Best soundbar 2023

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A thin black soundbar mounted to a brown wooden wall below a flatscreen TV.
Credit: Sonos

The best soundbar can really elevate your home theatre experience to a new level, especially if your TV speakers aren't up to scratch.

A lot of us consider getting a bit flashy with our TV's visuals above all else, but if you pair one of the best TVs with an equally good soundbar, we truly believe you'll be blown away by how much better everything is.

Not only will you have a wider range of sound, but a lot of soundbars can effectively do surround sound too, making them great for movies and gaming, or just enjoying actual music.

To help your search, we've gathered up our top picks from all of our soundbar guides, meaning whether you're after one of the best soundbars for gaming, an outstanding budget soundbar, or just something to turn your living room into a home theatre, our list has you covered.

Best soundbars

  1. Sonos Arc
  2. Razer Leviathan
  3. Roku Streambar
  4. Bose Solo Soundbar Series II
  5. Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar
Sonos Arc product image of black soundbar
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Credit: Sonos

1. Sonos Arc

Best soundbar for home theatres

Colour: Black / White - Power: Not Stated - Connectivity Technology: Bluetooth, Wired, HDMI, Auxillary, Ethernet, WiFi - Item Dimensions: ‎114.17 x 11.57 x 8.7 cm - Weight: 6.25 Kilograms

When it comes to home theatres, a high-quality speaker is essential to produce an immersive atmosphere and we think for that purpose the Sonos Arc is a standout choice.

This soundbar boasts impressive cinematic sound with Dolby Atmos technology that produces 3D audio that wraps around you providing crisp clear output and increased depth.

For home theatres, this soundbar should be fantastic when watching films thanks to Oscar-winning sound engineers who have specifically worked to improve the clarity of human voices.

If you're after even more speakers, check out our best wireless speakers list to see another showstopper from Sonos.

Read More: Best speakers for home theatres

Razer Leviathan product image of black soundbar and subwoofer
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Credit: Razer

2. Razer Leviathan

Best soundbar for gaming

Colour: Black - Power: 30W - Connectivity Technology: Bluetooth, 3.5mm Jack - Item Dimensions: ‎54 x 34.59 x 30 cm - Weight: 4.4 Kilograms

If you're looking for the best soundbar to bring your gaming set-up to the next level, the Razer Leviathan could be the choice for you.

In terms of practicality, this soundbar is lightweight and should slot nicely under any monitor or TV for both a desktop and living room setup which should make it highly versatile.

When it comes to sound quality, you're getting Dolby technology, 5.1 digital surround and it comes with a dedicated subwoofer to provide deeper lows and boost the frequency range.

Razer also makes some of the best RGB speakers for gaming, but if you're after a more impactful setup, then the Leviathan could be the one for you.

See More: Best gaming earbuds

Roku Streambar product image of a compact black soundbar.
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Credit: Roku

3. Roku Streambar

Best budget soundbar

Colour: Black - Power: Not Stated - Connectivity Technology: Bluetooth, HDMI, USB - Item Dimensions: ‎41 x 19.2 x 10.9 cm - Weight: 1.1 Kilograms

If you're after a great soundbar but don't want to break the bank, the Roku Streambar could be the way to go.

Not only is this soundbar an excellent speaker, but it also has a Roku streaming stick built-in, giving you access to Netflix, Disney Plus, and much more.

In terms of sound, this bar is equipped with quad speakers, that use Dolby technology and should fill the room nicely from every angle.

The Roku Streambar certainly impresses for the price.

Read More: Best PC gaming headsets

Bose Solo Soundbar Series II product image of black rectangular soundbar.
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Credit: Bose

4. Bose Solo Soundbar Series II

Best wireless soundbar

Colour: Black - Power: Not Stated - Connectivity Technology: Bluetooth, AUX - Item Dimensions: 8.6 x 54.9 x 7.1 cm - Weight: 3.27 Kilograms

Bose is well-known in the world of audio, and we think that their Solo Soundbar Series II is a fantastic wireless choice for most people out there.

The Bluetooth connection makes this speaker super diverse, meaning you can use it for watching films on TV or connect to your phone for music playback.

In terms of sound, this soundbar boasts two full-range drivers, which should be powerful enough to fill most rooms and alongside Dolby technology produce rich and defined audio.

We also think the Bose Solo Soundbar II looks fantastic, thanks to its slick minimalistic design, making it a great centrepiece for any living room.

Read More: Best PS5 headsets

Sennheiser AMBEO product image of black soundbar.
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Credit: Sennheiser

5. Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar

Best premium soundbar

Colour: Black - Power: 500W - Connectivity Technology: Bluetooth, 3.5mm Jack, HDMI 2.1 - Item Dimensions: 126.5 x 13.5 x 17.1 cm - Weight: 18.5 Kilograms

If you're looking for outstanding, powerful, premium audio the Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar may be the best option for you.

First off, this soundbar is massive, at 49 inches in length, this is not a desktop piece but should fit nicely in most living rooms.

This soundbar provides a whopping 500W of power, thanks to high-quality drivers including five high-fidelity tweeters and six woofers for deeper bass, producing a frequency range of 30Hz - 20kHz.

Also featuring Dolby Atmos technology, this soundbar boasts impressive 3D surround sound and a studio-grade audio experience.

If you can stretch to the price, the Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar is a worthy choice.

Read More: Best Xbox Series X headset

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

When it comes to finding the best soundbar for you, there are a number of queries worth considering before proceeding.

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What do soundbars do?

Soundbars encompass a number of different speakers in one, to produce high-quality audio with a wide frequency range without the need for multiple speakers.

They can provide powerful surround sound audio while taking up much less space than multi-speaker set-ups.

Is a subwoofer necessary with a soundbar?

A soundbar certainly doesn't need a subwoofer to produce high-quality audio as it utilises multiple internal speakers to achieve a wide range of frequencies.

However, if you're an audiophile looking for powerful, deep bass, then there is absolutely no harm in combining a soundbar with a subwoofer to bring out those darker tones.

Will a soundbar improve TV sound quality?

As a general rule, soundbars can produce audio that is much louder than an internal built-in TV speaker.

As they are dedicated speakers and will be much larger than any built-in amplifiers, they tend to produce much better sound quality, which can only enhance your viewing experience.

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