Sometimes one gets the impression that the sound of the TV is not enough. If you watch a film or play video games, the TV audio, however modern or sophisticated it may be, does not always manage to be "gritty" enough and you need to find an instrument that amplifies (in all senses) the acoustic spectrum of our visual experience. The best solution in terms of quality/price ratio? In our opinion, it is the purchase of a sound bar, i.e. an amplified speaker, generally also equipped with a woofer, which manages – in a relatively small space – to offer an enveloping acoustic experience, and this net of frontal sound diffusion and, therefore, very dissimilar from the diffusion offered by the various multi-speaker systems.
In this latest update we have explored the features that can make the complete difference at the time of your purchase in the soundabr field and we have added some links eBay as well as Amazon. This is why we advise you not to miss a single paragraph of our guide, so that your choice is more than aware!
Net of this, and of a now very extensive proposal, with products suitable for all price ranges, soundbars are still struggling to gain the attention of the general public, rightfully falling within that range of products for the use and consumption of audiophiles. And yet, believe us, you don't necessarily need to spend a lot for a good soundbar and, for this very reason, we have decided to offer you this practical buying guide, including products belonging to all price ranges, from the cheapest to the top models of category that reach higher figures, but all of them have only one purpose: to excite with their sound quality and cleanliness. There are also more complex models, such as those equipped with subwoofers, those with other elements that can be added in order to spread the sound experience to other rooms.
Read also: Wireless Gaming Headphones | The best of 2023 Without further ado, whatever your needs, thanks to our list of the best soundbars on the market, you will find the perfect companion to reproduce your passions and excite you in the near future. Therefore, we invite you to take a look at our list and, if you are interested, take advantage of the links available for each product. They are specially designed to redirect you to the most important stores where you can find the models belonging to the guide!
The best soundbars
LG SP2 Samsung HW-T550 Sonos Beam Bose Solo 5 Sony HT-SF150 2.0 Soundbar
LG SP2
With 2.1-channel audio, 100W power and integrated subwoofer, the LG SP2 Soundbar guarantees powerful and immersive audio for a superior sound experience. Furthermore, by connecting the Soundbar to the LG TV, you can make the most of the Artificial Intelligence Processor to make everything you hear clearer and more uniform. This is because it uses an algorithm to identify voices, effects and frequencies, optimizing the sound according to genre for an immersive experience, scene after scene. Last but not least, you will be able to take advantage of the functions developed to guarantee an exceptional level of compatibility and control the power, volume and even the audio modes of the soundbar using only the LG TV remote control.
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Bose Smart Soundbar 900
This Bose soundbar is equipped with 2 custom up-firing dipole speakers that are perfectly integrated with Bose technologies to give the impression that the sound comes from every direction even from above. Bose TrueSpace processing also analyzes and processes sound to give you an immersive audio experience in Dolby, stereo and more. In addition, the exclusive Bose Voice4Video technology expands your vocal capabilities like no other smart soundbar because in addition to controlling the device, you can also manage the smart TV with simple voice commands.
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Sonos Beam
Thanks to the Sonos Team soundbar, you can incredibly enrich watching movies and TV series at home thanks to deep bass, crystal clear dialogue and a particularly three-dimensional sound field. You can enjoy the 3D sound effects of Dolby Atmos surround sound and, when the TV is off, you will have the convenience of playing music, radio, podcasts and audiobooks directly via Wi-Fi for maximum convenience. In addition, you can control everything with the Sonos app, Apple AirPlay 2, voice commands and of course also with the remote control of your smart TV.
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Bose Solo 5
The Bose Solo 5 sound system features a single soundbar that delivers world-class sound quality, making audio clearer and more lifelike, from dialogue to sound effects. Furthermore, the convenient dialogue mode is included which allows you to clearly spell out every word of the product you are observing, even for those who have greater difficulty. Thanks to the integrated Bluetooth technology, you can also listen wirelessly to all your favorite music, from any device. It also has a universal remote control to be controlled remotely!
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Sony HT-SF150 Soundbar 2.0
The Sony HT-SF150 Soundbard 2.0 it is a perfect combination of quality and good price: it is equipped with 2 channels, so the two speaker configuration allows for the diffusion of surround sound with excellent performance, it is equipped with the Bass Reflex Speaker which offers powerful bass without sacrificing extraordinary detail and clarity and you just need to connect it via HDMI ARC cable to receive audio information from your Smart TV! Plus, S-Force Front Surround technology lets you experience rich, high-fidelity sound that fills the room. Obviously it is equipped with Bluetooth which will give you the possibility to listen to music wirelessly or by connecting via USB.
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How to choose the best soundbar< /h2> Obviously, as you will have seen from the variety of products that we have proposed, choosing a soundbar that suits your needs is a real challenge. There are many articles on the market, different from each other in size, shape, performance and functionality of various kinds. The budget, the space available and also the amount of additional elements that can help us listen to music, watch movies or play a good game at full volume. For this reason we have decided to draw up a list containing all the characteristics to be carefully checked, thinking about each of them before completing your purchase.
The quality of products like this is strongly influenced by the materials with which they are made as well as the processes by which they are made. Usually, on the outside the product is covered with a hard plastic shell capable of protecting it from possible knocks, and filters are normally placed in correspondence with the speakers to prevent dust from creeping inside and risking damaging the components. The materials a soundbar is made of also have a certain importance from an aesthetic point of view, since an external body made with poor quality materials, for example, could get scratched or damaged much more quickly than a different product. Can some brands be a certainty in the moment of the final choice? Also in this case the brand takes on a medium/important role, since it often guarantees you a purchase that is of quality and capable of meeting your expectations even in the long term.
Relying on small, little-known and perhaps without post-purchase assistance, it can save you substantially but could also confine your purchase to poor quality products. Therefore, we believe that opting for the best-known brands known in the sector such as Sharp, Samsung, JBL, Bose, Sony, Yamaha, Philips or LG is a more than important guarantee. But let's go to the specific features to always keep an eye on.
How is a soundbar made?
Dimensions and weight
Let's start from the aesthetic and physical side of the product : dimensions and weight, which should not be underestimated! They can vary from model to model and keeping them in mind carefully can be essential, especially if you have limited spaces or surfaces that cannot support more than a certain weight. A shallow product is easier to place under the screen, while an excessively wide soundbar is complicated to manage. Usually the smallest models have dimensions of around 70 x 4 x 5 cm while the largest ones can exceed 130 x 12 x 14 cm. The weight of these products matters mainly if you intend to place it in a less stable area, so for example if you plan to place it raised, on an unstable shelf or piece of furniture. Therefore, the support available to you must be evaluated, otherwise it is a less incisive factor!
Performance
Probably the performance side is the one that most affects the purchase of a soundbar rather than another, above all because the audio quality of the screens on the market are often rather unsatisfactory, especially when it comes to ultra-thin ones. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that your audio amplification system is of high quality.
The two main differences are between a passive soundbar and an active soundbar: the passive is the closest to the classic loudspeaker since it will require an external amplifier or a sound card but can be connected to quality amplifiers, in combination with other speakers; the active makes management much easier, especially for the less expert on the subject, and for this reason it is more common and user friendly. Simply connect it to the device you want to make it work!
How to evaluate the power of the soundbar?
Usually the power of soundbars is expressed in watts, in particular when we are talking about the maximum power of a model. In the event that it is of substantial importance to evaluate a specific soundbar power, know that it will be necessary to have in mind the square footage of the environment in which the device is to be installed, also considering the use you will want to make of it.
In general, whatever your needs, the power of a valid model is around 200-300 watts and preferably not below these values. We advise you to always aim to purchase a soundar with greater power than what you actually need, given that a music reproduction device continuously pushed to its limits could give poor results, especially in the long term.
Connectivity
This is a fully technical side and, however boring, it is essential to keep in mind based on the various connection ports that the soundbar you are thinking of buying may have. It plays an essential role in determining the possibilities of using a soundbar. The inputs and possible connections available in a soundbar are: 3.5 mm jack input, optical, WLAN, Bluetooth, NFC, USB, HDMI and coaxial.
Are the additional functions important?
Last but not least, all the additional functions that can make a difference not only in terms of quality but also from a point of view of utility and product management. There are many varieties available on the market but know that, to buy an item with a good dose of interesting additional features, you will have to raise your budget! In our list we will tell you about the two most common ones, perhaps the most necessary ones, inevitable if you want to own a product that is not only powerful but also easy to use.
Among the most important there is undoubtedly the remote control, thanks to the use of a remote control designed to remotely control the soundbar without having to get up and physically go to change settings. Specifically, there are numerous devices that allow remote control also via smartphone through a simple application. Other soundbars, on the other hand, have convenient LED displays that allow you to view some information including the volume, the channel it is playing from, the song being listened to and much more.
The brand is important ?
The brand you have chosen is undoubtedly an indication of the quality and accuracy of the product, we would like to specify this. Focusing on little-known brands can mean less expense but it is undoubtedly also synonymous with shorter life and decidedly poorer quality, especially in the choice of materials and fundamental components. Precisely for this reason, it is more correct to opt for brands that have been dedicated to the sector in the right way for years, including Yamaha, Sony, Pioneer, Sharp, Panasonic, JBL, Bose, Philips, Samsung and LG.
