8 Great soundbars for a range of budgets

With an increasing shift to streaming and home entertainment, you could say that people are now more likely to stay in to watch a movie rather than go to a cinema. Plus, with a range of streaming platforms and thousands of films to choose from, people may want to create their own entertainment systems to make use of at home.

So, if high-quality audio interests you, here are a few top choices for soundbars to contribute to home entertainment.

The latest Sonos Beam is a fantastic all-rounder soundbar, which is great for use as part of an entertainment system. It’s ideal for using with a TV or for music—it has wireless connectivity, as well as Dolby Atmos for immersive surround sound.

The Beam also features voice control and can work with Alexa and Google Voice, as well as by using the Sonos App or the included remote.

Control type – App control, voice control

Connectivity - Wireless

The Samsung S61B is a tabletop all-in-one soundbar, coming with seven speakers specially-located speakers made for ambient sound and dialogue.

It has built-in Alexa voice assistant capability and doesn’t use wires. The soundbar boasts all of this without the use of wires. Also included is Dolby Atmos and adaptive sound, which adjusts the type of sound used to suit the content you watch.

Control type – Voice control

Connectivity - Bluetooth

With a compact and slim design, surround sound and Bluetooth capability, you can stream music, play podcasts and listen to audio books from, all controlled from your phone.

The JBL Bar is a great choice if you want a quality device but don’t necessarily want to spend too much.

Control type – remote control

Connectivity - USB

The Sony HT-SF150 keeps things simple but effective, with a single soundbar with S-Force surround sound for creating an enhanced listening experience. The soundbar can easily be connected to a TV with HDMI cables as well as to your phone via Bluetooth or USB for listening to music.

Control type – remote control

Connectivity – Bluetooth, USB, HDMI

Coming as a soundbar and subwoofer package, this Panasonic set up is a solid choice as an inexpensive main TV speaker. You can connect it to your TV via HDMI ARC and it can also be wall mounted for optimal placement in the room.

The subwoofer compliments the soundbar’s two forward-facing speakers and can help to enrich your viewing experience with extended bass.

Control type – remote control

Connectivity - Bluetooth

This Samsung soundbar ups the ante with a sleek but powerful soundbar with five speakers and 250W wireless subwoofer included. Plus, with night and voice enhancement mode, unclear dialogue will be a thing of the past, making for more convenient entertainment.

And with Bluetooth connectivity, you can say goodbye to messy wires weaving their way around your TV set up. Also, the B550 is a great choice for watching TV and gaming in particular.

Control type – remote control

Connectivity - Bluetooth

Relatively small and compact, with a simple cable system, the Bose TV speaker still packs a punch and is great for clarifying speech and dialogue from a TV.

The speaker features two angled drivers to deliver spatial audio, plus with an optical or HDMI cable you can easily get the device up and running in minutes.

Control type – remote control

Connectivity – Bluetooth, HDMI ARC

Much like the JBL Bar 2.0 but essentially a more premium option, the Bar 300 has similar features, including Dolby Atmos and built-in Wi-Fi.

The device also has Multibeam surround sound to produce 3D without extra speakers, as well as dialogue-enhancing features. Also included is Apple AirPlay and Alexa compatibility, allowing you to play music, radio and podcasts all in high-definition.

Control type – remote control, voice control

Connectivity – HDMI

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