensions: 1180 x 80 x 145 mm (W x H x D) | Speaker configuration: 7.1.2 | Claimed audio power: N/A | Connections: 3 x HDMI inputs, 1 HDMI Out (ARC), analogue audio in/out, Ethernet, optical audio in, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Beautiful build quality
Dolby Atmos support
Hi-res audio compatible
Frighteningly expensive
No DTS:X
The Sony HT-ST5000 is the priciest soundbar you’ll find here, but for the money you’ll get an exceptional piece of equipment that offers support for Dolby’s spatial Atmos tech – on top of dealing exceptionally well with more conventional surround sound.
The build quality and design of the soundbar is exceptional, and its general audio performance impresses with its clarity and spatial presentation.
Still, the lofty price tag might turn some users off, and most people will get everything they need from less expensive units like the Samsung HW-MS650 above. But, if you want to have the best high-end soundbar around, the HT-ST5000 is the best soundbar you can buy today.
Read the full review: Sony HT-ST5000
Image credit: Q Acoustics
3. Q Acoustics M4 Soundbar
‘If there’s a better sounding soundbar on the market for less than £400/$400, we haven’t heard it’
Power: 100W | Speakers: 2 | Dimensions: 1,000 x 90 x 142mm | Weight: 4.9kg | Inputs: 1 x HDMI, 1 x digital optical, 1 x 3.5mm | Outputs: N/A | Wireless: Bluetooth aptX | Subwoofer included?: Yes | Special features: N/A
Beautiful musicality
Easy to use
Stereo only
No HDMI input
The Q Acoustics M4 soundbar doesn’t immediately set pulses racing with its slightly prosaic looks, ‘mere’ 2.1-channel sound and lack of any HDMI support. However, you only have to hear what the M4 can do with both music and movies for your doubts about it to evaporate almost instantly. In fact, it sounds so good that it starts to make the idea of trying to deliver more channels from an affordable soundbar look a bit silly.
In fact, though, it sounds so much better than pretty much any rival soundbar in the same price bracket that it’s actually ridiculously good value – especially if you care about music as much as you care about movies.
Read the full review: Q Acoustics M4 Soundbar
(Image credit: Samsung)
4. Samsung HW-Q70R Soundbar
A good-looking and well-spec’d soundbar for both movies and gaming
Power: 3300W | Speakers: 3.1.2 | Dimensions: 1100 x 59 x 100mm (W x H x D) | Connections: HDMI input and output with ARC, optical digital audio input, Bluetooth | Subwoofer included?: Yes
Big immersive soundstage
Souped-up subwoofer
Great with movies and games
Only one HDMI input
Samsung’s California-based audio lab has been on a roll. In the last few years, the lab has helped the company put together the award-winning Samsung HW-M650, last year’s powerful, Dolby Amtos-ready Samsung HW-N850, and now, the Samsung HW-Q70R, a soundbar designed to keep up with the Korean giant’s 2019 QLED TVs.
If you’ve followed Samsung’s naming structure in the past, the Samsung HW-Q70R represents a revised version of last year’s HW-N650 and although the new model costs more at $800 (£800, AU$1,099), the good news is that the Q70R adds support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X and still uses Acoustic Beaming technology that widens the soundstage.
The resulting soundstage is big and open, lending itself to larger screen sizes. The overall effect is somewhat front heavy, but that’s to be expected given the lack of rear speakers. However once you take into consideration the looks, build quality, and features, this is a solid midrange combo.
Read the full review: Samsung HW-Q70R Soundbar
5. Philips Fidelio B5
Surround sound or portable Bluetooth – the choice is yours
Power: 120W | Speakers: 4 | Dimensions: 1,035 x 70 x 156 mm | Weight: 16kg | Inputs: Digital coaxial in, Digital optical in, HDMI 1.4 output (ARC), HDMI IN 1, HDMI IN 2, Audio in 3.5 mm jack | Wireless: Bluetooth APT-X and AAC | Subwoofer included?: Yes | Special features: N/A
Instant surround sound
Versatile Bluetooth speakers
Massive as a single bar
Weak stereo sound
The Philips Fidelio B5 is an impressive bit of kit, and it’s the perfect soundbar for someone who appreciates good cinema sound but has no interest in tearing up their living room to install a 5.1 surround sound system to use only every now and then. The B5 enables you to pick and choose your movie moments, and do it on a whim. And it creates a pretty decent surround sound experience too, using both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Digital Surround decoding.
The combination of convenience and good audio – the raison d’etre of the soundbar – with its transformative surround sound capabilities makes the Fidelio B5 a great option for the movie fan who can’t face all the aggravation of a proper 5.1 installation.
Read the full review: Philips Fidelio B5
6. Sonos Playbar
Turns your multi-room audio system into wireless surround sound
Power: Not quoted | Speakers: 9 | Dimensions: 900 x 85 x 140mm | Weight: 5.4kg | Inputs: 1 x digital optical, 2 x Ethernet LAN | Outputs: N/A | Wireless: WiFi | Special features: Sonos Play:1 speakers can be connected as wireless rear speakers
Beautiful sound
Integrates with Sonos systems
Clever audio modes
Requires particular TVs
Only one input
The Sonos Playbar is a non-HDMI device that uses optical to hook up to a TV. Used simply on its own it delivers a massive sonic boost to your TV listening, but operating it does require using a smartphone or tablet app. The benefit is that it can seamlessly segue in to a Sonos wireless system, and can even act as the front three speakers in a 5.1 setup with two Play:1s acting as rears.
Unfortunately although it’s optical-only setup will be great for most, it does exclude owners of TVs that lack this connector, which has pushed it a little further down this list.
Read the full review: Sonos Playbar
7. Sonos Beam
This is the smart soundbar we’ve been waiting for
Power: N/A | Speakers: 3 channels | Dimensions: 2.70 x 25.625 x 3.94 in. (68.5 x 651 x 100 mm) | Weight: 6.2 lbs (2.8 kg) | Inputs: 1 x Digital Optical-In, 1 x HDMI-in | Wireless: Sonos | Subwoofer included?: No | Special features: Amazon Alexa, Apple AirPlay 2
Great compact design
HDMI ARC compatible
Superb sound
No Dolby Atmos
The Sonos Beam is a fantastic soundbar for its price, one that takes full advantage of the Sonos ecosystem and is a joy to use (and set up, if your television has HDMI ARC). Its smaller form factor means it’s a device that will sit comfortably next to a 32-inch TV but it’s got enough of a footprint to not be dwarfed by a much bigger set.
The Sonos Beam doesn’t offer earth-shattering bass and the lack of Dolby Atmos support will irk some, but at this price point it’d be more of a surprise if it had been included. The voice control may be Alexa-only for now, but it works well and if you have adopted some of Amazon’s TV toys, it really is worth experimenting with.
Read the full review: Sonos Beam
8. Denon HEOS Bar
A powerful and well-connected Playbar challenger
Power: N/A | Speakers: 3.0 | Dimensions: 2 7/8 x 43 3/8 x 5 7/8 inches; 72 x 1100 x 148 mm | Weight: 10.58 lbs; 4.8 kg | Inputs: 4K HDMI Input and HDMI Output | Wireless: Bluetooth, 802.11ac Wi-Fi | Special features: Heos Multi-Room Audio
Excellent sound quality
Handles all formats & streams
Occasional switching delay
Inaccessible USB slot
With its nine drivers are arranged in trios for left, center and right channels and a virtual surround mode to create the illusion of having more speakers around the room, the HEOS Bar is pretty much whatever you want it to be.
Blessed with such a balanced soundscape, the HEOS Bar proved immediately adept with music, and has a consistently warm yet refined sound quality that’s all its own. The fact that it lacks the opportunity to tweak the audio settings is not as important as we had feared. Music sounds superb, especially lossless tunes, from which HEOS Bar drags out a lot of detail. However, we did notice on a couple of occasions that the first half-a-second was cut-off songs.
Read the full review: Denon HEOS Bar
(Image credit: Cliff Joseph)
9. Vizio SB362An-F6 Sound Bar
Impressive sonic upgrade for your TV, at a bargain-basement price
Power: N/A | Speakers: 2.0 | Dimensions: 914.4mm x 52.1mm x 133.1mm | Weight: 5.61 Lbs. / 2.54 Kg | Inputs: 1 x digital optical,1x 3.5 mm jack | Wireless: Bluetooth | Subwoofer included?: No
Powerful, dramatic sound
Dolby Audio and DTS Virtual:X
No HDMI
No LCD display
The key feature of the SB362An-F6 – also referred to more helpfully as the “36-inch 2.1 Sound Bar” on most retailer’s websites – is really its sheer value for money, costing just £149 in the UK and an even more competitive $139 in the US, where it was launched at the end of last year.
Despite the bargain-basement price, the SB362An-F6 is neatly designed, measuring 36 inches wide, and a streamlined 2 inches high, and 5.2 inches deep (914xx52x133mm). It will sit comfortably underneath the screen of most TVs, and Vizio also includes a pair of wall-mount brackets as well.
The SB362An-F6 isn’t perfect, but its dramatic and imposing sound provides a real audio upgrade for your television’s built-in speakers. The Virtual:X technology works well too, helping to create a more immersive atmosphere while you’re watching. And while it might be missing a few bells and whistles, there’s no doubt that the SB362An-F6 provides excellent value for money.
Read the full review: Vizio SB362An-F6
10. Polk Audio Command Bar
Inexpensive and very smart
Power: N/A | Speakers: 1 | Dimensions: 43 x 14.5 x 14.4 inches | Weight: 8.6lbs | Inputs: 1 x SPDIDF, 1 x HDMI, 1 x TOSLINK, 1 x micro-USB connection | Outputs: 1 x HDMI output with Audio Return Channel (ARC) | Wireless: Bluetooth | Subwoofer included?: Yes | Special features: Alexa built in
Alexa built-in
Space for a Fire TV stick
Inexpensive
App could do more
Audio is mediocre
If $300 is your budget cap for a smart sound bar, then we highly recommend the Polk Audio Command Bar for any small or medium-sized living room.
As you might be able to tell based on the soundbar’s design, the Command Bar comes with Alexa built right into it making it unquestionably smart. It’s also relatively inexpensive too, coming in at $250 (£249, AU$649), and it comes with a subwoofer.
It has defined and powerful low end, some cool smart features, and looks pretty good, too.
Read the full review: Polk Audio Command bar