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You don't have to spend much money upgrading your home theatre setup. With more and more soundbars on the market, finding a model that suits your budget is easier than ever. Sure, these options won't come with as many features as premium ones, but you may find that you don't need all those extra bells and whistles in the first place. A budget soundbar is a great place to start if you want something simpler.
The Vizio V Series V51-H6 is the best budget soundbar we've tested. For an affordable price, it offers an impressive sound, especially with multi-channel content like Dolby Digital. It's one of the few soundbars in this price range to come with a dedicated subwoofer and two surround speakers. When you watch 5.1 content, you get a much more life-like sound, with sound effects stretching into the space all around your couch.
This soundbar still comes with some standard sound enhancement features, too. It lacks room correction compared to more premium models, so it sounds slightly different depending on your space. Manually, though, you can compensate for this a bit, thanks to its bass and treble adjustments. There's a dialogue enhancement tool on hand, too. If you're looking to play more premium content like Dolby Atmos, though, you're out of luck—this feature is hard to find at this price point.
Not every living room will have enough space for satellite speakers. In that case, it's usually a better value to purchase a model that comes without them in the first place. The Samsung HW-B650 is the best budget option without speakers, and since the manufacturer sells them separately, you can always choose to add on rears if you move to a larger space down the line. Like more premium bars from the manufacturer, you can access many sound customization tools, including a graphic EQ.
This 3.1 setup has a discrete center channel that's designed to improve vocal clarity in TV shows and movies. It's well-built, and its sub brings a lot of rumble in the bass. That said, you'll notice a difference in surround sound quality with this bar. Since it lacks satellites, it has to downmix surround content into stereo, which doesn't sound as immersive or life-like. However, it's still a solid bet if you don't have room for these components in the first place.
No room for a subwoofer? No worries! The Samsung HW-S60B is a great option for you. At less than 27 inches in width, this small bar easily fits underneath your TV screen without taking up much room. It's designed as a cheaper alternative to more premium bars like the Sonos Beam, so you'll even find built-in voice assistant support for hands-free control. It's well-built and customizable, with plenty of enhancement tools on hand. Plus, you can get the S61B if you prefer an all-white variant.
There are some trade-offs in terms of the sound when it comes to a standalone soundbar. Without a dedicated subwoofer, this bar can't bring as much rumble in the bass. You can always add on a sub and satellites if you like. However, this bar doesn't provide the same wide and expansive soundstage as more premium small bars like the Sonos. As a result, you don't get the same sense of sound effects stretching into the space around your room.
You can also find some soundbars for even less than our top picks. The Sony HT-S100F is the best of the bunch, and it's a simple 2.0 setup that's more than suitable for upgrading your existing TV speakers. It doesn't come with as many features as our top picks, and aside from a few EQ presets, you're pretty limited in sound customization. Still, its clear and accurate dialogue reproduction makes it a fair choice for most music and TV shows.
This small bar has a decent build and gets pretty loud for its size. It's also Bluetooth-compatible, which makes it easy to stream audio wirelessly from your phone. Since it lacks a sub, it doesn't bring out as much rumble in the bass. The TCL Alto 6+ is a good alternative if you want an affordable bar with a subwoofer, though it'll cost you a little more than the Sony.
If you're looking for a simpler upgrade over your existing TV speakers, you don't have to spend much to get a good-quality soundbar. Plenty of options on the market allow you to enjoy good sound quality with everything from music to movies to TV shows. That said, if you're looking for something with more features or if you want a more cinematic sound, you'll want to spend a little more to make the most of your listening experience.
Written by Becca Fischer, RTINGS.com
Disclaimer: The prices displayed are accurate at the time of publication. We'll do our best to keep them as up-to-date as possible, but you may see slight changes. The products in this list are ranked by independent third parties. Rankings are based on both reviews and independent testing.