Best soundbars 2024: get the best sound, bar-none

Modern TVs are great, aren’t they? Bigger than perchance necessary, flatter than the tastiest panel-based pancake and susceptible of dominating rooms. With images disposable up to 4K, refresh rates accelerated capable to grip the astir hardcore of games, and opposition ratios that tin dazzle with colour and assistance you delve heavy into the dark, today’s TVs person it all. Or bash they?

You see, the occupation with super-slim TVs is that they simply don’t person the capableness for delivering dependable that tin lucifer the picture; literally. Because they’re truthful super-slim, there’s nary abstraction for ample speakers, truthful portion they whitethorn travel tweaked by audio experts and backed with the precise latest integer audio technologies, they simply don’t person the carnal abstraction to connection that overmuch oomph.

But that’s good due to the fact that if your TV’s sickly dependable is making you bittersweet and you don’t person the country for a full-on situation dependable system, you tin ever amp up the audio with the summation of a slick soundbar.

Available crossed a immense terms spectrum, from nether a ton to implicit an eye-watering amount, size, powerfulness and imaginable connections alteration wildly, truthful for the involvement of this reappraisal round-up I’ve looked astatine a colossal cross-section and lent my receptor to bars that tally from the basal to the superb successful the anticipation of happening crossed thing perfect for your home.

So, drawback your coat, let’s spell drawback a pint of sonorous perfection successful the soundbar…

Shop the champion soundbars below

Sennheiser

Best for: Abounding audio excellence

Jumping consecutive successful with a sanction synonymous with high-end sound, the stunning AMBEO Mini from Sennheiser whitethorn outgo the champion portion of 700 notes, but erstwhile it comes to getting immoderate of the astir astonishing audio retired of an enactment truthful compact that it tin acceptable astir anywhere, look nary further than this Mini marvel.

With the Sennheiser, your ears are treated to 7.1.4 channels, which means 7x main channels, 1x wireless subwoofer and 4x up-firing channels, pumped retired astatine 250W for utterly immersive dependable that fills the country and wraps itself astir you similar the loving clasp of an audio blanket.

Simple to acceptable up via app, conscionable link implicit Bluetooth to your phone, prime your Wi-Fi web and the clever AMBEO Mini volition bash the remainder for you, speechmaking the acoustics of your country and self-calibrating accordingly, plonking those 7 virtual speakers successful premier positions to present devastatingly fantabulous audio close astatine you. And if that doesn’t impressment you enough, Adaptive Mode checks the contented you’re playing and adjusts that too.

Featuring a wealthiness of wired and wireless connectivity options, the Mini is compatible with Dolby Atmos, Dolby DTS:X, MPEG-H, and 360 Reality Audio codecs, and besides plays bully with each the main audio streaming services, each of which makes this petite powerhouse each you request for brilliantly balanced dependable astatine each volumes, whether watching, listening oregon gaming.

Was: £699

Majority

Best for: A bargain barroom with the powerfulness to perform

Sometimes you don’t request countless channels. Sometimes you don’t privation to walk countless hundreds of pounds either. Sometimes you conscionable privation to up the feeble stereo and bass crippled connected your TV to marque the astir retired of movies and the worldly you stream; for those times determination is the Teton-Plus from Cambridge’s ain Majority.

A piffling £100 gets you 180W of creaseless 2.1 transmission situation sound, joined to a nicely beefy 5.25-inch wireless subwoofer dealing with the heavy extremity of the dependable spectrum with considerably aplomb, portion USB, HDMI ARC, AUX and Bluetooth transportation options marque it elemental to set-up with your sources of choice. Even the subwoofer connects automatically with the soundbar (if wrong range, obviously), truthful you tin instrumentality that successful the country of the country and beryllium acceptable to bask the rumbling successful nary time.

Control-wise, the Teton-Plus comes implicit with a distant control, but besides features useful buttons connected the broadside to let for power, pairing, selecting root and adjusting the measurement and, speaking arsenic idiosyncratic with 2 young children who delight successful making distant controls disappear, this is simply a much-appreciated inclusion.

With EQ options disposable connected the distant control, you tin set the audio to amended suit your delicate shell-likes, and the remainder is conscionable a substance of sitting backmost and enjoying the sonic ride.

Majority

Best for: Sweeping situation soundscapes

Like the mighty upland from which it takes its name, the Everest challenges you to elevate your location audio enactment to dizzying caller heights, portion keeping the Sherpa Tensing purse strings tight.

Okay, beyond a elemental soundbar, powered by Dolby Audio, what we person present is simply a implicit 5.1 situation dependable set-up consisting of a almighty 300W soundbar, bass-bringing wireless subwoofer and 2 wireless outer speakers to bring unthinkable audio beingness afresh to beauteous overmuch immoderate instrumentality you privation to dainty to it, acknowledgment to an fantabulous assortment of wired and wireless connectivity types.

With a 10m scope connected the sub and satellites, the Everest tin genuinely cocoon you successful a broad of situation dependable bliss, frankincense taking movies and gaming to the acme of dependable crossed the full range; and, yes, that is different mediocre mountain-based pun, but you instrumentality my meaning.

Simple to set-up, to boot, arsenic soundbar, sub and satellites each travel unneurotic implicit Bluetooth, each you request to bash is presumption the satellites decently and support them charged utilizing the soundbar. All that done, you’re acceptable to roll.

Coming with its ain distant control, done which you tin easy brace your Bluetooth-toting astute devices, the Majority Everest is simply a one-box solution for stunning situation dependable that, astatine this price, is the, ahem, highest of show perfection.

Sony

Best for: Three-dimensional dynamics

The precise latest exemplary from Sony, the HT-S2000 is everything we’ve travel to expect from Sony since, well, forever. A tech person that ne'er puts a ft wrong, prevention for Betamax and the MiniDisc, obviously, Sony has agelong stood, legs akimbo, straddling the camps of ‘innovation’ and ‘affordability’ similar immoderate benevolent colossus, and the 3.1 channel, Dolby Atmos and Dolby DTS:X-armed caller illustration is testament to that.

Nicely compact and arsenic casual connected the oculus arsenic these things get, set-up is simply a spot of a breeze and simply involves downloading the Sony Home Entertainment Connect app to your smartphone and pursuing the on-screen info. That sorted, a wealthiness of transportation options is unfastened earlier you, letting you power sources with easiness and launching entree to immoderate genuinely superlative sound. Featuring 3 cardinal speakers, the precise centre dedicated to speech, and a dual subwoofer, present you tin feast upon 250W of intelligibly defined dialogue, crystal wide mids and highs, and kick-bottom bass.

Add into this heady premix Sony’s ‘Vertical Surround Engine’, ‘S-Force PRO Front Surround’ and the natty caller up mixer, and you tin person the HT-S2000 teardrop isolated tracks successful real-time, slicing the dependable into its idiosyncratic sections and past weaving them backmost unneurotic astir you successful creamily delicious 3D sound.

Being a Sony, the HT-S2000 besides features BRAVIA Sync to support the Sony faithful blessed and, okay, astatine conscionable nether £550, the terms whitethorn look a small steep, but if you’re superior astir your sound…

Groov-e

Best for: Bargain-banging tunes 

Back successful the realms of the eminently affordable, if you’re looking for thing that offers a spot-on dependable upgrade for a precious fewer of your pounds, past unfastened your ears up to the SoundBar 160 from Middlesex’s 14-year-old Groov-e. Compact, airy and packing 2.2 channels of TV-uplifting audio, the SoundBar 160 whitethorn not travel with each the bells and whistles of different models I’ve assembled here, but for a fantastically frugal £67.99 you’re going to get acold much than your money’s worth.

And that is, namely, 2x mid-to-high frequence drivers with 160W highest power, and a azygous subwoofer built into the extremity to grip the low-end of audio life, truthful dependable is crisper than a Peking duck and packing a tenable magnitude of punch. On apical of this comes a affable front-facing LED panel, controls connected the apical but besides a bully bundled distant that helps to marque set-up easier than falling disconnected a bike, positive an EQ, of sorts, that offers ‘Voice’, ‘Music’ and ‘Movie’ modes to support things simple.

Okay, determination is nary HDMI, but Optical, AUX, USB and Bluetooth supply commodious connectivity, truthful you’re not going to conflict with effectual audio for your TV, laptop, machine oregon astute things.

A much than susceptible exemplary for a modicum of cash, for movies and euphony and the saccharine dependable of elemental life, get into the Groov-e.

Was: £84.99

Sonos

Best for: Solid stereo sound

I emotion a spot of Sonos kit; successful fact, the Sonos One has been sitting successful my study, astatine my close side, filling my ears with streamed sounds for immoderate years present and I’ve ne'er erstwhile had origin to complain. So having a due gander astatine the Ray soundbar for this round-up was precocious up connected my database of things I indispensable perceive to. So, to that end…

So, compact you could astir telephone it cute, if you were that mode inclined, the Ray inactive manages a mighty audio output done 2 x mid-woofers and 2x tweeters. No, arsenic the sharper of you volition person conscionable noticed, determination is nary subwoofer arsenic the connection present was ‘mid-woofers’, and if that worries you and your DNB-loving ways, relax, Sonos has this.

Indeed, the show is beautifully balanced, the dialog delivered crisply, adjacent if you’re watching a mumbling BBC bodice-ripper, and the bass is acceptable to stone your thunderous underworld.

Minutes to acceptable up with the Sonos app, Trueplay tuning tech automatically reads the country and adapts audio to suit the acoustics of your abstraction (iOS phone/pad required), truthful conscionable fto it bash its happening and beryllium backmost and revel successful a acquisition wisely made.

Okay, unless you’re readying connected going optical each the way, connectivity present volition impact Wi-Fi, which is mostly good for astir uses, but for those seeking much flexibility by mode of AUX, USB oregon HDMI whitethorn privation to instrumentality a infinitesimal to ponder.

Petite and powerful, the Ray delivers large dependable from a baby-sized bundle, truthful if you question beardown dependable but deficiency suitable space, you’ve recovered your cleanable palindromic playmate.

Was: £279

Edifier

Best for: Go anyplace fund gaming

Small but perfectly formed, accidental hullo to my small friend, the MG300 from Edifier. Ludicrously airy and crazily compact, this pint-sized adjutant de gaming has been designed with the sole volition of letting laptop, tablet oregon smartphone players’ ears rejoice successful audio excellence wherever they bash rotation (as agelong arsenic there’s power).

Offering 2 channels of audio with 5W power, the transportation is firmly via Bluetooth (5.3 flavour) which fits its remit completely, and the 52mm drivers present combined with its bass reflex larboard pump retired a sterling show for specified a diminutive machine tabletop.

So that’s the dependable seen too, but what truly gives the ickle Edifier that other borderline is the chill RGB airy effects that adhd a interaction of ocular va-va-voom to the dependable show.

With a built-in microphone to further heighten the gaming acquisition and easy accessible silicon buttons up top, the Edifier MG300 is simply a slick-looking gaming dependable solution that’s tiny and sleek capable to gaffe successful a reasonably sized container to instrumentality with you connected your playtime travels.

Philips

Best for: One container to regularisation them all

Heading into the precocious echelons of the standalone soundbar now, determination whitethorn beryllium those amongst you baulking astatine the terms tag, but erstwhile I locomotion you done conscionable what the Fidelio FB1 is susceptible of, I reckon Philips’ good filly volition triumph you over.

First up, it’s a 7.1.2 transmission system, meaning it comes equipped with 2x full-range a 1x tweeter for the centre drivers, 2x full-range and 1x tweeter for the beforehand drivers, 2x full-range up-firing drivers, 2x full-range side-firing drivers and a meaty integrated subwoofer. And it is susceptible of putting retired a highest powerfulness of an tremendous 620W. It features Dolby Atmos, Dolby DTS:X and IMAX Enhanced, truthful each that grunt and room-ramming talker set-up comes enhanced to the nth degree, resulting successful an acquisition truthful immersive that you’ll judge that you yourself person been breached down into axenic waves of sublime dependable and utterly absorbed.

Far from shy connected the transportation beforehand either, you tin link beauteous overmuch immoderate integer instrumentality you like, beryllium it a Blu-ray player, computer, console, smartphone, tablet, etc. etc., truthful options for improving your audio to ‘god-tier’ are wide open.

Multiple talker transportation besides allows owners to grow the system, should they deem that necessary, and comes compatible with the immense bulk of main-stream streaming options, positive some Alexa and Google Assistant to snuggle nicely successful with immoderate astute location worldly you whitethorn have, the Philips Fidelio FB1 is, I deliberation you’ll present agree, worthy each past penny of its asking price.

LG

Best for: LG owners 

Lucky capable to beryllium the arrogant proprietor of an LG OLED, QNED oregon NANO TV? Then conscionable the cleanable audio spouse to bring the eventual audio enactment to a surface adjacent you. Yep, created to play highly good with LG goggle boxes, presently reduced by a smidge implicit 200 nicker, the USC9S is simply a happening of quality that tin bring 3.1.3 channels of unthinkable audio, and has the honour of being the world’s 1st Dolby Atmos Soundbar with triple up-firing situation dependable speakers, amongst six different drivers, truthful you cognize you’re going to beryllium successful for a treat.

Packed with audio processing tech, specified arsenic Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital, DTS:X and truthful connected and truthful forth, the LG features 7 dependable mode presets that acceptable it up successful cleanable stead for immoderate you’re watching, and connections for each comers making it much flexible than a Hi-Res audio hypermobile gymnast.

Backing this up is heavy bass courtesy of the partnered wireless subwoofer, truthful the imagination soundscape is complete.

Harking backmost to LG TVs, acknowledgment to keep-it-in-the-family LG WOWCAST tech, the soundbar tin wirelessly link with that TV, creating convenience and a cleaner-on-the-eye AV setup that’s bound to delight minimalist purists. That said, the USC9S volition besides enactment perfectly good with TV brothers from different mothers, truthful you don’t person to beryllium each successful with LG to bask its ample audio charms.

Creative

Best for: Getting your crippled on

Sometimes it’s each successful the name. Sound Blaster – connection of intent. Katana – the precision limb of the samurai. Put them some unneurotic and you person a veritable audio limb that volition portion done mediocre-sounding media, dicing it into virtual 5.1 transmission situation dependable to past blast astatine you successful 180W (peak), making your ears grin successful awe.

Drivers travel to the tune of four, each individually powered by dual DSP-controlled stereo amplifiers to destruct distortion each circular and caress your concha with axenic clarity and power.

With connections galore, covering USB, HDMI ARC, Optical, AUX and Bluetooth, you’re bully to spell for TV, streaming and gaming, the second being wherever the Sound Blaster Katana SE truly excels itself, acknowledgment to SXFI Battle mode which is the lone dependable mode enactment presently successful beingness that lets you perceive some the absorption and region of gunshots, helping you pinpoint enemies with unerring accuracy, and Scout Mode, which listens similar a virtual hawk to each rustle astir you to springiness you the deadly driblet connected others up to nary bully wrong striking distance. Yep, this is gaming audio immersion connected different level.

On apical of this delightful array of delicacies comes dual array beamforming microphones for speedy calls mid-battle and, arsenic determination should be, customisable RGB lighting to implicit the awesome effect.

A beauteous spot of kit that adds due audio borderline nevertheless you employment it, the Sound Blaster Katana SE is some chill and, ahem, cutting-edge.