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if you've just bought a fancy new TV, you may be surprised to find it sounds just as bad as your old one (or worse). Even the best TVs we've tested need a hand to provide sound that keeps up with their fantastic displays. But it can be tough knowing where to start when it comes to upgrading your TV audio. Never fear, intrepid buyer: The easiest and most affordable solution is to just get a soundbar. Modern soundbars come in all shapes, sizes, and prices. Here, we've made a checklist of sorts to consider before pressing the Buy button.
Be sure to check out our Best Soundbars and Best Bookshelf Speakers guides, as well as our advice on How to Buy a TV and How to Set Up a TV, with in-depth picture adjustment advice.
- Why You Need a Soundbar
- Finding the Right Size
- Do You Need a Subwoofer?
- How Much Should You Pay?
- Connecting Your Soundbar
- More on Surround Sound and Dolby Atmos
- Advanced Features
- Brand First Shopping
Updated June 2025: We've added the latest information and updated model recommendations from our latest round of extensive testing.
Why You Need a Soundbar
Soundbars are a great first step into home theater audio because they are generally compact and easy to set up and sound vastly better than most built-in TV speakers. Seriously: Nearly all TV speakers are bad! The spectrum of quality you can get from a soundbar ranges from basic improvements to the bass and overall soundstage to the type of room-filling sound you might expect from a more traditional home theater audio system (a system with wired speakers and a dedicated receiver). Regardless of what you're watching, a soundbar is a low-effort way of getting more out of your viewing experience.
Finding the Right Size
Soundbars come in multiple sizes and configurations, denoted by the size of the acoustic chamber and the number of built-in full-range, bass, and height channels. You can think of soundbar channels as the number of individual zones emitting sound. A “2.1” soundbar system has at least two individually powered speakers and a dedicated subwoofer. A 5.1 system has at least five main speakers (a center, left, right, plus two surrounds) and a subwoofer.
While most budget bars will be stereo only, our favorite performers usually have at least three channels in front (left, center, and right) and a subwoofer. That's a 3.1 system. The center channel is generally the most important because that's where TV and film mixers put dialog. Have trouble hearing dialog in movies and shows? Get a three-channel (3.0) bar at the very least.
Sometimes, you'll see an additional number at the end, like a 3.1.2 system. The “.2” means there are two height channels. In soundbars, these are upward-facing speakers that bounce sound off the ceiling, simulating ceiling-mounted speakers for content mixed in 3D audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Basically, these soundbars try to re-create a spatial audio experience without requiring you to string up speakers on the ceiling. Pricier soundbar systems will come with additional dedicated rear- and side-firing drivers that bounce sound off your walls for more immersion, using a configuration of 5.1.2 (or higher).
The more channels, the bigger your soundbar system will likely be. The most important step is to make sure whatever you buy will fit on your media console (ideally, it'll fit right between your TV's legs, too). We'll go over surround sound and Dolby Atmos in more detail below.
Do You Need a Subwoofer?
For most spaces, it's highly worth considering a soundbar with a dedicated subwoofer. If these are too expensive or you're worried about the neighbors, some soundbars have a less overt bass channel built in, while other systems let you add a subwoofer later, including models from Sonos, Klipsch, Bose, and others. Each of these examples allows you to add surround speakers later as well, letting you upgrade to a full surround-sound system.
You'll need to make some space for the subwoofer. (These are chunky boxes with big speakers inside to crank out powerful bass, after all.) Thankfully, since bass is omnidirectional and most subs are wireless, you have some latitude in placement, though exactly where it works best may depend on your room's acoustics and power outlets.
How Much Should You Pay?
You can find small, budget soundbars in this price range, and they’re still better than the speakers in your TV. They can be a good option if your budget is very tight, but in general, they're most useful for TVs in smaller spaces like bedrooms or kitchens. Some soundbars, like Vizio's latest AIO (All-in-One), can drop down to this price tier on sale, so those working with this budget may want to keep an eye out at slightly pricier models and pounce when the time is right. Generally, we recommend spending a bit more, as you will hear the difference.
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This is the money spot for most budgets, offering a range of solid performers. You can usually get a wireless subwoofer included at the middle or top of this price band, though Sonos and Bose have models at the top of this range that sub in (sorry) advanced networking features instead. You can even find soundbars with surround sound and Dolby Atmos below $500, especially from value brands like Vizio, though you may have to sacrifice some performance and features. Many bars will offer Dolby Atmos and/or DTS:X “support,” but look for dedicated up-firing drivers for best results.
Here are a few varied options we like in this price class:
A Simple 2.1 Soundbar
An Immersive 5.1 Soundbar On the Cheap
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A Multi-speaker Dolby Atmos Option
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A Smart and Compact Dolby Atmos Model
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This is the price category where you’ll commonly see high-quality surround soundbars with subwoofers, real satellite speakers, spare HDMI inputs, and Dolby Atmos support. At this range, you'll also start to see advanced features like Wi-Fi streaming, multiroom audio, and the ability to add wireless surround sound speakers and subwoofers later. Depending on your use case, anything at this level should offer lots of extras, multiple audio components, or a mix of both.
For serious music fans, this is also where you can get into quality powered bookshelf speakers. These all-in-one stereo systems offer much higher fidelity and musicality than most soundbars, and often come with versatile connectivity like HDMI ARC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and subwoofer connection. Brands like KEF, SVS, and Klipsch are among our favorites.
Here are some good options at this price:
A Powerful Stand-Alone Dolby Atmos Bar
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A Punchy Dolby Atmos Bar and Subwoofer Combo
An Immersive Dolby Atmos Bar with Advanced Networking
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A Cinematic 5.1 Setup
At this price, you’ll see the biggest and boldest soundbar systems with the most possible speakers for height channels and surround sound. These are aimed at those with the cash to build out a small home theater system but without the room or patience for systems that require lots of wiring and discrete components like an A/V receiver. If you're going much higher, consider a true, traditional home theater system with speakers, amps, and a receiver or audiophile-grade powered speaker systems like the KEF LS50 Wireless II bookshelf series.
Here are some soundbars and speakers we like in this class:
The Ultimate Dolby Atmos Bar
A Classy and Discreet Dolby Atmos System
An Affordable and Stylish Soundbar Alternative
Our Favorite Powered Bookshelf Setup
Connecting Your Soundbar
Nearly all modern soundbars use what’s called HDMI ARC (“audio return channel”), allowing you to easily connect them to a TV via a single HDMI cable. Then just plug in the power and you're connected! This also usually lets you use your TV remote to control volume and power, though older TVs may require you to turn on CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) in the settings. Newer TVs and soundbars offer HDMI eARC (enhanced audio return channel), which provides higher bandwidth to let your TV send high-quality, uncompressed audio from devices like streaming boxes or game consoles, as well as a few other upgrades. Both your TV and soundbar must support eARC to reap the benefits, but it's backward compatible with HDMI ARC.
Soundbars often offer a spare optical audio input for older TVs without HDMI ARC support, but this is becoming less common as manufacturers cut back on inputs, so you'll want to check to make sure (or you could just upgrade to a new TV, too!). We recommend buying a soundbar with HDMI ARC/eARC. It's the simplest connection, and it's required for receiving 3D audio formats that use height channels like Dolby Atmos or DTS:X.
Most soundbars support wireless streaming via Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi. Higher-quality models may also provide spare HDMI inputs to plug in source devices directly and pass video through to your TV like a traditional A/V receiver. Most of the latest models will pass through 4K HDR video, but if you want to connect a gaming console you'll want to make sure your soundbar's input supports HDMI 2.1 with VRR and ALLM support to get the best experience. Most soundbars we've tested don't support HDMI 2.1, but it's becoming more common for pricier models, like Samsung's HW-Q990F. You can usually find this on the manufacturer's website.
Which connection type you need depends entirely on your use case, but for most people, a simple HDMI cable for HDMI ARC/eARC will suffice. These cables are usually included in the box. If not, here is an affordable cable we like.
More on Surround Sound and Dolby Atmos
Surround sound is exactly what it sounds like—you're surrounding yourself with sound. It can make movies, games, or live sports feel more realistic. The best surround soundbars use dedicated rear surround speakers. Others use digital audio processing, sometimes mixed with side-firing drivers to create a virtual surround effect. Some virtual surround systems are effective, but they can't replace the true immersion of dedicated surround sound speakers.
The same goes for 3D sound formats with height channels like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. While no soundbars we've tested use ceiling-mounted speakers, the best models we've tested place up-firing drivers in both the soundbar and rear surround speakers to bounce sound off the ceiling and fully submerge you when playing supported content.
If you're considering true surround speakers, you'll want to look into using speaker stands to place them behind your sitting area. We use this adjustable/affordable set for testing. You'll also want to determine whether your soundbar supports wireless speakers (which still require a power outlet in nearly all cases) or wired speakers that need to connect to the subwoofer or a dedicated amplifier that connects back to the main bar wirelessly.
Advanced Features
Some Wi-Fi-ready soundbars feature smart assistants, multiroom audio connectivity, and other bells and whistles. If you’ve already got a preferred smart assistant like Alexa or Google Assistant, keep this in mind when shopping. You might not need a smart speaker if you end up with a smart soundbar with built-in microphones. Conversely, if you don’t want those features, you can save some money by avoiding soundbars with all the fancy stuff. Klipsch soundbars tend to skip Wi-Fi and smart features to focus on build quality, performance, and extra components instead.
Brand-First Shopping
If you're still not sure you've found the right model after perusing the options above, there's a good chance you'll find one from one of our favorite brands. Virtually all well-known electronics brands make decent soundbars in multiple varieties. Our favorites include Samsung, Sonos, Bose, Polk, Vizio, Klipsch, Yamaha, JBL, Sony, Sennheiser, and a few others. Try visiting a store that has many soundbars to audition. You'll be surprised how different they can sound. Be sure to check out our recommendations above and our Best Soundbars guide for more favorites.
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