Saving your TV’S sound

The sound a television makes has improved over the past few years – but nowhere near enough. You still need a soundbar…

Nowadays, television manufacturers seem to have accepted the fact (a couple of decades after the event, perhaps, but still) that the sound from a flat-panel TV hasn’t, traditionally, been much cop. So they are doing their utmost to improve things.

To say it’s an uphill struggle, though, is an understatement. You only have to look at the latest sets in these pages to see their problem: there’s just no room for a decent speaker in a modern TV’S svelte chassis. Attempted solutions include sticking a soundbar in the stand and making the screen itself vibrate and so become its own speaker.

To be fair, these solutions certainly have improved things, but not by nearly enough. We still firmly believe that, if you’re going to invest hundreds or even thousands of pounds in a new TV, you should do your best to get appropriately decent sound. And if you can’t house or don’t want the full 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos surround sound experience, a soundbar is still the neatest and most effective solution.

’Bar belles

Here, then, we have a round-up of some of the soundbars you should consider to get your TV sounding as crisp and sharp as the picture it provides. Whether you want to lose yourself in the latest blockbuster movie, get engrossed in the big match, or be enthralled by Bake Off banter, one of these beauties should see you straight. And, at prices ranging from just £200 up to £800, there really should be something here for everyone.