Best Soundbars: How to Choose the Right One

We guide you through the market of soundbars that support and improve the audio of flat TVs. We discover the best models for every budget.

Flat screens have revolutionized the TV market : among the innovations brought we can mention high definition and then 4K, HDR and also large diagonals, much more than the cathode ray tube models that had to pay for limitations related to this technology, weight and overall depth. However, there is one aspect that not only has not made progress but has actually gotten worse: we are referring to audio quality.
The thickness reduced to the bone is in fact comfortable and aesthetically pleasing but imposes a price to pay: the internal space is significantly smaller and therefore it becomes difficult to integrate high-quality speakers. To overcome these limitations, a new category of products has been born over the years: soundbars , which offer much higher sound reproduction while maintaining compact dimensions.
Soundbars have been very successful over the years: this has led to a great expansion of the offer which now includes many models. How to choose the best soundbar for your needs ? In this article we will provide some targeted advice, ranging from general indications to the indication of specific models that we believe to be among the best.

The budget soundbars

The budget range includes products that allow you to take home an audio system for less than 100 euros. Note that this expense sometimes includes an external subwoofer, a feature that until recently was the exclusive prerogative of the mid-range, at least if you were looking for decent performance.

From this point of view, the situation has improved and even those with modest sums to invest can count on interesting products, obviously accepting some compromises.
As we have already written in other articles on soundbars, we advise against being enchanted by the sirens of marketing : on entry-level models, it is useless to focus on logos or technologies that require a higher level of equipment .

We are referring for example to Dolby Atmos, often used for advertising purposes because many people associate it with higher quality.In reality, the support alone says nothing about performance: it is simply a matter of decoding the format, not all products do this because payment of a license is required and this affects costs and price. On budget models, it is usually of little use because they lack integrated speakers dedicated specifically to the additional information included in the Dolby Atmos audio tracks. To learn more about how this technology works, we refer readers to our in-depth article .

Without upward-facing speakers capable of recreating a truly enveloping sound (therefore also coming from the sides or behind), Dolby Atmos cannot express its potential. If we consider that budget soundbars are usually stereo, all you can ask of them is a good sound front that separates the right and left channels as much as possible, nothing more.

The first model we recommend is the Hisense HS2100 , a product equipped with an external subwoofer that can be taken home for less than 100 euros. Obviously the quality is not the highest possible but if compared to the price it defends itself well. The bass is there, thanks to the subwoofer, the dialogues are clear and there is also an HDMI port with ARC . However, it lacks a bit of brilliance on the highs and there is not a very wide sound front.

The second model we recommend is the Samsung HW-B650 , a soundbar that is a few years old but continues to remain on the market. Unlike the Hisense, here the channels are 3.1 : a central one is added for dialogues . There is always the external subwoofer and the quality is higher than the HS2100. Those looking for a more versatile device, to integrate into a system for diffusing music throughout the house, can consider the Sonos Ray .

The basic equipment is inferior to the other models mentioned: in fact, there is no external subwoofer and, unlike the Samsung, there is no central channel. Connectivity gives up HDMI with ARC in favor of Wi-Fi, thanks to which the Ray can be used together with other Sonos products . We are not just talking about multi-room music, that is, in various rooms where there are other Sonos speakers.

Sonos Ray allows you to add two speakers as rear speakers and also a subwoofer . In this way, the user can start with a stereo soundbar at a fairly low price and then expand it later , transforming it into a true multi-channel home cinema system with enveloping sound . The main flaw is the price of the finished system: the expense can be spread out but is not contained.

Mid-range soundbars

The first mid-range model we recommend is the Samsung HW-Q600C , a 3.1-channel product equipped with a wireless subwoofer . The presence of a central channel improves the clarity of dialogue while the subwoofer ensures deeper bass . Other interesting features are support for DTS formats, in addition to Dolby, as well as the possibility of activating the Q-Symphony function if you have a compatible Samsung TV.

The second model we recommend is   the LG S80QY , a product that, like the previous Samsung, has 3 front speakers to which are added another 3 upward-facing speakers for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X . A wireless subwoofer is included and if you want you can purchase the SPQ8-S rear speaker kit. With a fairly modest expense you can therefore get hold of a system with good quality, many functions and also a certain expandability.

The last recommended product in the mid-range is the second-generation Sonos Beam . This is a more powerful solution than the Ray, with which it shares the multi-room functions, that is, those that allow you to broadcast and control music throughout the house, using other Sonos products. Beam can also be expanded by adding optional rear speakers and a subwoofer , obviously wireless. However, the cost increases significantly.