Best soundbar

Adding a soundbar to your TV set up is definitely worthwhile. It can bring you better audio quality than your television alone can produce, and improve the clarity of dialogue so you don’t miss a thing when you’re watching. 

Buying the best soundbar means thinking about whether you want the soundbar alone or a design with a separate subwoofer for maximum bass boost. Special features to improve the clarity of speech are on offer as well. Our favorite soundbar is the Bose Solo 5 TV Soundbar. It has a dedicated dialogue mode to make the words crisp, and you can adjust the level of the bass via the remote control. It has Bluetooth connectivity as well, and comes with a universal remote control. Discover more of our top picks below.

The Bose Solo 5 TV Soundbar is our number one pick. It makes dialogue crisper with its special mode, so you don’t have to keep adjusting the volume of your TV, and it offers richer soundtracks and effects as well as deeper bass. You can also use it to listen to your music as it has Bluetooth built in. 

It can be placed by the television or on the wall and set up is super simple. Just connect to the TV with an audio cable. The soundbar comes with a universal remote that lets your control a Blu-ray player, Bluetooth connections and a gaming system, so you can keep things tidy, too.

For improved TV sound at an affordable price point, take a look at the VIZIO SB2920-C6 Soundbar, which can be teamed with a 32 inch+ class TV. Although it’s a compact 29 x 3 x 3 inches, this soundbar accommodates two full range stereo speakers to boost your TV’s audio. For set up it just needs plugging in to the TV with one of the cables that are included. It has built-in Bluetooth, so it’s handy for streaming from mobile devices as well.

There isn’t a mounting bracket – although you could buy one separately – but this design is neat enough located by the TV.

The Yamaha YAS-109 Sound Bar makes dialogue more distinct, and gives you movie theater-style sound, and an improved gaming experience. It has dual built-in subwoofers that mean you don’t have to invest in a separate subwoofer box for rich bass, and there’s a free app so you can control sound modes and music from your phone.  

The soundbar also has built-in Alexa voice control. In other words, you can operate the soundbar, play music, ask questions and so on all by asking Alexa. It’s a sleek minimalistic design, too, that will complement any modern living room.

The JBL Bar 5.1 Channel 4K Ultra HD Soundbar is our pick for those who want the movie theater experience at home. There are two detachable battery powered wireless speakers you can put in position for surround sound, and a wireless subwoofer for rich bass. You can connect 4K devices for home entertainment in ultra HD with three HDMI inputs.

It also has Bluetooth connectivity, and you can instantly switch between the sound from the TV and that from your smartphone or tablet. The soundbar works with many TV remotes, too, so you can use the existing controller to operate the soundbar. 

The TCL Alto 7+ 2.1 Channel Home Theater Sound Bar gives you plenty of bang for your buck. It has a wireless subwoofer you can locate where you want to boost bass, and three sound modes – music, movies and news – to give you the best performance depending on what you’re watching.

It comes with both audio cables and a wall-mounting kit to deliver more for your money, and setting it up is easy as well. Although it’s a little more sizeable than other options, it’s still a good looking option.

The Sony HT-S350 Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer isolates voices and amplifies them, so dialogue won’t be lost in background noise. There are seven sound modes altogether with this model, including a Game Studio mode created by PlayStation developers for gaming, a music mode, and a cinema mode for watching movies. 

This soundbar comes with a wireless subwoofer to bring deep, rich bass tones to your living room, a virtual surround sound system that emulates movie-theater style sound but without the need for rear speakers, and its Bluetooth connectivity lets you stream music from your smartphone. It can be wall mounted, although you’ll need to buy the mount separately.

Our verdict

The Bose Solo 5 TV Soundbar is the best you can buy, make dialogue distinct and soundtracks richer, plus it’s simple to set up. If you’re looking for a budget buy, try the VIZIO SB2920-C6 soundbar. Like the idea of voice control? The Yamaha YAS-109 Sound Bar has Alexa built in. For the luxury of a movie theater at home, check out the JBL Bar 5.1 Channel 4K Ultra HD Soundbar, while for great value, the TCL Alto 7+ 2.1 Channel Home Theater Sound Bar is worth your attention. For great dialogue enhancement go for the Sony HT-S350 Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer.