Soundbars: What to know before you buy

A soundbar is one of the best upgrades you can make to your TV, but there are so many to choose from. Here's what you should know and a selection of excellent soundbars hand-picked by CNET editors.

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[CNET]

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*CNET may get a commission from these offers.

[joesackbaron]

Always wondered what ARC was on the HDMI - thanks! Last time I looked at sound bars there was so much variance in price and functions that I bought a milky bar instead - saved me a few hundred quid! Makes a lot of sense that streaming and speaker tech converges: makes things more invisible; less gadgets to plug in and power, less remotes etc. Might have another look!

[DosBear]

I just purchased a Hisense soundbar with built in sub woofer for 88 bucks after shipping and taxes on Amazon (Canadian) and am very pleased with it. Was a Boxing Day sale. Has ARC/HDMI, bluetooth, bass control, dimmer for lcd so for the price you can't really go wrong. It also shuts off automatically if you don't use the sound for a certain length of time which is a good feature I'd say. I wouldn't listen to the negative reviews on it anyway. Also got a 65" RCA WebOS smart TV for 600 after taxes and shipping from Walmart which saved me 150 bucks. Happy with it as well as it has the necessary ARC/HDMI input/output. The sound on the TV wasn't the greatest which is reason I went with added soundbar which turned out to be a great decision.

[totalplonker]

I've had several soundbars and surround sound package but it was only when I purchased a budget AVR and a pair of budget speakers that I realised what I was missing, (stereo imaging, thumping bass, fully enveloping soundstage imaging etc) besides going down this route one can always add to it overtime... surround speakers, subwoofers etc. One can even get height speakers and have the full 'non virtual' Dolby Atmos experience. Nowadays AVRs has so simple to setup they even walk you through the process.


Remember movies are made up of 50% visuals and 50% audio and there are occasions when the audio out does the visuals.

[mbj]

If you have a new Samsung QLED, I suggest going with a Samsung Q series soundbar to get extra features such as Q symphony (adds the use of TV speakers to your sound bar at the same time), acoustic beam (object tracking on screen), and a room scanner (to adjust sound to your room’s layout and furniture placement).

[michael-k]

Have 2 Ambeo stacked on top of each other and it sounds amazing, now I can’t see much of my TV but the fact is that I get so many channels it’s worth it!!!

[grandiora]

Explains the soundbar concept by introducing Sony and its videos then skips the brand entirely afterwards when looking at models across segments... You could easily have put in the Sony A5000 or A7000 in. They perform much better than the Sonos Arc and actually has a HDMI 2.1 switch.

[ILLESTTRUTH]

I've fully invested in the Sonos ecosystem. I'll be looking to add the Arc to my Living Room to replace my Playbase. Then i'll be moving the Playbase to the guest bedroom and keeping my Beam in my master bedroom. Their integration is just top notch.

[Shibuyagave]

Just the soundbar information I want to know! 😭
Thank you for the wonderful video!

[Toni_De_Arcadia]

JBL9.1 😎 never got any issues since I got it last year with my LG CX, connected to Apple TV 4K, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and works with airplay 2.

[mangakey]

In general and "especially" with budget sound bars you want a subwoofer if you expect some decent bass.. There are some all in ones that promise bass but they either fall short or cost lots of money..

[KuyaArbee]

AMBEO HANDS F*CKING DOWN! the ability to UPSCALE audio is HUGE! it's amazing!

[ahill]

Not sure why this is titled "What to know before you buy". It clearly should be titled "Soundbars we want you to buy because we'll get commission".

[philb-zesz]

Sound bars are excellent for easy setup over TV sound. I have heard many and this one and they all sound thin. While my ZVOX 580 does not do surround and such, it sounds much fuller than the Sony, Samsungs, and LG I have heard. PLUS the ZVOX has subout so I can connect my Martin Logan Depth-i Sub which outputs to other smaller subs placed around my family room. These brands will not use sub out because they want to lock you into their subs, the ONLY sound bar I would consider is the AMBIO series dues to having sub out.

[reviews]

Your video is relevant and to the point! Thank you!!!

[maurocontreras]

Got a samsung sounbar free with my samsung hd led tv about 8 years ago, it came with a wireless subwoofer and had an hdmi arc input. Now upgraded to a 4k LG tv and im still using it. Interesting as the technology for soundbars really didn’t change that much.

[adamr]

Another option for folks with an Apple TV 4K is a pair of HomePod Minis. When they are on sell you can get them for under $200 total.

[shivamdhawan]

Soundbars from Bose, Samsung, LG etc were missing. Can they be reviewed by CNET?

[dmitriytechmix]

You read my mind every time. Thanks for this one epic video 📸☺️

[RollerSkatinActor]

One warning, LG TVs are not compatible with Sony Soundbars. After purchasing an LG C1 55" a few weeks ago I then searched for an Atmos SB. I purchased the Sony X8500 Atmos and after 1 frustrating week, I find this out. I wish either LG or Sony would notify customers. Now Im back on the hunt and may as well stick with an LG Atmos.