Top Soundbars for Brilliant Home Entertainment
While modern TVs offer stunning 4K visuals, their ultra-slim designs often mean there’s little room for the powerful speakers needed to deliver deep, immersive audio. This often results in thin sound and dialogue that gets lost in the mix.
By choosing from the best-rated soundbars for TVs, you’re not just making your movies louder; you’re adding the depth, clarity, and cinematic punch that brings your favourite content to life. Whether you want to feel the roar of a stadium or the subtle tension of a thriller, the best soundbar for a tv is the single most effective upgrade you can make.
What is the Best Soundbar?
Finding the right audio setup is about more than just reading a spec sheet; it’s about how it makes you feel when you sit down to watch a film or listen to a favourite album.
Our colleagues are true lovers of music and film. We apply our years of expertise to a rigorous testing process within our own listening rooms, ensuring that we only ever put the very best products in front of you. Whether you need a compact bar for a secondary room or a high-end cinematic powerhouse for your main lounge, we’ve handpicked these models because they have earned their place as the leaders in their category.
JBL Bar 2.0 All-in-One MK2 Soundbar
The Best Budget Soundbar for Simplicity
If you are looking for an easy, no-fuss enhancement to your TV’s built-in speakers, the JBL Bar 2.0 All-in-One MK2 is one of our picks for the best low-cost soundbar. It’s designed to be the ultimate space-saver, delivering punchy, room-filling sound without the need for a separate subwoofer box. It’s incredibly simple to set up with a single HDMI cable, instantly bringing JBL’s legendary bass and clarity to your living room. This connection uses ARC (Audio Return Channel) technology, which allows for seamless two-way communication between your TV and your soundbar. Despite its entry-level price, it offers an impressive scale, making it one of the best budget soundbars for smaller rooms, apartments, or home office setups.
Bring the Cinema Home with the Best Atmos Soundbars
For the ultimate movie-night experience, you’ll want to look at the best Atmos soundbars. Dolby Atmos is the same revolutionary technology used in world-class cinemas to create a three-dimensional soundscape. These systems use a sophisticated array of up-firing speakers or down-firing speakers from a ceiling working in perfect harmony.
The Sonos Arc Ultra is a standout example of a top-ranked soundbar that delivers this massive, room-filling cinema sound from a single, sleek unit. If you want the full “front row” experience, the Samsung HW-Q800F is one of the best soundbar and subwoofer packages we recommend. It includes wireless rear speakers and a dedicated sub, effectively turning your lounge into a private screening room.
Samsung HW-Q800F 5.1.2ch Dolby Atmos Soundbar with Subwoofer
Crystal Clear Dialogue and Everyday Performance
If you find yourself constantly reaching for the remote to turn the volume up during talking scenes and down during action, a dedicated television soundbar setup is a great solution. Top soundbars use a dedicated centre channel to lift speech above background noise, ensuring you never miss a whispered line of dialogue again.
For smaller rooms or secondary TVs, the small soundbar options, like the Sonos Ray or the Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Mini, offer a huge upgrade over built-in speakers without dominating your living space. These models prove that you don’t need a massive footprint to get top soundbar performance.
The Best All-Round for Most Homes
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is arguably one of the best value soundbars for most living rooms. It delivers a deft, poised, and weighty sound that works beautifully for both movies and music. While it’s compact enough to fit on most TV stands, it uses advanced processing to deliver virtual Dolby Atmos, providing a convincing sense of immersion without needing extra speakers. Plus, it integrates seamlessly into the Sonos multiroom ecosystem.
Finding the Right Match: Best Soundbar for Samsung TV and LG TV
While almost any bar will work with any TV, some pairings offer extra perks. When looking for the best soundbar for a Samsung TV, look for ‘Q-Symphony’ compatible models. This allows the soundbar and your TV speakers to play together in harmony rather than the TV speakers simply turning off.
JBL Bar 300MK2
If you’re hunting for the best soundbar for an LG TV, look for models with ‘WOW Orchestra’, which provides a similar integrated experience. For a more flexible, brand-agnostic approach, the JBL Bar 300MK2 is an excellent choice for any living space. This sleek, all-in-one bar uses MultiBeam™ technology to create a wide, room-filling soundstage without the need for extra speakers. It connects effortlessly to any TV via HDMI eARC and features built-in Wi-Fi with AirPlay and Chromecast, making it simple to stream your favourite high-quality music.
10-point Checklist For Your New Soundbar Setup
Before you choose your new kit, keep our experts’ quick tips in mind:
- Measure your TV stand to ensure the bar doesn’t block the bottom of your screen, especially with the remote control sensor pickup.
- Check if your TV has an HDMI port with either ARC or eARC functionality to get the full benefit of the best Atmos soundbars.
- Consider your room layout – open-plan spaces benefit from more powerful top-ranked soundbars. For help with positioning and scale, see our TV size guide.
- Choose between a discreet soundbar with a built-in subwoofer for a neater one-box solution, or a model with a separate wireless subwoofer that can be tucked away elsewhere in the room.
- Decide if you want to use the bar as a music speaker via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
- Check if the bar is wall-mountable if you plan to hang your TV.
- Look for ‘Night Mode’ features if you often watch TV while others are sleeping or, to not disturb your neighbours.
- Consider the best small soundbar if your TV is 43 inches or smaller.
- Ask about our 6-year guarantees for extra peace of mind on your investment.
- Remember that our experts are available for a demo in-store to help you hear the difference yourself.
Experience Better for Yourself
Finding the right audio setup is personal, which is why we’re here to help you move from research to your own living room cinema. Whether you want to hear the difference for yourself or need expert advice, pop into one of our stores to discuss your soundbar options.
