Best Budget Soundbars of 2025
Improve your TV sound with an inexpensive soundbar from brands including Creative, Denon, Philips, Samsung, Sonos, Vizio, and Yamaha
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Given the falling prices of big TVs, you might be thinking about buying a new set. After you get our TV home, however, you might be disappointed with the sound. Most of the 300-plus sets in our TV ratings earn no more than a decent score for audio quality. But you can easily remedy mediocre TV sound quality by adding a soundbar.
And you don’t have to pay a lot. The top models in our soundbar ratings, available to CR members, tend to be expensive, but there are a number of very reasonably priced models that can add sonic oomph to TV and movie soundtracks.
Best Budget Soundbars
Soundbar Features
Most soundbars tuck several speakers into a thin enclosure that can be mounted on a wall or placed on a shelf above or below the TV. Pedestal-style “sound bases” are sturdy enough to support a television, but these have become less common as TVs have become larger.
Soundbars are often sold with a wireless subwoofer to help with bass, and a few have rear speakers for a true surround-sound experience. A growing number, even some lower-priced models, support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X “immersive” 3D audio formats, which add an element of height to the surround-sound experience.
Most models these days have Bluetooth audio, letting you stream music wirelessly from a phone or tablet. Those with two-way Bluetooth let you send sound from the soundbar to Bluetooth headphones for private listening.
Some advanced models offer access to streaming video and music services right from the soundbar itself and can be controlled with voice commands using digital assistants such as Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, or Google Assistant.
Soundbar Shopping Tips
Here are a few shopping suggestions to keep in mind.
• Make sure you can return or exchange the soundbar even if you listen to it in a store before buying it. Soundbars may sound very different in your home.
• Determine how many channels of sound you want. To simply enhance your TV sound, an inexpensive soundbar with 2.1 channels (two front channels and a separate subwoofer) will do nicely. But if you want true surround sound, choose a 5.1-channel system, which will have rear speakers.
• Decide whether to spring for Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. These newer immersive surround-sound technologies can give movies with specially encoded soundtracks a more dramatic, lifelike effect. This is usually accomplished with speakers that include upfiring drivers. Soundbars with this feature will have a third number in the channel designation. For instance, a 3.1.2-channel soundbar has three front channels, a subwoofer, and two upfiring channels.
“When done well, especially with models that have front and rear height-enabled speakers, listeners can really get a three-dimensional sound experience,” says Rich Fisco, who leads electronics testing at CR. Sounds like a helicopter flying overhead can appear to be coming from above the listener.
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