In this age where theatrical film runs are shrinking in length, loads of huge movies are heading straight to online streaming platforms, video games are becoming increasingly cinematic, and plenty of TV shows can rival big blockbusters in terms of spectacle, now is the perfect time to supercharge your living room and turn your telly area into an epic home cinema. Sorting out the sound situation is a key step in making that happen, and picking up a top quality soundbar is one of the easiest ways to do just that.
Making the most of your TV’s audio output will have so many benefits: watching tense action scenes will jangle your nerves even more than before, experiencing jump scare horror movies will leave you a nervous wreck, and when you play the latest trailer for a Christopher Nolan film… well, it will sound like a foghorn is going off right in your face. These are all experiences that you want to have in your front room, right?
With your affirmative answer to that question in mind, we’ve compiled a buyer’s guide to help you pick the perfect soundbar to soup up your home viewing. Read on to discover the best soundbars, and don’t worry about offending us if you fancy clicking away to make a purchase…
Here’s our rundown of the best soundbars to buy
Samsung HW-N850: The very best soundbar
Price the last time we looked: £999 from Hughes
This high-end option from Samsung is rather expensive, but it really is the best soundbar on the market. With 13 drivers and a hefty subwoofer, it is guaranteed to fill your living room with pristinely clear audio. The sound experts at Harman Kardon tuned this powerful device, and the result is some of the best home audio that money can buy. It may not come with separate speakers to position as you please, but it does have a combination of upward-firing and sideward-firing speakers built in. Also, this snazzy soundbar supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, which means that movies will sound particularly great on it.
Handy stuff to know – Speakers: 13; RMS power output: 372W; Dimensions: 1292 x 136 x 83mm; Weight: 8.8kg; Connectivity:; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI, Optical, 3.5mm
Samsung HW-K950: The best soundbar with wireless rear speakers
Price the last time we looked: £756 from Amazon
If you’re after a proper surround sound experience, this speaker set from Samsung is a really tempting proposition. As well as the main soundbar and the subwoofer, you’ll also get a pair of rear speakers. Pop these wireless beauties in some prime positions around your living room and you’ll soon be feeling like you’re enveloped by sonic superbness. The Atmos technology here also allows for superior audio ‘height’: for example, if you play a BluRay movie with an Atmos soundtrack, you might hear rain in the film and other airborne sounds as if they’re coming from above.
Handy stuff to know – Speakers: 16; RMS power output: 500W; Dimensions: 1210 x 131 x 82mm; Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI, Optical, 3.5mm
Philips Fidelio B5: A cheaper, but still quality, surround sound experience
Price the last time we looked: £635 from Amazon
The Philips Fidelio is a really smart piece of kit, and it’s not as expensive as some of the other surround sound options on the market. The coolest thing about it is the design: if you’re listening to something with a surround sound audio track, you can pop the ends off of this soundbar and position them where you need them around the room; but if you’re listening to something that doesn’t require surround sound, you can pop the ends back on and opt for one tidy and powerful soundbar. These removable ends also work as separate Bluetooth speakers, if you fancy wireless playing music – or other forms of audio – around the house.
Handy stuff to know – Speakers: 6; RMS power output: 120W; Dimensions: 1,035 x 156 x 70mm; Weight: 4.18kg; Connectivity: Bluetooth aptX, HDMI, Optical, RCA, 3.5mm
Samsung HW-MS650: The best soundbar under £600
Price the last time we looked: £429 from Amazon
With a sleek and shiny brushed aluminium look, the Samsung HW-MS650 is certainly one of the most coolest-looking soundbar options on this list. It can live happily on a shelf or be mounted on a wall, and it won’t look intrusive in either position. It’s a standalone soundbar that packs a powerful punch all over the frequency range, although you can purchase a subwoofer separately if you want to boost your bass. There is also some patented distortion-cancelling technology in the soundbar itself. It might be a cheaper option, but this soundbar still has top-notch overall sound quality and all the usual connectivity options.
Handy stuff to know – Speakers: 9; RMS power output: Unknown; Dimensions: 1060 x 130.5 x 78mm, Weight: 6.2kg; Connectivity: Bluetooth, HDMI, Optical, 3.5mm
Polk Magnifi Mini: The best compact soundbar
Price the last time we looked: £255 from Amazon
Less of a soundbar and more of a soundblob, the Polk Magnifi Mini is a perfect little option to go spruce up your sound set-up, especially if you don’t have space in your living room for a chunkier model. Impressively, this soundbar – which is basically the size of a loaf of bread – manages to feature six powerful drives and provide a wide soundstage, despite being a fraction of the size of its competitors. It also has plentiful connectivity options, as well as GoogleCast compatibility. There is a wireless subwoofer included, too, which you can pair with the main soundbar to add some extra oomph.
Handy stuff to know – Speakers: 2.1; RMS power output: 150W (soundbar) Dimensions: 340 x 109 x 81mm; Weight: 1.76kg; Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Optical, 3.5mm
Creative Sound BlasterX Katana: The best soundbar under £300
Price the last time we looked: £240 from Amazon
If you’re looking to keep your budget below £300, you might want to consider the Creative Sound BlasterX Katana. As well as having a very cool name, this snazzy piece of kit boasts the functionality of both a TV soundbar and a PC speaker. When combined with the subwoofer included, it will fill your living room with five drivers’ worth of immersive audio. It has loads of connections, a certified Dolby Digital decoder and 7.1 channel audio input. And as a fun extra, you can also customise the lights which emit from the soundbar using the Aurora reactive lighting system. This soundbar also has a headphone jack, so you can switch seamlessly into quiet night time gaming/viewing if your session outlasts the patience of the people nearby.
Handy stuff to know – Speakers: 5; RMS power output: 75W; Dimensions: 600 x 79 x 60mm, Weight: 1.5kg, Connectivity; USB, Bluetooth, Optical, 3.5mm