Best soundbars 2023

Soundbars have come a long way in the last few years, offering excellent sound while taking up less space and costing far less. They've only been getting better at delivering fuller sound in thinner and smaller sizes, only making them more impressive additions to a home theater. Our criteria for the best soundbars start with: bars that won't bankrupt you, come with the best streaming devices or smart assistants built-in, and may sometimes come with subwoofers and rears, though won't always need them.

The Samsung HW-Q990C will blow you away with its massive sound as a complete system you can expand on, though it will come at a premium price. The good news is soundbars come at a variety of prices and feature sets, giving you great options to consider.

At a glance

Turn up the volume with the best soundbars

Best overall

The Samsung HW-Q990C pulls out all the stops to deliver one of the most immersive Dolby Atmos sound experiences you’ll find anywhere. It already borders on being ridiculous (in a good way) with 11.1.4 channels when combining the soundbar, subwoofer, and two rear speakers together — all of which come in the same box. If you want Dolby Atmos with real punch and effect for movies and music, your ears won’t be disappointed.

Samsung’s Q Symphony technology also plays an active role in that it allows the company’s compatible TVs to communicate with the HW-Q990C wired or wirelessly to blend together speakers from both for even more enveloping sound. It’s easy to set up however you want the system to work, and is ideal for medium-sized or larger rooms. You can also rely on stable wireless connections between the different components to keep sound flowing without hiccups or incidents.

You’ll have to pay a pretty penny to put all this in your home, as is, and may have to consider a different option if you have immersive gaming on your mind. The big hurdle is the lack of 4K 120Hz passthrough via HDMI, which is a downside if you’re a serious console or PC gamer, but otherwise shouldn’t be a problem for other content. It benefits more in playing movies and shows over music, but you can still hear Dolby Atmos tracks from the right sources.

Best smarts

The best Sonos speakers were limited to portable Bluetooth speakers paired to your phone; now, you can get them all over the house. Sonos has become a household name for TV audio after diving into the soundbar industry, with the Sonos Arc coming in as its flagship model. It offers the homeowner eight woofers, three tweeters, and a total of 11 amplifiers for incredible, immersive sound. This is paired with a far-field microphone to work alongside your voice assistant of choice.

The Arc requires only two cables to plug in before being ready to experience this soundbar's greatness, which is incredible if you don't want a complicated setup. As for connections, the Playbar offers one Ethernet port, an HDMI ARC port (with included cable), and an Optical Audio port. Plus, as part of the Sonos family, you can connect the Arc to other Sonos speakers for a surround-sound experience.

It's a fantastic option, and we had almost nothing but praise for it in our Sonos Arc review — mainly whenever it plays Dolby Atmos content, which sounds particularly incredible from a soundbar without rear speakers. But the Arc isn't without a couple of downfalls that may have you looking elsewhere. First is the size and weight: it measures more than 13 pounds and is 45 inches wide, so you'll need to have plenty of space and heavy-duty wall anchors. The other pitfall is that there is no subwoofer included, so you may not get as much "punch" during your movies as you might want.

Best splurge

The “Plus” in this Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar is notable because it lies in the middle of the company’s lineup of high-end models. While it may be smaller than the Ambeo Max, it hits many of the right notes as an alternative, especially when it comes to the outstanding audio quality and Dolby Atmos support. Not only that but DTS:X and Sony 360 Reality Audio are also in the mix here, covering a lot of ground when it comes to spatial audio content.

It can’t make up for the lack of rear speakers for surround sound but can prove surprisingly good at making you feel like the virtual effect works. But it’s the dynamic sound coming out of its relatively compact body that may be the bigger surprise. This soundbar isn’t for quiet rooms and is only worth getting if you want a booming home theater situation without committing to rears for a true surround effect.

You can add the Ambeo Sub to really take the bass to another level, but that will cost you extra, ballooning an already pricey proposition. You do get what you pay for, though, what with the Soundbar Plus’ integrations and port options, along with solid support from Sennheiser’s Smart Control app.

Best balance

Bose has been in the sound game for a long time, but its home theater audio options used to be priced out of many potential owners' budgets. Those times have changed, and the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 system couldn't be better evidence of that. This 2.29-by-41.14-by-4.21-inch soundbar is priced and designed to compete directly with the Sonos Beam but has the premium Bose features we're used to from its more expensive models.

On its own merits, the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 has four full-range drivers and a central tweeter for compact, distortion-free sound. It also has a mic for built-in Alexa or Google Assistant, which you can use to control your TV or cable box or answer phone calls. Plus, it has several connectivity options: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, and Bose SimpleSync to the best Bose headphones.

For dedicated Bose fans, you can pair your 900 to other Bose Bluetooth speakers or buy a Bose Bass Module or Surround Speakers to build a total home theater system. These can add up in price, but we appreciate that the Smart Soundbar 900 mainly stands on its own as an audio experience until you can afford to augment it with new audio tech.

Best spatial audio

It’s not often you see a modular soundbar that literally comes apart at the seams with two extra speaker satellites you can set up as rears that wirelessly communicate with the main bar for a surround sound setup. They can last you a good 10 hours before you need to recharge them again, which only requires you to slide them back into their respective spots on the sides. You can also use them as Bluetooth speakers, either separately or together as a stereo pair, adding a nice perk to this unique setup.

For a home theater situation, you get an 11.1.4 system with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support, plus a subwoofer you can place anywhere you want to add some rumble to the whole experience. The JBL One app can be super helpful in figuring out the best way to set everything up based on the room you’re in, especially for where to place the rear speakers. Once you’re good to go, the Bar 1300X will delight you when making you feel whatever movie you’re watching in Dolby Atmos. Spatial audio for music may give you the same feeling when you want something immersive for tunes supporting it.

You won’t get Google Assistant or Alexa (at least not in full) with this system, but you do get AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, and a slew of features that feel integrative. It doesn’t come cheap to bring this into your home, but you may be set for years if you do.

Best mid-range

Best mid-size

With the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), you get the best soundbar with basic smarts. The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) connects to your TV with HDMI-ARC or with the included HDMI-to-Optical adapter. A recent update has brought the ability to integrate Sonos products and Google Assistant. You can control your TV with your voice if your TV supports HDMI-CEC, which most modern sets do. Controlling your TV with your voice isn't a replacement for a remote, but it's an excellent option.

Sonos' ecosystem is attractive because it's easy to add more speakers to create a surround system. And as for connections, you'll get a single HDMI port, a single Ethernet port, and the standard AC power input. So you can start with the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and have a great soundbar. Then, a few months later, you can pick up a couple of Sonos One speakers to add more channels. Or, you can buy a Sonos 5.1 kit with everything you need and create one of the best soundbar systems you can find.

However, if you want to experience better "lows" in your movies and video games, you'll want to pick up a subwoofer after the fact. This adds more of a punch to intense scenes and helps to immerse you in whatever you're watching or playing. Until then, the Beam creates a wide soundstage with an effective low-end sound all on its own, as we discovered during our Sonos Beam review.

Best small size

Polk is another one of those companies that prides itself on providing great audio experiences throughout your home. The Polk MagniFi Mini AX is no different and has a few tricks up its sleeves that other soundbars can't compete with. Kicking everything off, the MagniFi Mini AX sports a single ARC-compatible HDMI, along with a standard optical port for your television and an auxiliary cable.

Smart home integration is on board, with Google Assistant built right-in, and you'll have the added benefit of a built-in Chromecast (keep in mind this only lets you stream music over Wi-Fi, not stream video). The MagniFi Mini AX also includes a wireless subwoofer so that you can get that extra bass from your media without the need for any additional wires.

While controlling your TV and soundbar with a single remote is nifty, we would have liked to see a more robust remote from Polk. The included remote gives you basic controls without any shortcuts to Netflix or another streaming app. Those who want to have multiple devices connected directly to the MagniFi Mini AX will be disappointed as there's just a single HDMI port on this soundbar.

Best value

Give Yamaha credit; it finds ways to pack a lot into something that comes at a more agreeable price. If the Sonos Beam is too rich for you, the SR-B30A is a solid alternative that can also save you a few dollars, especially considering the Dolby Atmos support. At this price, that’s not always a guarantee for any soundbar, but here, you have connectivity that matters, including an HDMI eARC port and Bluetooth for wireless audio playback.

Impressive sound will help you feel like you have a bargain for the experience every time you watch a movie or play a game. You won’t get a subwoofer with this soundbar, though you have an option with the SR-B40A, but bear in mind that both soundbars sound the same otherwise. The sub will add the kind of depth you can’t get from the bar alone.

Yamaha’s Sound Bar Remote app offers an easy way to control and update the SR-B30A’s firmware but isn’t going to be quite as deep in granular features. It’s more about switching between the existing settings rather than setting up your own.

Best integration

A few different streaming box options are available now, including the Chromecast with Google TV, our favorite of all the best Android TV boxes. Whether you prefer Chromecasts, Fire Sticks, or Rokus, however, you'll end up using two HDMI ports for your streaming box and soundbar — one too many if you have a lot of gaming consoles, cable boxes, or Blu-Ray players to connect as well.

If this is you, the Roku Streambar Pro is the all-in-one soundbar solution you've been looking for. Connect it to an HDMI ARC-compatible port on your 4K TV, and you'll be able to enjoy 4K HDR content and upgraded audio thanks to its four 2.5-inch full-range drivers plus the streaming capabilities of a Roku Streaming Stick+. It's compact enough to easily slide under any TV, with side-firing drivers to fill a room with decent sound. You can also invest in a subwoofer and wireless speakers to upgrade to true surround sound.

And when it comes to smart home compatibility, the Streambar Pro checks off all of the boxes. It's compatible with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and even Apple's Siri with AirPlay 2 support. With this in tow, you'll be able to control Roku's impressive soundbar with the best Android phones, regardless of your smart home ecosystem.

Best for gaming