Soundbar roundup
The Best Soundbars for the Money
Slim TVs sound dreadful, and a soundbar is the tidy fix. Here's how to judge which soundbar is genuinely the best for your money — for films, telly and music alike.
Modern televisions have grown gloriously thin and, as a result, sound dreadful — there is simply nowhere left to put a decent speaker. A soundbar is the sensible, tidy fix, and the good news is you no longer have to spend a fortune to get one that genuinely lifts films, telly and music alike. After a lifetime of fussing over hi-fi, here is how I'd judge which soundbar is the best for your money.
“Best for the money” isn't the same as “cheapest”
Value is the relationship between what you pay and what you actually get: sound quality, the bits in the box, connections, how well it fills your room, and how painless it is to live with. A modest soundbar that suits a small room can be far better value than an expensive system you can never turn up. So start not with a price, but with your room and how you listen.
Know the types
Soundbars are described by a channel count, and it pays to understand it:
- 2.0 — two channels, no separate bass unit. The simplest and cheapest, and a big step up from any TV.
- 2.1 — a bar plus a subwoofer (a dedicated bass speaker), which adds the weight films and bass-heavy music crave.
- 3.1 — adds a centre channel, which sharpens dialogue — a boon if you ever find yourself reaching for the subtitles.
- 5.1 and up — separate rear speakers for proper surround sound.
- Dolby Atmos — adds height effects, either from real upward-firing drivers or “virtual” processing.
Where your money is best spent
Here is the truth the glossy single-bar adverts won't tell you: for immersion, a soundbar bundled with a wireless subwoofer and rear speakers usually gives you far more per pound than an even pricier standalone bar. If films and concert videos are your thing, a complete package is the smart buy. (“Wireless,” mind you, only means no cable back to the bar — the subwoofer and rears still need mains power. Plan for a nearby socket.)
That said, more is not always better. In a flat, a bedroom or a room where you mostly want clearer telly and the odd album, a compact, well-tuned soundbar is the wiser, neater choice — a wall of speakers you can't run at a decent volume helps no one.
The connection that matters: HDMI eARC
Prioritise a soundbar with HDMI eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel). Compared with the older optical connection, it carries the higher-bandwidth, lossless and advanced surround formats from a compatible telly — and it's the difference between hearing Atmos properly and hearing a polite approximation of it. Do check your television actually has an ARC or eARC socket before you buy.
A word on Atmos
Atmos on a soundbar is now everywhere, but the logo alone guarantees nothing. Real height comes from physical upward-firing speakers or genuine rear channels; “virtual” Atmos can widen the sound pleasantly but rarely places effects convincingly above you. Worth having if your telly, streaming box and the content all support it — not worth paying a premium for on processing alone.
Don't forget music
This is where soundbars quietly separate themselves, and where my ears prick up. A soundbar can dazzle with explosions yet make a favourite album sound narrow, squashed or all bass. If you'll play music through it — streaming, or the output from a turntable via your telly — look specifically for reviews that praise its stereo imaging (how naturally it spreads sound left to right), vocal clarity, smooth treble and how it behaves at low volume. Bars built around a streaming ecosystem, such as the Sonos range, tend to please music listeners, but the specific model always matters more than the badge.
Matching the bar to the room
| Your situation | Sensible choice |
|---|---|
| Flat, bedroom or small room | Compact bar (e.g. a Sonos Beam-class model) |
| Tightest budget, clearer dialogue | A good entry-level 2.0/2.1 bar from Sony, Samsung or Hisense |
| Music and telly in one room | A well-tuned bar with strong stereo performance |
| Films and concert immersion | A bar with subwoofer and rear speakers |
| Least fuss | A capable all-in-one bar |
As a rough guide to the market: entry-level bars sit at roughly under £200, midrange and compact Atmos models around £300–£700, and complete premium systems above £800. Prices swing a lot in the sales, and a previous-generation flagship discounted below a new model is often the shrewdest value of all.
Quick checks before you buy
- Does your TV have HDMI ARC/eARC?
- Are the rear speakers included, or sold separately?
- Will the bar sit in front of the TV's remote sensor?
- Is there a power socket where the subwoofer needs to go?
- Does it support the music services you actually use?
- Does the advertised price include every speaker shown in the photo?
The bottom line
The best soundbar for the money is simply the one that fits your room, your telly and the way you listen — not the dearest, and not blindly the cheapest. Favour HDMI eARC, be honest about whether you want cinema immersion or clearer everyday sound, remember that a bar-plus-sub-plus-rears bundle is usually the value sweet spot, and always read a review that judges music as well as movies. Get that right and you'll wonder how you put up with your telly's speakers for so long.
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