This is a list of the best soundbars that we’ve tested. As soundbars can come in different sizes and with different features, wading your way through all the variations can be a headache. The selection of models we have here range from affordable to very premium models, soundbars that are large enough to act as their own sound system to ones that are small enough if you don’t have much space to hand. Only the best make it on this list. And they are the best because we’ve put them through a rigorous testing process, listening to plenty of movies and music, playing games and living with these bars to hear how they handle dialogue, deal with the scale of big Hollywood movies and how musical they sound in case you want to use them as wireless speaker in your living room. We’re constantly updating this list and adding new models if we think they’re worthy of being on this list. If you have something else on your mind in terms of giving your audio a boost, then check out our more specific list of the Best Dolby Atmos soundbars for immersive soundbar audio. If you’re in need of something smaller, then our best small soundbar list will help and if it’s not a soundbar you need but a sound system, then our list of the best surround systems is here to assist.
Best soundbar at a glance
Best soundbar: Sennheiser Ambeo soundbar – check priceBest high-end soundbar: Bang & Olufsen Beosound Theatre – check priceBest affordable soundbar: Wharfedale Vista 200S – check priceBest soundbar for movies and music: Sony HT-A700 – check priceBest Atmos soundbar for less than £1000: Sonos Arc – check priceBest small soundbar: Sonos Beam Gen 2 – check priceBest gaming soundbar: Razer Leviathan V2 – check price
The Ambeo is a large soundbar, not one that will easily sit beneath a telly unless the TV is wall-mounted, stretching over a metre long and weighing in at 18.5kg. The similarly priced Devialet Dione tips the scales at 12kg, and we considered that to be fairly heavy. The Ambeo is heavier than some OLED TVs on their own. Which means it needs a fair amount of space to be accommodated, but for its size and heft the build quality is excellent with a good selection of inputs that includes three HDMI ports, digital optical out and aux-in. Wirelessly there is support for Google Chromecast and Bluetooth 4.2. The Ambeo Soundbar is an all-in-one effort, and one of a few that we’ve tested that lives up to its claims of offering 5.1.4 channel immersive sound. It sounds absolutely sensational, firing effects around a room and generating plenty of power and muscle to make films and TV shows sound their exciting best. We found there to be a substantial level of bass for a single-bar system, with a good level of extension to the low end and in addition, plenty of depth and nuance to the soundstage it creates. But you’ll want to make sure the Ambeo processing is switched on, as we found the bar’s performance lost a sense of depth and height with it off. There’s Dolby Atmos, DTS:X as well as the less well known MPEG-H audio formats supported. To calibrate the Ambeo’s performance, it features a high-quality calibration microphone to match the profile of the soundbar’s sound to a room, although it can only perform this from a single listening point. That means you want to be sitting in the right place at all times for the best experience possible. There’s competition in the sound stakes from the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Theatre, but that’s even more expensive at nearly £6,000. If the size of the Ambeo Max is off-putting, Senheiser has released the smaller (and less expensive) Ambeo Soundbar Plus for £1,299 / $1,499. Reviewer: Steve MayFull Review: Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar And in our view they’ve succeeded. There are still constraints and limitations given that the Beosound Theatre is a one-box system that still needs rear speakers to create the enveloping effect of Dolby Atmos immersive sound, meaning the soundstage is front-heavy. It doesn’t the same reach and wraparound effect that the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max can produce with its digital processing. But the bass performance is thunderous for any one-box sound system, our reviewer commenting that the Theatre was the most dynamic sounding soundbar they had ever heard. The energy and drive it gives soundtracks is excellent, and it seamlessly blends midrange and sub-bass frequencies with confidence. Dialogue clarity is excellent, and the soundbar is particularly good in delivering music. While it’s a excellent bar for movies and music, with games it’s weak at localising effects within the soundstage, making it tougher to figure out what’s around you. DTS:X isn’t supported, which is a disappointment, but there are plenty of ways to send audio wirelessly to the bar through Chromecast, AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect, with app support that allows the EQ to be adjusted and audio modes to enable. The bar is also able to measure your listening space and optimise its output to deliver the best possible sound. The design is certainly not understated, with the Beosound Theatre primarily built to integrate with LG C2 OLED but can be partnered with any other TV. The width of the bar can be adjusted to match the size of the screen, with a modular design that allows it to be upgraded over time. And around the back is a generous array of connections with four HDMI ports, including one that supports 4K/120Hz frame rates. The Beosound Theatre is eye-wateringly expensive at £5590 / $6890 but it is a class-leading effort in terms of build quality and design, and it offers up a superb sonic performance. This is a soundbar that will blow you away with its performance. Reviewer: Steve MayFull Review: Bang & Olufsen Beosound Theatre We found the bar’s design to be attractive in appearance and the construction durable. The black finish and glossy top surface doesn’t scream a cheap soundbar despite the Vista 200S’s affordable price. With a width of 900mm it’s tailored to partner televisions up to 65-inches in size, and that it boasts a slim for factor also means you won’t be living in fear of the soundbar blocking the picture. In terms of features, we observed there wasn’t much to grapple with aside from its active wireless subwoofer that has a side-firing 165mm driver with 60W of power. If you want wireless connectivity or immersive audio, you’d be better off seeking the smaller but more expensive Sonos Beam Gen 2. We did note the three preset EQ settings for media playback are provided in Movies, Music and News to optimise the soundbar’s sound for those types of content. We found the sound quality for the price was especially good, with the 200S putting in a great performance across the frequency range with a top-end that didn’t suffer from a lack of detail, plus some punchy bass thanks to the active subwoofer. We also observed that the Vista 200S could get rather loud without sounding harsh or compressed due to its 120W of built-in amplification. It also dealt with dialogue well, even without a dedicated centre speaker, and if you’re interested in playing music through this bar, then it delivers on a smooth and clear performance. There are cheaper soundbars, such as the Sharp HT-SBW202, as an alternative but we haven’t come across another soundbar that offers as much performance-per-pound at this price the Wharfedale. Reviewer: Steve WithersFull reviews: Wharfedale Vista 200S During testing, we found its audio delivery to be crisp and concise, with clear voices and especially powerful bass for a single-bar unit. Its 7.1.2 channel Dolby Atmos and DTS:X performance impressed too, with a great sense of height that makes for a more immersive performance than what you get from a ‘standard’ soundbar. Its claims of virtual surround sound weren’t too convincing, but this is likely down to needing a room with walls nearby to bounce sounds off to the listening position (which we didn’t have in our set-up). The HT-A7000 is also an excellent performer for music showcasing great tonality, depicting the mid-range naturally, along with sharp highs and punchy bass. We would say it performs better with music in its Cinema mode than Music, eliciting a smoother performance with vocals. There is an upgrade path with the ability to add rear speakers and a subwoofer, but this doesn’t come at a particularly affordable price, taking the total cost past $2000 / £2000. You at least get plenty of bang for buck for features, with various options of playing audio through the system be it wired or wireless. There is Chromecast, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth 5 and Spotify Connect, and support for Hi-Res Audio with DSD and the wireless LDAC format. There’s Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format that can play tracks in 3D audio from music streaming services such as Tidal and Deezer. Smart assistance is on the table with both Alexa and Google assistant, but a separate compatible device is needed to enable hands-free control. Its design is rather out there, with a reflective glass top surface and different combination of materials that may make it marmite for some (we rather liked it). It is also a large soundbar, wider than the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max though thankfully not as tall, so it can fit beneath most TVs. You’d really want to pair with a TV 55-inches or bigger to get the most impact. Sony has launched a cheaper version in the HT-A5000 that supports a similar feature set but at half the price. Reviewer: Kob MonneyFull review: Sony HT-A7000 The Arc represented the first time Sonos waded into the Dolby Atmos waters and we found the bar’s soundstage was full of plenty of height and width in testing, putting in a crisp performance with good control of the top end, alongside a detailed presentation of the mid-range and low-end. Our reviewer found the transition between mid-range and low-end was not the most fluid, hampering the overall cohesion of the Arc’s presentation. It plays music well, although again the blend of bass and mid-range did cause it to lack conviction at times. The lack of bass is an issue that hampers several Atmos single-bars such as the Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3, but at least with the Arc a subwoofer can be added. The Arc features HDMI eARC, which means you’ll need a TV with an eARC port to wring the best possible Atmos performance. Wirelessly there’s AirPlay 2 (Sonos still omits Bluetooth from its spec), and in the S2 app there’s the ability to place the Arc within a multi-room system with other Sonos speakers. The S2 app also provides access to streaming services in the likes of Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz as well as the Sonos Radio service. Those with an iOS device can take advantage of the Trueplay feature that optimises audio playback to any room. Design wise, the Arc is is keeping with Sonos’ recent design language, its minimalistic look available in black or white. Like the other soundbars on this list it’s over a metre long but it is quite discreet in profile. The Arc is a very good Dolby Atmos soundbar but not without limitations, its lack of all-round DTS support means this isn’t the best choice for home cinema enthusiasts with older DVDs and Blu-rays with DTS soundtracks. Reviewer: Simon LucasFull review: Sonos Arc The Beam (Gen 2) measures 26-inches in width and just shy of 3-inches in height. For reference, our best overall soundbar, the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max is almost twice that size. This makes the Beam ideal for small TVs, with any up to 49-inches in size a suitable fit. Similar to the Gen 1 Beam, the Gen 2 is equipped with a tweeter, four mid-woofers and three passive radiators. It has none of the upward-firing speakers for the overhead channels for Dolby Atmos found on the Sonos Arc. Instead, the Beam uses digital processing to create an immersive experience. Unlike the original, the Beam (Gen 2) features HDMI eARC, which offers higher bandwidth and support for lossless audio formats such as Atmos. When it comes to sound quality, we found the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) performs with excellent balance and range. It doesn’t quite have the dimensionality of the Sonos Arc, but it positions sound in a way that it feels as though it’s wrapping around you. Our reviewer felt also felt that bass levels impressed, though they don’t have the same weight and depth as those produced by the larger Arc. Nevertheless, the Beam manages to deliver a good sense of cinematics, a clean and balanced sound and thus remains the best choice for smaller TVs and rooms. Reviewer: David LudlowFull review: Sonos Beam Gen 2 The appearance of the Leviathan V2 is toned down compared to some of Razer’s other products, although the RGB lighting scheme can summoned and customised to fit the environment, bringing a cascade of colour to gaming sessions. We found the build quality to be sturdy enough, despite being predominantly made from plastic, with feet that can angle the soundbar upwards to fire audio towards the listening position. There is no HDMI port, just a USB audio input to connect to a PC, and wirelessly there’s Bluetooth 5.2 if you want to connect the Leviathan V2 to a device other than a PC and play audio through the bar. It’s a simple enough state of connections, though we found it to be a little disappointing that there’s 3.5mm despite its predecessor including it. The Razer Audio app features EQ presets such as Bass Boost to help customise the sound to match the game being played. And in terms of the sound, our reviewer enjoyed the warm, punchy bass of the soundbar/subwoofer combo, with the spacious soundstage helping to identify where enemies where, plus the sound of bullets flying past helped immerse us better within the game. There is THX Spatial Audio as opposed to Dolby Atmos, which the Panasonic SoundSlayer Gaming Speaker features, and we found the addition of spatial audio brought more heightened awareness to the games we played. Playing music over a Bluetooth connection wasn’t as good as a wireless speaker, it’s perfectly serviceable if you’re expectations aren’t too high. 233 Sound Bar
