The best soundbars embody a minimalist design, convenience, and thrilling audio experience altogether. You’d want to scout for innovative features that enable you to stream audio from smart devices seamlessly without the need for a receiver or tower speakers. Refer to our curated selection of soundbars to have a feel of the cinema and studio in the comforts of home.
Yamaha Audio ATS-2090 Soundbar
Best Overall
Why should you buy it? The ATS-2090 offers excellent sound quality and tons of features.
Who’s it for? Those who want the best sound and diverse features, including voice assistance.
Why we picked the Yamaha Audio Yamaha ATS-2090 Soundbar:
It’s hard to beat a bar as versatile and feature-packed as Yamaha’s ATS-2090. Yamaha added impressive upgrades for its latest model, including Amazon Alexa. These improvements, coupled with all of the other features we loved about Yamaha’s benefit-driven soundbar, make it the perfect complement to a 4K television.
The bar has crisp treble, a deep, growling bass, and a warm midrange. It also features a dedicated virtual surround mode that emulates taller, wider surround sound images. And that results in a more immense and comprehensive surround sound experience from a simple soundbar setup.
Throw on an action movie and let the soundbar fill your living room with realistic sound effects. You may even utilize the Clear Voice mode for slower, more dialogue-heavy scenes — well, it doesn’t matter because this soundbar will deliver solid performance no matter what.
The bar supports Dolby Digital and DTS Virtual:X, although the latter adds an icy touch to the sound. It can also double as a Bluetooth speaker for streaming music from your smartphone. Yet, on days when you feel techier, you can listen to music over Wi-Fi with its Spotify Connect feature.
The ATS-2090 large sound profile is made possible by surprisingly small components. Visually, the soundbar itself blends in well with your TV console. In fact, most people probably are unlikely to notice the soundbar at all. The included wireless subwoofer is equally demure, allowing you to tuck it away behind your screen. The Yamaha ATS-2090 is an excellent upgrade if you are looking for more features in a stylish yet subtle device.
Why we love it:
- Compatible with various streaming services like Amazon Music, Kindle, Spotify, and more
- Includes a separate wireless subwoofer, which automatically connects for additional surround sound
- Utilizes DTS Virtual:X, a trademark feature for creating not just a cinematic effect but also spatial sound
Hisense HS214 Soundbar
Best Value
Why should you buy it: The Hisense HS214 Soundbar delivers top-notch sound quality in a bar-only setup — no sub is required.
Who’s it for: Those who want the most straightforward possible setup without spending a fortune.
Why we picked the Hisense HS214 Soundbar:
Soundbar setups are seldom just a soundbar. Yes, more often than not, they are much more straightforward and smaller than multi-speaker systems. Yet, sometimes, a package includes many components, whether that be a dedicated subwoofer or the rare extra satellite speakers. And that can be frustrating for those who want the least intrusive package.
Luckily, the Hisense HS214Soundbar is far from being disruptive and costly! It’s a sleek yet affordable soundbar that can stand alone without failing to deliver an auditory oomph to enhance your home theater. It utilizes two front-fracing speakers whose bass power could fill a medium-sized room. Hence, it realistically recreates a good sound effect, not to mention it’s equipped with Dolby Atmos technology. Did someone also request a Roku TV-ready soundbar? Because this definitely is.
Its simplistic design extends to its peripherals as well. The minimalist remote is just as user-friendly as the soundbar’s few buttons. For instance, you may readily choose among its preset equalizer settings with just one push. Enabling it helps enhance the overall sound performance across formats and genres.
Why we love it:
- Easy to set up and use without sacrificing sound quality
- Brims with several modes for pumping music casually, watching films immersively, and a lot more
- Offers quick and easy physical and wireless connectivity through your television’s single HDMI cable or via Bluetooth
Bose Smart Soundbar 300
Best Smart
Why should you buy it: The Bose Smart Soundbar 300 delivers top-quality sound along with modern comforts.
Who it’s for: Those who want to revel in good sound and have hands-free control of essential TV functions through voice commands.
Why we picked the Bose Smart Soundbar 300:
As we have come to expect from the brand, Bose effortlessly reigns supreme when it comes to smart features. It is very smart in its own accord, with Alexa and Google Assistant built-in. To ensure the power of your voice, noise-canceling technology is embedded in its mic. You can expect it to pick your voice up from every direction to guarantee impeccable reception. Needless to say, you can make or take calls and be assured of clear audio on both ends.
It becomes all the more impressive for those who want to sit tight and still be able to control their environment. Thankfully, this Bose soundbar lets you do just that. You’ll just have to speak to power up and program your TV as well as other smart home devices. Syncing it with the Bose Music app makes it possible for you to virtually integrate any streaming device, be it for movies, music, or games.
Its matte-black finish and semi-gloss metal grille are the perfect encapsulation of sheer sophistication. While it does not have a subwoofer, you will certainly not be missing out on excellent acoustic performance, bombastic bass, and spacious sound. It definitely strikes a fine balance of subtlety and boldness.
Why we love it:
- Integrated Bose Music app enables customization to match your preference
- Noice-canceling mic makes it more receptive to voice commands
- QuietPort technology on micro-screens reduce sound distortion
Polk MagniFi Mini Soundbar
Most Compact
Why should you buy it: Streamlined and simple, the Polk MagniFi Mini is quite a ‘Mighty Mouse’ soundbar that packs great sound.
Who’s it for: Those who need something more compact and newcomers to the soundbar market.
Why we picked the Polk MagniFi Mini Soundbar:
Yes, really, this little guy is a soundbar. And, it is proof that sometimes, size does not matter. Despite its tiny frame and minimalist design, the Polk MagniFi Mini Soundbar is a fully capable soundbar that won’t crowd your TV stand or your living room. Due to its dimensions and the angle of its six drivers, it produces a much bigger soundstage than its appearance would imply. Moreover, you would be surprised to discover that it can handle bass-heavy tempos with power while retaining musicality despite its lightweight construction. We are certainly fans of the sub that’s included in this unit, too!
All of this isn’t to say that this bar is a viable substitute for a fully capable 5.1 surround system. While Polk claims the MagniFi can deliver a 5.1-surround sound, the experience is more akin to a 3.1 setup. In quieter moments, the mid-range is also not as crisp or present as we would like. However, don’t let these flaws put you off the MagniFi Mini Soundbar! It’s an extraordinary piece of a small yet high-tech device.
Why we love it:
- Space-saving build ideal for narrow home entertainment tables
- Features a Night Mode that tones down the volume level without compromising quality, ideal for watching during the wee hours
- Six built-in drivers, coupled with a subwoofer to help reinforce bass, volume, and dialogue clarity
How we test
After giving a soundbar a thorough break-in period, we put it through a rigorous testing process. It entails playing all relevant sources of content, including Blu-rays. We choose the ones with the highest-resolution codecs from Dolby and DTS. In addition, we also play audio straight from a TV via HDMI and/or Optical Toslink output. This method focuses on digital streaming services, broadcast TV, and audio apps.
When applicable, we test wireless connections for stability and audio quality. We also place a high degree of importance on the musicality of any speaker, so plenty of music is played to gauge its finer performance aspects. Finally, we benchmark a soundbar’s overall capabilities against the existing top-notch criteria, including its price. It’s an efficient way to unveil overlooked features and discover alternatives if any.
Spend some time going over the options we have listed here and see which one sounds best for you. Whether the soundbar is wired or wireless, comes with extra speakers, or is small, simple, and easy to use, these are the best soundbars on the market.
About the Author
Rusty Davis has been a tech lover for as long as he can remember. From the early days of gaming consoles to the introduction of the smartphone, portable computers, and more, he’s always wanted to get his hands on the latest and greatest. He has years upon years of experience reviewing and testing everything from phone cases to smartwatches, the latest phones and tablets to gaming computers, and even desks. If it’s a piece of tech or tech-adjacent, he’s interested in how it works and who it works best for. He’s now here sharing all of his knowledge with you to help you make the best decision for yourself.
Why You Should Trust Us
The Digital Trends team prides itself in offering expert product recommendations in ways that everyone can understand. Our team of experts is constantly using and reviewing the latest and greatest consumer tech, smart home gadgets, televisions, and so much more to offer insights to help guide your purchasing decision. We have vigorously tested thousands of different products across these categories, and we’ve distilled our lists to bring you the best of the best. If we feel a product does not live up to our expectations, it doesn’t make the list. We are humans though, and realize that not every recommended product will be perfect for everyone, so we do our best to call out important features that may impact your choices. Below our top picks we’ve included additional product information to ensure that you are making the right choice for your unique needs.
The products in this guide have been carefully curated by our team of experts and enthusiasts who understand the value and quality needed for the best options.
