The best soundbars 2016: 10 soundbars that kick bass

Best Soundbars

Slim TVs are great. Nowadays they take up so little space that it’s almost like just having another picture hung on the wall.

But while this slimness might not have any downsides when it comes to picture quality, its effect on sound is a little more noticeable.

Speakers don’t need to be massive to have impact, but the slim ones packed into the edges of your average flat screen TV aren’t great. They lack punch when it comes to bass, and their sound tends to muddle together when it gets busy.

A soundbar is the cheapest and easiest way of giving your TV’s audio a boost. They come in many shapes and sizes, but generally will be long and thin and designed to either sit or hang underneath the screen.

What’s the best soundbar?

Soundbars come in many shapes and sizes, and range in price from under £100/$100 to over £1,000/$1,500. Cheaper models have basic connections (including a digital optical socket, which is essential), more expensive ones add superior HDMI inputs, wireless audio streaming (e.g. Bluetooth and AirPlay), better power, more refined speaker drivers, and decoding of Blu-ray sound formats.

Design is also important, with some models able to sit in front of your TV on a stand, others may need a separate shelf or to be wall mounted. Whatever your budget though there are some cracking good acoustic upgrades to be had that can give your TV the sound it deserves.

1. Philips Fidelio B5

Surround sound or portable Bluetooth – the choice is yours

The Philips Fidelio B5 is an impressive bit of kit, and it’s almost the perfect soundbar for someone who appreciates good cinema sound but has no interest in tearing up their living room to install a 5.1 surround sound system which they’ll only use every now and then.

The B5 enables you to pick and choose your movie moments, and do it on a whim. And it creates a pretty decent surround sound experience too, using both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Digital Surround decoding.

The combination of convenience and good audio – the raison d’etre of the soundbar – with its transformative surround sound capabilities makes the Fidelio B5 a great option for the movie fan who can’t face all the aggravation of a proper 5.1 installation.

See the best Philips Fidelio B5 deals

2. Focal Dimension

An impressive-sounding soundbar with a few setup faux-pas

Focal, most known for its excellent sounding speakers (and the recently released Focal Listen headphones), is late to the soundbar space but its Focal Dimension was worth the wait. The Dimension soundbar is simply gorgeous with its piano black accents and aluminum unibody construction.

At $1,399 (£799, AU$1,699), it’s not exactly cheap but you’re paying for excellent build quality, sound and design.

Today’s best Focal Dimension deals

3. LG SH7B

LG’s entry-level soundbar offers impressive sound for the price

The LG SH7B is a soundbar system that can do it all. Its feature set and solid sound quality make it a good choice for those with limited space. While music playback and surround sound aren’t mind-blowing, they’re good enough for the sticker price.

It’s a breeze to set up since its subwoofer is wireless but, that said, Android users may be frustrated by LG’s buggy app. Sound quality is great for the price, but in the end loses out to traditional bookshelf speakers in terms of clarity on the high-end. If you want a soundbar that can take on every type of media you can throw at it, though, the LG SH7B is a great option.

See the best LG SH7B deals

4. Sonos Playbar

Turns your multi-room audio system into wireless surround sound

Like the Q Acoustics Media 4, the Sonos Playbar is a non-HDMI device that uses optical to hook up to a TV. Used simply on its own it delivers a massive sonic boost to your TV listening but operating it requires use of a smartphone or tablet app. The benefit though is that it can seamlessly segue in to a Sonos wireless system, and can even act as the front three speakers in a 5.1 setup with two Play:1s acting as rears.

See the best Sonos Playbar Deals

5. Canton DM 50

A soundbase that combines ease of use with great sonics

Aside from a pointless pseudo-surround mode, the Canton DM 50 stands out among all soundbases thanks to its neat design, top notch build quality and exceptional sound quality, both with regular daytime TV, complex movie soundtracks and music streamed by Bluetooth from a phone. Its scrolling display appears through the front grille when powered up and the base is a pleasure to operate thanks to a logically designed, slick looking menu and a willingness to accept volume commands from your TV’s remote.

See the best Canton DM 50 Deals

6. Samsung HW-H750

Excellent connectivity, valve amplification and audio streaming

The HW-H750 is a compelling combination of the cutting-edge with the traditional. Its valve amplifier (which can be seen glowing behind a window) gives sound a pleasing warmth without losing clarity, while its wireless sub handles low-end rumble with aplomb. It’s a highly versatile model with HDMI and Bluetooth plus it can hook on to a Samsung multi-room system and/or successfully play numerous hi-res audio files streamed over a home network.

See the best Samsung HW-H750 Deals

7. Monitor Audio ASB-2

One for Apple AirPlay fans. No lack of audio quality either.

It isn’t pretty, and the Monitor Audio ASB-2 so unapologetically tall that it will require a dedicated shelf or wall mount. That said, it has some top drawer acoustic tech under the hood and betters the Samsung HW-H750 with DLNA, AirPlay and AirStream Direct (no router required) but lacks the more commonly used Bluetooth. You can hook up a separate subwoofer but the ASB-2 alone is capable of filling smaller rooms with a pleasingly resonant and meaty soundfield.

See the best Monitor Audio ASB-2 Deals

8. Sony HT-NT5

Sony has refined the Hi-Res Audio-ready HT-NT5 for extreme musicality

With the HT-NT5, Sony has produced a soundbar with audiophile aspirations and an unapologetic upmarket design. Disarmingly versatile, it works equally well on furniture as on-wall, and generously offers a trio of 4K ready HDMI inputs, plus compatibility with FLAC and DSD audio files. It may be a TV soundbar, but this Hi-Res Audio-ready soundbar also doubles as a fine-sounding, audiophile-grade component in its own right.

See the best Sony HT-NT5 Soundbar deals

9. Toshiba SBM1W

Compact yet highly capable, and a low price tag to boot

The SBM1W earns a place in our top 10 courtesy of a mightily impressive performance, despite its shoe-box dimensions and ultra-low price tag. Connectivity isn’t too bad, with two types of digital input – optical and coaxial – plus analogue in and Bluetooth. It has a switch to compensate for off-axis placement and although the soundfield isn’t the broadest around its sonics, aided ably by the tethered subwoofer, are immeasurably superior to regular built-in TV speakers.

See the best Toshiba SBM1W Deals

10. Razer Leviathan

Razer’s first soundbar is all about that bass

For $199 (£159, AU$279), the Razer Leviathan is a great sound bar, and is easily recommended for gamers who just aren’t ready to dive into a full 5.1 system yet. It’s a bit bass-heavy, thanks to the standalone subwoofer – but even so, movies and games come through clear.

The bar is relatively versatile, too. It’s plenty powerful for a PC, but it works out of the box with any console or TV through optical audio out. Not to mention that built-in Bluetooth lets you connect your mobile device when you aren’t directly in front of your entertainment setup. A few tweaks, like a more stable subwoofer connector and a remote would’ve been nice. But, in spite of its diminutive size, the Leviathan far outgrew my expectations.

Razer Leviathan

Source: techradar.com

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