Sonos Arc review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Dolby Atmos
- No subwoofer included
verdict: Superb-sounding Sonos
This a superb Best Buy sound bar, with truly impressive audio quality and up there with the very best we’ve tested. If you’re not put off by the high price tag, you won’t be disappointed.
- Excellent audio quality
- Lots of features
- Great Atmos sound
- Tricky to set up
- App could be easier to use
Canton Smart Soundbar 10 review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Dolby Atmos
verdict: A smart, but expensive, decision
This is a great sound bar that is a worthy Best Buy. It combines features with clear and detailed sound. It is slightly complicated to set up and use, though.
- Clear and detailed sound
- Great for speech and special effects
- Lots of features
- The number of options could be confusing
LG SN11RG review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Dolby Atmos
- Wireless subwoofer included
verdict: Superb LG sound bar, at a price
The price will put many people off, but those willing to take the plunge will get a fantastic sound bar with excellent audio and plenty of premium features.
- Good overall sound
- Subwoofer and rear speakers included
- Wi-fi enabled
- Chromecast
- Google Assistant
- Bass rather heavy on Atmos
- Music a touch thin sounding
- A few ease of use niggles
LG SN5 review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Wireless subwoofer included
verdict: Five-star sound
Alongside fellow Best Buy, the Samsung HW-T550, the LG SN5 shows that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a top-quality sound bar. With superb sound and useful features, this sound bar is a fantastic addition to any living room.
- Superb sound quality across the board
- Wireless subwoofer included
- Simple to set up
- Remote control could be better
Samsung HW-Q70T review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Dolby Atmos
- Wireless subwoofer included
verdict: Solid and dependable Best Buy sound bar
The HW-Q70T certainly delivered the goods in our test lab, with vibrant, entertaining sound and plenty of features and functions. It’s slightly cheaper than the Samsung HW-Q800T, yet performed better, so go for this model instead.
- Good-quality sound including Atmos
- Simple to set up
- Could be easier to use
Samsung HW-A550 review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Wireless subwoofer included
verdict: Impressive Best Buy
The Samsung HW-A550 is a Best Buy that outperforms many other models around this price point. It’s a great-sounding option.
- Easy to set up and use
- Good sound quality
- No support for Dolby Atmos
LG SP11RA review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Dolby Atmos
- Wireless subwoofer included
verdict: Advanced multi-directional sound
The SP11RA is a premium product that won’t suit everyone’s budget or needs. But if you’re prepared to pay more for great sound quality and a wide range of features, this Best Buy sound bar certainly offers a lot to justify its asking price.
- Good sound quality
- Separate rear speakers and subwoofer
- Tons of features
- Supports high-resolution audio
- Requires space for the three speakers and four mains power connections
- Expensive
Samsung HW-T550 review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Subwoofer included
verdict: High quality sound bar at an affordable price
The Samsung HW-T550 is a Best Buy that even outperforms higher-priced models from Samsung, such as the disappointing HW-Q60T. It’s a fantastic, affordable sound bar for your living room.
- Good sound quality on speech
- Movies and music
- Easy to set up and use
- Affordable price
- Display is quite small
- Limited features
JBL Bar 9.1 review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Subwoofer included
verdict: A fantastic sound bar (if configured correctly)
The JBL Bar 9.1 is a Best Buy, but only if you detach the end speakers and position them to the rear as part of a surround-sound setup. If you leave them attached to the bar, the audio quality doesn’t make the grade. If you’re prepared to experiment with speaker placement to get the best out of this sound bar, then it’s a great option. Alternatively, check out our other recommended models instead.
- Great sound with detachable speakers positioned to the rear
- Complicated to set up
- Audio not as good when used in sound bar configuration
- Problems in Atmos mode
LG SK9Y review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Dolby Atmos
- Wireless subwoofer included
verdict: Rich and immersive sound quality
This is an impressive sound bar. Not only do you get clear, warm vocals, but sound effects are realistic, and there’s plenty of bass to back them up. Add Dolby Atmos and the surround sound really comes to life.
- Movies and TV sound great
- Plenty of features including Dolby Atmos
- Very expensive
- Can’t reach its own maximum volume without distortion
JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Dolby Atmos
- No subwoofer included
verdict: Good. well-priced all-in-one sound bar
This is a good sound bar with plenty of useful features, and only falls narrowly short of the standard required to be a Best Buy. That’s impressive for an all-in-one sound bar without a separate subwoofer. So if you’re looking for a space-saving great-sounding sound bar, it’s well worth buying.
- Good sound
- Easy to set up and use.
- Maybe overly complicated for some
Samsung HW-Q900A review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Dolby Atmos
- Wireless subwoofer included
verdict: Good, but still a little disappointing overall
This is a versatile sound bar with very good sound and a wealth of features, but considering the sky-high price we were hoping for something truly extraordinary. If you’re looking for a fully-featured sound bar it certainly delivers, but you can get even more – including for less – with one of our Best Buy models that can pip this as an all-round package.
- Easy to set up and use
- Good sound quality
- Doesn’t sound as good as the best
- Gets increasingly harsh at high volumes
Samsung HW-Q800T review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Dolby Atmos
- Wireless subwoofer included
verdict: Solid and consistent, but also dull
It’s not a bad sound bar, but the dull sound and some ease of use frustration mean there’s simply not enough reason to buy it over Best Buy alternatives.
- Clear speech quality
- Decent Atmos sound
- Simple to set up
- Sound quality rather dull overall
- Could be easier to use
Bose Smart Sound Bar 900 review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Dolby Atmos
- No subwoofer included
verdict: Good but pricey
This is a good sound bar with plenty of useful features, but falls just short of the standard required to be a Best Buy. For this sort of money we’d hoped for a touch more, but it’s certainly a great all-round package.
- Good sound
- Easy to use
- Maybe overly complicated for some
- Set up takes time
- Expensive
LG SN9YG review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Dolby Atmos
- Subwoofer included
verdict: Better options available elsewhere
The LG SN9YG is a decent sound bar with good audio quality in normal stereo or surround-sound mode, but it really struggles with Atmos material. For this sort of price we’d expect much better and it falls short of the threshold required to make it as a Best Buy.
- Good stereo and surround sound
- Easy to set up
- Poor Atmos sound
- Juggling two apps for full control becomes tiresome
Sonos Beam (2nd Gen) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Dolby Atmos
- No subwoofer included
verdict: A good sound bar for Sonos fans, but some offer a touch more
If you’re already invested in the Sonos ecosystem then this is a good sound bar. Audio quality is pretty impressive, yet overall it falls just short of being awarded a Best Buy. It’s still a good offer for the price, but if you’re not wedded to the Sonos brand then we’ve tested sound bars that sound a touch better and cost less, so we would suggest you look at them instead.
- Good sound
- High-end features
- Lack of a dedicated remote control won’t suit all
- Set up takes time
- No Bluetooth
LG SJ2 review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Wireless subwoofer included
verdict: A good all-rounder
The SJ2 is a nifty inexpensive option, well worth considering given the price. With a decent score in our sound quality tests, this sound bar could add a little extra quality to your TV without breaking the bank.
- Decent sound quality
- Easy to set up
- No HDMI ARC
- Not as good for music
Samsung HW-S60T review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Built-in subwoofer
verdict: Solid but not spectacular
It’s a compact and stylish-looking sound bar that appears to tick a lot of the boxes, including good sound. It’s not great to use, however, and lags behind our Best Buy sound bars.
- Good sound
- Wi-fi-enabled
- Bluetooth music streaming
- Amazon Alexa support
- Tricky to use
- Remote control fiddly
Samsung HW-S61T review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Built-in subwoofer
verdict: Solid but not spectacular
It’s a compact and stylish-looking sound bar that appears to tick a lot of the boxes, including good sound. It’s not great to use, however, and lags behind our Best Buy sound bars.
- Good sound quality
- Wi-fi-enabled
- Bluetooth music streaming
- Amazon Alexa support
- Tricky to use
- Remote control fiddly
Denon DHT-S416 review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Wireless subwoofer included
verdict: Respectable sound quality, but few advanced features
This mid-range model from Denon has some useful features, including a wireless subwoofer and built-in Google Chromecast. The DHT-S416 lacks some of the other premium features we start to see at this price, such as Dolby Atmos, but it’s easy to use and the sound quality is better than average.
- Good sound quality
- Easy to use
- Wireless subwoofer
- Few advanced features
- No Dolby Atmos
- Flimsy remote control
