While the size and quality of flat screen TVs have increased drastically of the years, the same can’t be said of their audio quality. Despite what the marketing blurb says in this department, you’ll likely get stuck with the usual suspects: no bass, tinny sound and poor sound separation.
So, if you’re sick of straining to hear what people are actually saying in scenes, and even reaching for te volume then this guide is for you. We’re on a quest. A campaign to free the living room from the tinny, meek sounds of of your TV’s built in audio.
The hunt has begun for the Best Sound Bar of 2026!
In This Guide
Quick version:
Short on time? Pick by how you use your TV. Films and gaming in a medium or large room: the Bose Solo 5 or Yamaha YAS-105. A smart-home setup with Wi-Fi streaming: the Sonos Beam. A bedroom or small budget: the Samsung HW-N300. Prices move around a lot on Amazon, so always check the current price before you decide.
- You need a soundbar if you’re going to get any decent audio out of your TV
- The best bluetooth soundbar system we’ve managed to find is the Solo 5 from BOSE (Amazon UK)
- For anyone looking for a bargain, the best affordable sound bar is the Samsung HW-N300 (Amazon UK)
A soundbar is a big upgrade from your TV’s ordinary sound.
But do you really need an audio sound bar?
Know what drives us crazy? The audio you get out of those lovely flat screen TVs. Even the best ones in the world – they just don’t have the chops when it comes to delivering heart-pounding, river crystal clear sound.
The problem is that with all these super-thin TVs, there’s just not the fraction of the depth required to produce some serious sort of sound output that could be called quality.
Enter soundbars!
…with regular TV shows is how everything kind of gets MASHED together. Especially voices and music
A small(ish) bit of tech that will sit happily under your TV screen and pump out the audio you deserve. So what’s the main benefits to splashing out extra cash on a bluetooth speaker bar, once you’ve got your TV?
- BASS – there’s just no way you can get a decent bass sound from those teeny flat speakers in modern TVs. Any speaker bar worth it’s salt will bring back the proper deep sound you should be enjoying (but might have forgotten about…)
- You can actually hear what people are saying. This gets worse from DVD to DVD or even between programs on streaming services. But it’s so frustrating when you can’t make out what’s being said. A soundbar will sort this out for you.
- Play your tunes through your soundbar! If your soundbar supports Bluetooth (I recommend you get one that does…) then you’ll never need any other speaker in that room again. Enjoy all that crisp audio goodness your home cinema has though your soundbar.
One thing that you might have encountered with regular TV shows is how everything kind of gets MASHED together. Especially voices and music. A decent soundbar will eliminate this problem and you won’t miss anything vital on your favourite shows again.
No more fiddling around with the volume, or with some weird movie / clear voice setting. A proper sound bar will totally transform your experience of movies, games and whatever else you like to use that telly box for.
But what’s the BEST SOUNDBAR?
What IS a good bluetooth speaker bar?
While everyone has their own favorite brands, makes or criteria, there’s some basics you’ll want to look out for. Check out our buyer’s guide later in this guide for the low down on the some of the things to look out for when picking the best soundbar out there.
Basically your on the right track if you find a sound bar that ticks these boxes:
- Decent upper volume – a good soundbar should be louder than your TV and capable of blowing your socks off on the louder volumes.
- DEEP (and we do mean DEEP) BASS – good, strong, deep bass. Something that will make you go ‘oof’ when you hear it.
- Design and profile – no beasts please. Something modern. Something fresh. Something sexy.
- Streaming from your device – got a new album you want to share with the neighbors? Bluetooth streaming will let you use your soundbar for a lot more than audio for your TV.
- And lots more … but those are a start
#1 Choice:
Bose Solo 5 TV Soundbar System
It’s no surprise that a Bose product is our number #1 pick for the Best Sound Bar 2026 category.
Impressive sound quality
It’s loud.
It’s clear.
It’s got great bass. We’d have expected nothing less from BOSE and this soundbar really delivery a bold sound no matter what size room you’re setting it up in.
Voices sound like they’re in the same room as you and music sounds absolutely fantastic.
Extremely versatile bluetooth speaker bar
Buying for gaming? The Solo 5 soundbar will blow you away (if someone else doesn’t do it first). Movies your thing? The BOSE soundbar has you covered. Music? Yep, this is the one. This is an ideal all-rounder and a good choice for anyone’s first soundbar.
Simple connections, plus Bluetooth for music
The Solo 5 plugs into the mains, so there’s no battery to worry about. It connects to your TV with an optical cable (or coaxial or 3.5mm if that’s all your TV has), and Bluetooth lets you stream music from your phone or tablet. There’s no HDMI socket, which keeps things simple but means it won’t pass through 4K sources or use eARC.
One remote for everything
The supplied remote can learn your TV remote’s volume and mute buttons, so in day to day use you’ll rarely need a second handset. There’s also a dialogue mode that lifts voices in the mix, which is a real help with mumbling actors and busy soundtracks.
A very good looking bit of kit!
While the visual side of a soundbar isn’t normally at the top of our list of priorities, this one has a very sharp, modern design to it that looks great in any room. And lord knows, there’s some ugly sound bars floating around out there.
Verdict: At a mid-price, the Bose does a fantastic job of delivering very strong audio on all levels. The design is extremely top notch and it can work with any source you throw at it thanks to bluetooth.
- Loud, clear sound
- Deep punchy bass
- Dialogue mode makes speech easier to follow
- Connect easily to any device with Bluetooth
- Excellent design
- Not the cheapest audio soundbar out there
- No HDMI socket, and no Dolby Atmos
#2 Sonos Beam Compact Smart Soundbar
Best buy compact speaker bar in 2026
Connect your soundbar to your smart phone
The Beam doesn’t use Bluetooth. Instead it joins your home Wi-Fi, which is better for sound quality and lets you stream from Spotify, Apple Music and other services directly, control it from the Sonos app, and use AirPlay 2 from an iPhone. If you want to pair a phone by Bluetooth, this isn’t the bar for you. If you like the idea of adding more Sonos speakers around the house later, it’s an excellent starting point.
The audio is extremely polished
The Sonos soundbar is one of the better sounding soundbars we’ve come across and oozes quality. It’s as happy with low volume ‘talky’ scenes as it is filling the living room with bombastic explosions and dramatic scores. Really good bass and higher range sounds here.
Easy setup with HDMI ARC
HDMI ARC does the hard work of setting the TV and remote up to work with your Sonos. Your TV will automatically recognize the new soundbar and start using it rather than it’s own speakers.
Rave reviews for a small bar
The Beam picked up glowing reviews from the UK hi-fi press when it launched, largely because of how much clarity and scale it delivers from such a compact box. Our own experience matches that: speech is clear at low volume and film soundtracks have real width.
Easy to use
For a soundbar that does a lot of complex and fancy ‘stuff’, it’s really quick and easy to get it set up. There’s also a nice accompanying video that helps you get everything up and running.
Comes with Alexa
Although it’s disabled by default, you can enable Alexa easily and use voice commands to do a whole host of handy things with the Sonos Beam.
Verdict: This is a brilliant soundbar that sounds amazing and does a lot more than most others. It’s future-proofed like crazy and ready for your smart home too.
- Connect & control with the Sonos app on your phone
- Alexa voice control
- Carefully tuned to emphasize human voice
- Automatically pairs with your TV remote
- Great cinema quality sound
- Simple to get up and running
- Slightly more expensive than some other TV soundbars
- No Bluetooth (Wi-Fi and AirPlay 2 instead)
#3 Yamaha YAS105
Yamaha’s entry into the soundbar market is a really good contender for the crown of best bluetooth soundbar system 2026. It’s got a lot of innovative features and it looks really cool too. Let’s check it out.
Beautiful slim design
One of the best things about the way they’ve designed this soundbar is that it’s got a low profile and only ‘sticks up’ a couple of inches. If you’re not wall mounting, this can be super-important, as you don’t want to block any of the screen.
A lot of thought has gone into it’s appearance and it looks really good. But enough about how good looking it is, on to the…
Excellent quality sound
For a budget soundbar, that’s one of the cheapest soundbars you can buy, the Yamaha YAS105 delivers in spades.
We especially like the way this soundbar has built in sub-woofers hidden at each side. They’re concealed at the side but man, they blast out some deep bass that bring movies and music to life. They’re tucked neatly around the side of the speakers. No need for extra sub-woofers.
No more tinny buzzy TV audio!
You can use your TV’s remote
If you’re like me, you’ll wonder why you have so many buttons that don’t actually DO anything.
Well this soundbar at least learns your TV’s remote so you can slip this one in the drawer if you want to.
Easy Bluetooth streaming
Download something new. Pair your phone with your new sound bar. Lie back and appreciate the audio prowess of this soundbar.
Verdict: This is another soundbar that’s currently topping the user review charts and it’s easy to see why. The Yamaha YAS105 is easily one of the better bars making the rounds and the minute and should last you a long time!
- Brilliant design
- Built in sub-woofers deliver on the bass
- Easy to setup and get started
- Works with your existing remote
- Small profile
- Bluetooth streaming works perfectly
- Control app on the iPhone is hit and miss
- Not the loudest bar for very large rooms
#4 Samsung HW-N300
Best affordable sound bar
Compact soundbar – ideal for smaller TVs
Looking to get decent audio in your bedroom, for a smaller set? This might be the one to go for. It’s equally at home in larger rooms too, with a large, high quality sound.
Excellent sound quality
There’s 4 speakers hidden away discreetly in the Samsung N300 and it has a crisp sound, with plenty of volume and bass, without the need for an additional sub-woofer.
Connects wirelessly, if your TV supports it
Sick of wires? Me too. This soundbar from Samsung won’t drive you mad with excess wiring as it’s got a wireless connection. Just check your TV supports it. If not, you’ll need an optical cable to get the job done.
Easy setup and wall fixing
With so many awesome shows on Netflix and Amazon, ain’t nobody got time for reading instructions. * Thankfully this brill little soundbar is quick and easy to get set up.
* Audio files always read the instructions.
Verdict: Good price. Good Sound. Looks Good. Just a good soundbar really!
- Really good little soundbar
- Quick ‘n’ easy setup
- Easy to wall mount
- Good rich sound quality
- Looks cool!
- No on-screen volume
- Remote range could be better
How to set up a soundbar so it sounds its best
Most people plug a soundbar in and never touch it again. Ten minutes of setup makes a noticeable difference.
- Centre it under the screen. Voices are aimed straight at you, so the bar should sit on the middle line of the TV and as close to ear height as you can manage.
- Keep the front clear. Don’t tuck it into a cabinet or behind a lip of furniture, or the sound will be muffled. If it has to sit on a shelf, pull it right to the front edge.
- Turn off your TV’s own speakers in the audio settings and set the output to “external speaker”, “ARC” or “optical”. Otherwise you can get an echo.
- Match the audio format. If the picture looks fine but sound is thin, set your TV’s digital output to “Auto” or “PCM” rather than a specific Dolby setting your bar can’t decode.
- Use the sound modes sparingly. “Movie”, “Music” and “Voice” modes are worth a try, but if you find yourself constantly switching, pick the one you like and leave it.
- Use night mode late at night. It squashes the loudest moments so explosions don’t wake the house, without making dialogue harder to hear.
Do you need Dolby Atmos?
Dolby Atmos soundbars use up-firing speakers to bounce sound off the ceiling, creating a sense of height. It’s a genuine upgrade with the right content, but there are conditions. You need a soundbar that supports Atmos, an HDMI eARC connection, a source that provides Atmos (some Netflix, Disney+ and Blu-ray discs), and a room with a fairly flat ceiling of normal height. If you mainly watch broadcast TV and stream casual shows, a good non-Atmos bar like the ones above will make a bigger improvement to your day to day listening than paying extra for Atmos.
Which size of soundbar suits which TV?
As a rough rule, choose a bar that is a little shorter than the width of your TV, or roughly the same. A 32-inch bedroom TV suits a compact bar of around 60cm to 80cm, a 42 to 55-inch TV works well with a bar of 90cm to 100cm, and 65-inch TVs and bigger usually pair best with bars of around a metre or more. Always check the stand of your TV too: some TVs have feet at the edges, which means a bar can’t slide under the centre. In that case a wall mount or a shorter bar might suit better.
Common soundbar mistakes to avoid
- Buying on wattage alone. A bigger number on the box doesn’t mean better sound. Tuning, driver quality and the size of the enclosure matter far more.
- Ignoring the connections. Check your TV’s outputs before ordering. If it only has optical, a bar that relies on HDMI ARC won’t work as simply.
- Forgetting the remote. A bar that can learn your TV remote is worth a lot; juggling two remotes gets old quickly.
- Expecting real surround. A soundbar can create a wide soundstage, but it isn’t the same as speakers behind you. If surround sound is your priority, look at a full home cinema system.
Sound bars – the FAQ bit
Do I need a separate sub-woofer?
Just to confuse things, you’ll find a lot of soundbars come with extra boxes that are designed to improve the bass sound of the audio. I mean they make sense right? And the more gear the better?
Well, it’s not that simple.
A good quality soundbar will beat the pants of a cheap one with an external sub-woofer. They’re not necessary and won’t always be a better sound than a single unit. In fact, the best one we’ve found doesn’t have one of these extra speakers.
Can you play other devices through your soundbar?
Thanks to the miracle of Bluetooth, you can easily hook your favourite audio player up to your sound bar without the TV actually having to be switched on. So you can enjoy high quality audio in your living room straight from your phone to the sound bar.
Do I need an LG soundbar for an LG TV etc?
Nope. It’s just a brand. You can mix and match until your hearts content and not have any problems connecting. All soundbars and TVs use standard connection methods like USB and Bluetooth and there’s no problem pairing a Samsung TV with say a Sony soundbar.
What’s the difference between HDMI ARC and optical?
Both send TV sound to your soundbar. HDMI ARC lets your TV remote control the bar’s volume automatically and supports better audio formats. Optical is universal and reliable but can’t carry Dolby Atmos or the very highest-quality formats. If both are available, use HDMI ARC.
Will a soundbar work with an older TV?
Almost always, yes. If your TV has an optical or headphone output you can connect a bar. Very old TVs without either can still use a bar via the red and white RCA sockets with a suitable adapter cable.
Is a soundbar or a full home cinema system better?
A soundbar is much simpler and neater, and it’s the right choice for most living rooms. A full system with separate surround speakers gives more convincing surround sound but needs more space and cabling. Our guide to all-in-one home cinema systems covers that route.
Can I use a soundbar for music as well?
Yes. Bluetooth or Wi-Fi streaming makes a decent bar a very capable music speaker for the whole room. For serious music listening a hi-fi system or dedicated speakers will still do better, but for everyday listening it’s excellent.
Soundbars 2026 Buyer’s Guide
While it’s easy to think that all soundbars are created fairly equally, there’s a few questions to get answers to before you slam down that hard-earned cash on your shiny new product. This quick guide will get you up to speed with everything you’ll need to know to “pick a gudd’un”.
Get a good brand if you can afford it
You can go cross-eyed reading up and comparing all the different soundbars out there. A lot of them are really cheap too and you might be wondering if they’re any good. While there’s some good bargains and cheap sound bars to be had from unknown / no-brand names, we recommend sticking to a tried and tested name like your Sony’s and your Bose’s.
Connections: what to look for on the back
This matters more than most people realise, because it decides how easily the bar works with your TV.
- HDMI ARC / eARC – one HDMI cable carries sound from the TV to the bar and lets your TV remote control the volume. It’s the neatest option if both your TV and the bar have an ARC-labelled HDMI socket. eARC is the newer version and carries higher-quality formats like Dolby Atmos.
- Optical (TOSLINK) – a small square plug that works on nearly every TV. Great sound for everyday viewing, but it can’t carry the highest-quality Dolby formats.
- 3.5mm aux – the headphone-style socket. Fine as a backup, but the weakest option.
- Bluetooth – ideal for streaming music from your phone. Avoid using it as the main TV connection, because it can add a slight delay that makes lips and voices drift out of sync.
Hey, it blocks my TV screen!
That awkward moment when you’ve done all the research on the best soundbar for your TV, only to find out it ‘sticks up’ and covers up part of the screen.
A quick check of the dimensions of your new soundbar could save some embarrassment later on. Unless your TV is wall mounted. But something that’s worth checking out if your using a traditional table top setup.
Show me the volume
An obvious inclusion but something that’s often missing, sadly. The ability to see the volume as you’re adjusting it on the TV screen. If this is something that sounds like it could drive you nuts, then get a soundbar with onscreen volume display.
