Soundbar Buying Guide

Highlights

What’s a soundbar?

Soundbars explained – how they enhance the home audio experience.

A soundbar is an essential piece of the puzzle to complete your home theater experience. Its capacity to deliver the ultimate surround sound ensures you enjoy richer and more immersive sound. Plus, it is stylish, compact and easy to set up with your TV.

Which soundbar should you choose?

You can opt for an all-in-one unit or choose to add in a subwoofer for extra bass. You can even go for a set up that comes with rear speakers to deepen the surround sound effect. Let’s sort through your options.

Three soundbar types

You can go for a complete home theater system including rear speakers, subwoofer, and soundbar, a soundbar with a separate subwoofer, or any all-in-one soundbar with an embedded woofer.

See all Smart speakers

Soundbar + subwoofer + rear speakers

Cinematic sound experience

A soundbar with separate rear speakers delivers cinematic experiences at home. Placed just behind and to the left and right of the listener, rear speakers work in concert with the separate subwoofer and soundbar to enhance the spatial positioning of sound effects, creating a three-dimensional surround sound that envelops you and makes you feel like you’re in the middle of your content. It’s the ultimate home entertainment experience.

There is an illustration of a soundbar setup, including a main soundbar unit placed on a console, a subwoofer next to the console, and two rear speakers behind the couch. There are sound waves going above and to the sides from the rear speakers. There is an illustration of a soundbar setup, including a main soundbar unit placed on a console, a subwoofer next to the console, and two rear speakers behind the couch. There are sound waves going above and to the sides from the rear speakers.

Soundbar + subwoofer

Boost your bass

A soundbar with a subwoofer might be all your space needs to create a dynamic audio experience. Subwoofers boost your bass, which is great for soundtracks and low-frequency sound effects like explosions. Plus, they are non-directional giving you flexibility to place them anywhere in the room, seamlessly integrating into your space while maintaining a balanced and powerful audio performance to bring your favorite content to life.

There is an illustration of a soundbar setup, including a main soundbar unit placed on a console and a subwoofer next to the console with sound waves coming from the bottom. There is an illustration of a soundbar setup, including a main soundbar unit placed on a console and a subwoofer next to the console with sound waves coming from the bottom.

All-in-one soundbar

Space-saving sound excellence

How about a sleek option? Featuring a built-in woofer, the all-in-one soundbar occupies minimal space while delivering the exceptional sound experience you seek. If you’re looking for a powerful audio encounter, we recommend a more robust option with a separate subwoofer.

There is an illustration of a main soundbar unit placed on a console right below a TV. There are sound waves coming out from the bottom. There is an illustration of a main soundbar unit placed on a console right below a TV. There are sound waves coming out from the bottom.

Soundbar options

Find out more about the different soundbar configurations.

Soundbars with subwoofer and rear speakers
Soundbars with subwoofer
All-in-One Soundbar
Audio Accessories

Still have questions?

Click on any article below to learn more.

Highlights
What’s a soundbar?
What do soundbar channel numbers mean?
What are Dolby Atmos and DTS:X?
Does soundbar design matter?
What’s the best way to connect a soundbar to your TV?
Find out why Samsung soundbars are unique

Help me choose a sound device

Discover the ideal sound device that will elevate your space.

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1Some soundbar models may not be compatible with subwoofers and rear speakers.

2Power cords are not shown or visible in all images.