The Best Premium Soundbar For 2024

Piers Anthony By, Piers Anthony
Updated
Bose Smart Soundbar 700: Premium Bluetooth Soundbar
Image credit: Amazon.com

The Rundown

1. Best Of The Best: Bose Smart Soundbar 700: Premium Bluetooth Soundbar

The Bose Smart Soundbar 700 is a premium Bluetooth soundbar with Alexa Voice Control built in for hands-free voice control. The built-in noise-rejecting mic provides omnidirectional, hands-free voice control of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant; plus it pairs wirelessly with other smart devices using simple sync technology. Read Review

2. Best For The Price: VIZIO V-Series 2.1 Home Theater Sound Bar

Experience rich, powerful surround sound with VIZIO's V-Series 2.1 Home Theater Sound Bar. This compact speaker features a built-in subwoofer and two full-range drivers to deliver deep and dynamic audio. The V-Series brings out the best in your movies, TV shows and games with immersive, lifelike sound. Read Review

3. Best Audio Performance: Bose TV Speaker - Soundbar for TV with Bluetooth and HDMI-ARC Connectivity

Enhance your TV experience with the Bose TV speaker. Boasting a powerful design and enhanced dialogue performance, this TV speaker is designed specifically to clarify and elevate vocals. Bluetooth compatibility also means you can wirelessly stream your favourite music and podcasts, so that you can enjoy the best in sound quality. Read Review

4. Best Smart: Sonos Arc - The Premium Smart Soundbar

Arc is the premium soundbar for TV, movies and music that delivers a rich, realistic sound experience. Enjoy 3D sound from Dolby atmos and surround yourself with the story. You can control your TV with the remote, your voice, Sonos app and Apple AirPlay 2. Read Review

There are very few things in life that can enhance your viewing experience of movies and TV shows as much as a soundbar. If you’ve just upgraded to a 4K or HDR television, for example, the first thing you’ll notice is how much more detail is contained within the audio.

However, this is only made possible by the booming bass that a high-end soundbar can bring to your living room. If you’re interested in buying a new soundbar but don’t know where to start, fear not! This guide will explain everything you need to know about soundbars. We have various suggestions for you about premium soundbars on the market, particularly the Bose Smart Soundbar 700: Premium Bluetooth Soundbar and the VIZIO V-Series 2.1 Home Theater Sound Bar.

You will also learn about some of the best products in this niche and discover tips on how to choose the best one for your home theater setup.

Our Top Picks

TOP Choice #1 Bose Smart Soundbar 700: Premium Bluetooth Soundbar
Our Score:
9.7
Bose
  • Built-in Alexa: Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are built into this smart soundbar for hands-free voice control. And a noise-rejecting mic system listens in every direction for your voice
  • Connectivity: Stream your favorite music and more via a Bluetooth connection, your home Wi-Fi network, Apple AirPlay 2, or Spotify Connect
  • Bose SimpleSync: Use Bose SimpleSync technology to pair a member of the Bose Smart Family with select Bose headphones for a personal listening experience or with a Bose Bluetooth or SoundTouch speaker for synchronized music playback
  • Compatible products: This smart soundbar is part of the Bose Smart Family and works with other Bose smart speakers and soundbars for a multi-room listening experience
  • Control: Easily control your smart soundbar with three different ways to manage what you hear: your voice, the Bose Music app, or context-sensitive universal remote
  • Best Bose soundbar: The best-performing soundbar from Bose, featuring immersive sound, deep bass, and easy access to your entertainment. Use the Bose Music app for guided setup
  • TV voice control: Exclusive Bose Voice4Video technology expands your Alexa capabilities, allowing you to control this smart soundbar, your TV, and your cable/satellite box with one voice command
  • Make or take calls: With Alexa only, make or take calls from this smart soundbar to Bose smart products, Amazon Echo products, and anyone in your contacts list. Hands free, phone free, and free of charge.
TOP Choice #2 VIZIO V-Series 2.1 Home Theater Sound Bar
Our Score:
9.6
VIZIO
  • DTS Virtual:X: Enhances any content with room-filling, floor-to-ceiling virtualized 3D sound.
  • Loud and Clear The 96dB sound pressure level and 50Hz – 20kHz frequency range deliver dynamic and accurate Sound.
  • Powerful Full-Range Speakers 2 full-range speakers in the sound bar create brilliant clarity.
  • Optimized for 4K HDR content with Dolby Audio: Bring out the best audio performance from your 4K HDR content with Dolby Audio when connected through HDMI.
  • New low-profile design Packed with performance and a sophisticated new low-profile design that slides beneath your TV for a clean look.
  • Compact soundbar: This small soundbar is just over 2" tall for easy placement in front of your TV or mounted to a wall (wall brackets sold separately). Overall TV speaker dimensions are 2.21" H x 23.38" W x 4.02" D.
  • Remote control: Compact TV speaker comes with a remote control that enables a dialogue mode to further enhance speech or add a bass boost for more depth.
  • Wide, natural sound: 2 angled full-range drivers deliver a more realistic, spatial audio experience for overall better TV sound from a small soundbar.
  • Simple setup: A single connection from this compact soundbar to the TV via an optical audio cable (included) or an HDMI cable (sold separately) has you up and running in minutes.
  • Build and expand: The Bose TV Speaker is compatible with the Bose Bass Module 500 or 700 and requires the Bose Bass Module Connection Cable or a standard 3.5 millimeter audio cable, sold separately.
  • Hear your TV better: Designed with simplicity in mind, the Bose TV Speaker is a small soundbar that clarifies speech and is a simple fix for better TV sound.
  • Enhanced dialogue: This TV speaker is designed to specifically focus on clarifying and elevating vocals and pronunciation.
  • Bluetooth TV speaker: Pair your device to this Bluetooth soundbar to wirelessly stream your favorite music and podcasts.
  • Voice control - Amazon Alexa is built right in, so you can play music, check news, set alarms, get your questions answered, and more, completely hands free
  • Compatible with the new generation of the Sonos app, Sonos S3
  • Build out your home theater - Wirelessly connect Sub and a pair of One SL rears for an even more immersive listening experience
  • All-new Sonos Arc - Bring all your entertainment to life with the brilliantly realistic sound of Arc, featuring Dolby Atmos. Enjoy control with your TV remote, voice, the Sonos app, Apple AirPlay 2, and more
  • Tuned to perfection - Enhanced Trueplay tuning technology optimizes the sound for the unique acoustics of the room
  • Hear every word - Arc was specially tuned with the help of Oscar-winning sound engineers to emphasize the human voice. Turn on speech enhancement in the app to clarify dialogue
  • 3D sound with Dolby Atmos - Experience shows, movies, and games with the precise and immersive sound of Dolby Atmos
  • Class 10 for Full HD video recording and playback (Full HD (1920x1080) video support may vary based upon host device, file attributes, and other factors.)
  • Immerse yourself in the music - Stream music, radio, podcasts, and more from your favorite services with the Sonos app or Apple AirPlay 2 when the TV is off
  • Blends in beautifully - With its elongated shape, soft profile, and seamless facade, Arc discreetly mounts to the wall or sits beneath the TV without pulling focus
  • EXCELLENT SOUND AND VALUE on par with any mid- to high-range sound bars available in the market. At just over 2" tall, it fits most spaces — easily wall-mount it or place in front of your TV. It won’t block your TV’s bottom edge or IR remote sensor
  • A PREMIUM ULTRA-SLIM SOUND BAR WITH INCLUDED WIRELESS SUBWOOFER – 5 powerful full-range drivers deliver BEAUTFUL RICH SOUND WITH DEEP BASS. POLK’S EXCLUSIVE VOICE ADJUST TECHNOLOGY & Dolby Digital Decoding maximizes sound clarity & reduces voice delays
  • SET UP YOUR SOUND BAR IN MINUTES — With the included subwoofer, HDMI and optical cables quickly connect your TV to the sound bar. Get set up and listening in minutes
  • UPGRADE YOUR HOME THEATER EXPERIENCE – Watch your favorite shows on your 4K HD Smart TV with exceptional picture quality & crystal clear sound. With numerous connection possibilities, plug in any audio source via HDMI ARC, optical input & AUX
  • WIRELESSLY STREAM MUSIC from your favorite streaming apps like Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, and others directly from your smartphone, tablet or other compatible device through the built-in Bluetooth technology
  • Experience a whole new level of surround performance with our exclusive Spatial Surround Elevation SSE Technology. Featuring 3 advanced audio processing engines working in harmony to enhance directionality, enlarge spaciousness and unlock extra details of any audio soundtrack. Envelop your home theater with up to 7.2.4 channels of Dolby Atmos or DTS:X moving audio that flows all around you. Unleash the full dynamics of your audio experience with 106dB of room-filling sound.
  • TWO 2-WAY REAR SPEAKERS (industry’s first!) produce spacious and dynamic surround sound. Each of them (connected to sub via RCA wires) is constructed with a tweeter that reproduces high frequencies with captivating clarity, and a full-range driver that delivers surround effects with power and precision. Simply put, the surround sound performance from simulated/virtual 2.1 or other 5.1 channel surround soundbars does not come anywhere close to this.
  • Our DUAL 8" WIRELESS SUBWOOFERS (industry's first!) produce ground-shaking rumbles that you will hear and feel from anywhere in your living room. They merge to distribute adrenaline-pumping bass effects evenly throughout the room with zero localization. Altogether, the sound bar with subwoofers unleash cinema-level volumes without a trace of distortion, replicating the perfect cinema experience. Agreed among experts, TWO subwoofers are a must for ultimate home theaters.
  • Transform your living room into a premium cinema within minutes. Experience deep, room-filling bass with the industry’s only Dual Wireless Subwoofers and True 360° 7.2 channel surround sound with the Soundbar + Two Rear Surround Speakers. Discover what you have been missing from movies, music and games and step into the future of home theater. Created with the same DNA as our flagship Shockwafe Ultra 9.2.4 SSE, Winner of the best Dolby Atmos Soundbar Battle (hosted by Brian Tong, Ex Cnet host)
  • All units sold since Aug '19 can receive Dolby Atmos surround via TV’s eARC when streaming with TV’s smart apps like Netflix (Note: not all TVs can output Atmos. Refer to your TV brand’s audio output specs). Enjoy advanced connectivity with Dolby Vision, 4K UHD pass-thru and High Dynamic Range (HDR). Connect up to 6 devices via 1 HDMI ARC, 3 HDMI, 1 Optical and 1 Coaxial inputs. The 52-key backlit remote allows seamless control of sources, DSP modes, individual channel and room size optimization
  • Optimized for 4K HDR content with Dolby Audio Bring out the best audio performance from your 4K HDR content with Dolby Audio when connected through HDMI.
  • DTS Virtual:X Enhances any content with room-filling, floor-to-ceiling virtualized 3D sound.
  • Dimensions
  • Loud and Clear - The 98dB sound pressure level and 50Hz – 20KHz frequency range deliver dynamic and accurate Sound.
  • New Modern Design Angular all-in-1 design packed with performance and slides beneath your TV for a clean look.
  • 6 Precisely Designed Speakers 2-way speaker design with separate tweeters and woofers create richer, clearer sound.
  • Now with alexa multi-room audio
  • Connector type: HDMI
  • 4k pass-through with hdr 10 and dolby vision provides the best resolution
  • Jbl surround sound brings an immersive virtual 5.1 sound experience for your tv without any extra wires or speakers
  • 10"" wireless subwoofer delivers deep, thrilling sound
  • Built-in chromecast, airplay2 and bluetooth
  • An impressive 550w of total system power
  • DISTORTION CANCELLING TECHNOLOGY: Predicts and cancels out distortion before it happens; Multi-speaker control increases the power and depth of bass by precisely coordinating the movement of each speaker
  • Included Components: Hdmi Cable
  • MULTIROOM WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY: Use Bluetooth or connect to Wi-Fi to play your music through Samsung's Multiroom App to stream songs from your phone or tablet
  • ALEXA VOICE CONTROL: Enjoy your soundbar hands-free using Alexa voice control by simply saying the song title or a few lines of the lyrics (Alexa device sold separately)
  • 4K PASS-THROUGH WITH HDR: Built-in 4K pass-through for connecting to UHD 4K sources for a seamless audio experience that matches your video
  • Connectivity Technology: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Hdmi, Usb
  • HOME THEATER SOUND: 9 speakers with dedicated amps let you experience rich, room-filling home theater sound from a one-piece soundbar without the need for a separate subwoofer
  • WIDE-RANGE TWEETER: Hear consistently great sound anywhere in the room with tweeters that cover a much wider frequency range
  • 11 High-Performance Speakers - With separate tweeters and woofers, deliver fuller, clearer and more powerful sound.
  • Dynamic and Accurate Sound - The 103dB sound pressure level and 45Hz – 20kHz frequency range deliver high-performance sound.
  • Dolby Atmos and DTS:X - Cinematic, life-like 3D surround sound around and above you.
  • Separate Tweeters and Woofers - True 2-way speaker design delivers pristine clarity and a wider audio range.
  • 2 Upfiring Speakers - Reflect accurate overhead sound off the ceiling for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X content.
Product Images, Product Titles, Product Highlights from Amazon Product Advertising API

How Can You Choose The best premium soundbar Among Numerous Products From Different Brands?

It can take you much time to research the outcome of best premium soundbar. It doesn't mean you can’t get the best one for yourself. We are the experts specializing in studying market and products. We will help you with your best premium soundbar issues, no matter what time it is!

Please have a closer look at the things below to evaluate and then choose the right best premium soundbar for your need:

Ease Of Set-up And Use

It is easy to hook up the soundbar with your TV or other device and get started using it immediately. This can be gauged by looking at the manual or reading some user reviews.

Wired/wireless Speakers

Some soundbars allow for wired and wireless connection to other speakers. Some soundbars only support a subwoofer. However, a few models offer "surround sound" connectivity, which allows you to connect other speakers to the rear of the room to replicate 5.1. You can purchase these speakers separately or as a bundle at an extra cost.

Additional Features

You might also want these features in your soundbar:
There are special sound modes for various audio types, such as watching movies, listening to music, or gaming. You can adjust the treble and bass settings depending on what you are watching/listening too.
Compatible with Google Assistant and Alexa for voice-controlled music.
Front-panel displays that display important information, such as volume levels. Make sure to check if this display is able to be switched off when it's not in use so that it does not become distracting.

Size

To ensure that the unit will not block the screen, or interfere with the remote control or display of your TV's remote, check its dimensions. You should also check that the design of the unit matches your TV.

Subwoofer

In large rooms, a soundbar with an external subwoofer (or dedicated soundbar) can be more effective than one without it. A subwoofer that is well made will enhance low-end sound quality and add a cinematic vibe to your system. A sub that is poorly designed can cause a drop in sound quality. A soundbase is a great option if you need bass, but aren't able to fit an external sub. They include an integrated subwoofer.

Wi-Fi And Bluetooth

Bluetooth is an important soundbar feature that allows you stream music from compatible phones, tablets and computers to your soundbar. Wi-Fi connectivity allows you to stream music from your Spotify account or access cloud music libraries.

Number Of Channels And Speakers

A soundbar with just 2.1 channels may be enough to enhance the audio quality of your TV. A 5.1 and 7.1 models might offer better sound quality when you watch TV/movies or listen to audio. Dolby Atmos is available on 5.1.2 and 7.1.2 models. This technology allows for a richer experience. It involves placing speakers higher than the roof, to create sound from above.

Connectivity

Soundbars typically only require one cable to connect with your TV. HDMI is the best choice. Make sure that your soundbar is equipped with all necessary ports for connecting to Blu-ray players and USB storage. You should check if your soundbar has a pass-through function that transmits 4K HDR video from your 4K HDR TV.

FAQs

Can You Use Any Soundbar With Any TV?

There are very few exceptions to this rule. However, you can still use your soundbar with any TV. It is helpful sometimes to match soundbar and TV brands. New soundbars often use HDMI ARC to transmit the audio from the TV's speakers through the soundbar. If both of your devices have this port, you are good. An optical connection is available on some older soundbars, and almost all TVs have them.

Where Do I Place My Soundbar?

The soundbars can be placed directly in front of your TV using a stand, or any other type of furniture. They are usually less than 2 inches high so they won't interfere with the infrared remote port of your TV or block it. Some soundbars are also wall-mountable and include brackets. There are third-party kits that can be used to mount soundbars on the wall.

Can A Sound Bar Be Used As A Center Speaker?

There are some that can and others that can't, but it's not something we recommend. Although a passive soundbar could technically be used to provide center channel speakers, this is not what it was designed for. This is like asking a pitcher to play both catch and second base instead of the only position that he excels at.

Will A Soundbar Improve Sound Quality?

Modern TVs have very tiny speakers which bounce sound off of your TV. As a result, they can be distant and harsh. A soundbar can be added to most TVs to improve their sound quality, particularly when it comes down to reproducing spoken words. It will also allow you to listen to music.

Can You Use A Soundbar To Play Music?

A soundbar can make music play through your TV much more enjoyable. Bluetooth is a feature that many soundbars offer, so you won't have to turn on the TV to hear your music. A soundbar that has a wireless subwoofer will work best to reproduce deep bass and dynamics.

Can You Add A Subwoofer To A Sound Bar?

Wireless sound bars often come with a subwoofer. You can also add your own wireless subwoofer to the sound bars that do not have one. If you desire an immersive experience, you'll want it.

Can You Add Speakers To A Sound Bar?

There are both yes and no. Some sound bars have additional speakers that can be added to the system, which brings you closer to home theatre sound. If the soundbar is multi-room compatible, then wireless rear speakers can be added. This is a good option for those who have or want to install a multi-room sound system in their home.

Are Soundbars Really Worth It?

They are well worth the investment when compared to how loud your TV sounds. A soundbar costs only $100 and can make your TV viewing experience 10x better. A soundbar can make it easier to understand speech by allowing TV speakers to face down.

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About Piers Anthony

Piers Anthony

Piers Anthony is a freelance writer and computer expert who enjoys helping others get the most out of their technology. He has written extensively about laptops, soundbars, and other computer-related topics, and he currently serves as the editor of The Audio Insights website. When he's not writing or tinkering with his gadgets, Piers can be found spending time with his wife and family.