Best Soundbars in 2022
Do you want to know what the best soundbars of the year are? Do you need a wireless sound bar (WIFI or Bluetooth)? If you have a high-end TV with 4K or 8K resolution, surely you have realized that the audio is not its strong point in all probability.
How do we solve this problem? With a good soundbar, a device that will offer us an excellent surround sound experience can be easily installed in any room without having to fill it with many speakers everywhere.
They can be placed on a wall or under your television and often come with a built-in subwoofer for powerful bass.
What is a sound bar?
It’s a small, slim speaker system that can be placed under or near your television. Its technology provides you with excellent sound without having 5.1 surround sound speakers scattered throughout the room. They are perfect to use with a Blu-ray, an Xbox One X, or a PS5.
Many soundbars offer 2.1 sound settings. That means they will have two separate speakers and a subwoofer. Of course, there are some exceptions that bundle subwoofer and speakers into one device.
Beyond connecting to a television, soundbars can offer wifi and Bluetooth connectivity to stream content from smartphones, tablets, and computers. Physical connections can include USB ports for connecting external hard drives, HDMI inputs and outputs for Full HD or 4K, optical digital ports, and 3D TV playback.
The cheapest models have more basic connections. The more expensive ones add better quality HDMI inputs (including 4K / HDR), wireless audio streaming (Bluetooth and AirPlay), better power, more refined speaker drivers, and decoding of sound formats for Blu-ray.
How to choose a good soundbar?
- Buy a soundbar with at least 3 or more channels as they are perfect for simulating surround sound. You can go up to 5 channels or even 7 channels to improve surround sound in your living room
- Choose an active soundbar as they come with built-in amplifiers
- A sound bar should be no wider than your TV and should be centered under or on top of the TV
- Connectivity? They should have WiFi or Bluetooth or both for wireless connections with your TV or mobile devices. They should have an HDMI connector to make it easy to switch audio sources. An optical connection would not be bad at all to facilitate the connection
- It should have HDMI ARC: You just have to connect it to the input of the audio return channel (ARC) of your TV with an HDMI cable and everything begins to work as if by magic
- If you have Dolby Atmos , the sound will improve tremendously, the sound will move around you in three-dimensional space as in the cinemas. Home theater 5.1 is better in this case, but it takes up more space
Why do you need a wireless sound bar (WIFI or Bluetooth)?
It’s simple. It is the most comfortable way to connect your Soundbar to the TV. It allows you to connect your smartphone or tablet wirelessly to your Soundbar to listen to Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming music channels.
- You can use the WIFI to connect the soundbar to the TV and then the bluetooth to connect your smartphone to the Soundbar
If your Soundbar has WIFI and Bluetooth, it will always be better to connect it via WIFI for two simple reasons:
- WIFI has a greater range than Bluetooth, a Bluetooth connection can only be made if your devices are within 10 meters. If you do it over Wi-Fi, the range is determined by other things such as the strength of the signal or depending on elements interposed between them. Translation? You need a good WIFI router at home
- You can connect several Soundbars or speakers within the same WIFI network and expand the capacity of your sound. The sound you get is of higher quality
Is it easy to make the WIFI connection? Usually, yes, you have to connect the Soundbar to the same WIFI network as your TV. Usually, many manufacturers offer smartphone apps that allow you to speed up the configuration, such as the Samsung SmartThings.
Sound Bars vs 5.1 Home Theater System
Both soundbars and home theater systems have their advantage and disadvantages. Some people prefer better sound no matter how big or expensive the system is, or some prefer a balance between price and sound quality.
Its central home theater systems offer better sound than a soundbar, but soundbars have certain advantages:
- Sound bars are usually cheaper, smaller, and you don’t have to mess around a lot to place them in your living room
- It usually has built-in bluetooth
- They can be converted to a 2.1 sound system if they come with a subwoofer include and have been designed to improve the sound of your TV without complicating your life much and can create 3D sound with a few tricks
Advantages and disadvantages of Home theater 5.1 sound systems over soundbars?
- They are intended for movie fans who want the best possible sound
- They offer better sound by having more speakers distributed throughout the room, but they can be difficult to install because they have more cables
- The subwoofer offers great sound, but they are usually quite large
- They are usually more expensive systems
The best soundbars you can buy in 2022
1. Bose Soundbar 700
- Slim design
- Play integrated music services like Spotify and Amazon Music
- With wi-fi, bluetooth and apple airplay 2. HDMI ARC connectivity
- With Bose Music app and included remote control
- With the integrated Alexa voice assistant
- 5.72 cm high x 97.8 cm wide x 19.8 cm deep
- Weight 4.76 kg
- In black and white
Attractive price, spectacular design, powerful and very enveloping sound, much more than that offered by the Soundbar 500 model.
The “soundstage” it offers is spectacular, the remote control is a joy, and it has ADAPTiQ audio calibration. It’s a shame the bass is a bit lazy.
In addition, with the app for iOS or Android, you will be able to calibrate the Soundbar and configure many of its aspects. And the best of all is that it has a large number of wireless connections such as Bluetooth, wifi, or Apple Airplay 2, so connecting to streaming services such as Apple Music, Amazon Music, or Spotify is simple. You will also be able to play music from your library.
You will also find ethernet, optical, USB (service only), and HDMI ARC sockets. As for the sound, we find Dolby Digital, but DTS is missing. Perfect Soundbar for watching movies and also for listening to music.
2. LG DSK8 – Soundbar 2.1 with 360W of power, Dolby Atmos, wireless subwoofer, Multi Bluetooth 4.0
- Hi-Res sound up to 24 bits 192 kHz and 360W
- Compatible with the personal assistant Google Assistant
- Automatic adjustment of the sound equalizer according to the content played
- 360º surround sound with Dolby Atmos technology
- The LG sound bar includes its own remote control but it can also be controlled with the TV remote
- With one HDMI input, one HDMI output, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, optical audio input
- Dimensions: 115 x 45.6 x 28 cm
A soundbar that is not excessively expensive and offers excellent performance. Its design is elegant, it is compact, and the sound it provides is detailed and open.
It has a subwoofer, but do not expect that this device will enhance the sound much, or at least not as much as is expected when this type of device is included. It cannot be compared to a 5.1 sound system.
3. Sonos Beam – Soundbar with integrated Alexa
- With night mode and Alexa voice assistant
- Connections: HDMI ARC and Optical Power
- Connection technology: WLAN, AirPlay, (without Bluetooth)
- In white or black
- Dimensions: 68mm x 651mm x 100mm
- Weight 2.8 kg
A soundbar with the Amazon Alexa assistant, so you can control it by voice since it has a microphone. Its installation is simple, and it is preferable to do it with HDMI ARC to control the volume with the TV remote control. The sound is powerful and spectacular.
You can connect it with your smartphone or tablet and use its app to play songs. You can even use Spotify (if you have a subscription). It does not support Dolby Digital Plus or DTS (their biggest drawback).
4. Sony HTSF150 or Sony HT-X8500
4.1. Sony HTSF150 Soundbar
- With Bass Reflex speaker
- 2-channel bar with 120W
- Small footprint compact design
- Easy TV setup with HDMI ARC or optical connection
- High-quality sound with S-Force PRO Front Surround
- Music playback with USB and Bluetooth
- Dimensions: 90x9x6 cm
- Weight: 2.4Kg
Cheap Soundbar with good features. Perfect for listening to DTS or AC3 audio. It has different types of equalization, and if you connect it through HDMI ARC, everything will go smoothly.
It is only a 2.0 bar, so the sound cannot match more expensive models. The buttons on the top do not allow complete control.
4.2. Sony HT-X8500 Soundbar
- 2.1ch Dolby Atmos / DTS: X Soundbar with Vertical Surround Engine
- Integrated subwoofers
- Low profile compact design
- Sound mode buttons to enhance movies, music, games, news and sports
- 1 HDMI input, 1 HDMI output (ARC), analog audio input / output, Ethernet, optical audio input, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
- 4K HDR support
An excellent soundbar with support for Dolby Atmos and DTS: X, very compact and with a built-in subwoofer. You can not ask for much more. And best of all, its price is very affordable right now.
And it provides excellent surround sound. Its manufacturing quality is exceptional—possibly the best option for the price.
5. Samsung HW-T450 Soundbar
- With Dolby Digital 2.1
- Wireless subwoofer to boost bass
- Smart Sound: automatically analyzes original sound sources to optimize the audio track of each specific content
- Game Mode – Enjoy a unique gaming experience with automatic audio and noise cancellation settings
- Bluetooth 4.2 Power On: The bar will turn on and off automatically when turning the TV on and off
It is a soundbar to enter the world. It is not the best Soundbar to offer perfect sound at all frequencies, but it will give you great joy if you do not ask for much. The sound is very decent, its price is outrageous, and it will serve you perfectly to enhance the sound of your favorite movies.
However, having a wireless subwoofer, the bass is going to sound pretty good to you. It only has an optical input and a USB port. You can use its EQ to customize the sound. It does not have Atmos support.
6. Bose TV Speaker
- Compact sound bar
- Wide, natural sound with two full-range drivers for a spatial audio experience
- Simple setup you just need an optical audio cable (included) or an HDMI cable to connect this soundbar to your TV
- Bluetooth speaker with remote control
- Dimensions: 5.6 x 59.4 x 10.2 cm
In case you don’t want to spend as much money as with the Bose Soundbar 700 soundbar, this is an excellent option to introduce you to the world of Bose. It is perfect if you want to enhance TV series and movies (it is specially designed for that). It is ideal with other Bose equipment (like the Bose Bass Module 500 and 700).
The sound worsens when we turn the volume up a lot, and it does not have an automatic volume at night. You can also connect your smartphone and start listening to podcasts like crazy.
7. Sonos Playbar
- 9 speakers
- One digital optical input and two ethernet
- WIFI
- Supported audio formats: AAC, AAC +, AIFF, FLAC, MP3, OGG, WMA
It does not have HDMI connections, but it has an optical input that we can connect to the TV and WIFI connectivity. For its use, we have to use a smartphone or tablet with the corresponding app.
We can connect other Sonos speakers wirelessly to get surround sound. It has 9 class D digital amplifiers, six mid-range speakers, and three tweeters. It’s not your typical Soundbar, at least in terms of connections.
8. BOMAKER 2.1 Soundbar with 150W and Njord Wireless Subwoofer
- 150W power
- Supports Aux, Optical, Coaxial, USB, Bluetooth input modes (3.5mm RCA cable, optical and coaxial cable included)
- With wireless subwoofer
- 4 sound modes: General, Voice, Bass, Treble
- Dimensions: 88 × 6.5 × 6.5cm; Subwoofer: 40x22x111.5cm
Another cheap model that also incorporates a subwoofer. You can not ask for more. The audio quality is decent (although don’t expect the panacea); it comes with remote control and can be connected to the mobile. Perfect for the price it has.
It has high fidelity 3D surround sound and a wireless subwoofer. You can connect the Soundbar via Bluetooth, auxiliary cable, optical, and a USB.
It is one of the best options for value for money, although it clearly cannot reach the sound quality of the more expensive models of Samsung or Bose.
9. Sony HT-ST5000
- Supports Hi-Res Audio
- Dolby Atmos and DSEE HX technology that restores the quality of compressed files
- S-Master HX digital amplifier for pure sound quality
- Great sounding music in one step with ClearAudio+
It’s not a cheap soundbar, but you’re going to pay for one of the best soundbars around. It offers you Dolby Atmos, its manufacturing quality is tremendous, and it supports high-resolution audio. You can not ask for more. The surround sound is from another planet. The only downside to it is that it doesn’t have DTS:X and its high price.
10. Sony HTRT4 – Soundbar with surround sound
- 5.1 channel surround sound
- Elongated rear speakers to enjoy sound at the ideal height
- Easy Bluetooth connectivity with NFC
- 600 W power
- HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) that allows you to connect your compatible TVs with a single cable
- Compatible with DTS format
- Optical input and USB port
If this Soundbar stands out for something, it is because it allows you to configure the sound distribution ideally thanks to its two towers, three-channel Soundbar, and subwoofer. Surround sound is very successful.
The sound is unmistakable and does not distort, and has many automatic sound modes (night, clear, sport, movie), and Its installation is straightforward.
