10 Best TV Soundbars

The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar is designed to enhance your TV listening experience with immersive Dolby Atmos sound and Bose's TrueSpace technology, which creates a surround effect by placing sound all around and above you. It has six transducers, including two up-firing dipole speakers, which help deliver rich, multi-directional audio for movies and shows. The soundbar also features an AI dialogue mode that sharpens voices, so you won’t miss any important words during conversations or quiet scenes.

Connectivity-wise, it supports Bluetooth and HDMI eARC, making it easy to hook up to your TV or stream music wirelessly from your phone or tablet. The soundbar comes with a remote and supports voice commands through Amazon Alexa, allowing you to control playback and other smart functions hands-free. In terms of design, it’s a tabletop model with a sleek, compact profile that fits well in most living rooms without being intrusive.

It has a 1.0 channel configuration, which means it doesn’t include a separate subwoofer or multiple speakers to place around the room. While it delivers good sound with built-in bass boost, bass lovers might find it less powerful compared to systems with dedicated subwoofers. Some users might prefer a wall-mount option, which this model does not support. This soundbar suits users looking for simple setup, clear dialogue, and immersive sound effects in a single, stylish unit, especially if they value smart assistant integration and wireless convenience.

The Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Max is designed for people who want a premium home theater sound experience without needing a separate subwoofer. It offers a powerful 5.1.4 channel setup with 13 speakers, including five tweeters for clear highs and a deep, physical bass reaching 30Hz. This means movies and music feel immersive and rich, with true surround sound support like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, which many cheaper soundbars don’t provide. It also automatically adapts its sound to your room using built-in calibration, which helps optimize the audio based on where you place it.

Connectivity is versatile with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HDMI, and support for streaming services like Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, and Spotify Connect, making it easy to play audio from various devices wirelessly. Its size is quite large and heavy (over 18 kg), so it’s best suited for bigger TV setups and spaces where you can give it room to perform well on a tabletop. The aluminum build adds a premium feel but also contributes to the weight.

The soundbar’s size and weight might be too bulky for smaller rooms or those wanting a minimalist setup. It’s also a high-end product, so the price may be steep compared to simpler soundbars. While it does not require an additional subwoofer, some users might miss the flexibility of separate bass placement. The remote and included calibration microphone help fine-tune the experience but might add a small learning curve for users less familiar with sound customization. For those seeking a top-tier soundbar that delivers cinema-like surround sound, deep bass, and smart wireless features all in one unit, the AMBEO Soundbar Max represents an excellent choice, particularly suited for serious home theater enthusiasts with enough space and budget to appreciate its full capabilities.

The Bose TV Speaker is a compact and easy-to-use soundbar designed mainly to improve TV dialogue clarity and overall audio quality. It features two angled full-range drivers delivering stereo sound, which helps create a wider, more natural listening experience than typical built-in TV speakers. While it does not support advanced features like Dolby Atmos or surround sound, its focus on enhancing voices makes it a good choice for those who struggle to hear TV dialogue clearly.

Connectivity options include Bluetooth for streaming music, an optical audio input, and HDMI ARC (with a separate cable), making setup straightforward with a single cable. The soundbar is quite small and unobtrusive, measuring just over 5 cm tall, which allows for easy placement in front of the TV or wall mounting (brackets sold separately). It comes with a remote to toggle dialogue enhancement and bass boost, improving sound depth despite lacking a built-in subwoofer. However, for users wanting deeper bass, Bose offers compatible bass modules sold separately.

The design is simple and functional but made of plastic, which might feel less premium. It does not support smart assistant features or surround sound expansion and is not compatible with Bose surround speakers. This soundbar is well-suited for people seeking a straightforward, compact upgrade to their TV audio, especially for clearer speech, without the complexity or cost of high-end surround sound systems.