The best soundbars for your smart TV

All the way from super cheap to ludicrous.

Soundbars have come a long way in the last few years. While full-sized speakers will still sound better — sound needs space, after all — soundbars sound great for their size. That size also requires a smaller footprint in your living room and with something like the Sonos Playbar, you will get great sound without a head-scratching installation process, and more. There are other great soundbars available, and we have detailed some of the best options for your home.

Best Overall: Sonos Playbar

Sonos has been rising the ranks in terms of being fantastic speakers to pair to your phone and have throughout the house. Over the last few years, the company has moved into the soundbar game with the Playbar coming in as its “flagship” offering with its six woofers, three tweeters, and a total of nine amplifiers.

The Playbar requires only two cables to plug-in before being ready to experience the greatness of this soundbar, which is incredible if you don’t have a complicated setup. Plus, as part of the Sonos family, you can connect the Playbar to other Sonos speakers for a true surround-sound experience.

While it’s a fantastic option, the Soundbar isn’t without a couple of downfalls that may have you looking elsewhere. First is the size and weight as it measures in at almost 12-pounds and is more than 35-inches wide, so you’ll need to have plenty of space and heavy-duty wall anchors. The other pitfall is that there is no subwoofer included, so you may not get as much “punch” during your movies as you might want.

Pros:

• Wall mountable
• Integrates with other Sonos speakers
• Only two cables to hook-up
• Speech Enhancement clarifies dialogue

Cons:

• Heavier than comparable products
• No subwoofer included

Best Overall

Sonos Playbar

• $700 at Amazon

Great sound with the smarts to boot

Sonos knocked it out of the park with the Playbar, as this soundbar is compatible with Amazon Alexa, has excellent sound, and is perfect for most setups.

Best for most people: Bose Solo 5

Bose has been in the sound game for a long time, but it’s home theater audio options used to be priced out of budgets for many potential owners. The times have changed, and that couldn’t be more evidenced by the Bose Solo 5 soundbar system. This affordable soundbar provides multiple digital or analog inputs while allowing for Bluetooth connections if you want to use your phone or tablet.

Bose also includes Dialogue Mode, which will improve the clarity of spoken words for your various movies and TV shows. It’s great that the action is packed, but if you can’t hear the conversations, you may end up missing the crux of the storyline. Bose wants to make sure that doesn’t happen.

With a soundbar like the Solo 5, you may expect some caveats, and there are just a few. Bose opted to keep it simple with this option, and as such, there is no subwoofer included, so you may need to try and find a third-party option. In some instances, you want a soundbar that spans across the entirety of your TV, but you’ll have to look elsewhere as the Solo 5 measures in at just 21.5-inches which may be a bit small for some.

Pros:

• Universal remote controls all of your compatible products
• Enhanced bass mode available
• Dialogue Mode improves clarity
• Bluetooth connectivity enables music streaming

Cons:

• No subwoofer included
• No USB port included
• Only 21.5-inches wide

Best for most people

Bose Solo 5 TV

• $200 from Amazon

Perfect soundbar for most people

Bose has been in the sound game for quite some time, and the Solo 5 is the best soundbar for most people. It offers great sound and won’t break the bank.

3D Surround Sound: Yamaha YAS-207BL Soundbar

There is surround sound, and then there is a 3-dimensional surround sound, and the Yamaha 207BL Soundbar was the first of its kind to offer 3D surround sound. With DTS Virtual:X, the 207BL will fill every inch of your room to entrench you in the action and make you feel like you are part of the movie.

Yamaha also includes the ability to stream music over Bluetooth, along with using either the included remote or the accompanying smartphone app. Plus, there is a wireless subwoofer packaged in the bundle so you can get just the right amount of bass for your favorite movie, TV show, or music playlist.

Unfortunately, while the 207BL is excellent in many facets, there are a few frustrating omissions. The first of these is the lack of integration with smart assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. Additionally, you won’t be able to pair this soundbar with other speakers, leaving you to only rely on the 207BL and subwoofer for your audio needs.

Pros:

• Wireless subwoofer included
• Virtual 3D surround sound
• Able to stream music over Bluetooth
• Use the included remote or application on your phone

Cons:

• Incompatible with smart assistants
• No support for multi-room systems

3D Surround Sound

Yamaha YAS-207BL Soundbar

• $230 at Amazon

Almost perfect

The Yamaha 207BL is almost the perfect soundbar with the subwoofer for bass, and virtual 3D sounds. However, the lack of assistant support isn’t great.

Best Smart Soundbar: Sonos Beam Smart TV Sound Bar

With the Sonos Beam, you get a superb TV soundbar with some basic smarts. The Sonos Beam connects to your TV with HDMI-ARC, or with the included HDMI-to-Optical adapter. It only supports Alexa right now, but Google Assistant integration is coming at some point. You can control your TV with your voice if your TV supports HDMI-CEC, which most modern sets do. Controlling your TV with your voice isn’t a replacement for a remote, but it’s an excellent option.

Sonos’ ecosystem is attractive because of how easy it is to add more of their speakers and create a surround system. You can start with the Sonos Beam and have a great soundbar. A few months later, you can pick up a couple of Sonos One speakers to add more channels. Or, you can buy a Sonos 5.1 kit with everything you need.

Pros:

• Amazon Alexa built-in
• Integration with other Sonos speakers
• Lightweight

Cons:

• No subwoofer included
• Optical cable needed if HDMI-ARC not available
• Voice commands won’t work with Optical cable

Best Smart Soundbar

Sonos Beam Smart TV Sound Bar

• $400 from Amazon

All of the smarts

With Amazon Alexa support and the ability to pair with other Sonos speakers, the Sonos Beam should be the go-to soundbar for almost everyone.

Best for small spaces: Polk Audio MagniFi Mini Soundbar

Polk is another one of those companies that prides itself on providing great audio experiences throughout your home. The MagniFi Mini Soundbar is no different and has a few tricks up its sleeves that other soundbars simply can’t compete with.

Smart home integration is on board, as Polk has included Google Assistant with the built-in Chromecast for Google Cast. This allows you to play content directly from your smartphone, tablet, or Chromebook without having to deal with the frustrating pairing system of Bluetooth. The MagniFi Mini also includes a wireless subwoofer so that you can get that extra bass from your media, without the need for any additional wires.

As the MagniFi Mini is extremely compact, there is no way to mount this to your wall without installing a shelf underneath your TV. Plus, Polk has not included the ability to sync this with other speakers, even those made by Polk, so you will have to hope that this speaker gives you the desired output.

Pros:

• Fits into small spaces
• Wireless subwoofer included
• Voice Adjust technology allows control voice levels for media
• Stream music with Google Home or Bluetooth

Cons:

• Cannot mount to the wall
• Cannot connect to other speakers

Best for small spaces

Polk Audio MagniFi Mini Soundbar

• $200 on Amazon

Compact, smart, and powerful

The Polk MagniFi Mini includes Dolby Digital 5.1, is ultra-compact, and has a Chromecast built-in. Just don’t expect to be able to mount it on the wall.

Best on a Budget: TaoTronics Soundbar

If you want your first soundbar to sound great without breaking your wallet, the TaoTronics Soundbar is the best choice for you. You get two audio channels, Bluetooth connectivity for your phone, 3.5mm or Optical connectivity to your TV, all in a slim package. There’s no HDMI passthrough, no smart assistants, nothing but good sound.

At only 25-inches across, this is a great option for college dorms or other rooms without a lot of space. And if you want to get fancy, or save some space, there are two holes for wall mounting the speaker. For controls, you can take advantage of the buttons on the side, or the included remote so that you can get the perfect sound for the situation.

Because this is a budget option, TaoTronics had to make some cuts in features and functionality. For one, there is no smart assistant support, so you’ll have to rely on one of your Alexa or Google Assistant speakers for reminders. There is also no subwoofer included, so what you see is what you get with this soundbar, although it’s to be expected.

Pros:

• Wired or Wireless setup
• Mount on wall or under TV
• Setup via wires or Bluetooth
• Lightweight

Cons:

• No Smart Home integration
• Only Bluetooth 4.2
• No subwoofer included
• Cannot integrate with additional speakers

Best on a Budget

TaoTronics Soundbar

• $60 from Amazon

This won’t break the bank

If you are looking for a budget soundbar, the TaoTronics Soundbar is a great pick. There are some caveats, but that is expected in this price range.

Bottom line

Soundbars come in all shapes and sizes, and there are a lot of different considerations to be taken when selecting the best one. The Sonos Playbar is our favorite option with its combination of superb sound quality and ability to be paired with other Sonos speakers. This will allow you to create a genuinely immersive, surround sound experience for your home, providing the ultimate movie night.

There are some downfalls, especially for those who want a soundbar to integrate with their smart home. Sonos does not include smart assistant integration, so you’ll have to look into another option if you’re going to use something like Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Andrew Myrick is a regular freelancer at Android Central and iMore. He has been a tech enthusiast ever since the original iPhone was released and continues to flip-flop between devices. You might as well hook him up to an IV filled with coffee to get him through the day. If you have any questions, you can find him on Twitter, and he’ll get back to you.