Best soundbar 2023: Boost your TV audio with these speakers

Looking for a soundbar to boost your TV audio? Want an easy sound solution without the fuss of a receiver and a million different wires?

Then you’ve come to the right place. Our soundbar round-up is where we’ve gathered together the latest and greatest soundbars we’ve reviewed.

There’s a world of choice when it comes to soundbars, but, with all the different feature sets and codecs, it can quickly become quite confusing. That’s why we’ve lined up what we think are the elite options around when it comes to boosting your TV’s sound.

In addition, we’ve put together a handy guide at the bottom to help you separate the features you actually require, from all the marketing talk.

Armed with this info, picking your next soundbar should be a breeze – so, let’s get into the picks.

Best soundbar: Our top pick

The HT-A7000 is a massive 1.3-meter-long soundbar, and it delivers massive sound, too. We were especially impressed with the soundstage, which is much wider and higher than other all-in-one options; making it a perfect pairing with spatial formats like Dolby Atmos, which is supports through its 7.1.2 channels.

It’s got more connectivity options than most, too, including two HDMI inputs that are capable of 8K60 HDR pass-through. This is as well as an HDMI eARC output that makes setup a breeze.

From our testing, we think most people will want to opt for the optional subwoofer add-on to get that really deep bass. Though, even as a standalone unit, the HT-A7000 offers immersive and dynamic sound.

Overall, we think this balances the best of performance and price, and will be the best pick for most people. That’s why we picked it as our 2022 Soundbar of the year.

The Samsung HW-Q990B is about as impressive as it gets without resorting to a full AV receiver and speaker package. It delivers incredible immersion and powerful sound with the minimum of inconveniences – and it pretty much matches up to the newer Samsung HW-Q990C in performance too, now at almost half the price.

It’s packed with the same features, too, including automatic room correction, Alexa built-in, high-resolution audio support and even wireless Dolby Atmos.

With an immersive 11.1.4 configuration and a subwoofer that’ll rattle your fillings out, the Q990B brings movies to life in a whole new way. It doesn’t come cheap, but if you’re looking for full-room sound – this delivers it in spades.

The Sonos Beam is a compact soundbar capable of delivering sound that feels like it should be coming from a speaker twice the size. Being a Sonos product it comes with all the niceties we have come to expect, including support for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

If you already have some Sonos speakers then the Beam is a great option as it can integrate seamlessly into your multiroom setup, doubling up as a great sounding speaker for music.

The updated version of the Sonos Beam makes improvements aesthetically, as well as adding much-needed support for Dolby Atmos. If you decide to go with full surround sound at a later date, you can wirelessly pair two Sonos One speakers as rears and add a subwoofer. It’ll get pretty pricey, though.

The Polk MagniFi Mini AX is a great alternative to the Sonos Beam, it’s smaller, can be had for around the same price, and comes with a wireless subwoofer included. If you were to add a sub to the Sonos system, you’d be looking at doubling your budget.

In its standard configuration, we think it bests the Sonos Beam for movies and TV, the deep rumble of the subwoofer just can’t be overlooked. The soundstage and clarity are mighty impressive, too. Plus, you get a physical remote, which is a big deal for some users.

It’s really just the musical performance that lets this bar down, it sounds decent enough to play in the background, but if you’ve got a bit of an audiophile slant, we don’t think this option will satisfy your needs.

The Samsung HW-Q990C is another great soundbar from the brand, and delivers class-leading immersion when it comes to decoding Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-based audio. It creates a discreet but powerful 11.1.4-channel system that is easy to install thanks to its wireless rear speakers and wireless subwoofer that connect with the soundbar automatically.

The overall design is attractive, and there’s a whole host of useful features, including an upgraded version of Q Symphony that teams with compatible Samsung TVs to improve sound even more, plus wireless Dolby Atmos. There’s also extensive access to high-resolution audio, plus support for things like Alexa and AirPlay 2.

All this would’ve placed the HW-Q900C much higher up this list – if it wasn’t for the HW-Q990B above still being for sale at almost half the price. The very subtle tweaks and feature improvements make that the easy pick of the two – though if you find this bundled with a TV or on sale, you won’t be disappointed.

As single-unit soundbars go, the Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 ticks all the main boxes. It’s attractively designed, with 13 high-quality speakers and 400W of Class D amplification on offer to create a solid 3.1.2-channel system with Dolby Atmos content.

The connectivity is adequate, with an optical digital input and a single HDMI connector with eARC. There’s also wireless connectivity available via Bluetooth, built-in Wi-Fi and AirPlay 2, as well as support present for Alexa, high-resolution music streaming services and Spotify Connect, as well. The only real omission here is the lack of expansion options for rear speakers or a separate subwoofer.

Otherwise, the performance is excellent, with a soundstage that delivers width, overhead effects and a surprising amount of bass considering there’s no separate sub. If you’re looking for a single-unit solution, the Panorama 3 won’t disappoint – it sounds awesome with TV, movies and music.

The Sonos Ray is a soundbar that offers a lovely design, great sound quality for its size and a range of excellent features, largely thanks to being part of the wider Sonos system.

You’ll make some compromises by opting for the Sonos Ray over the Beam or Arc, such as the lack of smart assistants, HDMI eARC support and Dolby Atmos, and there is a smaller soundstage overall, but the Ray is still well worth considering in the right setup.

If you’re looking for a Sonos soundbar for your living room, we’d recommend the Beam over the Ray. However, the Ray is an excellent choice for those looking to upgrade the sound of a bedroom TV or gaming monitor. For the price, the overall package here is brilliant.

The Philips Fidelio B97 soundbar has a wonderfully clever design. Two rear speakers can be unclipped from the main unit and operate completely wirelessly thanks to their built-in batteries.

This allows you to have a full surround sound system when you want it, and a neat all-in-one solution when you don’t. A wireless subwoofer keeps the bass rumbling, and the connectivity options are among the most plentiful on our list.

Decoding features are vast, as well, with full support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X among others. It should be noted, though, that while the surround sound impressed us, we found the Atmos soundstage lacked in height when compared with alternative soundbars.

How to choose a soundbar

A good soundbar will improve your TV audio hugely, while a great soundbar will provide audio strong enough to work as a HiFi speaker for your music as well. So, what should you be thinking about when you’re choosing a soundbar?

How big is your room?

This is the main concern when choosing the size of soundbar that will work best. The bigger the room, the more power you’ll need to fill it. Sonos makes three soundbars, for instance, the Sonso Ray, Sonos Beam and Sonos Arc. The bigger Arc is enough to work well in the largest room. Though some smaller bars are enough for bigger rooms, a general rule of thumb is you’ll get more oomph from a bigger speaker.

How big is your TV?

A huge soundbar above or below a small TV can look almost comical, though a small soundbar can still look fine when paired with a bigger screen. As a rule of thumb, providing the soundbar isn’t actually wider than the TV, it’ll look good. Note that a TV stand is rarely the friend of a soundbar as it can constrain the directions the speaker sends the audio.

Remember that as an alternative, you could choose a soundbase, where the speaker sits underneath the TV’s legs – though getting just the right size can be a challenge there, too, if the legs stand precariously near the soundbase’s edges, for instance.

Do you want Dolby Atmos?

Atmos is a neat system that directs audio upwards so that it bounces off the ceiling to create a surround sound effect. It is usually accompanied by a noticeably higher price tag, so you may not feel it’s worth the extra (though it is very cool). Dolby Atmos can affect placement as well – it needs to be in a spot where the upward-firing speakers can reach the ceiling, so sitting in a TV stand won’t cut it.

Can the soundbar adjust to the room it’s in?

Soundbars are all about creating the best audio possible, and every room has different acoustics. Some manufacturers have created tuning systems that adjust sound output according to the room around them. These include the excellent Trueplay from Sonos, a feature which after a couple of minutes’ set-up can be transformational for audio in awkwardly shaped rooms, for instance.

How does it connect to your TV?

Most soundbars use an optical connection on the back of the TV, but some, like the Sonos ARC use the Audio Return Channel (ARC) to connect via HDMI. Only some HDMI sockets work with ARC and this method, though it can result in better sound, does mean that’s an HDMI socket you can’t use for something else.

What about a subwoofer?

Many soundbars come with their own sub-woofer to amplify the bass. Is it wired to the main speaker or does it connect wirelessly? The thing about bass is it is non-directional so you will hear the same sound from the sub-woofer wherever you place it. In practice, though, as near to the TV as possible works best.

What about surround sound?

Some soundbars have separate satellite speakers which connect to the main unit and can be placed behind you so that sound can come from every direction. Again, these might be wired to the soundbar or connect wirelessly.

How tall is the soundbar?

Finally, if you plan to plonk it right in front of the TV, make sure the soundbar isn’t so tall that it obscures the infra-red receptor on the screen, let alone the picture itself.