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Soundbars are about as common and sought after as the 4K and 8K TVs they connect to. They’re also one of the best investments you can make for your home theater experience, because nothing says “lackluster” like the measly audio that most TV speakers produce.
Sonos Arc vs. Beam (Gen 2): Which is superior soundbar?
Both are great soundbars but one is the more obvious choice for most users
Founded in 2002, Sonos quickly established itself as a disruptor in the multi-room home audio category. The company was the first to make whole-home audio systems easy for consumers to install themselves, simple to operate, and fully modular.
JBL Bar 1000 review: Surround sound all around us
With Atmos surround sound and a lot of power, the Bar 1000 brings home theater immersion in soundbar form
There are a lot of soundbars to choose from, and many of them are pretty good. But most of them don't come with the ability to turn into a 7.1.4 system as the JBL Bar 1000 can. Part of its charm is the ability to add both surround sound and Dolby Atmos, aka spatial audio, to the mix at a price that, while high, is appropriate.
How to connect a Sonos soundbar to your TV
It only takes a few steps to enjoy premium-quality music on your soundbar
Sonos produces premium soundbars and some of the best smart speakers for music lovers. You can upgrade your home theater setup by adding soundbars and subwoofers to your existing audio ecosystem. But setting up your soundbar might be difficult if you're new to the Sonos audio system.
Sennheiser is an established brand in the personal audio space, making some of the best wireless headphones and earbuds that rival brands like Sony and Bose in terms of features, sound quality, and build. Like Bose, Sennheiser also makes soundbars for home audio. The lineup comprises the Ambeo Soundbar Plus, Max, and Subwoofer models. Now, Sennheiser has launched the smallest addition to its lineup, the Ambeo Soundbar Mini.
Polk MagniFi Mini AX soundbar review: Serious power in a small package
Polk's compact soundbar goes toe-to-toe with full-size speakers, but not without a few limitations
TVs are bigger than ever. These days, you can score a great low-end 75-inch panel for below $600 if you wait for the right sale. While that should translate to larger entertainment stands than ever before, in actuality, finding space for a big piece of furniture is often difficult — not to mention costly.
Verizon launches two new Android TV soundbars with Bang & Olufsen signature audio
Would you buy a Verizon-branded soundbar?
If you are looking to buy a new Android TV soundbar, you have two new options from an unlikely source: Verizon. Surprisingly, the carrier is no stranger to launching such devices — it released an Android TV box in 2019. This time around, it's bringing out two new Android TV soundbars: Stream TV and Stream TV Pro. The devices run on Android 11 TV and offer signature Bang & Olufsen sound with Dolby Atmos support. They are also capable of streaming content at up to 4k60fps.
TCL and Roku are both big players in the smart TV market. Their partnership — wherein Roku software runs on TCL hardware — has resulted in some fairly successful products in the past. This latest collaboration is a little different from anything the pair has worked on before. Introducing the TCL Roku TV Wireless Soundbar.
The next Android TV soundbar may be coming from an unlikely place
Some long-awaited audio competition
Between Google’s latest Chromecast, Roku’s ever-growing lineup of streaming boxes, and the ever-popular Amazon Fire TV series, you’d expect new entries to be a rare occurrence. Instead, new ways to stream Netflix or Disney+ just won’t stop coming — often from the companies you least expect. Verizon put out its first Android TV box back in 2019, and two years later, it looks to be expanding into a new product category: soundbars.
Realme unveils 4K Android TV with new SLED tech alongside 100W soundbar
Plus new earbuds, phones, and more announced at the Realme AIoT Conference
Oppo spin-off Realme made its name as a budget smartphone maker in parts of Asia and Europe, but it has since ventured out to a bunch of other categories, ranging from smart TVs to truly wireless earbuds. With today’s announcement, Realme is further expanding its product line by adding the Smart TV SLED 4K, which is based on its proprietary backlighting tech, along with a 100W soundbar. There are also a whole lot of accessories, some IoT devices, and earbuds, following what the company teased last month.
This deal on Anker's Nebula Soundbar strikes the right note for $160 ($70 off)
Fire TV is baked right in so there's no need for another dangly dongle
Having a TV with great picture quality is one thing, but it won't amount to a quality entertainment experience with cheap, tinny speakers. Luckily, Anker's Nebula Soundbar is the perfect add-on to upgrade basic TV sound into something that can get the bass booming. Did I mention it also has Fire TV built-in? And it's on sale from Amazon right now for just $159.99, giving you $70 off.The Nebula Soundbar has a 2.1 channel design that combines two 30W subwoofers, two 20W speakers, and two bass ports to fill a room with 100 watts of cinematic sounds. There are special modes to enhance movies, music, and voices. And if the audio wasn't enough of an advantage, it also has the power to set your TV on fire — no, not literally.Fire TV is baked right into this soundbar, so you can connect your TV and stream Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and more in up to 4K Ultra HD depending on your TV. You can even talk to Alexa with the included voice remote to make quarantine feel less lonely! It also functions as a Bluetooth speaker when you just want to dance without turning on a giant screen, and has two audio input connectors, one optical and one 3.5mm.
Sonos Playbar leak shows off revamped design, new touch controls
It should be announced on Wednesday
In addition to its range of speakers, Sonos also makes a premium soundbar. Sadly, the latter hasn't been updated since 2013, but new leaks hint the Playbar is about to get a fresh coat of paint. Renders of the revamped soundbar have just leaked, showing the device's upcoming design and potential specs.
JBL has announced a whole pile of new home audio products at this year's CES. By far, the lion's share of the new gear is bluetooth headphones (both truly wireless and over/on-ear), but the company is also debuting a new high-end soundbar. The JBL Bar 9.1 is the company's first to support Dolby Atmos, and it even has a built-in Chromecast.
Want to stream Netflix, Hulu, or Prime Video on your TV? Perhaps you're over the set-top box or dongle? Amazon has smartened up your choices, announcing the first Fire TV Edition soundbar this past fall. Today, the company has announced a new soundbar coming soon to the U.S. and Canada. And soon, you'll be able to stream into your in-vehicle entertainment system with the new Fire TV Edition for Auto.TCL has joined Anker in offering a Fire TV Edition soundbar. The TCL Alto 8+ delivers 2.1 Dolby Digital Plus sound as well as 4K Fire TV streaming plus an Alexa-powered remote for US$200. It's available in the U.S. and Canada today. Expect more OEMs to bring Fire TV Edition soundbars with complex features like HDMI switching and Dolby Atmos later in 2020.
Even if audiophiles would probably disagree, I'd say you can't go wrong with Bose if you're a regular consumer in need of good sound quality. Amazon must've thought as much when it decided to reduce prices of more than a dozen Bose products such as headphones, soundbars, and smart home speakers. Some of the devices are discounted by more than 50%.You can save the most money on the Bose SoundTouch series. It consists of wireless speakers that work with Alexa and connect to your phone via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. If you're looking for an upgrade to your Amazon Echo devices or haven't invested into Google/Nest Home speakers yet, they might be worth a look (or listen). The SoundTouch 300 soundbar is also interesting at $400, which is $300 off the MSRP. If you're looking for personal audio devices, the SoundSport Free Truly Wireless Headphones (our review) could be a great-sounding option for the gym – just be aware of its odd design and its relatively short battery life.
Soundbars are a great way of enhancing your entertainment experience at home, but they're an additional device you have to plug into your TV. If you're already using a Fire TV to stream content to your monitor, this is yet another product to connect. With the Nebula Soundbar, Anker designed a sleek speaker that comes with Amazon's Fire TV features, combining two devices into a single one. The product is available starting today, selling for $230.It supports 4K Ultra HD at 60fps, coupled with Dolby Vision, HDR, and HDR10+. As it features an embedded Fire TV, you'll be able to interact with Alexa thanks to the remote, and stream content from providers such as Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, STARZ, SHOWTIME, CBS All Access, and more.On a more technical aspect, the soundbar combines two speakers and dual subwoofers for an immersive experience, delivering up to 100W. In terms of connectivity, you'll find a digital optical, HDMI, USB, and AUX ports on the back, letting you plug in other sources.Buy: Amazon
Ever since the introduction of virtual assistants like Alexa or the Google Assistant, manufacturers have tried to shoehorn them into every possible product or appliance. Everything from microwaves to eyeglasses can now accept voice commands. While these may not be the most practical examples, there is one product category that seems to be a natural fit for voice assistant integration — home theater equipment. Both Polk and JBL have attempted to combine the functionality of a soundbar and a smart speaker into one device. Polk's entry into this developing market, the Command Bar, is currently on sale at Amazon for $200 — a savings of $100.During his time with the Polk Command Bar, AP's very own Jordan Palmer found the sound quality to be a substantial improvement over his current setup. The included wireless subwoofer provided complimentary bass without overpowering the soundbar. Connectivity should be no issue as this device comes with a full complement of ports (2 HDMI, 1 HDMI passthrough, and 1 USB.) The inclusion of Alexa functionality can be helpful, but it can also be triggered accidentally or fail to understand voice commands.
The smart TV market is fierce, but Amazon is determined to keep up with Roku, Apple, Samsung, and other rivals. Today the company announced a slew of new TV products, including an updated Fire TV Cube, more partnerships with TV manufacturers, the first Fire TV soundbar, and increased international availability.
B&O has a history of making speakers that don't look like other speakers, which can be great if you like the company's minimalist aesthetic. There's a new B&O soundbar on the way that could really complement that cone-shaped speaker it released a while back. The Beosound Stage has a thin, sleek design with Kvadrat fabric and wood or metal housings. Oh, it has a lot of speakers, too.
Adding a soundbar is one of the quickest, easiest, and potentially most impressive upgrades you can make to your television, supercharging your entertainment experience with rich, room-filling sound. And while there's no shortage of options out there, supporting tons of extra audio channels or external subwoofers, we’re only now starting to see really smart, connected solutions emerge.The JBL Link Bar is just such a marriage, wedding Android TV smarts with a 100W soundbar. So instead of just upgrading your TV to sound a whole lot better, it offers a shot in the arm for aging legacy sets that lack built-in streaming or smart-home features of their own. The concept makes a lot of sense — does JBL's execution hold up? Well, yes and no.