THE BEST SOUNDBARS FOR EVERY BUDGET

From cheap and cheerful to luxurious and uncompromising, these won’t let you down

If you want the perfect soundbar to suit your own specific tastes and feature requirements, it’s always worth doing your own research based on the advice provided in this feature.

If that all sounds far too much like hard work for your liking, though, fear not: the T3 team have put their heads together to come up with four models at very different price points that all excel in their own different ways.

Whether you’re after power on a budget, kick-ass Dolby Atmos without the clutter, classic hi-fi refinement or money’s-no-object luxury, there’s something here for you.

exception of the Philips OLED+935 range, even efforts like these don’t deliver results comparable with a good soundbar.

SIZING UP SOUNDBARS

As we’ve seen, soundbars have evolved in all sorts of different directions, offering a huge number of different setups and options across a wide range of price points. To try and narrow things down a bit, therefore, there are a number of things you should think about before starting your search.

First, make sure you know where you’re putting it. If, as we’d generally recommend, it’s sitting under your screen on top of whatever bit of furniture your TV’s sat on, make sure it’s slim enough to sit there without obscuring either your TV’s picture or infrared receiver. If your TV is mounted on feet that protrude in front of it, you may need a soundbar narrow enough to fit between the feet, too.

Next, decide if you want just a single soundbar enclosure or whether you’re prepared to also accommodate an external subwoofer and even, potentially, rear speakers. Bear in mind that since subwoofer sound is non-directional, you can potentially hide one behind a sofa or under a side board. You can’t hide rear speakers in the same way – but they will typically give you a more convincing full surround experience than a front-only system.

This decision over how many separate speakers you get is to some extent tied to how much you’re prepared to compromise your audio experience for the convenience of minimising the number of speaker boxes in your room. Price and performance quality are also factors here, though, and a really high-quality single-enclosure soundbar can sound better overall than cheaper systems that ship with more speakers.

Think, too, about whether you anticipate using your soundbar extensively for music playback. Some soundbars that work brilliantly for movies aren’t necessarily well tuned for music, so if you’re looking for an all-rounder, pay attention to what reviews say about their musicality. Or maybe even go for a soundbar that focuses on a high-quality stereo rather than multi-channel prowess.

Also worth considering is what sources you’ll likely be using your soundbar with.

For instance, if no sources you’ll be using support the Dolby Atmos or DTS:X sound formats, you don’t need to invest in a soundbar that supports them either. If you expect to attach two different sources to your soundbar, make sure it has enough HDMIs or other audio sources to cope. Bear in mind that only HDMI ports can carry Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks.

Finally, consider your budget. Soundbars vary in price from less than $200 right up to more than $4,000. So figure out what you can afford right off the bat and you’ll instantly be able to narrow your search right down.

Some that work brilliantly for movies aren’t well tuned for music