Soundbar Buying Guide

Whether you’re buying your first soundbar or upgrading an existing one, this guide will walk you through the questions you need to ask yourself in order to find the most suitable soundbar for you.

But let’s start with why you’d even want to add a soundbar to your TV in the first place!

The benefits of adding a soundbar to your set up

Soundbars are the most popular method of improving the sound from your TV for the following reasons:

• Convenience. Opting for a soundbar that you can just plug into mains power, connect to your TV and then not have to worry is a hassle-free approach to making your TV audio sound excellent.
• Choice. Name any technology brand and the chances are they have a soundbar offering (or many!). You can get budget options if you’re simply looking to enhance the TV audio or more expensive options if you’re looking to bring that cinematic experience to your own living room. With so much choice available, we can really double down on a soundbar that can meet your specific wants and needs.
• Clean aesthetic. Soundbars are more popular than separate HiFi components as they are all-in-one box solutions with no speaker cables. Soundbar manufacturers are innovatively working to make their soundbars slimmer and more visually appealing each and every year, so they can fade in to your TV set up.

TV compatibility

Before even starting your search for soundbars, you’ll need to do a small bit of research on your existing TV (or TV you plan to buy) to ensure it’s compatible or practical with the soundbar you buy.

• TV Size

How large will the TV be? Most soundbars are designed to suit the most popular sizes of 55” or 65”. If you are having a TV larger than 65”, make sure your soundbar is wide enough so it doesn’t look tiny underneath the TV. On the other end of the scale, if you’re opting for a smaller size TV maybe for a snug or bedroom, naturally your TV won’t require an enormous soundbar. The most ideal scenario would be to go for a soundbar that is as wide or just shorter than the TV for the cleanest aesthetic.

How to find the right TV screen size for you

• What connections does your TV have?

The evolution of the HDMI port has meant that the soundbar can now communicate directly to the TV such as turning it on or off or adjusting volume, ultimately making our lives easier.

If your TV is a newer TV purchased in the last 2-3 years, the chances are it will have an HDMI-eARC or at least an HDMI-ARC. These are important because they determine how much information can be passed through to your soundbar. HDMI-eARC is the most recent technology and means you can get Dolby Atmos (the holy grail of audio codecs that allow for object-based sound processing for extra immersion). What is Dolby Atmos? >>

Therefore, if your TV has HDMI-eARC or at least HDMI-ARC, look for a TV that also has this feature so you can maximise the potential of both the TV and soundbar.

HDMI-ARC vs HDMI-eARC 

Help! My TV is old and only has optical or a standard HDMI - what are my options? The maximum you’ll be able to get over optical or standard HDMI is Dolby Digital which sounds great but doesn’t take advantage of the level of immersion available today. If you watch a lot of older movies or TV shows, often this will be recorded in Dolby Digital anyway and means that you may not need to look for a soundbar with HDMI-eARC that supports Atmos. Otherwise, if you would like to benefit from Atmos, it may be time for a TV upgrade.

• How much space do you have under your TV?

It’s wise to check how much space you have from the bottom edge of your TV to your TV stand so the soundbar doesn’t intrude into the bottom of the TV screen. If you’re going for a TV that sits flush to the surface, you may want to consider wall mounting the TV for the soundbar to be mounted underneath. Alternatively, some TVs come with a “soundbar mode” where the legs can be jacked up to leave more space under the TV.

Questions to ask before buying a soundbar

1) Are you looking for a one-box solution or would you like to add a Sub and surrounds?

Some soundbars such as the Sonos Beam, Bose 900 and Bowers & Wilkins Formation Bar for example have the option for a Sub and surround speakers to be added to create up to a true 5.1.2 Atmos system at your pace.

Others, on the other hand, are designed to be an all-in-one solution such as the Sennheiser Ambeo and the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Stage and replace the jobs of the surround speakers and subwoofer.

These tend to be a bit more expensive because they have more drivers built in and are generally larger products but means you can’t expand the system if you ever wanted to upgrade it but means you’ll have fewer “boxes” in your home.

Soundbars that let you expand to a full surround system are often more popular because if you ever want to upgrade the system, you don’t need to switch over to a completely different system.

Consider whether you like the idea of adding a separate subwoofer and / or surrounds over time or if you’d like to keep it to one “box” maximum.

2) Will it be a standalone system or part of a multi-room system?

Now it’s possible for all of your home audio products to be centrally controlled from the same system, some people are buying into an ecosystem so you can have control of any audio products in your home at your fingertips.

The perfect examples of an ecosystem are Sonos, Bluesound, Bowers & Wilkins, Bose & more. These all utilise their own apps where you can add speakers around your home including soundbars and group the music together for the same music everywhere or different rooms playing different things at the same time.

Why not check out our Sonos buying guide here >>

For other customers, this is not necessary and so having WiFi capabilities or being part of a larger multi-room system is overkill and something like a Bluetooth soundbar will be all you need.  Ideally, your money should be invested in the features you do use, rather than the features you don’t.

3) Do you need Dolby Atmos?

Dolby Atmos is an object-based audio codec that allows individual parts of the audio to be heard from all around you, including above you thanks to height channels. This allows directors to have much more control over the audio and improves the immersion of your content and will become the norm for directors going forward.

Often, if a soundbar supports this, it will add to the cost but they will tend to offer a much more cinematic and detailed experience. You can make cost-savings by opting for soundbars that offer virtual Atmos to give you a simulated version of true Atmos.

Overview of Dolby Atmos

4) Are there special features you need?

Below are some examples of some special features that you may also want to look out for and what they’re useful for.

Want to know more? Check out our YouTube video - Soundbar buying guide - 7 questions to ask before you buy a soundbar.

Best soundbar under £100

Our pick: JBL Bar 2.0

If you’re simply looking to enhance the sound of your TV without fuss or paying a fortune, the JBL Bar 2.0 could be all you need. Enhancing the stereo output of your TV, Bar 2.0 will make vocals more pronounced and easier to hear.

RRP: £99

Dolby Atmos: No

Connectivity: HDMI-ARC

Methods of control: Bluetooth 4.2

Voice control: No

Best all-in-one soundbar

Our pick: Bang & Olufsen Beosound Stage

If you’re wanting the best possible surround sound performance from a soundbar without adding a Subwoofer or surround rears, the B&O Beosound Stage takes a lot of beating. With a total of 11 drivers built in including 4 built in woofers, the Atmos processing from this soundbar is amongst the best on the market.

RRP: From £1499

Dolby Atmos: Yes

Connectivity: HDMI-eARC, 3.5mm line in jack

Methods of control: Bluetooth 4.2, AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect

Voice control: No

Watch our YouTube review of the B&O Beosound Stage

Best multi-room soundbar

Our pick: Sonos Beam Gen 2

Looking to integrate your soundbar with your wider home audio? The Sonos Beam uses the multi award winning Sonos ecosystem and have all of your speakers in your home centrally controlled using the Sonos app over WiFi. Expand to a full 5.1.2 Atmos system at your pace.

RRP: £449

Dolby Atmos: Yes

Connectivity: HDMI-eARC, Optical

Methods of control: Sonos app, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect

Voice control: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant

Watch our YouTube review of the Sonos Beam Gen 2

Best soundbar for Dolby Atmos

Our pick: Sonos Arc

The Sonos Arc features built-in height channels and sideways-firing drivers dedicated for Dolby Atmos content to maximise the soundstage and immersion of your content. If you’re looking for a premium Atmos experience and you have the space for it and TV screen size to suit, the Sonos Arc is a fantastic option.

RRP: £899

Dolby Atmos: Yes

Connectivity: HDMI-eARC, Optical

Methods of control: Sonos app, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect

Voice control: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant

Watch our YouTube review of the Sonos Arc

Best premium soundbar

Our pick: Sony HT-A7000

The Sony HT-A7000 is a 7.1.2 channel Atmos soundbar consisting of height channels and sideways firing drivers to fire the sound all around the room. 2 x HDMI 2.1 passthrough inputs at 4K 120Hz makes this soundbar perfect for larger gaming set ups too.

RRP: £1199

Dolby Atmos: Yes

Connectivity: HDMI-eARC, Optical, 3.5mm line in jack, 2 x HDMI 2.1

Methods of control: Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Chromecast

Voice control: Compatible with Amazon Alexa & Google Assistant

Need some tailored advice? Connect with a Sonos specialist