12 Of The Best Soundbars You Can Buy In 2026, Ranked

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If you want to enjoy some of the best possible audio quality for when you're at home watching movies or listening to music, you'll need to invest in one of the best possible sound systems the current audio market can offer. Accurate sound reproduction, punchy bass, and effective surround sound are just a few features of premium home audio setups that can better immerse you in your favorite media. If you're just testing the waters, though, a soundbar is often the perfect first step for aspiring audiophiles.

In 2026, in the face of a market saturated with countless home audio options to choose from, it's important to figure out which soundbar is perfect to replace your TV audio with. We've featured some such products that have earned favorable reviews from at least three trustworthy publications. For our ranking purposes, overall sound quality was the key factor in determining our soundbar recommendations, among several other features like connectivity, aesthetics, and compactness.

For the sale price of $299.95 on Amazon (typically $445.17), you can't go wrong with the Yamaha True X Bar 50A. This competent, underrated soundbar and subwoofer combo will make your movies, shows, and games sound better than ever, especially with its support for Dolby Atmos. It boasts a pair of 46mm X 66mm front-firing drivers, as well as a separate pair of upward-firing 52mm drivers, to recreate a surround sound effect.

While it has built-in bass drivers, this soundbar's true low-frequency magic stems from its wireless subwoofer, which uses 160mm cones and a punchy 100W power output to shake the room with bass that can dip to frequencies as low as 35Hz. Better yet, if you're looking for a standalone soundbar with additional connectivity features, the True X Bar 50A's support for Alexa, Apple AirPlay, Spotify Connect, and TIDAL Connect delivers in that department.

Reviews for the True X Bar 50A are consistent across the board. It received 4-star ratings from TechHive, Expert Reviews, T3, and What Hi-Fi?, and WIRED was equally generous with its analogous score of 8 out of 10. However, this device's surround sound does lack the sonic height expected from a system that supports Dolby Atmos. It also has no EQ controls or support for DTS or Chromecast. But if you just want an affordable, good-looking soundbar with good midrange and high-pitched sounds, then the True X Bar 50A is a fine choice.

The Creative Stage Pro's modest Amazon price tag of $149.99 might raise some suspicion when it comes to quality, but this is easily one of the best soundbars on the market you can get for less than $200. It garnered 4 stars out of 5 from Expert Reviews, What Hi-Fi?, and TechRadar, while PC Gamer gave it a solid 87 points out of 100.

Being just shy of 22 inches wide, it's remarkably small for a soundbar; it can fit into virtually any setup without taking up much real estate. Its greatest strength is how loud it can get despite its size, and its performance makes it one of the best 2.1 audio devices on the market. The Stage Pro's Near Field and Far Field audio modes also make it perfect for different listening scenarios; the former is optimized for close-range listening, while the latter is ideal for those using the Creative Stage Pro as a TV speaker.

Because this soundbar is so compact, its projected sound field isn't much to write home about. It doesn't offer detailed bass, but it makes up for that shortcoming with a particularly punchy overall sound output across its frequency range. It's also perfect for watching movies or TV shows, with dialogue clarity being a key feature of the device's Dolby Audio codec support. The cherry on top is a wide array of connectivity options at your behest — the Creative Stage Pro supports HDMI ARC, optical, Bluetooth 5.3, AUX, and USB-C connections.

The Sonos Ray is a budget soundbar that offers exceptional value for $219. It's compact yet powerful, making an ideal purchase for those who don't mind a limited soundscape — a common pain point for most small soundbars. Setting up the device is simple, though, and you can conveniently use the Sonos mobile app to optimize it for your setup. Tom's Guide, TechRadar, and What Hi-Fi? all gave the Ray 4 out of 5 stars. Out of 10, CNET gave the soundbar an 8.3 rating, while WIRED gave this small yet powerful soundbar an impressive score of 9 out of 10.

The Ray does lack an HDMI ARC connection and can only connect to your TV using an optical cable. However, if you already have one or more Sonos devices, then opting for the Ray would let you leverage Sonos' multi-room functionality. With this, you could create a network of all your Sonos speakers. You could assign speakers to certain rooms and sync up their audio, or you could change what media plays on different Sonos speakers. The Ray's dialogue clarity can also be upgraded courtesy of the Sonos app's Speech Enhancement feature, which improves vocal range at the cost of reduced bass. The soundbar's balanced sound output also makes it ideal for listening to a whole host of music genres.

The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar's beautiful looks, built-in Alexa functionality, and Dolby Atmos support make it an attractive proposition. Is its $999 Amazon price tag expensive? Certainly. But those willing to drop the cash will get their money's worth from this soundbar. TechRadar, Trusted Reviews, T3, and Tom's Guide all gave it a 4-star rating; Pocket-lint and PCMag's reviews were even better, with both publications giving it 4.5 stars out of 5.

The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar's ADAPTiQ audio room calibration is one of its biggest selling points. It uses two included microphones to automatically calibrate sound settings with the help of the Bose Music app. For this to work, you have to plug one microphone into the rear of the soundbar, while the other one rests atop your head. The setup process then involves you moving around your living room to figure out the optimal sound field that will help you make the most of the device's nine speakers, two of which are upward-firing to enable surround sound.

The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar has an AI Dialogue Mode that uses machine learning to enhance voices without compromising other aspects of the audio. Along with this, it uses Bose's proprietary TrueSpace technology to enhance non-Atmos audio by giving it more of a surround sound feel. This works well for 5.1 audio, but stereo sound exhibits mixed results. Unfortunately, since TrueSpace remains on at all times, you have no choice but to listen to upscaled two-channel audio.

The first thing that'll catch your eye when you look at the Samsung HW-S800D is how clean it looks, but good design isn't the only thing this soundbar has going for it. Its support for Dolby Atmos lets you enjoy a surround sound experience with just a single soundbar, although the effect may not be as accurate as you'd expect. Samsung's patented Q-Symphony technology can enrich your soundscape to make up for the device's limited sound height by syncing multiple device speakers — such as the ones on your TV — to play audio simultaneously.

Going for $697.99 on Amazon, this 3.1.2-channel soundbar comes with a subwoofer that emanates high-quality, booming bass despite its small stature. The soundbar's front-firing speakers may overpower its upward-facing drivers, but those in search of a soundbar with good midrange sounds and nuanced treble likely won't find much fault with the HW-S800D. Many reviewers echo this sentiment, which in part reflects the soundbar's scores of 9 out of 10 from AVForums, 8 out of 10 from CNET, and 4 stars out of 5 from Expert Reviews.

The second-generation Sonos Beam is yet another feather in Sonos' cap, boasting crisp audio and an impressive sound field for a relatively compact soundbar. Surround sound enthusiasts will appreciate its Dolby Atmos support, but may be disappointed by its absent DTS:X offerings. The device does include multiple connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, HDMI eARC, and Apple AirPlay 2, but its lack of Bluetooth functionality is somewhat puzzling.

Still, for Amazon's sale price of $369 (normally $499), the second-generation Sonos Beam is an excellent purchase. Both midrange and high frequencies on this soundbar are pronounced. TruePlay tuning automatically calibrates your soundbar according to your room's acoustics, although the feature is only accessible using iOS devices. Smart assistant functionality is an added bonus. These perks — among others — are why What Hi-Fi? gave the Beam a perfect 5-star rating. TechRadar, PCMag, Tom's Guide, and Digital Trends all gave this soundbar a score of 4 out of 5. Rounding off these excellent reviews is CNET, who rated this device 8 out of 10.

Marshall has made a name for itself with both its speakers and amplifiers. However, it hadn't entered the soundbar market until 2025, and the Marshall Heston 120 is its first foray in that department. Although its Amazon price of $1,299.99 is steep, what you'll get in return is a soundbar with perfect 5-star ratings from both T3 and TechRadar, 4.5 stars from Trusted Reviews and Tom's Guide, a Mashable score of 4.1, and 4-star ratings from PCMag and Expert Reviews.

Surround sound nerds will delight in this soundbar's support for both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, although the latter can be finicky. You can also cycle through four EQ modes — Music, Movie, Voice, and Night mode. The device chooses Music mode by default when you play tracks and elevates mids for balanced yet vocal-centric audio output. Movie mode is automatically activated when you connect the soundbar to your TV; it highlights low and high-frequency audio for greater cinematic flair. Voice mode simply boosts spoken dialogue. Finally, Night mode mutes bass so your family members can sleep soundly during your late-night viewing or gaming binges.

The physical controls on the Heston 120 feel great to use. They allow you to choose between the aforementioned EQ modes, switch between three presets, change the volume, bass, or treble, and select the audio source. You can also use the Marshall app to tinker with more options, including EQ settings and room calibration. The iconic Marshall look is a nice final touch, giving the soundbar a premium appearance that matches the product's price tag and rich feature set.

When it comes to expensive soundbars, the JBL Bar 1300X is among the most powerful. The soundbar comes with two detachable surround speakers and a subwoofer — all wireless — that can be placed in your room to enable optimal surround sound that a solitary soundbar would struggle to recreate. This leads to a slightly more cluttered setup, but those who value a compelling home theater experience won't mind this.

As one would expect from a soundbar that focuses heavily on surround sound output, the JBL Bar 1300X (available for $1,699.95 at Walmart) supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, just as the Heston 120 does. JBL's MultiBeam technology is a nice bonus, increasing the size of the 3D audio field to improve surround sound performance. This, along with a combined power output of 1170W, immerses you in any media by doing justice to both loud sounds and lower decibel ranges.

The JBL One app also turns this soundbar into a convenient music streaming system by natively allowing you to play tracks directly from Spotify, Amazon Music, Qobuz, Tidal, iHeartRadio, TuneIn Radio, and Napster. It's easy to see why TechRadar gave this soundbar a perfect 5-star rating, and PCMag and Tom's Guide aren't far behind with their scores of 4.5 out of 5. TechHive was slightly more restrained with their 4-star rating, and WIRED gave this soundbar an equivalent score of 8 out of 10.

At $1,099 on Amazon, the Arc Ultra costs a pretty penny. But given it's a 9.1.4 soundbar with one of the richest audio profiles and feature sets on the market, the price makes sense. The device's 3D audio boasts a ton of sonic height, its overall sound output is precise and detailed, and its bass is forceful and accurate in equal measure — a rarity in most soundbars that aren't bolstered by a dedicated subwoofer. And, just like the Sonos Ray, this device would make for an excellent addition to a household using Sonos' multi-room technology.

Movie buffs can use Sonos' in-app Speech Enhancement tech to adjust the Arc Ultra's vocal clarity levels. The device also offers a wealth of control options, including the Sonos app, your TV remote, the device's integrated touch controls, or Alexa. It's on the larger side, but people whose setups can accommodate the Sonos Arc Ultra will be more than satisfied with the end result. What Hi-Fi? and T3 both gave the product 5-star reviews, PCMag came close with a rating of 4.5 out of 5, and CNET was almost as impressed, having rated the Arc Ultra 8.1 stars out of 10.

Given its size, many would wonder whether the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus is worth an MSRP of $999.95. Not only is that down from $1,799.95, but once you realize how competent this device's surround sound is, its compact design will become a monumental engineering feat in your eyes.

This 7.1.4 soundbar's sound field will cover your entire living room to let you enjoy highly detailed immersive audio, and it helps that the Ambeo Plus supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Many reviewers underscore those positives, with the device getting perfect scores from What Hi-Fi?, Pocket-lint, Trusted Reviews, TechRadar, and T3. Digital Trends gave it 4.5 stars; both Tom's Guide and TechHive were slightly more restrained and each gave the device 4 stars out of 5.

Setting up the Ambeo Plus is simple, courtesy of its auto-calibration feature that you can use with the convenient Sennheiser Smart Control app. Its native Voice Enhancement feature ensures that you don't miss a single line of dialogue. To get the most bass-heavy experience you can, you could pair this soundbar with the Sennheiser Ambeo Subwoofer, which you can purchase on Amazon on sale for $599.95 (down from $699.95). That said, the soundbar's onboard 4-inch dual subwoofers would more than suffice for most listeners, especially those looking to stay within a set budget.

Those in search of a great soundbar who have $1,298 to spare — just a couple hundred shy of the original Amazon list price of $1,499.99 — will find a worthy contender in the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9. This sound system cuts little to no corners in either audio fidelity or product design; both What Hi-Fi? and Expert Reviews gave this soundbar a perfect 5 stars, while Pocket-lint gave it a 4.5-star rating, and AVForums scored it an adjacent 9 out of 10. There are scarcely any negative points to be made about this device, barring its price and its missing LED display.

The soundbar's subtle design makes it easy to slot into any living room setup. After automatic calibration, the device's 360 Spatial Sound Mapping kicks into high gear, mapping so-called "ghost" speakers in your room and projecting audio from the soundbar to enhance surround sound immersion. It also supports 4K HDMI passthrough at 120Hz, turning the soundbar into a hub that helps facilitate a direct connection between your gaming console and TV. Its impactful sound output will make your audio experience one to remember — in fact, some may find the Theatre Bar 9's bass to be too strong.

With 5-star reviews across T3, What Hi-Fi?, TechRadar, and Trusted Reviews, a near-perfect score of 4.5 out of 5 on PCMag, and a similarly impressive 8 out of 10 rating on WIRED, the sleek Samsung HW-Q990F (on sale for $1,447.99 on Amazon) takes the top spot as the best high-end soundbar you can buy in 2026. It nearly tied with the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 in terms of review scores, but this system has better bass courtesy of a dedicated subwoofer. Its rear speakers also allow for a higher degree of surround sound accuracy. Unlike the Theatre Bar 9, the HW-Q990F also has an LED display, albeit one that's hard to read.

11 front-firing and surround channels, 4 upward-firing drivers, and support for both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X culminate in one of the finest wireless surround sound systems on the market; Samsung's SpaceFit Sound Pro feature makes for a simple and convenient way to calibrate this system to your listening environment. With this feature, the HW-Q990D uses microphones to monitor and adjust the output of both the soundbar and subwoofer to harmonize with your living room's acoustics. As a plus, the subwoofer is even smaller than that in the previous HW-Q990D model.

Despite having multiple parts, the system is easy to set up with the help of the Samsung SmartThings app. The app includes EQ settings, a choice between Alexa or Bixby as your voice assistant, and the option to switch between Standard, Surround, Game, and Adaptive sound modes.

Only soundbars with favorable reviews from three or more reputable outlets were considered for this list. In the event of a tie between two soundbars, the more feature-rich soundbar with either better sound or greater ease of use was ranked higher.

To help refine our product selections, we accounted for several key sound-related features, such as audio fidelity, surround sound support, spatial audio quality, and more. Other considerations included compactness, connectivity options, aesthetics, and useful settings like EQ adjustments, auto-calibration, and smart assistant support. Overall value for the money was also a consideration, especially considering all other metrics.