Everybody’s audio wants are totally different, so you’ll want to contemplate your distinctive preferences, area and listening habits. Use this information to navigate the choices and discover the most effective soundbar for you. If you happen to want slightly further assist, take a look at my full guide to how to buy a soundbar in 2025.
Finances
Crucial consideration when selecting a soundbar is understanding how a lot you’ll be able to spend, and I’ve discovered there are nice soundbars at each value, beginning at $100. If you happen to’re in search of 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 worth of a soundbar exceeds $500, it’s possible you’ll discover it extra worthwhile to save lots of for an AV receiver and audio system.
If you happen to’re a film buff, contemplate splurging on options like Dolby Atmos to deliver the theater expertise dwelling. Music lovers will need to prioritize audio copy and multiroom or wi-fi streaming to fill their area with sound. Players ought to search for soundbars with devoted gaming presets that improve dialogue readability and directional audio cues.
Room measurement
Contemplate your room’s measurement and structure. Smaller areas, like bedrooms and places of work, is likely to be overwhelmed by high-wattage soundbars with separate subwoofers. Single-bar techniques are nice for smaller rooms and TVs, as their size permits for built-in stereo sound whereas nonetheless being compact. Bigger rooms or dwelling theater setups will profit from extra sturdy soundbars with further 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 certain that your soundbar can bodily match within the desired area by checking the scale and mounting capabilities.
Use the next information to see which soundbar size we advocate for every TV measurement.
| Speaker size (in inches) | Really helpful TV display screen measurement |
|---|---|
| 12 | Any |
| 38 to 45 | 42-inch to 50-inch |
| 50 | 55-inch to 65-inch |
| 60 | 70-inch and bigger |
Audio format compatibility
Match your soundbar’s audio format to the content material you get pleasure from most. Listed here are a couple of of an important audio codecs and their use circumstances to contemplate when selecting a soundbar:
- Dolby Atmos for 3D soundscapes with peak channels that create immersive experiences good for film buffs
- DTS:X for object-based audio that adapts to your particular speaker setup, superb for dwelling 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 cellular units
Test your TV’s connection choices (HDMI ARC/eARC, optical) to make sure compatibility with the soundbar you select.
