Everybody’s audio wants are completely different, so make sure you take into account your distinctive preferences, house and listening habits. Use this information to navigate the choices and discover one of the best soundbar for you. In case you want a little bit additional assist, take a look at my full guide to how to buy a soundbar in 2025.

Price range

An important consideration when selecting a soundbar is understanding how a lot you may spend, and I’ve discovered there are nice soundbars at each value, beginning at $100. In case you’re searching for extra premium, feature-packed fashions, be ready to spend so much extra — upwards of $3,000. I do have one rule of thumb: As soon as the value of a soundbar exceeds $500, it’s possible you’ll discover it extra worthwhile to avoid wasting for an AV receiver and audio system. 

In case you’re a film buff, take into account splurging on options like Dolby Atmos to convey the theater expertise residence. Music lovers will need to prioritize audio copy and multiroom or wi-fi streaming to fill their house with sound. Players ought to search for soundbars with devoted gaming presets that improve dialogue readability and directional audio cues.

Room measurement

Think about your room’s measurement and format. Smaller areas, like bedrooms and places of work, is perhaps overwhelmed by high-wattage soundbars with separate subwoofers. Single-bar programs are nice for smaller rooms and TVs, as their size permits for built-in stereo sound whereas nonetheless being compact. Bigger rooms or residence theater setups will profit from extra strong soundbars with extra audio system and subwoofers to supply that booming encompass sound.

Additionally take into consideration the place you may place it — will it sit on an leisure console, be mounted on a wall or match beneath your TV? Make sure that your soundbar can bodily match within the desired house by checking the scale and mounting capabilities.

Audio format compatibility

Match your soundbar’s audio format to the content material you take pleasure in most. Listed here are just a few of crucial audio codecs and their use circumstances to contemplate when selecting a soundbar:

• Dolby Atmos for 3D soundscapes with top channels that create immersive experiences excellent for film buffs
• DTS:X for object-based audio that adapts to your particular speaker setup, very best for residence theater fans
• PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) for uncompressed digital audio generally discovered on Blu-ray discs and gaming consoles
• Dolby Digital 5.1 for conventional encompass sound with 5 audio system and a subwoofer, the usual for DVD content material
• Bluetooth audio codecs (AAC, aptX, LDAC) for wi-fi streaming with various ranges of high quality, important for music streaming from cell units

Test your TV’s connection choices (HDMI ARC/eARC, optical) to make sure compatibility with the soundbar you select.