The Best Soundbars for 2024

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New TVs are generally thin, making them look great on your wall or in your entertainment center, but that isn't advantageous when it comes to sound quality. You need a separate sound system for loud, high-quality home theater audio, and your best bet is a soundbar. I'm a THX home theater expert and have been covering home theater equipment for more than 15 years. I've thoroughly tested more than 100 soundbars, evaluating everything from audio balance, bass power, and treble clarity to surround sound and spatial audio imaging. With a 4.5-star rating and an Editors' Choice award, the Sonos Arc Ultra is our top pick overall, but it isn't the only model we recommend. This list of the best soundbars covers a wide range of brands and prices.

Does Your Soundbar Need a Subwoofer for Good Bass?

If you plan on building a sound system with more than one piece, the most important addition is a subwoofer. Soundbars can generate a lot of sound from low-mid to high frequencies, but they usually can't reach deep into the sub-bass ranges. Because of how sound travels, you need a lot of physical space to get powerful bass, and the wide, shallow shape of soundbars simply doesn't allow that.

Many soundbar packages include subwoofers that wirelessly connect to the rest of the system; you can tuck these behind, next to, or under your couch. Low-frequency sounds don't rely as much on acoustics and directionality as higher frequencies do, so you can still feel the effect of the rumble no matter where you put the subwoofer. You might need to plug a wireless subwoofer into a power outlet, but that's likely the full extent of the setup process for wireless models.

If your soundbar doesn't include a subwoofer, you might still have options. Some models have subwoofer outputs, which means you can add one after the fact. You have to consider cables with this method, though. You also need to make sure your subwoofer is powered (has a built-in amp) or connect a preamp between your unpowered subwoofer and the soundbar. Just like it takes a lot of space to move that much air, it also takes a lot of power.

Check out our article on how to set up your speakers for more on soundbar placement and how to get the best possible audio out of your system.

Wireless Surround Sound: More Convenient to Connect Than 5.1 and 7.1 Systems

Most soundbars claim to offer some form of surround sound, but this can be a bit misleading. Audio processing and driver placement can create a sense of surround sound even if the speakers are just directly in front of you, but this type of setup isn't capable of reproducing the accurate imaging of a true surround system with dedicated satellites for each channel. If you really want a sense of immersion, you need a full surround sound speaker system—or a soundbar with separate satellites for the rear audio channels.

There's also the matter of the type of surround sound you want. Conventional 5.1- and 7.1-channel audio is common for a lot of content, but home theater sound has gone beyond that with spatial audio. Spatial sound systems like Dolby Atmos map every source of sound from what you're watching to a location around you in a 3D space and calculate how to mix the audio to best reproduce their locations, whether your speakers have two drivers or dozens. It's an immersive effect, especially with the addition of upward-facing drivers to produce sounds with a sense of height. Not all soundbars support Dolby Atmos, though, and not all that support Atmos have the drivers necessary for height.

On the downside, true surround systems create more clutter than a single soundbar. Each satellite requires wires running either to the wall or a centralized device like an A/V receiver, and that means a lot of cables. You can hide them with rugs or in-wall conduits, but they can still be a hassle. And, of course, you need stands, shelves, or some other sort of nearby flat surface to place all the speakers on. It's great if you have the budget to build or remodel your living room around a surround sound system, but this simply isn't practical for most people.

Bluetooth vs. Wi-Fi Soundbars

All of the speakers on this list can wirelessly stream music from your smartphone or tablet. Most of them use Bluetooth, and some use Wi-Fi-based wireless audio systems like Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, or Sonos. Bluetooth is easy to use and lets you connect your phone to your soundbar, just like a pair of headphones. This setup won't offer the best audio quality, though, especially if the soundbar doesn't support high-res Bluetooth codecs.

Wi-Fi isn't quite as simple to configure as Bluetooth, but it lets you set up multi-room sound systems so you can seamlessly play music all over your house. It also enables lossless audio because of its high bandwidth.

Either way, you probably won't need to get a separate wireless music speaker for your living room if you have a soundbar. For more, read our roundup of the best wireless speakers. Voice assistants are also available in many Wi-Fi-compatible models, meaning that many of the soundbars above double as smart speakers.

Home Theater Systems vs. Soundbars

Home theater audio has traditionally been a big, complex field for audiophiles, or at least for people who are comfortable building a sound system out of individual components. The last decade has popularized soundbars as simpler, compact, and affordable alternatives.

In terms of sheer potential power and system flexibility, no single soundbar or all-in-one sound system can match what you can build if you set up a home theater from components by yourself. With a standalone A/V receiver, amp, and set of big speakers, you get much more power and control over your home theater sound—but you have to put in more legwork and spend more money. A good receiver can easily cost as much as a good soundbar, and that's before you start adding speakers. You also need to run the wires yourself and maybe even integrate an amp.

An elaborate home theater speaker system can be incredibly rewarding, but you need relatively deep pockets and a good feel for the technology (or even deeper pockets and a willingness to hire a custom installer) to make it all happen.

The Best Alternatives to Soundbars

You don't need a soundbar for great sound. Almost any large Bluetooth speaker, especially one with an optical, RCA, or 3.5mm input (if your TV has a headphone jack), can vastly improve your experience. Just keep in mind that its power and ability to produce a sound field might be better for smaller screens than a large TV. It also might not fit as neatly under or in front of your TV. Our roundup of computer speakers is a good place to start if you want something that works with both your TV and desktop PC.