The sound bars are ideal for those who love clear sound. Read our reviews of the best soundbar and subwoofer (built-in or separate) system that you should consider buying.
If you are looking for the best soundbar and subwoofer on the market, in this article you will find a complete shopping guide. We’ll explain what soundbars and subwoofers are and what you should look for when buying one.
The
Moreover, this is a device that can be a valid alternative to the home theater system, especially when there is not enough space available for installation. In fact, the subwoofers can be connected via Bluetooth or wireless.
Also, read our other guides on the best portable wireless speakers, Bluetooth party speakers with bass, and the best budget PC speakers.
The most important
- The soundbars are flat and narrow. As the name suggests, they have a bar shape. They are placed under the television. Look at the measurements of your television before choosing one.
- Although some soundbars have to surround sound options, they will never supply a Home Cinema. They do not offer a real surround sound. Even models with 360ยบ speakers will never replace a Home Cinema.
- Some soundbars come with an external sub-woofer. The sub-woofer is the bass speaker. If you are looking for an experience close to Home Cinema, it is important that your soundbar has one.
Why trust us?
Our editorial team spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and comparing products to find the best value for money.
We do not publish sponsored articles. We sometimes receive a commission from Amazon when you buy a product via our links. It allows us to finance our work while remaining completely impartial. Read more
Ranking: The best sound bars with subwoofers on the market
Next, we show you the best sound bars with subwoofers (built-in or separate) you can find in the market. In this section, you will discover which is the most suitable for you. In addition, you can also learn about the specific characteristics of this product.
Best cost-effective Soundbar: SoundBar ABOX 2.1
In my opinion, it is the best economic soundbar because
It is equipped with 4 full-range speakers and 2 tweeter drivers which, given their 120-watt power, allow the sound to be expanded throughout the living room so that you can enjoy the TV to the fullest without having to worry that the ringing of the mobile phone or the doorbell will disturb listening, also at high volume the sound does not distort but remains clean and without flickering. I also point out that when connected via Bluetooth it does not lose performance but the audio does not lower and remains at the same height.
Allows you to adjust the audio mode in 4 different types to enjoy the best music, movies, news
It is equipped with optical input, AUX, Bluetooth and coaxial that allows you to connect TV, smartphone, tablet, iPad, pc, DVD and console according to the needs of the moment.
Finally, it is very simple to use, you can change the audio input mode and / or adjust the treble and bass settings from the remote control or from the soundbar buttons.
Discover more and the price here
Best Soundbar for price-quality: Samsung HW-K450 Soundbar
This Samsung soundbar is slightly more expensive than the previous one but it has an almost triple power given its 300 watts and in my opinion, it is the best soundbar as value for money as it is often around 200$.
Given its size of about 90 cm it is easy to mount both under the TV and in the wall; has various outputs: optical, HDMI, Bluetooth and USB.
This soundbar is easy to use, either with the remote control or with the Samsung app via Bluetooth, the subwoofer connects via Bluetooth.
Thanks to the Clear Voice option there is an improvement in the audio of the dialogues, reducing the bass and increasing the mids and highs. It is also possible to limit the sudden changes in the volume of the films, so as not to disturb those who rest.
The only flaw is when you listen to music because over a certain volume the bass goes slightly distorted, but given the price it’s understandable.
Discover more and the price here
Best Soundbar with Subwoofer under 400 $: JBL Bar 3.1
Next, we find a device with a decidedly high cost, therefore aimed at users who are looking for a powerful product and who are not limited by factors such as budget and space. Together with the JBL soundbar, you will also find a
As for connections, you can use the Bluetooth protocol for wireless streaming or, if you prefer wired connections, thanks to the HDMI inputs you can hook up to three 4K devices simultaneously.
If you have audio control problems with other soundbars, JBL SoundShift allows you to quickly switch from one source to another, be they TVs, smartphones or tablets.
Discover more and the price here
Best Soundbar for movies and TV series: Sony HT-CT390
This is the best soundbar under 300 $ to fully enjoy movies and TV series. It is equipped with a subwoofer and has the ability to control via the
It has HDMI ports, connection via NFC and Bluetooth to share quickly
Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a very good surround effect, but on the other hand the bass is good.
Compared to the previous models the performances are clearly better. It exalts itself above all in the reproduction of medium volumes, making it possible to best represent the dialogues of films and TV series. For this price range, there are no products that can match this feature.
It loses slightly in performance at maximum volume, lower than that of other soundbars in this price range, but manages to offer good performance in the special effects audio.
Discover more and the price here
Best Soundbar and subwoofer for medium-small rooms: Sonos Beam
The Sonos Beam intelligent wireless soundbar is the best soundbar for small to medium rooms. It has very small dimensions, measures only 65 and weighs less than 3kg. Despite this, however, at the level of performance, it has
It is particularly suitable for medium-small sized rooms and is well suited for both listening to music and watching video content.
It is considered a smart soundbar because it is compatible with other speakers to generate surround sound, video on demand services, it reproduces audio from PCM stereo, Dolby Digital
It has WiFi connectivity and allows the creation of a multi-room system remotely controllable via an app and interfaces perfectly with the Amazon Alexa voice assistant.
Discover more and the price here
Best under 200: Bose Solo 5
Bose Solo 5 is an active soundbar from Bose with dimensions of 54.8 x 7 x 8.6 cm, it is the smallest of all the models analyzed in this guide, the small dimensions make it easy to install both above the cabinet and on the wall.
I propose this soundbar for music, as it has no special features. On the other hand, however, it is equipped with two midrange speakers, which allow it to reproduce all the audio frequencies optimally.
It exalts itself in the reproduction of dialogues of which it allows to perceive every detail, not so much in terms of power but in quality, it succeeds in reproducing in a clean and clear way every audio content.
It has various inputs, an optical, a coaxial, an auxiliary 3.5 mm, and has a Bluetooth connection and a handy remote control.
Advice Bose Only 5 for those who need improvement in TV audio or simply want to listen to music, even directly from their smartphone.
Discover more and the price here
Best for music: Yamaha MusicCast YAS306 Soundbar
At the top of our ranking, we find a Yamaha soundbar that uses the MusicCast system. If you have other products of this type, you can control all of them from a single downloadable application on your smartphone or tablet, without having to use remote controls for each of them. Yamaha thus aims to retain the buyer who will have a greater propensity to acquire wireless speakers, receivers or Hi-Fi components to be able to manage everything with extreme comfort and simplicity.
The advantage of this soundbar is not only
Users report that the audio quality is excellent but they would have preferred a connection to the HDMI TV rather than the NAS, to be able to manage the various levels using the TV remote control without having to control them necessarily on the application.
Discover more and the price here
Q Acoustics M4 sound bar
A soundbar with fantastic sound, but with some flaws in the installation.
The Q Acoustics M4 soundbar may look a bit trivial, it will have only 2.1 sound and will not have any HDMI port, but it has a quality of reproduction of music and movies that soon make these little flaws forget. The M4, in fact, emits a very good sound, and it is the demonstration that in this price range it is useless to look for a sound bar that has more channels.
This sound bar sounds much better than almost any other competing soundbar in the same price range and is one of the best value-for-money soundbar available on the market, especially if you use it to listen to music and watch movies.
Discover more and the price here
LG Electronics SH7B 4.1 Channel
This low-end sound bar from LG Electronics produces impressive sound considering what it costs.
The LG SH7B is a good soundbar from all points of view. The features it integrates and the good sound quality make it a good choice for those with limited space. The quality of music reproduction and surround sound are not amazing, but they are still good in relation to the price of this sound bar.
It’s really simple to install because the subwoofer is wireless. However, Android users might have some problems due to the LG app, which is full of errors. Sound quality is acceptable considering the cost, but, on the high end, the classic traditional speakers remain superior in terms of sonic sharpness. However, if you are looking for a soundbar that can be connected to any type of support, the LG SH7B is a great choice.
Discover more and the price here
The TOP among the best Soundbars on the market: Sony HT ST5000
I finish the analysis of the best soundbars with a top product, surely the price is high considering that it exceeds 1000 $, but deserves them all. It is equipped with Dolby Atmos support which allows it to have a very high number of outgoing channels, as many as 128.
It reproduces sound like a professional system. In fact, it consists of 7 front drivers and 3 at the top that allow it to develop sound both horizontally and vertically without undergoing sound distortion effects.
It has wifi connections, Google Chromecast, Bluetooth, is equipped with an analog digital converter, HDMI that goes through the 4k, an analog input and a digital SPIDIF that allow it to connect to the home NAS, sharing various devices and therefore reproducing the audio sent from tablet computers, smartphones and PCs, but not only: it is also able to play all the audio from the Chromecast compatible apps.
There are also other circuits present in other Sony devices such as the digital amplifier and the upscaling chip which is very useful if you listen to mp3 files. Obviously, there is also the USB input to connect keys and share music and movies.
This is, without a doubt, the best soundbar on the market, the perfect product for audiophiles who love to enjoy 100% of the audio-visual experience in the home.
Discover more and the price here
Buying guide: What you should know about sound bars
In this section, we will try to answer the most common questions of the clients. A sound bar is a novel product. It is normal that you have questions. Our intention is to answer them and offer you all the necessary information.
The sound bars have been designed to supply the main lack of modern televisions: sound. Most flat-panel TV models have very poor speakers built-in.
Brands have to decide between installing good speakers or increasingly narrow screens. The speakers usually end up in the back of the device, which causes them to emit the sound backward and something canned.
What is a sound bar?
The sound bars have become an almost mandatory complement if you want to enjoy the sound of your TV. They are an ideal alternative to Home Cinema. They occupy little space, have discrete designs and are more economical.
The sound bars improve the sound of the television. They have several speakers that, placed in line, improve the sound. In addition, they have surround sound functions.
What is the difference between sound bar, sound base and Home Cinema?
Sound bars
The sound bars are installed under the television. As the name suggests they are compact and do not take up too much space. They have elongated, discreet and attractive designs. Of the three systems is the simplest. Also the most limited.
They do not usually carry sub-woofer and if they carry it externally, so you’ll have to install it somewhere else. It is very important that the speakers are of high quality if we want to emulate the surround sound of a Home Cinema 5.1. Some sound bars have presets to mimic surround sound.
Sound Bases
The bases of sound have a design in the form of the box. They are heavier and are placed under the television. They carry the built-in sub-woofer, so they have better bass. In addition, they do not have surround sound because the projection of the audio is unidirectional.
The sound bars are more expensive and do not enjoy a very good reputation among experts. They are not a bad option if you want to improve the sound of your television without going much further. They also serve to take cables out of the way and have a device that will give you a game to watch TV and listen to music.
Home Cinema 5.1 and 7.1
The Home Cinema are audio systems of superior quality. They are excellent for creating enveloping environments. They offer superior sound quality. The big problem is that it is a set of five or seven speakers plus a sub-woofer that you will have to distribute correctly through your living room.
Another big drawback is that they are the most expensive sound systems. They are worth it only if you intend to cover large rooms. They are very focused on TV and movies, so they do not work so well for music.
Do you need a sub-woofer with your soundbar?
Sound bars do not work well with low frequencies. It does not hurt to incorporate a sub-woofer to the system if you want good surround sound. If you find a model with a built-in one, do not worry, you are not paying too much.
Some
The subwoofer is a type of passive or active speaker designed to reproduce two octaves of all that make up the full spectrum of audio frequencies.
What connections do you need in a sound bar?
The bars usually have two types of connections: wireless and physical. Among the physics, we can find the HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) that allows you to use high-resolution codecs, such as Dolby, TrueHD or the DTS HD Master Audio. There are also optical outputs and inputs.
Wireless connections have ups and downs. Sometimes they lose the signal or distort the sound, however, they are more comfortable and you save yourself having wires in between. Most bars have built-in Bluetooth, although they are not an option that makes the difference. It is better to opt for WiFi that offers a more stable connection.
Purchase Criteria
Sound bars are innovative products. It is normal that you do not know what to look for when buying one. In this guide, we want to explain everything you need to know to decide. We want to show you the factors that you should look at before choosing, that’s why we have prepared the following list of important aspects:
- Separate speakers
- RMS power
- Length and size of the sound bar
- Dolby or DTS decoder
Separate speakers
The bar is designed to improve the mediocre sound of modern televisions. The most important aspect is the sound quality. Not all bars offer good sound quality. This is a common mistake. The lower range bars do not improve the sound of the TV.
How can you tell if the sound of a bar is good? Mainly, because of the quality of the speakers.
The bars usually have several types of speakers: tweeters for high frequencies, woofers for tights and sub-woofers for bass. Some have full-range speakers, which reproduce all the frequencies in the same speaker.
RMS power
The RMS Power is the measurement used to know the power of an amplifier. It is the medium and constant level of sound power. In short, it’s about how loud a speaker will sound at a certain volume level.
The first thing we have to take into account is the power that goes into the amplifier. If it has a lot of power, the sound will be distorted. With too much power you could burn the speakers.
The good thing about the sound bars is that they carry the amplifier and the speaker in the same equipment.
Length and size of a sound bar
Although they say that size does not matter, the reality is different. One of the most common problems is opening your Amazon order and finding yourself with an oversized sound bar. So much that it does not fit in the furniture.
Size and weight are also important. Make sure you have enough space and that the bar seats well under the TV. You cannot imagine the number of people who, with the rush of the purchase, forget to measure their furniture. Do not make this mistake, measure well before choosing.
Dolby and DTS decoder
Ideally, your soundbar should have both. Dolby is a format used by all video on demand services such as Amazon Prime Video, HBO or Netflix, DTT and Blue-Ray channels, as well as video game consoles. That’s why all bars have Dolby built-in.
DTS is a multichannel format that uses less compression than Dolby. It is found on DVDs and Blue-Rays. If you consume a lot of content in this format, it is convenient for you that the bar has DTS. Most flat TVs already have their own Dolby decoders. Only the most modern models also incorporate DTS.
Summary
Sound bars cannot be asked to supply a Home Cinema. However, they are an ideal option to improve the sound of your television. They are a good complement to your living room and are not too expensive. Always keep in mind the space you have.
If you’re looking for ambient sound, choose a sound bar with an external sub-woofer and separate channels. If you’re short on budget, and you’re not too fussy about sound, choose an economical one with full-range speakers.