This is a guide covering the best soundbars for music.
If you are looking to spice up your home theatre or living room TV setup, adding impressive sound can really improve your immersion and experience.
Yes, it is true that this can be achieved in multiple ways such as setting up a dedicated set of speakers or an AV receiver, but a smarter yet simpler way is soundbars.
Technology has not only advanced over time, but has also become smarter.
The sound you can achieve from soundbars is equally promising as it is from heavy-duty speakers and yet you don’t have to reconstruct your entire setup to make up more room.
In a hurry? Here’s the overview table:
- ⭐ Best Overall Soundbar for Audiophiles
- 🔊 Best High-End Soundbars for Audiophiles
- 🔊 Best Mid-Range Soundbars for Audiophiles
- 💸 Best Budget Soundbar for Audiophiles
How to Choose the Best Soundbar for Music Listening?
Audio quality: Look for soundbars with support for high-resolution audio codecs such as Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, or Auro-3D. These codecs provide a more immersive audio experience with clear, precise sound that can accurately reproduce the sound of live music and other audio content.
Speaker setup: A soundbar with separate drivers for different frequencies and separate subwoofers can deliver better sound quality than a single speaker unit. Additionally, some soundbars feature rear speakers that can help create a more immersive surround sound experience.
Compatibility: If you already own other audio equipment, it’s important to choose a soundbar that is compatible with your other gear. Make sure it supports the right input and output connections and protocols, such as HDMI ARC, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.
Room size: The size of the room where you will use the soundbar will affect your audio experience, so choose a soundbar that’s appropriate for the room size. A smaller soundbar is best for small rooms, while larger models are better suited to larger spaces.
Table of Contents
10 Best Soundbars for Audiophiles
1. Samsung HW –Q90R
- Product Dimensions: 48.26" W x 3.26" H x 5.35" D | Spk (sub woofer) Net Dimension: 8.07" W x 15.86" H x 15.86" D
- Includes: Remote Control, Battery, Wall Mount Kit and HDMI cable
- DOLBY ATMOS AND DTS:X TECHNOLOGIES: With Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, sounds move independently around you from all directions, even above, just like in real life
Soundbar Features:
- Dolby Atmos and DTS:X Technologies
- Adaptive sound
- 4K Pass through with HDR10
At the very top of this list rests a relentless home theatre experience designed specifically for music by Samsung.
Coming from professionals who have a great knowledge of acoustic designs this sound bar never fails to surprise me.
It features five channels for sound and is optimized for QLED.
A dedicated woofer provides the deep bass that you desire.
This is not only a sound bar but it also has two wireless kits for rear sound.
This powerful device has excellent surround sound.
It also supports Dolby Atmos sound format.
The wireless technology brings a minimally sophisticated look that is free from wires.
The adaptive sound technology automatically adjusts according to the kind of music being played.
My Pros With this Soundbar:
- Excellent acoustics
- Five sound-firing channels
- Two rear speaker kits
- Excellent surround sound
- Audio adaptive technology
- Compatible with Alexa
- Wireless technology
- Bluetooth technology
My Cons With this Soundbar:
- Does not have a test tone feature
- The sound bar is heavy which makes it hard to set up
- Product Dimensions: 48.26" W x 3.26" H x 5.35" D | Spk (sub woofer) Net Dimension: 8.07" W x 15.86" H x 15.86" D
- Includes: Remote Control, Battery, Wall Mount Kit and HDMI cable
- DOLBY ATMOS AND DTS:X TECHNOLOGIES: With Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, sounds move independently around you from all directions, even above, just like in real life
2. Sonos Arc
Soundbar Features:
- 3D sound with Dolby Atmos
- No buzz, just bass
- Brilliant sound
Next up is a very popular sound bar among music lovers.
This bar is appreciated for its rich bass and crystal clear vocals through a custom woofer system.
In the acoustics departments, it features angled tweeters which ensure that an acoustically well-balanced sound reaches your ear.
This 3D sound machine is compatible with Dolby Atmos sound format.
In addition, there is surprisingly low vibration when extremely deep bass is being played for which the credit goes to force canceling drivers installed by SONOS.
Not only is this but the sleek design and glossy finish are something every music lover yearns for.
My Pros With this Soundbar:
- Features eARC technology (enhanced audio)
- Compatible with Dolby Atmos
- Seamless setup
- Can be configured for two subs
- The firmware automatically updates when connected to the internet
My Cons With this Soundbar:
- Based on the 5.1.2 setup which is not the latest
- Does not feature a remote (Use TV remote)
3. VIZIO Sound Bar
- True 5.1 listening: enjoy True 5.1 surround sound with the included rear Surround sound speakers and a wireless subwoofer. 3 channel sound bar: A 3 channel sound bar boosts your TV audio and delivers crystal clear dialogue
- Note: Please refer Troubleshooting steps at pg. 36 in user manual
- Wireless subwoofer: experience room-shaking bass with the wireless subwoofer. Sound Pressure Level - 101dB
Soundbar Features:
- True 5.1 listening
- Wireless subwoofer
- DTS virtual: X
With optimal sound definition for music, the VIZIO sound bar comes with a profound surround sound.
This Sound bar features complete 360-degree surround sound featuring 3 channels.
The vocal clarity is astounding along with deep enriched bass.
In addition, this sound bar is based on wireless technology with a sound level as high as 101dB.
Furthermore, it has support for Dolby Atmos sound format as well.
With the use of rear speakers listening to music gets better than ever.
My Pros With this Soundbar:
- Excellent Surround Sound
- Based on 5.1 system
- Excellent vocal clarity
- Deep bass
- Supports Dolby atmos
- Subwoofer rear speakers
My Cons With this Soundbar:
- Remote quality is not very durable
- Bluetooth connectivity is not enhanced
- True 5.1 listening: enjoy True 5.1 surround sound with the included rear Surround sound speakers and a wireless subwoofer. 3 channel sound bar: A 3 channel sound bar boosts your TV audio and delivers crystal clear dialogue
- Note: Please refer Troubleshooting steps at pg. 36 in user manual
- Wireless subwoofer: experience room-shaking bass with the wireless subwoofer. Sound Pressure Level - 101dB
4. JBL Bar
- JBL 5.1 surround sound with 510W of power
- Detachable, battery-powered wireless surround speakers
- Thrilling bass from a 10 Inch (250mm) wireless subwoofer
Soundbar Features:
- JBL 5.1 surround sound
- Battery-powered wireless surround speakers
- True 4K connectivity
Coming from JBL this sound bar doesn’t need much introduction.
It features 4K Ultra HD Audio quality.
This 10 inches wide sleek sound bar is powered with 510 Watts of power.
In addition, the sound bar features wireless connection technology which is not hindered by any obstacle.
This sound bar is capable of delivering high-quality surround sound based on the 5.1 true system.
What sets this sound bar apart is the detachable rear speakers placed at the left and right of the bar.
These rear speakers have a battery life of 10 hours.
Add to that a subwoofer enriched with bass.
My Pros With this Soundbar:
- High definition Audio
- Powerful sound
- Excellent clarity
- Detachable rear speakers
- 10 hours life
- Deep bass
My Cons With this Soundbar:
- Does not include a separate remote (use TV remote)
- Vocal clarity is not as good
- JBL 5.1 surround sound with 510W of power
- Detachable, battery-powered wireless surround speakers
- Thrilling bass from a 10 Inch (250mm) wireless subwoofer
5. Klipsch Cinema 600
- 45 inches 3.1 Soundbar With 10 inches Wireless Subwoofer
- Best-In-Class 600W Peak Power
- HDMI-ARC: Single Cable, Single Remote Control
Soundbar Features:
- 45 inches 3.1 Soundbar
- 5.1 Decoding
- Best-In-Class 600W Peak Power
This sound bar is from the cinema 600 series of KLIPSCH but it does justice to the audio when music is being played.
This sound bar features powerful subwoofers which leave a great impact on the listener.
This bar can be set up very easily and has a single HDMI cable to do so.
Its sound quality can be ensured from the fact that it uses 600W power.
This sound bar is also based on a 5.1 true sound system which is capable of producing excellent surround sound.
My Pros With this Soundbar:
- Wide sound field
- Thundering bass
- Clear dialogue sound
- Crafted from premium wood
- Surround sound effects are enhanced
- A second subwoofer can be connected
My Cons With this Soundbar:
- Wired connectivity
- The sound from the subwoofer is only impactful in low frequencies. This can create an unbalance between the bar and the sub
- 45 inches 3.1 Soundbar With 10 inches Wireless Subwoofer
- Best-In-Class 600W Peak Power
- HDMI-ARC: Single Cable, Single Remote Control
6. Bose Smart Soundbar 700
- 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
- 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
- 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
Soundbar Features:
- Built-in Alexa
- Make or take calls
- Bose SimpleSync
The 38.5 inches glossy finish on the top with a minimal-looking design makes this sound bar stand out in any room.
At the back of it, you will find HDMI ports with audio return channels which makes connecting extremely simple.
In addition to a wide variety of ports, this sound bar comes with a full universal remote.
It offers crispier vocals, balanced mids and thundering bass.
The bose mobile app helps you set up your sound bar and not only this but the sound bar comes with an adaptive headband which you can wear and walk around your home while it calculates the best sound stage for the part of the home.
My Pros With this Soundbar:
- Clean and minimal design
- Excellent finishing
- Wide variety of enhanced ports
- LED universal remote
- Adaptive headband
- Can connect compatible bose speakers
- Overall balanced surround sound
My Cons With this Soundbar:
- Works on wired connection so wires can be entangled
- Sound quality over Bluetooth connectivity may be muffled
- 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
- 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
- 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
7. SONOS Beam
- Beam - The smart, compact soundbar for TV, music, and more.
- High definition sound - Experience rich, detailed sound for your TV that fills the entire room.
- TV, music and more - Play music, TV, movies, podcasts, radio, audiobooks and video games.
Soundbar Features:
- High definition sound
- Class 10 for Full HD video recording and playback
We are back at SONOS and this time more compact and stylish than ever.
The iconic SONOS sound can still be hard in this sound bar.
If you wish to play your music hands-free then you can do so by connecting it with.
In addition, you can also connect the rest of your SONOS speakers with it.
The SONO’s sub encourages a lot of basses when connected and all of this can be easily set up in a matter of minutes.
My Pros With this Soundbar:
- Compact design
- Powerful sound
- Available in multiple colors
- Excellent surround sound
- Alexa can be enabled
- Easy to set up
- Thundering bass
My Cons With this Soundbar:
- Alexa is only fully functional with the Amazon fire stick
- The user interface has room for improvement
- Beam - The smart, compact soundbar for TV, music, and more.
- High definition sound - Experience rich, detailed sound for your TV that fills the entire room.
- TV, music and more - Play music, TV, movies, podcasts, radio, audiobooks and video games.
8. YAMAHA YAS-209
- Easy setup with HDMI or Optical cable and automatic subwoofer connection
- Wireless subwoofer for deep bass and flexible placement. Center unit-36-5/8 × 2-1/2 × 4-1/4 inches, Subwoofer-7-1/2 × 16-1/2 × 16 inches
- Clear voice for enhanced dialogue clarity
Soundbar Features:
- Wireless subwoofer
- Clear voice
- DTS Virtual: X virtual 3D surround sound
If there is a brand that has been in the audio world for decades and with great results, it is YAMAHA.
This soundbar features a DTS virtual X Virtual 3D surround sound system which takes listening to music one step higher.
Furthermore, the wireless subwoofer, Bluetooth streaming capability, and voice control by enabling Amazon’s Alexa, allow this product to stand out.
The wireless subwoofer can be placed in any part of the room without having to worry about wires.
My Pros With this Soundbar:
- Best budget soundbar
- Uses advanced DTS technology
- Excellent immersion
- Alexa can be enabled
- Wireless connectivity
- Explosive bass
My Cons With this Soundbar:
- Maximum volume is comparatively lower
- Yamaha customer support is not very responsive
- Easy setup with HDMI or Optical cable and automatic subwoofer connection
- Wireless subwoofer for deep bass and flexible placement. Center unit-36-5/8 × 2-1/2 × 4-1/4 inches, Subwoofer-7-1/2 × 16-1/2 × 16 inches
- Clear voice for enhanced dialogue clarity
9. NAKAMICHI ShockWafe Elite
- 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)
- Our DUAL 8" WIRELESS SUBWOOFERS (industry's 1st!), the new soundbar reference standard for bass, produce ground-shaking rumbles that turn your living room into an epicenter of adrenaline-pumping action. They merge to distribute the sonic boom evenly throughout the room with zero localization. Unleash cinema-level volumes without a trace of distortion, replicating the perfect theater experience. Agreed among experts, TWO subwoofers are a must for ultimate home theaters.
- TWO 2-WAY REAR SPEAKERS (industry's 1st!) 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.
Soundbar Features:
- Winner of the best Dolby Atmos Soundbar Battle
- Spacious and Dynamic Surround Sound
Presenting the dual wireless subwoofers for the first time.
The shockwafe features an efficient surround sound system.
This sound bar has a fancy design and is meant for a very stylish look.
If you are a rock/metal fan then this is your go-to.
The bar delivers thundering bass along with two rear subwoofers which help the mid and high frequencies.
In addition, the vocal clarity is exceptional.
All that sound credit goes to SSE technology installed to radically improve the surround sound.
My Pros With this Soundbar:
- Dual wireless subwoofers
- Fancy design
- Deep bass
- Balanced frequencies
- Enhanced SSE surround sound
- Wireless connectivity
- Compatible with Dolby Atmos
My Cons With this Soundbar:
- The settings display is very small
- Unable to find the best settings/ acoustics automatically
- Requires a lot of experimentation to get the right sound
- 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)
- Our DUAL 8" WIRELESS SUBWOOFERS (industry's 1st!), the new soundbar reference standard for bass, produce ground-shaking rumbles that turn your living room into an epicenter of adrenaline-pumping action. They merge to distribute the sonic boom evenly throughout the room with zero localization. Unleash cinema-level volumes without a trace of distortion, replicating the perfect theater experience. Agreed among experts, TWO subwoofers are a must for ultimate home theaters.
- TWO 2-WAY REAR SPEAKERS (industry's 1st!) 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.
10. BESTISAN Sound Bar
- Upgraded Version: High-sensitivity remote control displays the different modes by means of different colored LED lights. Deep bass, improved power-designed for your smart TV and sweet Home.
- DSP Technology: This technology let you have three choices for sound effects: news, movie and music, you can choose according to your current situation.
- Memory Function and Bass Control: The update remote's reset button could be memorized to the factory settings. And you can control the treble and bass settings of the sound bar.
Soundbar Features:
- High-Sensitivity Remote Control
- Easy to Use and Operate
At last, we have a new entry.
This soundbar from BESTISAN delivers deep bass for which the credit is due to its excellent and improved shape.
This soundbar is of versatile nature which you see with its DSP mode through which you can choose sound settings for music, movies, podcasts, sports, etc.
In addition, it features Bluetooth 5.0 technology which delivers lossless audio.
My Pros With this Soundbar:
- Enriched bass
- Excellent design
- DSP technology
- Excellent vocal clarity
- Impressive remote
My Cons With this Soundbar:
- Cable quality has room for improvement
- Customer service is not very active
- Upgraded Version: High-sensitivity remote control displays the different modes by means of different colored LED lights. Deep bass, improved power-designed for your smart TV and sweet Home.
- DSP Technology: This technology let you have three choices for sound effects: news, movie and music, you can choose according to your current situation.
- Memory Function and Bass Control: The update remote's reset button could be memorized to the factory settings. And you can control the treble and bass settings of the sound bar.
FAQ
Are soundbars worth it?
Whether a soundbar is worth it depends on several factors such as the quality of the sound, the room size and layout, the type of audio content you listen to, and your personal preferences.
How much should I spend on a sound bar?
The amount you should spend on a sound bar depends on your budget and your specific needs. Sound bars can range from less than $100 to over $1,000.
Final Remarks
When shopping for a home theatre people are often seen putting more emphasis on their TV but often forget about the soundbar.
However, the sound is a huge factor that goes into the overall immersion of your setup.
This guide answers your questions on what soundbar is right for you.
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Starting with my first EDM event in 2010 at Nocturnal Wonderland and hearing One by Swedish House Mafia and Benny Bennassi’s “Satisfaction” I have been hooked on EDM. While Above&Beyond and Anjunabeats captured my heart in 2012, the genre I love the most is Hardstyle and I feel the most alive when listening to it. My favorite part about the EDM world is the energy that is packed into each genre fan base and event. Writing for Deep In The Mix gives me the opportunity to contribute back to the EDM world I love so much.
