The best soundbars for 2024 across various budgets

In the market for a serious sound upgrade for your TV without breaking the bank? Look no further than soundbars! Let’s face it, built-in TV speakers often fall short, leaving much to be desired. That’s where soundbars come in as the perfect solution!

These slim audio systems sit beneath your TV, producing richer bass, providing crisper dialogue, and delivering immersive surround sound. By taking your movie nights, sporting events, and even casual TV viewing to the next level, soundbars enhance your home entertainment like never before. Here are our picks for the best soundbars of 2024, catering to every budget.

The best soundbars for 2024: TV audio upgrades for all budgets

1. Sony HT-A9

2. Bose Smart Soundbar 900

3. Sonos Beam Gen 2

4. Philips 660Wp Bluetooth Soundbar

5. LG SH7Q 800W Soundbar

1. Sony HT-A9

If budget isn’t a concern and you crave the ultimate home theatre experience, the Sony HT-A9 soundbar is a worthy option. Its core innovation lies in 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, a technology that creates an incredibly expansive and immersive soundscape with phantom speakers. Unlike conventional systems requiring precise speaker placement, the HT-A9 utilises built-in microphones to intelligently calibrate itself for optimal performance within your unique living space. 

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This translates to rich, detailed audio that places you right in the centre of the action in movies, and high-fidelity music playback with DSEE Extreme technology upscaling compressed music files. Furthermore, wireless rear speakers enhance the experience by eliminating the need for unsightly cables. 

You can always pair the HT-A9 with any Sony Bravia TV for a perfect marriage of audio and visuals, with Acoustic Center Sync ensuring dialogue and sound effects precisely match what’s happening on screen. Beyond movies, the HT-A9 is a versatile entertainment hub with music streaming via Chromecast, Apple AirPlay 2, and Spotify Connect, plus support for the latest gaming features.

2. Bose Smart Soundbar

The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 brings the movie theatre experience to your living room. It delivers a true Dolby Atmos output, placing sound effects overhead for a cinematic feel that surpasses traditional stereo soundbars. Even non-Dolby Atmos content benefits from Bose’s proprietary TrueSpace technology, which up-mixes audio for an immersive listening experience. 

Beyond immersive audio, the Soundbar 900 comes with built-in voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing you to control your entertainment with simple voice commands. For Bose users, Voice4Video with Alexa offers an extra layer of convenience by enabling control of your TV, cable, or satellite box directly through voice commands. The soundbar also seamlessly integrates with other Bose smart speakers, creating a multi-room audio system that can fill your entire home with sound. 

Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Chromecast built-in, Apple AirPlay 2, and Spotify Connect, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of devices and streaming services. Setup and calibration are simplified through the Bose Music App, which guides you through the entire process and allows you to select your preferred voice assistant and optimise the sound for your specific room through ADAPTiQ room calibration.

3. Sonos Beam Gen 2

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 packs a powerful soundstage into a compact design, making it ideal for those who want to upgrade their TV’s audio without sacrificing valuable space. Though it skips a separate subwoofer, Beam Gen 2 still produces impressive bass thanks to its built-in woofers. 

It also has Dolby Atmos support capable of creating a virtual surround sound experience that seems to engulf you. The soundbar also makes setup and control a breeze with WiFi connectivity, voice assistant compatibility, and its intuitive app.

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In addition, Trueplay tuning with an iOS device personalises the sound to your space for an optimal listening experience. Whether you’re enjoying music, movies, or TV shows, the Beam Gen 2 delivers exceptional sound quality. It also comes with additional features like HDMI eARC for simplified connection, Apple AirPlay 2 for direct audio streaming from your Apple devices, and the ability to seamlessly integrate with other Sonos speakers for a whole-home audio system.

4. Philips TAB8947/94 660W Bluetooth Soundbar

Craving a massive audio upgrade without a stiff price tag? The Philips TAB8947/94 660W is a great option. Packing a 3.1.2 channel system with up-firing speakers that create a virtual Dolby Atmos soundscape, this soundbar enhances the sense of immersion, placing viewers at the centre of the action. This Philips soundbar also delivers robust audio performance, and the wireless subwoofer adds depth and power to the low-end frequencies. 

With 660 Watts of power on tap, this soundbar gets loud and clear, even in larger rooms. The soundbar caters to a variety of entertainment needs, supporting various audio formats and offering multiple connectivity options, including Bluetooth for wireless music streaming from smartphones and tablets and Wi-Fi for music streaming services. Additionally, compatibility with both HDMI (ARC/eARC) and optical audio allows for seamless integration with most modern and legacy TVs. 

Furthermore, the Philips soundbar comes with a selection of sound modes, enabling listeners to tailor the audio experience to their preferences, whether it’s for movies, music, or dialogue-driven content. Chromecast and AirPlay 2 integration simplifies music streaming, while built-in support for Alexa and Google voice assistants adds a touch of smart home functionality.

5. LG SH7Q 800W

The LG SH7Q soundbar delivers impressive audio performance for a competitive price, making it a great option, especially for LG TV owners. It seamlessly integrates with LG TVs, leveraging your TV‘s sound processing for clear, optimised audio, ensuring you get the most out of your movies, games, and music. Whether you’re watching a movie, catching a game, or listening to music, the LG SH7Q intelligently tailors the sound to perfectly match the content. 

Despite its seamless integration with LG TVs, the SH7Q’s power extends far beyond. With a total output of 800 Watts and a dedicated wireless subwoofer, the soundbar delivers rich and immersive surround sound. DTS Virtual:X technology elevates the experience further by creating a virtual surround soundstage for a truly cinematic feel. Additionally, the LG SH7Q supports High-Resolution Audio formats, ensuring you hear every detail of your favourite music in lossless quality. 

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Convenience is another advantage of the LG SH7Q. The included remote can control both the soundbar and your LG TV, with settings and adjustments displayed directly on your TV screen. It’s also worth noting that LG incorporates recycled plastic in the construction of the SH7Q, making it an eco-conscious choice.

In conclusion, soundbars revolutionise your TV audio experience, offering richer bass, crisper dialogue, and immersive surround sound, all without the need for a complex entertainment system. Check out our top picks and treat yourself to an audio upgrade that will transform your viewing experience!