For one, the 5. Thanks to clever use of the WiSA a new-ish wireless surround sound protocol, all you have to do is find a power outlet for each speaker and plug in a small Roku-size box to your TV's ARC port.
Bada bing, bada boom: THX-certified surround sound! It's spendy, and requires enough shelf and floor space to set up all the speakers. But if you're after truly great sound with soundbar-like convenience, it doesn't get better than this. There are a lot of great soundbars out there, and we don't have room to feature them all. Here are some others you might want to consider. It comes with a wireless subwoofer and can be upgraded with LG-made surround speakers.
The Alexa-enabled soundbar can be bought standalone, with surround speakers and subwoofers available from polk if you want to upgrade your sound. We have heard complaints of the wireless functionality having some issues. The Vizio M-Series 2. It has a sleek design, and surprisingly good bass for a soundbar that doesn't come with a subwoofer in tow.
We've included a list of available connectivity options next to every soundbar on our list. It will allow you to use the volume buttons on your TV remote to control the soundbar's volume.
Also make sure CEC is enabled. Use an optical cable only if HDMI isn't available. Finally, check your TV audio menus to make sure your TV's internal speakers are set to off so you don't get any weird audio fluttering , and find the best spots to place your speakers and sub.
Why You Need a Soundbar. Photograph: Vizio. Inputs: Optical cable, coaxial cable, and Bluetooth. Photograph: Samsung. Photograph: Roku. Photograph: ZVOX. Inputs: Optical, 3. Photograph: Sonos. Photograph: Yamaha. Photograph: Nakamichi. Bluetooth AptX. Photograph: Enclave Audio. M Series M51ax-J6. M-Series M21d-H8R. GX Soundbar. Cinema Bar Smart Soundbar.
Alto 8i. Alto 3. Alto 5. Bar 5. Bar 9. Link Bar. View all soundbar reviews. Latest Soundbar Activity. View all soundbar activity. How We Test We purchase our own soundbars and put them under the same test bench, so that you can compare the results easily.
View all soundbar articles. Soundbar Tools Compare soundbars. Having trouble deciding between two soundbars? This tool will clearly show you the differences. Table tool. Vote for the next soundbar we buy. Want to see us review a specific soundbar?
Here you can vote for our next review. Graph tool. Compare graphs from our soundbar test results in order to make a clearer and more informed decision. Home Soundbar Best Soundbars. Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra 9.
Vizio Elevate Unavailable. Bose Smart Soundbar Unavailable. Compared to other premium models, it doesn't offer many sound customization features. You can still purchase these separately, though. However, its surrounds and Atmos performances aren't as impressive as some of the other bars we've tested.
See our review JBL Bar 9. It doesn't have as many sound enhancement features as the Sonos Arc full setup, and its height performance isn't as impressive. It only has an okay surrounds performance and doesn't come with many sound enhancement features. Its default sound profile lacks some bass, and its soundstage performance isn't as impressive as other 5. That said, this may not be worth the value for some users. Its Spatial Sound technology is advertised to create a wide, immersive-sounding soundstage, but it doesn't have a discrete center channel.
It doesn't come with discrete satellite speakers, and its center, surround, and Atmos performances aren't impressive. All Reviews Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best soundbars for most people to buy.
Recommended Articles. To access unlimited full product reviews ,. Cinema Cinema Cinema Bar Streambar Smart Soundbar. Before we did the tests with outside listeners, I spent at least three days using each soundbar casually, watching TV programs, at least one action movie, and a few favorite movie clips—and listening to a variety of music. During these tests, I tried out the various sound modes, tested the different connection options, and got a general feel for how the soundbars performed and operated.
I also compared the soundbars against our existing picks. After this round, I picked the eight models I thought had the best chance to win over our panelists. For our panelists, I concealed the identities of the soundbars behind thin, black fabric. I told them nothing at all about the soundbars, although they could see that at least some of the soundbars used dedicated surround speakers, which were arrayed on inch-tall bookshelves behind them.
I set the volume of each soundbar to the same playback level, using a sound pressure level meter and a shaped noise tone taken from a Dolby Digital receiver. I then played them the same movie and music selections I used for my test, plus one music track of their choice. We show the results in the Measurements section below. Both of our panelists picked the HW-QA as their sonic favorite, and it was one of my two favorites along with the Klipsch Cinema They particularly loved the way movie dialogue sounded through the HW-QA.
Those who want an even more intense surround effect can add the SWAS Atmos-enabled surround speakers. I got a strong sense of overhead sound when I used the HW-QA for some of the tests we did for my recent article on Atmos music. The 8-inch subwoofer included with the HW-QA produces impressive bass for its size. Our CTA measurements showed that its output averaged This means that, compared with the Elevate, the QA will give you more sense of impact with car crashes and onscreen punches in movie soundtracks, but a little bit less couch vibration during explosions.
We found it always gave us sound that was at least as good as what we got by manually selecting the Standard, Surround or Game Pro mode. The Active Voice Amplifier mode does a pretty good job of making dialogue easier to understand.
You can stream audio wirelessly from a phone, tablet, or computer using Apple AirPlay 2 or Bluetooth. Amazon Alexa capability is built in, so the HW-QA has the same voice-command capability as an Amazon Echo smart speaker, and can be used in a multiroom system employing Alexa or AirPlay 2.
The subwoofer is relatively compact, though, at just 8. Having the Adaptive Sound mode, which for us eliminated the need to adjust the sound, helped a lot, as did the easy-to-access adjustments in the SmartThings app. Unlike many competing models, the HW-QA has no analog input. This might be a concern for certain situations, such as connecting a turntable or an older computer without HDMI.
It incorporates motorized front speakers that turn upward automatically with Atmos and DTS:X content and turn forward to expand the soundstage with 5. The Elevate also includes two separate rear speakers with upward-firing Atmos drivers and a powerful 8-inch subwoofer. Our panelists felt that our top pick, the Samsung HW-QA , produced clearer dialogue and required less adjustment to get optimum sound, but that the Elevate produced a more enveloping sound. It impressed our panelists with its ability to fill a large room with a big, clear sound, without sounding distorted or harsh when we pushed the volume.
Also, since the rear speakers are cabled to the subwoofer, you will probably have to install the subwoofer toward the back of the room, which means that the lowest tones of male voices may come from behind you, which can be distracting. The bar also includes an optical digital audio input, a USB input that accepts WAV and MP3 audio files, an analog audio input, and an extra analog input with signal sensing. Using that last input, you can connect an Amazon Echo Dot , and the Elevate will work just like a dedicated smart speaker; the bar senses the signal coming from the Echo Dot and automatically switches to that input.
The subwoofer is wireless, so you can place it almost anywhere, and the two small rear speakers connect directly to the back of the subwoofer via foot cables. The long cables provide some flexibility in where you can position both the subwoofer and the surrounds, but you still have to deal with the presence of cables. The accessories box provides all the cables you need.
The app also provides remote control of the soundbar, with direct access to all adjustments. For help in diagnosing and fixing these issues, read our blog on soundbar troubleshooting tips. In contrast, some other soundbars have always-active Bluetooth, so whenever you hit the Connect button on your smartphone or tablet, it automatically switches the soundbar into Bluetooth playback mode.
The best testament to its quality is its remote, which offers only one sound-tweaking control: a subwoofer level adjustment. Most other soundbars offer a variety of modes for music, movies, games, sports, and the like, along with other controls to alter the sound to your liking. The Bar 2. In our tests, we loved the way the Bar 2.
The remote offers far fewer adjustments than those of most competitors, but it has everything you really need and is easier to navigate than most. The Vizio Ma-H6 is the best soundbar to get if you want real home theater sound in a compact and affordable package. It incorporates a full 5. The remote control also includes lots of sound-adjustment capability, although the lack of an alphanumeric display on the soundbar makes the adjustments a little more difficult.
Whether we were listening to music or watching movies, we felt that the sound had a smooth, warm character that made it generally more pleasant to listen to than most soundbars. At the factory-default settings, the bass is too loud and the dialogue in movies tends to get lost in busy scenes. But by bringing the center-channel level up and the subwoofer level down both accomplished easily through the remote, which has its own alphanumeric display , we were able to get the Ma-H6 sounding very good.
Sonically, the difference between it, the Samsung HW-QA, and the Vizio Elevate is that the more expensive bars play louder, sound a little clearer, and have deeper and more powerful bass. Despite its small, 6-inch woofer, the subwoofer performs well, averaging Connecting an Echo Dot also allows the Ma-H6 to function as part of an Alexa-based multiroom music system. The Ma-H6 measures 40 inches long, so it fits well with screens down to about 50 inches in size.
The subwoofer, at just In our tests, we found it nice for all but the loudest movies, as well as for streaming music from Spotify and YouTube through Roku, and it includes Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay 2 support. For more bass, you can add the Roku Wireless Subwoofer ; at
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