Home Electronics TV The Best Budget Soundbar for Your Home Theater in 2022
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Soundbars are a popular way to improve the sound quality of your TV, and they come in a variety of price points. If you’re on a budget, you may be wondering if it’s worth it to find a low-budget soundbar.
There are a few reasons why finding a low-budget soundbar can be beneficial. First, it can help you save money. Soundbars can be quite expensive, so if you can find one at a lower price point, it can help you keep your overall costs down.
Second, finding a low-budget soundbar can also help you get better value for your money. In many cases, budget soundbars offer features and performance that are comparable to more expensive models, so if you’re looking for a soundbar that will provide good quality sound without breaking the bank, finding a low-budget option can be a great choice.
Finally, opting for a budget soundbar can also help you make sure that you’re getting the most bang for your buck. In some cases, more expensive soundbars come with features that you may not need or use. By choosing a lower-priced model, you can avoid paying for features that you’ll never use, which can help you get more value out of your purchase.
If you’re looking to improve the sound quality of your TV without spending a lot of money, finding a low-budget soundbar can be a great option. If you’re wondering which ones to get, here are some of the best ones we’ve found on the market for your home theater.
The Creative Stage V2 soundbar offers outstanding value. A dedicated subwoofer is included with a stylish soundbar with a fair amount of connectivity, including HDMI ARC, to help produce powerful bass. Overall, the sound quality is excellent and can be adjusted to match what you’re watching. For instance, you can select to increase the bass or treble at any time, and you can also experiment with “Dialog” and “Surround.” The latter widens the soundstage for more exciting action scenes but does not provide digital surround sound per se.
Great valueHigh sound qualityGood connectivity
Short subwoofer cablePlastic is a dust magnet
Although Vizio offers a number of soundbar and subwoofer combos, the V-Series 2.1 Home Theater Soundbar V21-H8 is currently our top pick. The speaker itself is unassuming and has a simple look that fits in well with any home entertainment setup. There are many inputs available for connecting additional media equipment, such as televisions, gaming consoles, and any Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri smart speaker. A really useful remote is included with the combo that can control playback, volume, and even DTS Virtual:X and DTS TruVolume, which help create a larger and more encompassing sound. Your ears will be rewarded for remaining in standard mode with crisp voices and full midrange frequencies. Bass enthusiasts might love the focused bottom end that the little subwoofer produces, but critical listeners won’t like it because it lacks precision and sounds muddy on some songs and soundtracks.
Wide soundstageLots of audio and input optionsAffordable
Bass can overwhelm voicesDolby Audio support through optical digital only
The Alto 6 Plus is even more affordable than the Stage V2 and features a wireless subwoofer in addition to its own dedicated speaker. It is strong as well, demonstrating that it is more than capable of adding a rich, rumbling bass to music playback or movie action scenes. The disadvantage is that there aren’t as many options for customizing the sound profile as there are on more expensive soundbar/sub combos, and the low-end isn’t as well regulated. Nevertheless, the Alto 6 Plus astonished us with how powerful it sounded throughout our tests, and because of its simplicity, home theater novices may actually appreciate how simple it is to finish the setup.
Wireless subwooferEasy setupRoku TV integration
Not great for musicMinimal sound adjustment
The Streambar Pro, one of Roku’s first audio products, is a remarkable gadget that fits a 4K Roku streaming player inside a compact soundbar. To fill your living area, virtual surround sound is available right out of the box. Considering that the package does not include a subwoofer, the bass is adequate. Additionally, one of the most user-friendly remote controls with a voice search button and a headphone port are included. Unfortunately, those looking for a more immersive listening experience will be disappointed by the lack of Dolby Atmos capabilities. However, this is a great price because you get good sound and Roku capability from a speaker.
Simple to set up and useDecent bass without a subwooferWide sound
No Dolby Atmos supportSometimes sluggish streaming performance
The LG SK1 is another excellent selection for compact TVs. Only two speakers are used in its small design, yet it boasts a 40W power output, which is sufficient to outperform many TV audio systems. If all you want is a better TV speaker without a lot of extras, the plug-and-play setup, straightforward user interface, and provided remote might be just what you need. However, if you want some extra low-end punch, we recommend using the Bass Blast mode. This is perfect if your looking for something with just a little more umph than your TV can provide; however, if you’re looking for something more high quality, this might not be the soundbar for you.
Easy to setup and useLots of input options
Limited connectivity and powerMild bass
The Sonos Beam Gen 2 delivers Dolby Atmos from a compact enclosure, which is no easy task, and does so without even a single vertical speaker insight. Two of the soundbar’s five front-facing arrays are instead devoted to generating overhead and surround sounds when viewing Atmos content. The Sonos Beam Gen 2 uses psychoacoustic HRTF (head-related transfer function) technology and powerful processing to create the illusion of height without having to get in a vertical position. Authentic overhead sounds may be a stretch for this small TV soundbar, but it delivers the Atmos format better than any soundbar of a comparable price and even some that are more expensive. The Beam Gen 2 offers a rich, detailed audio experience with a spatial soundscape that is enveloping and gives the impression of depth and movement. Not many soundbars at this price point have networking features, but since the Beam Gen 2 is a Sonos product, its ability to operate with a wireless multiroom system is crucial to its conception. This implies that Spotify Connect is built-in and that Apple AirPlay 2 can be used to play music to the Beam Gen 2 from a mobile device. In a recent update, support for Amazon Music Ultra HD audio was also enabled, enabling access to tracks in lossless 24-bit/48 kHz as well as Dolby Atmos Music. Even without upward drivers, there isn’t a better Dolby Atmos soundbar that we’d suggest for those on a budget.
Effective handling of Dolby AtmosWarm, refined soundStreaming smarts
No additional HDMI portsDoesn’t support virtual DTS:X
This is the original version of Sonos’s smaller, less expensive soundbar. Even though the Beam Gen 2 has replaced it, it still sounds amazing and is unrivaled in its price range. Due to its WiFi connectivity, it has good integration with streaming services like Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon, Deezer, and Google Play Music. It also supports the personal assistants Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri. It is compatible with other Sonos devices as a speaker and can be included in a multi-room network or a surround sound system. It goes without saying that you’ll want to connect it to your TV, where it will provide sound quality that is miles above that of built-in speakers. Act quickly because the original Beam has been officially discontinued. It is still available on websites for resale and refurbishment, but who knows for how long?
Enveloping soundCompact and stylishSuperb streaming capabilities
Can sound harshMore HDMI inputs would be nice
Sony’s SF150 offers a big acoustic improvement for little outlay if you’re seeking for a straightforward, beneficial improvement in sound from your TV’s built-in speakers. In fact, there isn’t much competition under $100 that is worthwhile. The SF150 is a well-built speaker despite its modest price, and it wouldn’t seem out of place positioned beneath a TV that costs many times as much as it does. It contains an optical input that supports Dolby Digital, Dolby Dual mono, and LPCM 2ch in addition to an HDMI ARC port. For playing music from an external source, a USB connector and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity are also included. Sony’s S-Force Front Surround technology, which employs processing to create the acoustic sense of a larger sound stage, is also included in the SF150. While it undoubtedly cannot replace surround sound, it does give a striking feeling of separation and weight. Dialogue can occasionally feel a little muffled, and transients lack force, but that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given the SF150’s relatively modest price. For those hoping to quickly and easily enhance their TV, this inexpensive bar is great. However, those who need a musical, finely detailed speaker should aim for a more complex one.
Looks and feels premiumImpressive scale and widthInexpensive
Slightly muffled presentationCould have more punch
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