Top 6 compared
The best soundbars
Clear voices without turning the volume up, and a bigger sound for films and football than the TV can manage.
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The top 6 at a glance
A soundbar puts bigger speakers under the screen than a flat TV has room for, which fills out films, sport and music. Simple bars do the job on their own; some build a subwoofer into the bar for deeper bass, others can add a separate one later, and Dolby Atmos bars add a sense of height to films.
Most connect with a single HDMI cable to the TV’s ARC socket, though a bar that uses optical only needs a TV with an optical port. Wi-Fi bars stream music over the home network through an app; the rest take it from a phone by Bluetooth. For portable speakers, see our Bluetooth speakers list.
What matters
- A voice or dialogue mode on the remote.
- A width that suits the TV stand, and a height below the screen.
- Wall-mount fittings, if the TV hangs on the wall.
#1Bose TV Speaker Soundbar
£189.95 RRP
Built above all to make speech clearer, with two angled drivers for width and a dialogue mode on the remote, and at 5.6cm tall it’s low enough to sit in front of many TVs. Amar Bose, who taught electrical engineering at MIT, founded the company in 1964.
What owners say: Owners say speech is far easier to follow, and like that it works as soon as it’s plugged in.
Heads up: Bose has added a second-generation TV Speaker at a higher price; this original model stays on sale in Bose’s own shop.
A closer look: An optical cable is in the box, while HDMI ARC needs a cable bought separately. Press BASS on the remote for more weight in films, and Bose’s wall bracket, also sold separately, lets the bar hang flat under a wall-mounted TV.
- 5.6cm tall
- Two angled drivers
- Optical cable in the box
- Bass button on the remote
- Add a bass module later
Best for: Clearer voices on the TV
- Built-in subwoofer
- No
- Dolby Atmos
- No
- TV connection
- HDMI ARC, optical
- Bluetooth
- Yes
- Wi-Fi streaming
- No
- Width
- 59.4cm
#2Sonos Beam (Gen 2) Soundbar
£449 RRP
Sonos’s Dolby Atmos bar for a mid-sized TV: five amplifiers drive a centre tweeter, four elliptical midwoofers and three passive radiators, and processing adds a sense of height to films without speakers aimed at the ceiling. With the TV off, it streams music over Wi-Fi.
What owners say: Owners rate it for films and music alike, hear dialogue more clearly and found setup through the app easy; the app connection is hit and miss for some, and a few had a bar stop working.
Heads up: There’s no Bluetooth: music comes over Wi-Fi, so it needs the Sonos app and a home network to set up.
A closer look: Setup takes two cables, power and HDMI, with the app guiding the rest, and Trueplay tuning needs an iPhone or iPad. Speech Enhancement and Night Sound, both in the app, help with late-night viewing, and a touch on the top turns the microphones off.
- Voice assistant built in
- Touch to mute the mics
- Room tuning with an iPhone
- Add a sub and surrounds
Best for: Atmos films and music
- Built-in subwoofer
- No
- Dolby Atmos
- Yes
- TV connection
- HDMI eARC, optical (adapter)
- Bluetooth
- No
- Wi-Fi streaming
- AirPlay 2
- Width
- 65.1cm
#3Sony HT-SF150 2ch Soundbar
£75–£100
A slim two-channel bar long enough for a bigger TV, with Sony’s S-Force PRO front surround to widen the sound and a bass reflex speaker to fill it out.
What owners say: Owners found it simple to set up, like how it sits in front of the screen, and get on well with its uncomplicated remote.
A closer look: Measure the TV stand first: at 90cm it’s the widest bar here. It stands in front of the screen or mounts on the wall, Voice mode brings dialogue forward, and the USB port plays music files straight from a memory stick.
- Plays music from USB sticks
- Voice mode for dialogue
- Wall-mountable
- Front surround widens the sound
- 120W, two channels
Best for: Bigger TVs, on a stand or wall
- Built-in subwoofer
- No
- Dolby Atmos
- No
- TV connection
- HDMI ARC, optical
- Bluetooth
- Yes
- Wi-Fi streaming
- No
- Width
- 90cm
#4Sonos Ray Soundbar
£199 RRP
All four of its drivers fire forward, so it can sit inside a TV cabinet, and between programmes it streams music over Wi-Fi with AirPlay 2 and the Sonos app.
What owners say: Owners say it sharpens up speech and vocals, and like how neatly it tucks into a TV unit.
Heads up: It connects to the TV by optical only and has no Bluetooth: music comes over Wi-Fi, so set it up on the home network with the Sonos app first.
A closer look: Setup runs through the Sonos app with just two cables, power and optical, and Trueplay can tune the sound to the room. Speech Enhancement in the app lifts voices further for late-night viewing; there’s no microphone, so voice control needs a separate Echo or Nest speaker.
- Four forward-facing drivers
- Fits inside a TV cabinet
- Works with the TV’s remote
- Decodes Dolby Digital and DTS
- Add a sub and surrounds
Best for: Enclosed shelves below the screen
- Built-in subwoofer
- No
- Dolby Atmos
- No
- TV connection
- Optical
- Bluetooth
- No
- Wi-Fi streaming
- AirPlay 2
- Width
- 55.7cm
#5Hisense HS2000 2.1 Soundbar
£75–£100
A 2.1 all-in-one with its subwoofer built into the bar, for fuller bass without a second box on the floor, and DTS Virtual:X to spread the sound wider.
What owners say: Owners like the full bass from such a compact bar and found it easy to get going.
A closer look: With a Hisense TV, TV Mode and EzPlay bring the soundbar’s settings onto the TV screen and its remote. Any other make connects through HDMI ARC or optical as usual, and the Movie, Music, News, Sport, Game and Night modes sit on the bar’s own remote.
- Wall kit and HDMI cable
- 240W output
- Six sound modes
- Hisense TV remote runs it
Best for: Rooms with no space for a subwoofer
- Built-in subwoofer
- Yes
- Dolby Atmos
- No
- TV connection
- HDMI ARC, optical
- Bluetooth
- Yes
- Wi-Fi streaming
- No
- Width
- 80cm
#6Amazon Fire TV Soundbar (2.0)
£119.99 RRP
Made to work with Fire TV, this compact two-channel bar is a little over 60cm wide, with DTS Virtual:X to spread the sound wider: one Fire TV remote runs both the television and the bar’s volume and power.
What owners say: Owners say it adds bass and width, is good value and was quick to connect by HDMI or Bluetooth; how reliable it is, and how well it gets on with some TVs, divides them.
A closer look: There’s no subwoofer and no way to add one, so it suits a bedroom or a smaller living room better than a home cinema. Try its Movie, Dialogue and Music presets and the three bass levels before reaching for the volume.
- Fire TV remote runs both
- HDMI cable in the box
- Three bass levels
- Movie, dialogue and music presets
- 40W, two channels
Best for: Fire TV homes
- Built-in subwoofer
- No
- Dolby Atmos
- No
- TV connection
- HDMI ARC, optical
- Bluetooth
- Yes
- Wi-Fi streaming
- No
- Width
- 61cm
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1Bose TV Speaker | #2Sonos Beam (Gen 2) | #3Sony HT-SF150 | #4Sonos Ray | #5Hisense HS2000 | #6Fire TV Soundbar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best premium | Best budget | ||||
| Picked Rating | 9.1 | 9.0 | 8.5 | 8.4 | 8.3 | 8.2 |
| Price | £189.95 RRP | £449 RRP | £75–£100 | £199 RRP | £75–£100 | £119.99 RRP |
| Built-in subwoofer | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Dolby Atmos | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| TV connection | HDMI ARC, optical | HDMI eARC, optical (adapter) | HDMI ARC, optical | Optical | HDMI ARC, optical | HDMI ARC, optical |
| Bluetooth | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi streaming | No | AirPlay 2 | No | AirPlay 2 | No | No |
| Width | 59.4cm | 65.1cm | 90cm | 55.7cm | 80cm | 61cm |
| Best for | Clearer voices on the TV | Atmos films and music | Bigger TVs, on a stand or wall | Enclosed shelves below the screen | Rooms with no space for a subwoofer | Fire TV homes |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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