Audio Video News

A good soundbar performs a valuable service: It elevates TV sound quality far beyond what the TV’s tiny speakers TV could ever hope to achieve and, in some cases, it will even deliver a legit surround-sound experience. Does that mean a soundbar can replace a full-blown home theater speaker system? Nope, but that’s rarely the goal. Instead, most soundbar shoppers are looking for a simple, space saving setup. We’ve compiled snapshots of the best soundbars — and soundbases — we’ve reviewed over the past 18 or so months. Prices range from $270 to $799 and all but one model received a four-star or higher rating in the important Performance category. If you’re in the market for a soundbar, start here.

Sonos Beam Wireless Soundbar: $399

It may not be much to look at but the Sonos Beam delivers impressive sound quality and can be easily integrated into a Sonos multiroom music system for a very reasonable price. At its best in moderate-sized rooms, the soundbar is also remarkably compact and equipped with the company’s proven Trueplay auto-room-correction processing and Alexa voice control. Reviewer Rob Sabin wrote: “I found it unfailingly pleasant on pretty much any content I tried, both music and movies, and was consistently impressed with just how much high-quality sound it put out given its size and price.” All in all, a smart value.

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Affordable price
Alexa voice control
Links with other Sonos speakers
Minus
More optimized for TV sound than music
Requires HDMI ARC for voice control of TV

Full Review Here

Q Acoustics M2 Soundbase: $350

The M2 from England’s Q Acoustics is a solidly-built soundbase that uses cleverly constructed flat-diaphragm drivers to deliver wide dispersion and excellent overall sound. Unlike the typical soundbar, the M2 is built to function as a base for TVs weighing up to 55 pounds and calls on a good-size dual-voice-coil woofer to shore up the bass. Reviewer Mark Fleischmann summed up his impressions this way: “If you want to rest your TV on something that sounds great, the Q Acoustics M2 soundbase is an excellent choice, with performance that is remarkably fine-tuned for its price.”

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Even coverage from unusual drivers
Down-firing bass driver
Minus
No Dolby or DTS decoding
Limited EQ options

Full Review Here

 

Yamaha YAS-207 Soundbar: $270 (originally $300)

Yamaha’s YAS-207 is one of the first soundbars to use DTS Virtual:X processing to simulate an immersive experience with height and surround effects — and it does a pretty convincing job. Better yet, it costs only $270 (thanks to a recent price drop) and comes with a stand-alone wireless subwoofer. “The Yamaha YAS-207 is an intriguing and mostly successful attempt to bring the latest in virtual surround technology to an inexpensive soundbar,” concluded reviewer Mark Fleischmann. “DTS Virtual:X works better with movies and other surround-encoded content, but for the rest, the other modes more than suffice. Simply as a speaker/amp combo, this bar-and-sub system is excellent for the price.”

AT A GLANCE
Plus
DTS Virtual:X mimics height/surround
HDMI in and out with ARC
Pleasant voicing in most modes
Minus
Only one video input
3D Surround mode can be slightly harsh

Full Review Here