The best soundbars of 2025: Tested, rated and reviewed

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single TV in need of decent sound, must be in want of one of the best soundbars. Go ahead — watch a movie with your built-in TV speakers, and you'll soon find that it's missing something that you get at the movie theatre. I, personally, hate TV speakers. I watch a lot of movies, and I want more than the tinny, thin-sounding hardware that TV manufacturers pack into their displays.

If you want to bring the meat back to your action movie explosions and the clarity back to your dialogue, then you're best off with a soundbar. I'm a big fan of a soundbar, thanks to their sound quality size compared to a full surround setup. I'm also lucky enough to have tested some of the best around — most recently my top pick for best soundbar, the Sonos Arc Ultra.

It's an incredible bar, and even better when connected to the separately available subwoofer. I found it full of bass and low-end for spectacular explosions, and then the Dolby Atmos performance outperformed everything else around. When I watched Masters of the Air on Apple TV+, I was right alongside those bomber crews as they flew over Europe.

Below, you'll find my other top picks for soundbars based on your needs. Afterall, not everyone even has the space for one of the really long ones, and you might not be interested in the surround performance and want something that'll fit into your living room without standing out. These are the best soundbars around based on Tom's Guide's testing.

The Quick List

About the author

Tammy Rogers

I oversee the audio content that goes up on Tom’s Guide, and maintain the site's buying guides for headphones, wireless earbuds, Bluetooth speakers, soundbars, and more. I have spent more than 20 years testing audio equipment for my own enjoyment, and was previously the audio editor for iMore. There's nothing more I love than jamming out to my favorite tunes on audio equipment of different prices and sizes.

What are the best soundbars to buy right now?

Best overall

There are a few things that I look for in a soundbar. It has to sit in my living room, below my TV, so it needs to be stylish. It needs to sound really, really good for a variety of different applications. It needs to have good virtual surround, because I don’t have loads of space for a full setup. Finally, it needs to be relatively well priced so that I don’t end up spending thousands of dollars to get excellent audio for my audio. The Sonos Arc Ultra hits pretty much all of those points, justifying its slightly higher price by being really, really good.

It might look similar to the old model, but there are some key updates and differences. For one, the completely rounded shell of the first Arc is now gone. While the front of the device looks like a complete cylinder, there’s a large box-like protrusion in the back which houses some of the new audio hardware that makes the soundbar sound so good. I love the way that it looks, and it fits in perfectly with my living room decor.

The new SoundMotion driver does excellent things for the audio as well. There’s loads more bass on offer with the Arc Ultra, and you shouldn’t feel too bad if you can’t afford the extra for a subwoofer. Dialogue is also far improved from the older model, and I found that watching news bulletins and other speaker-heavy content was a whole lot nicer than other options. It’s movies where it really comes up trumps, however.

Not only is the sound rich and pleasing, but the surround and Atmos performance is next level. I found myself looking around as the noises of starfighters and laser fire blasted around me in the opening moments of Revenge of the Sith, and the car chase in The Matrix Reloaded was a sight to behold. The Atmos bubble is one of the best I’ve ever experienced for the price, and makes watching movies a delight.

The only thing that might hold you back from picking one up is the price, especially if you want to add the sub (and you do, because it can shake a sofa). The bar itself is $999, and the sub is $799 — nearly $2000 when bought together. Now, to me, it’s well worth it, but it does mean you need to think before you buy.

Read our full Sonos Arc Ultra review

Best budget

Dolby Atmos isn't just for the most expensive soundbars around anymore, and the Yamaha True X bar 40A is the perfect example of why. It brings the Spatial Audio format to your TV stand for less than $500, and it looks great while it does it. It's not quite as cheap as the best value bar on this list, but its brings some excellent specs that might bring you over to the Atmos equipped option.

For one, there's that Atmos support. "Deadpool 2" showed off not only the 180W punch of the bar, but also the height of the surround offered by its upward-facing drivers. It made for a far more immersive experience than that which you might find on something that lacks Atmos support, and more than makes up for the shortfalls of the 209.

One of the shortfalls to be aware of is the slight lack of bass from the soundbar. It's not poor by any stretch of the imagination, but if you want the most bass for those epic explosions, you might be left wanting. If you want that extra 'boom' you can add a Subwoofer, however — although that will cost you extra.

You can add extra surround sound as well, if you pick up the extra Yamaha True X 1A speakers, which really round out the audio experience. Again, that will cost you extra, so make sure you factor that in if you want the full surround experience.

In the end, though, the Dolby Atmos support with this soundbar makes it a great sub-$500 option for those looking for more out their TV audio.

Read our full Yamaha True X Bar 40A review.

Best smart soundbar

Boses' soundbar line is one of the most popular around — and for good reason. They are really good, and sitting at the top of the tree is this, the Bose Smart Ultra soundbar. It's a large unit, made out of glass and metal, and we think it's one of the best-looking soundbars you can buy today. There's a kind of modernism to its design, and while it's the design antithesis to the simplicity of the Sonos Arc Ultra, it'll easily fit into any kind of room decor — whether you choose the black or the white option.

But the core of any soundbar is, as you might imagine, the sound. The 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos sound that the Smart Ultra soundbar is almost entirely excellent. For movies, it's rich and full, with great surround and good height. Explosions in our test films rumbled, music was strong, and the dynamics were good. It does trip up slightly when things get really low, with some hiccups in bass reproduction and AI voice enhancement made things like the news feel synthetic, but overall, it sounds great.

The smart features are what landed the bar on this guide, however. Thanks to a WiFi connection, we found it super easy to send music wirelessly to the bar. Bose's smart speaker ecosystem is very good, and it extends to the Smart Ultra soundbar. Alexa support means you can command the bar without the need for your controller to be nearby. Want it quieter? Tell it! Need more volume? A quick voice prompt, and the volume turns down.

Wired connectivity is good too, with HDMI, optical, and ethernet putting it a connection above the top-ranking Sonos. It's not cheap, but you get a stunning-looking and sounding soundbar for the large outlay.

Read our full Bose Smart Ultra soundbar review.

Best Budget Surround

Getting hold of a soundbar that features a full surround setup straight from the box isn't easy, but the M512a-H6 makes the process a whole lot easier. For just $449, we get the soundbar itself, a large, powerful sub, and a pair of true surround satellite speakers. That's a whole lot of stuff in one box for the price — but it's on the list not just for the value on hand, but because all that stuff is very good.

Those extra surround speakers wirelessly connect to the soundbar, and allow for greater surround than is otherwise possible with just a soundbar. They make your movies sound like they're really all around you, and they're generally something that you have to buy separately with other devices. We found them great for a wide range of movies in our testing.

Now, you can't expect performance like you'll find on those twice the price, but thanks to those extra surrounds and the included subwoofer the M512-a sounds excellent. It's got a lovely low-end, with plenty of rumble for explosions and other low sounds in your movies. The dialogue reproduction is good too, giving clarity in movies, TV, and even the news.

There's no WiFi as you might find on some of the more expensive options, and you need to dial in the sound to make sure that the surround sounds as good as possible, but for $449, you're not going to find a better surround sound experience.

Read our full Vizio M-Series M512a-H6 review.

Best Mini

If you have a small room, you probably don't have the space for a full soundbar, but you still want the best sound possible for your TV. The Ambeo mini soundbar is a great option, packing in great sound that belies its otherwise small size.

Sennheiser is known for incredible sound, and the Ambeo mini delivers. The bass might not be quite as deep as you might want for your movies, but the rest of the soundscape is excellent. Watching most content on your TV will sound infinitely better than the speakers built into your TV, especially as the center channel cleans up the dialogue.

I also think it looks pretty good too, thanks to its wraparound grille and clean top panel. It'll easily fit into whatever room you might want to place it in, that's for sure.

It's not the cheapest option around, but you get what you pay for with the Ambeo mini. If you want more bass than the base unit is capable of, make sure you pick up the Ambeo sub separately. It will cost you more, but it will bring that low-end that the soundbar is otherwise lacking.

Read our full Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini review.

Best soundbars: specs compared

Not sure what those different specs all mean? Here's a quick explainer:

Dolby Atmos
The current industry standard for spatial audio and the best surround sound you'll ever find. It makes things above you sound like they're coming from above you while you're watching your movies, thanks to height surrounds. The content you're watching has to be compatible with the standard — although there are more and more ways to watch and listen to spatial audio movies and music than ever thanks to services like NetFlix, Disney Plus, and Apple Music.

Audio Channels
This tells you how many different stereo and surround sections the soundbar has. Usually, in home cinema terms, that would mean how many speakers you've got dotted around the room, but with soundbars, it's often virtual speakers using clever audio trickery to make the sound move around your space. Generally, there are three numbers. The first is your stereo and surround channels. The second number relates to subwoofer channels, and then the final number is Atmos height channels.

Power Output
In audio land, we measure the power an amplifier has by the number of watts it uses to power the speakers attached to it. Generally, the higher the wattage, the more power on tap and the louder the soundbar will go.

Wireless connections
An HDMI connection often isn't the only way to connect to your soundbar. There are other connections available, like AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth for streaming audio. Be aware that only some of these work with your Soundbars Atmos playback, so make sure you check the product's full specs and read our detailed reviews for more information.

Inputs/outputs
This is where you can find out how many things you can plug in, and what kind of ports you can use. Generally, it'll be HDMI, optical, or USB, but some do offer other plugging options.

Subwoofer
Some soundbars come with a bass-producing subwoofer in the box, some have one available separately, and some don't support subwoofers at all. A sub is the best way to get that cinema theater-like bassy rumble that you want for all your action movie watching.

Also tested

Samsung HW-Q990B (★★★★☆)
Right out of the box you have yourself an 11.1.4 surround sound system that is powerful and sleek while still being easy to set up and install. Adaptive Sound uses built-in microphones to adjust the output to your surroundings, and can help boost the height speakers. It’s not quite as feature-complete as we’d like at this price, but if you’re looking for a strong soundbar that can rattle the windows, the Samsung HW-Q990B is worth auditioning.

How we test the best soundbars

Testing the best soundbars is something we take great pride and care in at Tom's Guide. After all, these devices are going to take center stage in your living room below your TV, so we want to be as thorough as possible to help you make an informed buying decision.

To that end, we test all soundbars that come across our testing table in the exact kind of environment that you'll be placing yours into — a medium living room, replete with couches and decorations. That way we can get an idea of how the soundbar performs in the most likely place that it will find itself when unboxed.

Then we test the process it takes the soundbar to connect to your TV. Do you need to connect it to WiFi? Which plugs need to be plugged in? What do you need to change in your TV settings to get it to work properly? If one of these is difficult at all, we report in our review.

Once set up, we make sure to bed the soundbar in. There is some contention to the idea that a speaker needs time to break in, but we've found that after a few hours of medium-level audio on first turn-on makes sure the unit performs its best over the course of your use.

From there we get into the meat and potatoes of the soundbar — the sound tests. We start with TV shows and measure how good the dialogue performance is for news bulletins, and other shows that you might watch every day on your TV. After all, your soundbar might be excellent for movies, but it also needs to do a good job with everyday TV as well.

Then we move on to movies, where we test surround and Atmos performance. We watch a range of different movies, and then we record our findings in our review. That will give you a real-world reference of how the soundbar sounds for your favorite movies, and we make sure to use a range of different films so that we hit as many tastes as possible.

We also test music performance, generally using the best connection possible and Spatial Audio using Apple Music. That gives us the best picture of musical performance possible.

Finally, we test the apps that might connect to the soundbar to get an idea of how the extra features might perform. At the end of our testing, we write our review based on our findings. For more information, check out how we test.

How to choose the best soundbar for you

1. Soundbar size: There are a number of factors that play into deciding which soundbar you should buy. Size will likely be prohibitive for most customers; you obviously need a soundbar that will suit your TV and space constraints within your entertainment console. And, because a soundbar is one of the centerpieces of your home theater setup, it has to look good and fit stylistically.

Then you have to factor in the size of the room you're dealing with, and the distance viewers would typically be sitting from the TV. If you're dealing with a larger space, it's probably best to target soundbars that come with a subwoofer — you'll surely appreciate the extra bass.

2. Dolby Atmos: More and more of the best soundbars are embracing Dolby Atmos, which is a surround sound technology designed to simulate the immersive 3D audio you'd get from a movie theater. The big difference between Atmos and traditional surround sound is that you'll hear sound move up and down and not just side-to-side, allowing you to get extra immersed when, say, a car flies overhead in an action movie. For more a in-depth explanation and to find out how to get it, see Dolby Atmos explained.

3. Connectivity: Connectivity is crucial too, both in terms of wired and wireless access. Not every soundbar comes with an HDMI port; some force you to make do with optical audio. That's perfectly fine if you want to use your TV as a pass-through, but those who are in dire need of more HDMI ports — because their capacity is limited between game consoles, streaming boxes and so on — will need to prioritize options that offer those additional connections.

4. Pricing considerations: Obviously, price is a big consideration when looking for the best soundbars. Although there are always exceptions, big-name brands will typically command a bit extra, but generally speaking, the less you spend on a soundbar the greater the chance that sound and features will be compromised. Going for a budget option isn't always the best choice, as any money you save on your purchase won't do you much good if the sound quality is poor.

As the saying goes: timing is everything; and right now there are plenty of sales on with many of our favorite models discounted at online retailers, meaning you can bag a bargain for even less. Bookmark our best tech deals page to keep track of the latest savings.

Frequently asked questions