Is There A Real Difference Between A Soundbar And Built-In TV Speakers?

There are plenty of affordable high-quality soundbars available that can instantly transform the audio in your living room. Sure, soundbar audio does have disadvantages when you stack it up against a dedicated surround sound system or a powerful stack of speakers, but it does the job commendably as an easy plug-and-play solution. Is a soundbar better than built-in TV speakers? One word: absolutely.

The reason why this answer is a total no-brainer lies in the fact that most TV speakers are tiny these days. It's a sacrifice that manufacturers need to make to keep modern TVs thin. In other words, you don't get much bass, and the volume is significantly capped. They simply can't move enough air to make any sort of impact.

The moment you upgrade to a soundbar, the game automatically changes. Despite the compact form factor, soundbars include direct-facing speakers, and the drivers are significantly larger than the ones in an average TV. Internet threads can be a warzone, but this is one issue where most people are 100% in agreement. One Redditor explained that the regular TV sound now feels "hollow" after they started rocking a cheap Samsung soundbar. Others say similar things, with a commenter even saying that the cheapest soundbar will blow TV speakers out of the water – even those on premium TVs.

The soundbar versus TV speaker debate is underwhelming, as the winner is apparent from the get-go. This cuts down on the dreaded "is it worth it?" loop that often accompanies even the cheapest tech upgrades. For instance, the Samsung B-Series soundbar sports a built-in subwoofer, and the basic model is available for around $100. Considering the jump in audio quality, it's an obvious choice for most people.

The real game changer happens if you splurge a bit extra for a soundbar that either includes a separate subwoofer or Dolby Atmos technology. Fortunately, a model like ULTIMEA 3.1.2ch gives you both at just $150. Dolby Atmos processing is top-notch, and you get to experience clever tricks that do a convincing faux surround audio if the thin soundbar is the thing pushing the sound. Of course, audio experience is subjective, so be skeptical if you read a post that claims a cheap soundbar can make your living room sound just like a movie theater. Though that is physically impossible, find a right-sized soundbar for your space, and the sound quality will be night, and day compared to your vanilla TV speakers.