A soundbar is one of the smartest upgrades you can make for your entertainment room. The latest models sound loud, clear, and distinct, with realistic sound that is truly transportive—a thunderstorm sounds like rain from every direction, a sword fight reverberates with every clang.

There are tons of options to choose from, but all of my top picks went through rigorous hands-on (and ears open) testing. I chose the best models in a few categories, including ones that are ideal for bass, small spaces, or expandability.

For more audio and home theater recommendations, check out related guides to the Best RGB TVs, Best OLED TVs, Best Cheap TVs, Best Home Theater Projectors, and Best Streaming Devices,

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Best Overall Soundbar

The Sonos Arc Ultra launched in 2024, but it’s still my soundbar champion, with the most pristine sound for movies, games, and music. With some of my other top picks outclass it in specific areas like surround sound or bass, the Arc Ultra’s great all-around performance makes it easy to recommend.

This model is a prime example of why soundbars are a great addition to any home theater. Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround sound are convincing— the upward fighting and side channels make spear clanks and grunts in Predator: Badlands appropriately spatial. Play a song like Want Want by Maggie Rogers and you can feel the pounding electric guitars and synth in your bones.

And while the Sonos app has gone through ups and downs, room calibration just works without a lot of tedious tweaks and adjustments, especially compared to other brands I’ve tested.

While it’s not perfect—I would have liked an extra HDMI input and audio that is not quite so bright in the upper register—this is one powerful and sublime soundbar that’s an easy recommendation.

Best Soundbar for Surround Sound

Photograph: John Brandon

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LG

Sound Suite H7

$1,000 $900 (10% off)

Amazon

$1,000 $900 (10% off)

Best Buy

$1,000 $900 (10% off)

LG

You won’t find a better surround sound experience than the one the LG Sound Suite H7 provides, especially if you add the optional LG W7 subwoofer and LG M7 satellite speakers. They aren’t cheap additions, but they create a very immersive experience all together.

The system uses Dolby Atmos FlexConnect so you can place the extra speakers anywhere you want. Using the LG ThinQ app, you can then group the speakers for Dolby Atmos surround sound that’s ultra-realistic. When I watched The Last House, which has an exceptional audio design, the system placed creepy sound effects across every corner of the room.

Setup takes a little patience—you have to configure each individual speaker, add it to your network, group them together, and calibrate the sound to your room. But it’s worth the effort. I’ve never heard planes sound so realistic in my viewing room than watching Unbroken with this system.

It’s not as bass-heavy as some of my other picks from Focal and Klipsch, and the full system of soundbar, speakers, and subwoofer is pricey, but it delivers an excellent surround sound experience.

Best Compact Soundbar With Subwoofer

Photograph: John Brandon

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TCL

A65K Soundbar

$400

Amazon

$500 $400 (20% off)

Best Buy

The TCL A65K soundbar is much shorter, thinner, and cheaper than most on my list, but it still packs a punch, especially for music and dialogue. It includes a subwoofer that connects wirelessly without any complicated setup. It’s a huge step up from any built-in TV or projector speakers, with much clearer dialogue, louder bass, and more detailed vocals. But with its small size, it can’t quite match the bombastic, spatial sound of my (admittedly much pricier) other top picks.

There is an included remote, but I actually found the TCL app great for controlling inputs and adjusting settings. It doesn’t support Wi-Fi connectivity, which surprised me, but HDMI eARC and Bluetooth connectivity is enough for most situations.

Most Compact Soundbar

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

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Bose

Smart Soundbar

$549

Amazon

$549

Walmart

$549

Best Buy

Former WIRED reviewer Ryan Waniata is a big fan of the Bose Smart Soundbar for its incredibly sleek and small design—it’s the most compact soundbar on this list by far at just over 27 inches across. Despite its small size, it has central, side-firing, and up-firing drivers, meaning more convincing spatial audio than rivals like the Sonos Beam Gen 2.

It’s got wide connectivity, HDMI eARC, optical IN, IR repeater, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, plus the Bose Connect app for setup, network connectivity, EQ, streaming, and swapping between inputs. It lacks overall power and bass, but if space is tight, this is a great solution over built-in speakers.

Best Soundbar for Bass and Dialogue

Photograph: John Brandon

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Klipsch

Flexus Core 300

$1,199

Amazon

$1,200

B&H Photo

$1,200

Abt

Once I heard the soundtrack to The Odyssey on the Klipsch Flexus Core 300 soundbar, I was convinced it was the loudest and bassiest model around. But dialogue is also a strength—TV shows sounded crisp and clear even in chaotic scenes which can sometimes cause issues with lower quality soundbars.

You can also easily expand the system by adding up to two subs and side speakers, similar to how you can build out the Sonos and LG soundbars. The Klipsch app is a pleasure to use, and makes it easy to tweak inputs and settings.

Why is it not my top pick? The Dolby Atmos surround sound is not that convincing. In epic aerial combat scenes watching Unbroken and Masters of the Air, the planes didn’t sound like they were flying from back to front (like they should) compared to some of my other picks. Also, room calibration took a lot of effort and time.

Best Premium Soundbar

Loud and powerful, the Focal Mu-So Hekla soundbar is a 34-pound behemoth you want for explosive set pieces in movies, (think anything with Tom Cruise flying airplanes or jumping off of buildings). There are 15 speakers inside, including three woofers that deliver powerful bass that matches the Klipsch Flexus Core 300.

A big plus is the upfiring audio drivers for Dolby Atmos. It was the first time I noticed a loud clank sound up by my ceiling when the main character in Predator: Badlands extends a spear to the sky. Only the LG Sound Suite H7 has better surround sound, but the Mu-So Hekla is louder and boomier (in a good way).

I loved the Focal app as well—it’s easy to use for selecting inputs, adjusting settings and room calibration.

For music, I played Fleetwood Mac at high volume and never heard any distortion or hiss. A test track by Maggie Rogers called “Want Want” sounds like a nightclub has come alive.

This is a large, heavy, premium soundbar with a premium price tag. With such a big upfront investment, it’s disappointing that it isn’t more expandable—you can only add a subwoofer, not side or rear speakers like the Sonos, LG, and Klipsch.

Still, for sheer sonic superiority, the Focal Mu-So Hekla is one of my all-time favorite soundbars.

Honorable Mentions

Sonos Beam Gen 2 for $499: The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is an excellent compact soundbar options, especially if you have other Sonos speakers in your home. It doesn’t quite beat the Bose Smart Soundbar in terms of sound quality—the Bose has upfiring speakers, which gives it a fuller sound than the Beam. But with the recently announced Sonos Beam Ultra, I’m expecting the Beam Gen 2 to go on sale (or at least get discounted soon).

Sony Bravia Theatre Trio for $2,200: The Sony Theatre Trio has several outstanding features, even if it can’t quite keep pace with the Sonos, Focal, or other high-end models. A flagship from Sony, this package comes with a soundbar and two speakers (plus an optional sub), and has excellent center channel audio for clear and rich dialogue. The setup is easy and the room calibration actually makes a difference in terms of room-filling bass. Dolby Atmos was not super convincing, though. The Last House creepy sound effects didn’t emanate from above or the sides enough.

Bluesound Pulse Cinema for $1,499: Bluesound is better known for its small, high-res audio speakers, but this 47-inch-long soundbar sounds stunning for music too. While Dolby Atmos support is good, playing dream-like synth rock tracks like “I Will Wait” by Phoebe Bridgers reveals a truly amazing spatial audio experience. The mix seems to emulate all around the room. On “Walk Walk” by Maggie Rogers, the driving bass and drums sound ultra-realistic. This is a pricey soundbar, though, and others like the Sonos Arc Ultra sound more realistic, especially its upfiring drivers.

Polk Audio Signa S4 for $449: Former WIRED senior editor Parker Hall says that, despite its age, the Polk Signa S4 is an excellent-sounding soundbar, especially for the price. It’s simple to use, easy to setup, has a few modes to choose from (Movie, Music, and Night), and versatile 3.1.2-channel Atmos-enables speakers. It’s a little dated, though, and doesn’t have Wi-Fi connectivity. You can learn more in his Polk Signa S4 review.

KEF XIO for $2,500: For a true audiophile experience, consider the Kef XIO. Music and movies sound incredibly balanced, clear, and loud, which makes sense—Kef is known for its high quality stereo speakers. Compared to lesser soundbars, you’ll notice the uptick in quality right away, which is expected at this $2,500 price point.

Bose Lifestyle Ultra for $1,099: During my testing, I kept going back to the Bose Lifestyle Ultra to play music. While the Focal and Sonos models have more of a bone-crunching bass and slightly better Dolby Atmos sound effects, for music, this Bose soundbar filled the room better. A nice bonus is that the Atmos support worked for albums like Rumors by Fleetwood Mac on TIDAL, which plays in surround sound.

Samsung Q990H for $2,000: An updated version of their flagship soundbar (the Samsung Q990D), the Samsung Q990H uses a new Sound Elevation feature to enhance dialogue. Not hearing what people say is annoying and one reason some of us enable subtitles, but the Q990H alleviated that pain point somewhat. Samsung also added new software optimizations for sound leveling and more distinct audio at lower frequencies.

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