TCL's latest flagship soundbar has two major selling points: 360-degree spatial sound and tuning in collaboration with longstanding hi-fi brand Bang & Olufsen (via John Archer on X).

Launched in China at the does-what-it-says-on-the-tin TCL Flagship New Product Launch conference, the Q95K has 11.1.4 channels of sound, with 1420W of peak power across 22 speaker units, and includes a wireless subwoofer and two wireless surround speakers.

The 'bar itself has seven horizontal channels, two overheads and a subwoofer, while the wireless surround speakers have rear surround, rear side surround and rear overhead channels to complete the spatial audio experience.

The three-way physical acoustic unit and independent sound chamber design help the Q95K cover a frequency range of 30Hz to 20kHz, with overall distortion kept under 1 per cent. Neodymium iron boron magnets paired with aluminium diaphragms help maintain detail and vocal clarity.

TCL says that the subwoofer's bass should remain stable even at higher volumes thanks to the dual 7-inch opposed units with a long-stroke damping design. The opposed movement aims to minimise cabinet resonances that can affect the bass.

Audio crosstalk is also reduced with 12 independent power amplifier chips driving the different speaker units separately.

B&O has helped create the audio profile, collaborating in terms of both hardware and the algorithm. Sound can be adjusted using the built-in Beosonic Mood Mixer. The algorithm can also be optimised to reduce the soundbar's reliance on room acoustics or wall reflections to deliver 360-degree spatial sound.

Using the TCL app, you can activate adaptive sound calibration to personalise the audio to your room. 4K HDR video passthrough is supported, as are wi-fi and AirPlay 2 wireless technologies.

It also has a floating base to reduce desktop resonances and a grille to keep dust out. It can be placed on a cabinet or wall-mounted, and will adjust its audio accordingly.

It's not the only new soundbar TCL announced. It also unveiled the Q85K, with 7.1.2 channels and 1180W of peak power, and the Q75K with 7.1.2 channels and 580W.

They are all available in China, with the Q95K costing 7999 yuan (around £889 / $1200 / AU$1700), the Q85K 5999 yuan (around £666 / $886 / AU$1300) and the Q75K 4699 yuan (around £520 / $700 / AU$1000).

We've contacted TCL regarding wider availability and will update this if we hear back.

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A soundbar is a must-buy for any home cinema enthusiast who doesn't have the budget and/or space for a full speaker package – but, with a wealth of options, how do you know which one is right for you? You could start by looking at the size.

While size may not be everything, it does have a big impact on how the bar performs and how it fits into your home entertainment set-up. Let me explain.

Like a glove

First of all, and most obviously, you need a soundbar that fits your space. You might be tempted to get the biggest, most powerful model you can afford, but if it doesn’t fit in the area allotted, it's not going to be much good.

But there's a lot more to it than just making sure it physically fits into your TV cabinet. There are also the aesthetics to consider. Remember, you'll have to look at it every time you settle down to watch something, so you want a soundbar that’s of a piece with its surroundings.

I was so keen to try out the Sonos Arc Ultra for a feature a while ago that I eschewed the tape measure altogether. As you can see from the photo at the top of this article, it made my ageing LG TV look like it had wings.

For the neatest look, go for a soundbar that’s roughly the same width as your TV, or slightly shorter. We’ve made some pairing recommendations below to get you started.

A soundbar that’s too big for your TV won’t simply look awkward; it will skew the sound, too. Soundbars are designed to project sound from just below the screen, and if yours extends way beyond the dimensions of your TV, it could throw the staging off.

Made to measure

There are other, more practical considerations, too. You need to make sure the soundbar doesn’t obstruct the bottom of the screen while you’re watching – otherwise you could miss elements such as a key plot development, visual gag or match-saving tackle.

Most premium TVs let you adjust their height to accommodate a soundbar. But it’s still vital you measure the bar’s height first to make sure it fits.

Your TV cabinet might have a shelf on which your soundbar fits perfectly, but there are other factors to consider.

Lots of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars have upwards-firing drivers to add height channels to the mix – that way, a helicopter on-screen will sound as if it is passing overhead. But if your soundbar is on a shelf, those height channels will be shooting straight into the underside of the surface above. Imagine turning your hi-fi speaker against the wall, and you get the idea.

Wall-mounting avoids a lot of these pitfalls, but that brings hazards of its own – the most important being weight. A big soundbar such as the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max tips the scales at 18.5kg, so you want to make sure your wall is up to the task of supporting it. No one needs their movie watching interrupted by the soundbar thundering to the floor, ripping off half the wall in the process.

The best soundbars for big and small TVs

So now you know what to look out for, which models of soundbar should you consider? We have collected some of the best below to match to your TV size.

The best soundbars for small TVs

When it comes to choosing a soundbar, you might restrict your choice to the big hitters (Samsung, Sonos, Sony), but that would be a mistake. Lesser-known brands can deliver too – just take the Creative Stage Pro.

At 55cm wide, it’s small enough to fit under a 32-inch TV, though you will have to find space for the separate subwoofer. Despite its small size, it delivers a surprisingly cinematic performance, with impressive detail and solid low-level dynamics.

Stepping up a gear is the Sony HT-SF150, which is ideally suited to a 43-inch TV. It is also very affordable, yet feels much more premium, and has Bluetooth for wireless playback from your phone or tablet. Sony’s S-Force Front Surround technology is on board, too – this applies processing to make the sound more enveloping, adding more weight and separation to the mix.

But probably the best of the small soundbars is the Sonos Beam Gen 2, which we have no hesitation in recommending – it has won a What Hi-Fi? Award for five years running. It offers Dolby Atmos but without the upwards-firing drivers. It still puts in a convincing performance, though: rich, three-dimensional and full of detail. It will even serve bigger TVs well, such is its power.

The best soundbars for bigger TVs

At 114cm wide, the Sonos Arc is more than twice the width of the Beam, making it ideal for TVs around 55 inches in size (such as the Sony Bravia 8 II and TCL C7K and LG C6).

It has 11 drivers (two of which are upwards-firing) to create one of the most convincing Atmos performances you can get from a single-chassis soundbar. Placement is superb, and there’s great weight and dynamism to the sound.

The Focal Mu-so Hekla is another great option at this size, though it doesn’t come cheap. Though when you consider that it’s basically a home hi-fi system as well as a soundbar, it looks like considerably better value.

Because of its unusual skillset, it is an odd shape, and so harder to accommodate than a more traditional bar. But one listen and you’ll know that it’s worth it.

The best soundbars for massive TVs

If your TV is more like an advertising screen than a television, then you have some great options for soundbars.

The Samsung HW-Q990F managed to outdo even its Product of the Year predecessor. This soundbar package comes with a subwoofer and two surround speakers, making it a bit more intrusive than a simple ’bar alone. But a big TV demands a big room, so hopefully you’ll have space for these extra components.

And it’s worth making space if you can. The subwoofer unearths new levels of bass, but manages to sound wholly integrated into the overall sound at the same time.

The Sonos Arc Ultra is Sonos’s flagship soundbar, and another Award winner. Its sound is clean, precise, spacious and three-dimensional, with enough scale to do even huge TVs justice.

The KEF XIO also won a What Hi-Fi? Award last year – a stunning feat for KEF’s first-ever soundbar. It blesses larger TVs with impressive musicality, tight bass and a full-bodied midrange.

Finally, the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max is a hulking beast of a ’bar. It stands 127cm wide and weighs a whopping 18.5kg. Good luck getting it in place, but once you have, the results are glorious.

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Soundbars tend to come in two flavours now: the usual standalone bar, and the soundbar system with extra speakers that has increased in visibility in recent years.

We’ve rounded up two of our favourites from both categories to see how they stack up. And not just any two – the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra, and Samsung’s new HW-Q990H soundbar system.

We’ll go through various categories such as price, design, features and, of course, sound, to find out which is the better buy.

As soundbar standoffs go, it doesn’t get much closer than this. So, after a deep breath, let’s get started…

Samsung HW-Q990H vs Sonos Arc Ultra: price

The Sonos Arc Ultra officially launched at £999 / $999 / AU$1799. However, it does get healthy discounts every now and then – the cheapest we’ve seen it go is £719 in the UK on Cyber Monday.

The Samsung HW-Q990H launched at a more expensive £1599 / $2000 / AU$1999. That’s a £600/$1000/AU$200 increase – though you have to bear in mind that this also includes a wireless subwoofer and two wireless surrounds.

You can add extra speakers to the Arc Ultra, but it quickly adds up. The cheapest way to build a Sonos system is to add a Sub Mini and two Era 100 speakers, which are available as part of the Home Cinema Completion Set for £785/$887/AU$1270, though if you shop around you can often find these products on sale separately.

The Samsung HW-Q990H is also much newer, only launching in spring 2026. Samsung’s annual soundbar system tends to tumble in price quickly and consistently after launch – the HW-Q990H is already down to £1299 in the UK. Last year’s model, the HW-990F, crashed to under £700 over Prime Day, and we’d expect the HW-Q990H to follow a similar pattern.

As things stand, the Sonos Arc Ultra is the better value buy, especially if you get it at a discount – but the two may very well swap places over the course of the next year.

**Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra**

Samsung HW-Q990H vs Sonos Arc Ultra: design

There is, of course, one key difference between the Samsung HW-Q990H and Sonos Arc Ultra; the Q990H is a soundbar system with surrounds and a subwoofer, whereas the Arc Ultra is a solo soundbar.

However, even the soundbar of the Q990H alone is bigger than the Arc Ultra – the Arc Ultra fits all of its channels into a 7.5 x 118 x 11 cm (hwd) bar, while the main soundbar of the Q990H comes in at 7 x 123 x 14cm. The Q990H’s surround speakers are a smaller 20 x 13 x 14cm, while the subwoofer is a 25 x 25 x 25cm cube.

The Q990H is a well-built, premium-feeling system constructed from aluminium and high-quality plastic. However, the design is identical to previous Samsung soundbar systems, and is starting to feel a little tired. The sharp, hexagonal design is a touch brutalist – especially compared to Samsung’s sleek OLED TVs – and the edgy soundbar does feel at odds with the rounded cube-shaped subwoofer.

We prefer the smooth curves of the Sonos Arc Ultra. The solo soundbar is pretty much all grille, with just a Sonos logo and a status light breaking up the appearance from the front, ensuring that sound can emanate from the soundbar in almost any direction.

The Arc Ultra’s design is largely similar to that of its predecessor, the Sonos Arc, with the exception of the 'ledge' at the back of the top of the chassis, which now houses touch controls for playback and volume. The Bluetooth pairing button is hidden in the recess around the back with the HDMI and power ports, which is a tad inconvenient.

The Sonos Arc Ultra gets our vote on an aesthetic level, but we still have features and sound quality to assess.

**Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra**

Samsung HW-Q990H vs Sonos Arc Ultra: features

The Arc Ultra boasts a 9.1.4-channel configuration, with 15 Class D amplifiers powering 14 drivers that are all Sonos-engineered. There are seven tweeters, six midrange woofers, and a 'Sound Motion' woofer, and it's the last of those that's the really big deal.

Rather than the one heavy motor that most speaker drivers employ, the Sound Motion driver has four smaller, lightweight motors in opposing corners. Working together, these motors are apparently able to push the cone to shift far more air and produce far more bass.

The Samsung, on the other hand, is an 11.1.4 system, with an impressive total of 23 individual drivers on board. This includes 15 drivers in the main soundbar unit, three in each of the wireless surround speakers, and two 8-inch woofers (in a push/pull configuration) in the wireless subwoofer. Upward-firing drivers are present in both the soundbar and surround speakers for immersive audio.

Speaking of immersive sound formats, the Sonos Arc Ultra only supports Dolby Atmos. The Q990H boasts three: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Samsung’s Eclipsa Audio. Eclipsa has not seen widespread coverage outside of YouTube so far, but it’s handy that the Q990H is futureproofed should this change down the line.

While the Sonos Arc Ultra does have an HDMI eARC output for sending high-fidelity sound from your TV, there are no HDMI inputs to enable passthrough, which could be an issue for any gamers out there. If you have a TV with only two HDMI sockets and more than one game console, you’ll be in a bit of a pickle as the Arc Ultra will take up one of your ports.

The Samsung, on the other hand, has two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 passthrough sockets, which support up to 4K/120Hz signals with VRR and ALLM, as well as HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. So you can plug two high-speed game consoles directly into the soundbar itself, and still enjoy plenty of gaming features.

The Sonos Trueplay calibration process for the Arc Ultra comes in two flavours – Quick and Advanced. The Quick method, which is a single measurement using the soundbar’s own microphone, makes a big difference, whereas the iOS-only Advanced method, the ‘hoovering-the-walls’ method we’ve seen before, only very slightly improves beyond that.

Samsung’s SpaceFit Sound Pro feature, which is essentially the Q990H’s’s calibration system, can helpfully accommodate if you can’t place the rear speakers at the recommended 135-150-degree angle behind the listening position. However, this isn’t just a one-time measurement – the feature is a constantly running system that monitors your listening space at all times to make adjustments in real time.

The Sonos app also allows you to access EQ controls and features such as Night mode, Speech Enhancement and the Loudness setting. However, we ran into several bugs during testing, and while a lot of the issues have been ironed out, it’s still not the most intuitive platform.

Luckily, you shouldn’t need to use the app too often – the remote control can handle most duties, and music can be sent directly from apps such as Spotify and Tidal.

Conversely, we find the Samsung SmartThings app to be the preferred way of interacting with the settings menus of the Q990H. The app has a snappy connection and set-up time, with easy-to-understand menus and generally solid stability.

The Q990H can also be connected wirelessly to compatible Samsung TVs, though we’d recommend sticking to a wired connection for the best audio quality and reduced latency. Q Symphony is also on offer, in which the Q990H can work in tandem with the speakers of a Samsung TV – though again, we’d recommend just sticking to the system rather than bringing a TV's sound quality into the equation.

Finally, the Q990H offers a Sound Elevation feature that’s designed to raise the audio upwards to match the position of your screen. We found it overshot things slightly and placed the sound towards the top of our TV, but this could be useful for those who wall-mount their TV and leave a gap between it and their soundbar.

The Sonos Arc Ultra is no slouch in the features department, but it loses out to the newer, feature-packed Samsung HW-Q990H. The soundbar system boasts more immersive audio support, a snappier, more stable app and, crucially, HDMI passthrough.

**Winner: Samsung HW-Q990H**

Samsung HW-Q990H vs Sonos Arc Ultra: sound

Starting with the Samsung HW-Q990H and a test viewing of Civil War, we find this soundbar package excels in practically every aspect. A woodland scene demonstrates the soundbar’s excellent placement of cinematic effects, with birds chirping overhead and twigs crackling underfoot.

Vocal clarity is excellent, with crisp, detailed and full-bodied dialogue, and the tonality and emotions of their voices are captured thanks to the Q990H's rich sonic characteristics and deft handling of low-level dynamics.

Bass is handled very well too, refusing to distort or warble during Blade Runner 2049’s infamously tricky chapter two. In fact, the bass builds nicely throughout, with a sense of tonal variation which makes it sound tuneful and dynamic.

K’s crowded apartment complex and a dystopian street are also captured with a level of finesse and detail that seriously sells the atmosphere of each scene. Background sounds are also cleverly woven into the soundfield without making them sound forced or intentionally singled out.

Moving on to music, we try the Q990H’s Standard mode, which removes the rear speakers and lets the main soundbar unit and subwoofer shine for stereo music reproduction.

Most, if not all, of the positive attributes from our movie testing are present and correct for music, too – vocals are warm and detailed, bass is taut, and there is a general sense of naturalism and balance to the sound. The Samsung system is a talented performer – but can’t quite top the Sonos when it comes to music.

Sonos soundbars have long been among the most musical in the category, though, and the Arc Ultra further solidifies that reputation. We prefer it over the Samsung system thanks to its richer, more rounded and smoother sound – the Arc Ultra is an energetic, exciting and engaging listen, and a crackingly musical soundbar.

Moving away from music, we also put the Arc Ultra through the Blade Runner 2049 chapter two test, and it also impresses. There’s no chuffing from the drivers and it has a really good go at the super-deep notes of the soundtrack. Bottom-end control isn’t cast iron, but the combination of weight and control is impressive.

The spatial sound-effect placement is also quite impressive for a solo bar. Voices and other audio are placed above us, in the top corners of the room and move around us, far beyond the extremities of the TV.

The sound is detailed too – incidental noises are delivered clearly and cleanly without distracting, with the Arc Ultra’s low-level dynamic subtlety ensuring these sounds are presented naturally and realistically. Grand changes in volume are also dispatched without fuss or fluster, with the solo soundbar capable of going very loud indeed.

So who comes out on top? Well, it depends entirely on what you plan to use the soundbars for. The Sonos Arc Ultra is a musical powerhouse and manages to pack in impressive detail and spatial effects into one convenient, plug-in-and-play bar.

The Samsung HW-Q990H, on the other hand, requires a bit more setup and space, but really benefits from the rear speakers for surround and height effects, as well as the rather impressive subwoofer.

It really depends on which soundbar is the best for you and your needs – both products excel in their respective areas, so we’re going to call this one a draw.

**Winner: Draw**

Samsung HW-Q990H vs Sonos Arc Ultra: verdict

As soundbar battles go, it doesn’t get much closer than this. There’s no wrong answer here really, with two top-tier home cinema audio options.

The Sonos Arc Ultra is better looking and is the go-to choice if you want just one box that excels with music and movies. The Samsung HW-Q990H is stuffed with features, including the all-important HDMI 2.1 inputs for gamers.

The Arc Ultra is also cheaper at the time of writing, but the HW-Q990H will inevitably fall to a similar, if not cheaper, price by next year.

If you’ve got the space for a multi-speaker system, then the HW-Q990H is an easy recommendation. But if you’re after the convenience of a single soundbar, then the Sonos Arc Ultra will serve you extremely well.

** Overall Winner: Draw**

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It must be tough when the spotlight of deals is snatched away from you during your own sales event.

Case in point, this Samsung HW-Q990F deal at B&Q, which takes the price from £1699, all the way down to just £695. That is an unbelievable discount, especially for an Award-winning, multitalented soundbar system such as this.

Now, we'll admit that B&Q isn't our usual go-to retailer for home cinema kit, but this discount shows that it's well worth looking way beyond Amazon's scope to secure the best deal.

For reference, the same soundbar package is currently sitting around the £750 mark on Amazon (there seems to be a few different listings at different prices), whereas Richer Sounds is asking £799 for it.

B&Q, it looks like you're good for more than just DIY and gardening...

Samsung's Award-winning HW-Q990F offers genuine surround sound without having to clutter your living room with cables.

The system is made up of a main soundbar unit that connects directly to your TV via HDMI eARC, as well as two wireless surround sound speakers that are designed to be placed adjacent to or behind your seating position, and a wireless subwoofer.

There are dedicated upward-firing drivers in both the soundbar and surround speakers for proper Dolby Atmos height effects, and the system as a whole features 15 drivers in total for an 11.1.4 setup.

While we loved the spacious, rich and detailed sound it provided during our thorough testing process, we found that the redesigned subwoofer was the star of the show. Samsung says it has a power output of 300W, and with bass this punchy and deep, we can believe that claim.

Not only does it sound great, but setup is a breeze, and it's feature-packed too. Practically every wireless streaming method is supported – from Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect, to AirPlay 2 and Amazon Music – and you can pass signals in up to 4K/120Hz with Dolby Vision or HDR10+ via the HDMI 2.1 passthrough socket.

If you want surround sound without the hassle of hiding cables, then the Samsung HW-Q990F is a no-brainer.

Especially if you're thinking of buying it from B&Q for £695. We've never seen it drop this low before, and with most competing retailers selling it for considerably more money, we think B&Q's deal is probably the best we've ever seen on this soundbar.

If anything, this is a lesson for those on the hunt for a bargain; it pays to look further afield this Prime Day.

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Read our full Samsung HW-Q990F review

And check out our picks for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

There’s a conundrum that many movie fans face. You might be perfectly happy with your TV’s picture performance, but the audio is often another matter entirely. Punchy action scenes might be missing a sense of energy, and it may be difficult to make out dialogue during busy parts of a film.

Luckily, there is a way to fix this common problem. If you don’t have the budget or space for a multi-speaker package to upgrade your sound, then adding a soundbar to the mix is a great way to go.

• View all the Prime Day deals on Amazon

And, for those on the hunt for an even more room-filling experience, there is the option of getting a soundbar with Dolby Atmos support, which can provide a much-desired extra boost of surround sound.

With Amazon Prime Day deals swarming your search like ants to a melting Calippo, it can be hard to find a model that is genuinely right for you. That’s where we come in. We have tested hundreds of soundbars over the years, and have hand-selected four products that provide immersive sound and are at a discounted price right now.

Sonos Beam Gen 2

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 holds the crown as the top entry-level Dolby Atmos bar in our best soundbars guide.

The Beam Gen 2 measures just 7 x 65 x 10cm (hwd) and weighs 2.8kg, making it easy to place in front of your TV without obscuring the picture. Under the hood, you will find four front-facing elliptical mid-woofers and a centre tweeter.

Most importantly, it offers a detailed, rich, and enveloping audio experience, which is particularly impressive considering its compact footprint.

Despite the bar’s lack of up-firing drivers, the soundfield is immersive and we get a good sense of height as well as scale. In fact, we note in our review: “Whether it’s a chirping bird, a car or a voice, there’s remarkable consistency across the complete soundfield, and seamless handover between drivers, which we have to say doesn’t always happen when a Dolby Atmos soundbar has upward drivers to contend with.”

It launched at £449, but this Prime Day deal has seen its price drop to £337 at Amazon. That’s a saving of £112, and is well worth considering if you are looking to add an Atmos soundbar to your system.

Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

If you are looking for a step-up soundbar to add to your system, then the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 is hard to beat. This Sony sounds exceptionally crisp and precise, and the Atmos-ness of its delivery is hugely impressive for a standalone bar.

We find there is a slightly clinical tone in its overall delivery, but its superb detail and punch mean it still achieves five-star success.

In terms of connectivity, gaming fans will be pleased to hear that the Bar 9 has a dedicated HDMI 2.1 input and support for 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM.

You can find it for £999 at Richer Sounds, chopping £400 off its launch price. At this price, it is also worth considering the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra. It’s a brilliant-sounding system, offering a rich overall sound with expressive vocals.

It features only a single HDMI eARC port, however, which is not as comprehensive as the Theatre Bar 9’s offerings. The Sonos model is currently available at its launch price of £999 at Smart Home Sounds, but we have our fingers crossed for a reduction before the end of Prime Day.

Hisense AX5125H

All-in-one soundbars work excellently for some people, but you might be craving that extra sense of immersion that can come with a soundbar package. And our top budget soundbar system recommendation is currently available for an absolute steal.

You can pick up the Award-winning Hisense AX5125H for just £199 at Currys, making it easily one of the best-sounding affordable soundbar systems we have heard.

The 5.1.2 system, which supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, offers a relatively compact design that is easy to accommodate in most homes. It is made up of two small wireless surround speakers, a wireless subwoofer and the main soundbar. Even though the surround speakers are surprisingly compact (each one measures just 14 x 9 x 11cm), they produce an impressively enveloping soundfield that massively improves upon our experience with the TV’s sound.

We noted in our review when watching Civil War: “Bullets whizz from the front to the back of the room and even behind the listening position, helicopters hover at ceiling height, and distant explosions rumble menacingly.”

Vocals are clear and sound relatively emotive too, although the subwoofer can get a little overzealous and cause them to become muffled in the busiest sections. Still, the Hisense system is a top performer in its class and is even more tempting at this discount.

Samsung HW-Q990F

Finally, we have the Samsung HW-Q990F, an Award-winning 11.1.4 soundbar package. Like the Hisense system, it is made up of a soundbar, a subwoofer, and two surround speakers.

It is a chunkier system in terms of its build, though. The surrounds, for instance, measure 25 x 25 x 25cm and the soundbar comes in at a more hefty 7 x 123 x 14cm (hwd).

With support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, we were impressed by the soundbar’s ability to create that all-important dome of sound as well as ensuring the sound moves organically between the channels.

When it comes to its bass performance, we say in our review: “There is a much greater sense of tonal variation from this subwoofer [compared with the older Q990D model], which unearths a new layer to the bass. The Q990F’s bass feels more organic, balanced, and seamlessly integrated into the system as a result.”

That all makes it a focused, tonally varied overall sound that immerses us in whatever we listen to. You can find the system for £750 at Amazon, saving you around a whopping £949 off its original price.

We recently reviewed the Q990F’s successor – the Samsung HW-Q990H. This new system managed to build upon our favourite aspects of the older model, resulting in an even more detailed and nuanced performance. That meant the Q990H took the crown when we put them head to head – but the Q990F is without doubt still a brilliant performer in the category.

Plus, the Q990H's price has dropped only a small amount for Prime Day (the cheapest we have seen so far is £1299 at Amazon). That makes the older model all the more tempting.

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Check out the best budget soundbars

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"Why can't I hear the dialogue on my TV speakers?"

It's a question we're asked all of the time, and while we're seeing TV manufacturers attempt to fix the issue with built-in dialogue enhancement features, we think there's a clear answer to this problem.

An external sound device, namely a soundbar, is one of the most crucial – and easy – TV upgrades that you can make.

Not only will you get clearer dialogue, but many soundbars also offer deeper bass, improved dynamics, and, if you opt for one that supports it, Dolby Atmos.

With Amazon Prime Day officially less than 24 hours away, we expect to see plenty of discounts on several models featured in our best soundbars list.

However, if you're simply looking for a quick, easy, and reliable recommendation, then you've come to the right place.

I've selected three soundbars – an affordable option, a mid-range choice, and a premium soundbar package – all of which have been thoroughly tested to solve your sonic woes by our expert team of reviewers.

Just be warned, it's early days, so prices may drop further during the Prime Day sales as the week progresses, but these are the top savings I've spotted in the initial round of discounts.

So, if you're tired of muffled voices or you're sick of rewinding to catch a crucial missed line of dialogue, then look no further.

Affordable: Creative Stage Pro

This sub-£100 marvel of a soundbar is also the most versatile option on this list.

Designed to be used with smaller TVs or on a desk with a computer monitor, the Creative Stage Pro is a charming, super-affordable, and effective soundbar.

It ditches a fancy feature set and instead opts for a straightforward approach to improving sound, and we think that was a clever move from Creative.

That simplicity extends to the setup process; a single cable links the soundbar to the included subwoofer, and there are options to connect the soundbar to your TV via an HDMI ARC or optical connection.

We think it's especially talented when it comes to voices, as our full review notes that it outputs "crisp, detailed and emotive dialogue", which is the ideal solution to stave off muffled TV sound.

We reviewed it at £130, but Overclockers UK has it down to just £95.

Mid-range: Sony HT-S2000

Sony's entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar is my choice at the more affordable end of the market.

This compact, fuss-free soundbar sports an easy plug-and-play setup, and it produces a sound that is guaranteed to be leagues ahead of your TV's built-in speakers. Not only that, but the inclusion of Bluetooth 5.2 ensures that streaming music to the unit is a breeze.

Generally speaking, the HT-S2000 ticks a lot of boxes, especially for the money. It serves up punchy dynamics, impressive directionality, and superb clarity, which results in an impressively cinematic sound despite the soundbar's modest footprint.

When it comes to voices, we stated that the HT-S2000 delivers "crisp and clear dialogue" and praised its ability to dig up an impressive amount of sonic subtleties. This means that voices not only sound clearer, but also more textured, tonally varied, and realistic.

We reviewed it at £349, but it can be found for just £299 at Amazon right now; that's a tidy £50 saving on a five-star soundbar.

Premium: Samsung HW-Q990F

This Award-winning soundbar package has been discounted so deeply that we think it makes a compelling mid-range option for those scouting out a new 'bar to sit below their TV.

This package includes a soundbar, two surround speakers, and a subwoofer, making it a full surround sound package. The trick here is that all components connect wirelessly, making it a neater solution compared to a traditional wired surround sound package.

The system produces a hugely spacious and detailed sound, with the included subwoofer being a particular highlight. It produces a rich, powerful, and tonally varied bass that blows many competitors out of the water.

On top of this, the HW-Q990F is no slouch when it comes to dialogue. We found it presents "natural and detailed voices" in our review, and if you want even more clarity, then Samsung's Active Voice Amplifier Pro feature is on board to grant your wishes.

We reviewed it at a hefty £1699, but it can currently be found on Amazon for just £749 (a staggering £950 saving).

MORE:

Find the best soundbar deals here

As well as our picks for the best budget soundbars

As well as the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Ah, the humble soundbar. You might not think from first glance that they are anything special. After all, their unassuming designs are usually built to blend into your living room in front of your TV virtually unnoticed.

But these compact champions can play a crucial part in your home cinema setup. If you have the right model, your TV’s (almost certainly) lacklustre audio can be upgraded to deliver immersive yet detailed sound with clear voices.

As with any piece of home cinema kit, there is a huge variety when it comes to quality and price. If you are looking on the more affordable end of the spectrum (take the Creative Stage Pro, for instance), you will rarely find Dolby Atmos support. For those who have bigger budgets, you will find more premium models with the specifications to match.

So which models are worth your time? We have tested oodles of bars over the years since the category emerged in the 2000s, so we know which soundbars are genuinely good sonic performers.

With Amazon Prime Day almost upon us (it officially runs from the 23rd to the 26th June), we have already spotted some stellar bargains on top-performing soundbars. All the models below have been thoroughly tested by our experts, and have achieved either a four or five-star rating.

MORE:

Here is our review of the Samsung HW-Q990F

Check out the best soundbars

These are the best budget bars on the market

You know how fancy restaurants have this tendency to deconstruct classic recipes? Well, Sony’s done the same thing to the soundbar, but unlike that deconstructed lasagne, which you rather wish was just a perfectly delicious, fully constructed lasagne, the Bravia Theatre Trio is an almost flawlessly tasty treat.

Sony’s thinking behind the Theatre Trio is that as TVs get ever bigger, soundbars will struggle to create audio on a scale to match the visuals. The obvious solution is to switch to having speakers on either side of the screen, which is what the company’s done previously with the HT-A9 and Bravia Theatre Quad, but that creates its own issue: a lack of central focus, which is particularly important for dialogue.

The solution to the solution, then, is to break the soundbar down into three parts: a centre, a front left and a front right.

In a way, this is the antithesis of the soundbar, which was created, of course, to reduce all of the speakers needed for satisfying home cinema into one, slender unit. What’s next: the return of full home cinema in a box systems?

Let’s not get bogged down in the circular nature of home theatre fashion right now, though. Let’s just enjoy the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio for what it is: one of the finest lifestyle Dolby Atmos systems you can currently buy.

Price

The Sony Bravia Theatre Trio has launched at £1999 / $2000 / AU$2999, making it a very premium proposition indeed.

It’s a highly unusual proposition in today’s market, too, which makes direct comparison rather tricky. Someone considering the Bravia Theatre Trio might also have on their shortlist solo soundbars such as the KEF XIO, Sonos Arc Ultra and Bravia Theatre Bar 9; full soundbar systems such as the Samsung HW-Q990H; and bar-less set-ups such as the Bravia Theatre Quad.

It’s a good job, then, that we have all of these on hand for comparison with the Trio.

Almost inevitably, the Trio system can be expanded through the addition of wireless surround speakers and up to two wireless subwoofers. The new Rear 8, Rear 9, Sub 7, Sub 8 and Sub 9 are all compatible with the Bravia Theatre Trio, and if you buy everything together, the prices of the surrounds and sub(s) are halved.

Several legacy accessories – the SA-SW5 and SA-SW3 subwoofers, and the SA-RS5 and SA-RS3S surrounds – are also compatible with the Trio, should you already own any of those.

We’ve tested the Trio with the Rear 9 surrounds and Sub 8, as well as solo, and you can read our thoughts on the value of expanding the system in the sound quality section.

Design

The Bravia Theatre Trio is a slightly odd thing to behold, especially if you're coming from a soundbar.

The left and right speakers will look familiar to anyone who remembers Sony's HT-A9 system. They share a similar cylindrical shape and fairly substantial dimensions, though the Trio's versions are considerably more stylish, with a black fabric (rather than grey plastic) finish that helps them look modern and discreet despite their size.

They're attractive speakers, too. A metallic ring around the top of each cabinet adds a touch of class, while perforations in the top reveal the up-firing drivers responsible for the system's height effects. Build quality feels reassuringly solid throughout, too.

The centre speaker is a little more divisive.

Essentially a very narrow soundbar that sits beneath the TV, the centre isn’t unattractive exactly, but there is something slightly awkward about its proportions, particularly when it’s positioned beneath the sort of super-sized TV that the Trio is primarily designed to partner.

Thankfully, its low-profile design means it won't obstruct the screen, and Sony includes spacer feet in the box should you need it to straddle your TV’s pedestal stand.

Sony has also done an excellent job of making the Trio as installation-friendly as possible.

The rear of each speaker is flat, allowing for neat wall-mounting, and the left and right speakers require little more than suitably positioned screws. A dedicated wall bracket for the centre speaker is included in the box, too, alongside an HDMI cable and usefully long power leads.

Sony has gone out of its way to ensure that the system isn't overly fussy about speaker placement. It's still worth positioning the speakers as symmetrically as possible, but if real-world constraints mean one speaker ends up slightly higher or further away than another, the calibration system is designed to compensate.

There are compromises to the minimalist approach, though.

Like many modern soundbars, the Trio has no traditional display. Each speaker instead features a small status light that indicates power and connection information. Anyone wanting more detailed feedback will generally need to open the Bravia Connect app, which isn’t always ideal, despite the quality of the app itself.

This is a non-issue for owners of compatible Bravia TVs, at least, as the Trio’s settings and status information appear directly within the television's interface.

Sony also supplies a small but useful remote control that provides quick access to the essentials, including volume, bass level, sound modes, voice enhancement and input selection.

Features

While the Bravia Theatre Trio's three-piece design is its most obvious distinguishing feature, the real cleverness lies in how Sony attempts to make those three speakers sound cohesive, like a soundbar, yet also much bigger, like a more traditional home cinema set-up.

Officially, the Trio is a 3.0.2-channel system comprising dedicated left, centre and right speakers. The centre houses two front-firing woofers and a tweeter, while the left and right speakers each feature a front-firing woofer and tweeter, plus an up-firing driver. Together, Sony claims the three speakers deliver a total power output of 405W.

The system supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks. It’s IMAX Enhanced certified, too, but only once compatible rear speakers and a subwoofer have been added.

Key to the way the Trio handles these 3D audio formats is Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology. Using the physical speakers as a foundation, 360SSM then creates up to 24 'phantom' speakers around the room. These virtual speakers are designed to bolster the real ones and create a larger, more immersive soundstage than would otherwise be possible.

One area in which Sony has clearly put particular effort is set-up and calibration.

Installation is handled via the excellent Bravia Connect app, which guides you through the entire process with clear, well-illustrated instructions. Despite the sophistication of the system, getting everything connected, positioned and configured is refreshingly straightforward.

As part of the set-up process, you're asked to specify the locations of the speakers relative to one another, either approximately or by entering precise measurements. You can also specify their height, allowing the system to compensate for the sort of less-than-perfect real-world placement that often comes with living-room-friendly home cinema set-ups.

The calibration itself is unusually thorough, too. As well as using microphones built into the speakers, the Trio comes supplied with a dedicated USB-C calibration microphone that you plug into your phone before measurements are taken from the listening position. The result should be a level of consistency and accuracy that's difficult to achieve with systems that rely solely on onboard microphones or a smartphone.

Despite that thoroughness, the process is remarkably quick and painless, and, once complete, Sony's Sound Field Optimisation technology adapts the system’s performance to both your room and speaker placement.

There are plenty of further adjustments available within the app should you wish to experiment. You can choose between Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping processing, Dolby Speaker Virtualiser and DTS Neural:X, adjust the height of the soundfield, create a temporary listening position and access the usual assortment of voice enhancement, bass and night mode settings.

Happily, Sony's default settings are generally spot on, and most users will never feel the need to delve into the Trio’s advanced sound settings.

Connectivity is solid, too. The centre speaker houses an HDMI eARC connection for your TV, plus a dedicated HDMI input with support for 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM passthrough.

Wireless support includes Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay and Spotify Connect, while Sony's DSEE Ultimate processing can be used to upscale compressed music files.

Owners of compatible Bravia TVs get a few extra perks, including Voice Zoom 3 dialogue enhancement and, as mentioned, the ability to control many of the Trio's functions directly through the television's interface.

Sound quality

The whole point of splitting a soundbar into three separate speakers is to create a larger and more spacious soundstage, and that's exactly what Sony has achieved.

Compared with even the best conventional soundbars, the Trio sounds huge. Effects stretch much further to the left and right, dialogue remains firmly anchored to the screen, and there's a greater sense of sound being projected out into the room rather than simply originating from beneath the TV.

Blade Runner 2049 demonstrates these strengths particularly well. The sounds of the city as K walks towards his apartment spread far beyond the physical locations of the speakers, filling our large listening room with impressive width and scale. More importantly, the system doesn't just sound wider than a soundbar; it sounds taller, too.

In fact, the Trio's Dolby Atmos performance is one of its most impressive achievements. The sounds of passing vehicles, overhead announcements and environmental effects frequently extend above the listening position, creating a genuinely convincing sense of height. Given the size of our test room and the almost three-metre distance between the seating position and speakers, that's no small feat.

The system proves equally adept with the chaotic battle sequences of Civil War and the aerial action of Top Gun: Maverick, maintaining an impressively large and immersive soundfield without losing track of the finer details.

Perhaps even more impressive than the scale, though, is the cohesion. Despite the fact that you're listening to three physically separate speakers, the Trio rarely sounds like three separate speakers. Instead, it creates a single, unified wall of sound that stretches right across the front of the room.

That sense of integration is particularly important because it allows the system to retain one of the key advantages of a traditional soundbar: you never find yourself consciously thinking about which speaker is producing which effect.

Much of the credit for this appears to belong to Sony's Movie Theatre Acoustics processing. Switch it off, and the soundstage immediately shrinks, while the illusion of a single coherent soundfield begins to weaken. Leave it enabled, however, and the Trio sounds significantly larger, more immersive and more convincing.

There is a small trade-off. The processing can occasionally exaggerate echo that's already present within a soundtrack. The interviewer's voice during K's baseline test in Blade Runner 2049 is one example, while Nandez's dialogue during the early autopsy sequence gains a touch more resonance than is strictly correct.

These moments are relatively rare, though, and the benefits broadly outweigh the drawbacks. Some people might prefer the cleaner delivery when Movie Theatre Acoustics is disabled, but most will want to leave it enabled (as it is by default) for the additional scale, weight and cohesion it brings.

In some respects, the Trio highlights the limitations of conventional soundbars.

Using the excellent Sonos Arc Ultra as a reference point, Sony's system delivers substantially greater scale, bass weight and Atmos immersion. This isn't really a criticism of the Sonos, which remains one of the most capable soundbars at its price, but it does neatly demonstrate what can be achieved when you physically separate the front channels: the Trio simply fills the room more effectively.

One small issue to note regarding movie sound is that the centre speaker can buzz slightly when pushed by super-deep bass, such as that at the start of the second chapter of Blade Runner 2049. It's not something that crops up often enough to become a significant issue, but it is one of the few occasions on which the centre speaker draws attention to itself.

For music, meanwhile, the Trio offers something that most soundbars simply cannot: genuine stereo reproduction.

Switch Sound Field processing off and the centre speaker drops out, leaving dedicated left and right channels handled by dedicated left and right speakers. Give those speakers a small amount of toe-in, and the resulting stereo image is impressively focused, while still benefiting from proper separation.

My Curse by Killswitch Engage is delivered with excellent punch, dynamics and drive, while Rosalía's Divinize demonstrates the system's ability to produce serious low-frequency heft. The dense instrumentation of Karnivool's Salva remains composed and controlled, and Alone On A Hill by Silversun Pickups is rendered with convincing scale and strong stereo focus.

Sony's hi-fi heritage shines through here. The Trio sounds weighty, energetic and engaging in a way that most soundbars simply don't.

That doesn't mean it's a replacement for a properly sorted pair of powered hi-fi speakers, of course, but it comes closer than most lifestyle home cinema products.

One similarly priced alternative to the Trio that we’ve not yet mentioned is the excellent KEF XIO.

With both movies and music, the KEF sounds cleaner, crisper and more detailed than the Sony, with excellent organisation and precision. The Trio counters with greater weight, larger scale and the sort of genuine stereo separation that only physically separated speakers can provide.

Neither approach is inherently better than the other, and preferences will inevitably vary, but the comparison reinforces the fact that Sony has created something genuinely distinct rather than simply another premium soundbar.

And, while the Bravia Theatre Trio is a complete and highly capable package on its own, adding Sony's optional speakers and subwoofer takes things to another level.

Testing with the Rear 9 surrounds and Sub 8 dramatically increases immersion, creating a seamless bubble of sound that extends around the entire listening position. Atmos effects become even more precisely placed, and the busy cityscape of Blade Runner 2049 becomes extraordinarily convincing.

Just as importantly, the minor shortcomings of the standalone system largely disappear. The slight buzz from the centre speaker vanishes once deep bass duties are handed over to the subwoofer, while the occasional over-emphasis of echo through Movie Theatre Acoustics is also cured.

There remains a very slight amount of distortion from the Sub 8 itself during the deepest bass moments, and we'd be fascinated to hear whether the larger Sub 9 can eliminate this final remaining niggle. That's a discussion for another review, though.

Judged as an initial package, the Bravia Theatre Trio is a hugely impressive performer that successfully combines the scale and spaciousness of a separate-speaker home cinema system with much of the convenience and cohesion that make soundbars so appealing.

Verdict

Sony's Bravia Theatre Trio could easily have ended up feeling like an awkward compromise: neither as neat as a soundbar nor as capable as a traditional speaker system. Instead, it succeeds in taking many of the strengths of both approaches while avoiding most of their weaknesses.

It's not quite perfect – the centre speaker isn’t quite as capable as the larger speakers flanking it, there's no display, and some rivals can sound a touch cleaner and more detailed – but those shortcomings are minor in the context of what the Trio achieves overall.

Ultimately, Sony's deconstructed soundbar concept proves brilliantly effective. If you're looking for a premium lifestyle Dolby Atmos system and have the budget to stretch this far, the Bravia Theatre Trio is one of the most compelling options in years.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Design 4
• Features 4

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Read our review of the KEF XIO

Also consider the Samsung HW-Q990H

Read our Sonos Arc Ultra review

Best Dolby Atmos soundbars: our reviewers' five recommendations

I’ve reviewed a whole range of soundbars in my time at What Hi-Fi?, ranging from five-star wonders to less-than-satisfactory models.

But it is not every day that a product like the Focal Mu-so Hekla enters the test room. This all-in-one sound system comes in at a whopping £3000 / $3600 (around AU$5625), placing it firmly in the high-end soundbar category.

The system supports Dolby Atmos (but there is no DTS:X), plus you get the full complement of streaming-service support, including Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify.

While it is branded as Focal, it is a collaboration between the French manufacturer and its sister company Naim Audio. Both brands hold a strong pedigree, so we had high hopes when we got the system into our test room.

And (spoiler alert) we were not disappointed. My colleagues and I spent days testing the Mu-so Hekla, so here are three things that impressed us the most about the model, and one thing that gave us some trouble.

Immersive, detailed sound with music and movies

First off, the Hekla sounds amazing with whatever we throw at it, whether that is a tense action thriller or a delicate piece of classical music. During testing we felt like we were immersed in everything we listened to, thanks to the system’s enveloping soundstage that wrapped around the listening position.

This experience was heightened by the system’s excellent precision, as you can hear effects placed around the soundfield with startling accuracy. When watching Dune: Part Two, we found in our review: “The levels of detail are breathtaking, as we can hear the grains of sand falling with an impressive exactness.”

Turning to music, this same show-stopping performance continued. Vocals sounded natural and expressive, and each frequency remained well-balanced.

We tested the Hekla against one of its closest competitors – the Award-winning KEF XIO. This five-star model launched at £1999 / $2500 / AU$3600, and holds the crown as the top premium soundbar in our best soundbars guide.

While the XIO is still an excellent performer, the Hekla justifies its higher price tag with better dynamics, detail resolution and refinement.

Clean, agile bass

Another sonic standout is Hekla’s bass. The low frequencies are meaty yet agile, lending its performance an extra sense of impact.

We felt the tight punch of initial bass in the soles of our feet during Dune: Part Two as our central character slips the thumper into the sand to call the worm.

Later as the worm bursts out from the depths, the roar of sand was forceful but not overwhelming, as you still hear Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides slinging his metal hooks and shouting in his efforts. It never stood out from the rest of the sound despite its low-end heft, and remained balanced even during busy action scenes.

We said in our review that it “reaches the lowest we have heard for an all-in-one system”, making it a class-leader in the soundbar category.

Stylish design

Aside from its audio performance, the Mu-so Hekla has a stylish design that feels worthy of its premium price tag. It is made from anodised aluminium with sandblasted finishes, which gives the system a sturdy and smooth feel.

Under the hood, it is equally impressive. There are 15 drivers in total, including seven on the front (three woofers, two midrange and two tweeters), two full-range drivers each on either side of the unit, and four upward-firing drivers at the top.

The Hekla is available only in an all-black finish – the idea is for the unit to disappear in a dark room (you can also turn off the LED illumination surrounding the control dial) for ultimate immersion in what you are watching or listening to.

There is also a tactile dial on the top of the bar that also acts as a touch screen, and adds to its sleek appearance. You can control volume with a twist to the side, and the dial acts as a touch screen to adjust input and power.

No display and bulky design

As much as we like this stylish touch dial, it makes navigation a little difficult when it is being used as a soundbar. As the display is on the top of the bar, it is not as intuitive as other designs we have seen such as the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max where the change in volume or output is clear.

In our test room, the light from the dial also reflected off the screen from certain angles. This won't be a problem if you're using the Hekla as a hi-fi system away from your TV, though.

The bar is also pretty hefty, weighing 15.5kg and measuring one metre long and almost 30cm deep. That means it’s less easy to accommodate than other premium soundbar rivals, as it needs a relatively large piece of furniture to support it.

This design makes sense from an engineering perspective, as Focal says it had to be this large to fit the required drivers, electronics and acoustic technology into the box to deliver the high-quality sound and immersion it wanted. Still, it is certainly worth considering how it will fit into your space.

Despite this design quirk, the Focal Mu-so Hekla is an incredibly strong sonic performer that more than justifies its high price tag.

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Here is our full review of the Focal Mu-so Hekla

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The Focal Mu-so Hekla is not your average soundbar. It claims to be an “immersive all-in-one system” that “combines Dolby Atmos technology, outstanding sound performance, and ease of use to transform your everyday listening”.

Its name alone shows off its strong pedigree. While it is branded as Focal, it is a collaboration between the French manufacturer and its sister company Naim Audio. This isn’t the first time the two brands have worked together on a product: that was the high-end Diva Utopia active wireless stereo speaker system (£29,999 / $39,999 / AU$59,999) which came out back in 2024.

The Naim link is also apparent with the inclusion of the Mu-so branding, which audio fans may recognise as the company’s well-regarded line of wireless speakers that launched in 2014. The range boasts such products as the five-star and What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Naim Mu-so 2 (2019) and Mu-so Qb 2nd Gen models, which wowed us with their punchy, detailed and dynamic sound.

And where does Hekla come from? It’s the name of one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes. If that evokes an explosive and powerful performance, then you would be correct.

Price

The Focal Mu-so Hekla has its sights set on the high-end market, and is only sold in authorised Focal Powered By Naim retailers. This exclusive nature is also reflected in its price tag, which is a whopping £3000 / $3600 (around AU$5625).

That’s higher than the all-in-one music systems we have encountered from Ruark Audio and Cambridge Audio, as well as premium Dolby Atmos soundbars such as the KEF XIO (£1999 / $2500 / AU$3600) which snagged a What Hi-Fi? Award last year. We praised this KEF soundbar for its agile bass and detailed overall sound.

Design

The Mu-so Hekla is quite a bulky beast. It is one metre long and almost 30cm deep. On top of that, it weighs 15.5kg. This makes it less easy to accommodate than other premium soundbar rivals, as it needs a relatively large piece of furniture to support it.

On the top of the bar, you will find a stylish white illuminated dial that is the same as that featured on Naim’s Mu-so products. You can control volume with a twist to the side, and the dial acts as a touch screen to adjust input and power. It makes for a sleek design that rotates smoothly and adds to the premium feel.

As much as we like it, this design creates some issues when the Hekla is used as a soundbar. In our test room, it only just fits under our TV screen and the light from the dial is reflected off the screen from certain angles. This is not a problem when using the Hekla as a hi-fi system away from your TV.

Given the system’s bulkiness it’s fair to ask, why not make it more soundbar-y in shape? The Hekla’s shape is dictated by the engineering team’s insistence on prioritising acoustics. It simply had to be this large to fit the required drivers, electronics and acoustic technology into the box in order to deliver the high-quality sound and immersion they wanted.

“When we created this product, yes, we wanted a home cinema experience; but above all, we wanted to keep our hi-fi signature, specifically for music,” a Focal representative told our Hi-Fi and Audio Editor Kashfia Kabir at the product’s launch showcase last year.

The Hekla is available only in an all-black finish – the idea is for the unit to disappear in a dark room (you can also turn off the LED illumination surrounding the control dial) for ultimate immersion in what you are watching or listening to.

Although it is large, the Hekla has a premium-feeling design that matches its price tag.

Features

There are 15 drivers in total, with each powered by its own Class D amplifier. That includes seven drivers on the front (three woofers, two midrange and two tweeters), two full-range drivers each on either side of the unit, and four upward-firing drivers at the top of the unit.

All together, it outputs a claimed 660 watts of power (60W each to the front three drivers, 40W each to the remaining 12 drivers). The electronics (streaming and amplification) are all designed by Naim. Steve Sells, the engineer behind the original Mu-so and the flagship Naim Statement amplifier, was also involved in the development of this Mu-so Hekla.

In terms of physical connectivity, you will find an HDMI port with eARC support. There is also an optical input, a wired Ethernet port (alongside wi-fi capability), and a pair of RCA outputs to add a subwoofer.

You can connect your TV, CD player, Blu-ray or games console; but unlike other do-it-all modern systems, there is no built-in phono stage.

As you would expect, you get the full complement of streaming-service support and high-resolution file compatibility. Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify – and their Connect versions – are present, as are AirPlay 2, Google Cast and Bluetooth (standard AAC and SBC codecs only) for easy streaming from your devices. UPnP streaming is also on board, meaning you can play stored files from connected hard drives.

Hekla supports hi-res audio up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD128 files, and it can also connect with other compatible Focal/Naim streaming products that use the same Focal & Naim app and streaming platform to create a multi-room system.

In terms of sound modes, there are a range of options to choose from: Dolby Music, Dolby Movie, Sphere Music and Sphere Movie. There is also a Night Mode, which reduces dynamics and bass so you do not disturb others in the house.

You can switch between these modes via the app, which lets you easily fine-tune the bar’s settings and change the output. You can also go into the EQ settings, and calibrate the soundbar to your space with Focal’s ADAPT (Adaptative Acoustic Personal Tuning) technology. Get your tape measure handy for that one, as you will be asked to calculate a range of different measurements.

With ADAPT on, the scale of the sound is wider, which adds an extra bit of immersion to our listening experience.

Sound

As soon as we boot up the Focal Mu-so Hekla with movies, we are greeted with a spacious yet precise sound that elevates every scene.

We kick off with Sinners in Dolby Atmos as our protagonist Sammie summons spirits from the past, present, and future to a small barn in Mississippi. When Sammie sings his heartfelt tune, accompanied by just his guitar, his slightly tentative vocals sound emotive and grow stronger as he gains confidence with a sense of authenticity.

As the spirits join in and more instruments are added to the mix, the Hekla does a brilliant job of expanding the soundfield to create a sense of spaciousness without losing its composure. Each instrument and voice is still placed exactly around the space, which adds a sense of precision that is rare for an all-in-one system. There is not a trace of harshness either, as we are instead treated to a solid and full-bodied approach that adds an extra weightiness.

The Hekla maintains this composed yet impactful performance with its bass. With Dune: Part Two in Atmos, we watch as Timothee Chalamet’s Paul Atreides rides his first sandworm. When he slips the thumper into the sand to call the worm, the initial click is tight and clean with a precision that can be felt in the soles of our feet. The levels of detail are breathtaking, as we can hear the grains of sand falling with an impressive exactness.

Later as the worm bursts out from the depths, the roar of sand is forceful but not overwhelming, as you can hear Atreides slinging his metal hooks and shouting in his efforts. The bass also packs an authoritative low-end punch that reaches the lowest we have heard for an all-in-one system, adding to the scene’s impact.

The gradual build from Atreides quietly skulking across the sand to the exhilarating flurry of sound as the worm emerges is expertly handled by the Hekla, and shows off its superb dynamics.

When switching between the sound modes, each offers a slightly different experience. Dolby Movie offers the most precise sound, but this results in a slightly less three-dimensional feel. Sphere Mode, on the other hand, offers a more spacious sound with a more muscular bass but sacrifices a degree of precision. Both sound great, but it is down to personal preference.

The same can be said for the modes when we switch between Dolby Music and Sphere Music when playing some tunes.

The Hekla continues its show-stopping performance with music, and deals excellently with whatever we throw at it. Listening to 500 Miles by Peter, Paul and Mary via Qobuz Connect, the system shows off its softer side. As the vocals get louder near the end of the piece then grow quieter to almost a whisper, it handles this change in dynamics with subtlety to compound the emotive finale.

It can go punchy and loud, too. With Liar’s Tale by Kneecap, the initial visceral electric zing is portrayed with enthusiasm and clarity. When the bass comes in full throttle, it is delivered with authority and immediately gets our toes tapping.

With Yosi Horikawa’s Bubbles, the sound of bouncing ping pong balls cascades all around our listening position with incredible levels of detail and spaciousness.

We put the Hekla up against the less pricey KEF XIO. While the cheaper XIO is still great for the money, the Hekla justifies its higher price tag with better dynamics, detail resolution and refinement.

Verdict

As far as all-in-one systems go, the Focal Mu-so Hekla offers the best of both worlds. It delivers all the drama you could want from a soundbar when watching movies, with controlled bass and authoritative overall sound that elevates each scene.

But you can also feed it a delicate piece of music and be treated to a finessed performance that makes you feel the emotion of each note.

It might come at a high price but, if you have the funds, its performance more than justifies the cost.

Review published: 15th June 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Design 5

MORE:

Read our review of the KEF XIO

Also consider the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max

Best hi-fi systems: CD, vinyl and streaming music players for the home

Best soundbars: options for every need, recommended by our experts

If you are looking for a way to upgrade from your TV’s subpar audio without taking up space in your home, then a soundbar is a great way to go.

There are a range of options on the market, from budget bars to more premium models. The Sonos Arc Ultra is an example of the latter, and it has snagged a What Hi-Fi? Award for its excellent performance.

Since its release in 2024, the Arc Ultra has been relatively unchallenged. But the new Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S has stepped into the ring with its eye on the prize.

Boasting both a subwoofer and a soundbar as opposed to the Arc Ultra’s all-in-one design, they are two different beasts. But who will come out on top when it comes to audio performance? We have put both soundbars head-to-head in our test room, so we can tell you from experience which model is most worth your money.

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: price

So how much will each soundbar set you back? The Sonos Arc Ultra launched at £999 / $999 / AU$1799 but, since its release, you can get it cheaper. In the UK, the Sonos model has dropped to £799 at most retailers, although we have seen it fluctuate.

The Sony system launched at £799 / $1100 (around AU$1320), and has remained at that price since its release. This combo has not been out as long as the Arc Ultra, so there is still an opportunity for the price to drop as time goes on.

There is the option to buy the Bravia 7 without the subwoofer but, for reasons that will become clear, we recommend spending the extra cash.

Right now, though, it is a tie between the two bars when it comes to cost.

**Winner: draw**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: design

The two soundbars offer opposing designs that cater to different sides of the market.

The Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S consists of a soundbar and subwoofer, so there is one extra bit of kit to consider compared to Sonos’ single all-in-one bar.

Offering a versatile design, the accompanying subwoofer is easy to place in our test room and connects to the soundbar quickly. You can use it in two different positions, either with the grille facing the listener or the side of the room.

The Arc Ultra is longer than the Bar 7 soundbar, coming in at 8 x 118 x 11cm (hwd) versus Sony’s 6 x 95 x 13cm (hwd). The Sonos model is also heavier, weighing 5.9kg compared to 4.6kg.

With the Sony bar, you will find a small remote control that puts functionality over style. From here, you can control the power, input, bass levels, volume and turn on Night mode. There’s no such addition with the Sonos, however.

You can find the Sonos bar in either a black or white finish, whereas the Sony system is only available in black. Neither of the bars has a display, and the Sony has no buttons on the top of the bar. The Arc Ultra features touch-sensitive buttons, though these are situated on a ledge at the back. A display with both models would make navigating the settings without relying on the accompanying apps feel more straightforward.

Both designs offer their own benefits. The Sonos offers a slightly simpler set-up with its all-in-one build, but the Sony’s soundbar is more compact and offers versatility with the subwoofer’s placement.

That all depends on what you need from your soundbar, so it’s a draw this time round.

**Winner: draw**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: features

In terms of physical connectivity, both bars have an HDMI that supports eARC, but the Sony model has an extra HDMI port.

Dolby Atmos is available with both systems, but the Bravia 7 also offers DTS:X, which provides more options for surround sound.

The Sony bar offers a 5.1.2-channel configuration. Under the hood of the main bar, you will find nine drive units, split between side, centre, up-firing and bass channels. That differs from the Sonos, which is packing a 9.1.4-channel configuration. This is made up of seven tweeters, six midrange woofers, and a 'Sound Motion' woofer.

They both use their company's respective apps. The Bravia Connect and Sonos apps let you fine-tune the settings of the bars. With the Sony’s app, you can also pair the subwoofer (and the surrounds if you have them) from the app, where they recognise the product almost immediately, which makes for an easy set-up.

Both apps are easy to use, but Sony’s user interface is more intuitive and this results in a smoother overall experience.

From both apps, you can calibrate the soundbar to your space (the Arc Ultra employs Sonos Trueplay). Once we have calibrated the bars to our space, we are offered a wider soundstage with both systems. It’s worth noting that the subwoofer is not included in this process with the Sony system, so it must be adjusted by ear using the bass settings with the app or the remote.

There is also the option to expand your set-up with both systems. With the Sony soundbar and subwoofer, you can also add in the Sony Theatre Rear 8 speakers, costing £449 / $500 / AU$599 on their own.

Sonos’ offerings here are more comprehensive, as you can connect other products from the brand, such as the Sonos Sub 4 or the Era 300 speakers. These can be arranged in a multi-room set-up or in one room.

For its more comprehensive HDMI support and better app experience, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 takes it.

**Winner: Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: sound

Sony and Sonos take different approaches when it comes to audio performance here. But both are five-star systems that provide a massive upgrade from the majority of TV speakers.

When we start up the Bravia Theatre Bar 7, we are greeted with a punchy, cohesive sound that is immediately likeable. It offers an immersive experience, which is put to the test with Top Gun: Maverick as Maverick attempts to reach hypersonic speed in a jet, and the soundbar stretches the height effects above the TV screen.

The Arc Ultra also impresses, matching the Sony’s sense of scale and punch. Effects sound like they're coming from all around you, and are placed with precision, while certain sounds (like rain) stretch far beyond the confines of the TV to which the soundbar is connected.

Bass performance is strong with both soundbars, but the Sony’s added subwoofer gives it the edge in terms of agility and precision. We also find that the bass is well-integrated with the main soundbar and performs with the same precision as the rest of the system. That’s not to dismiss the Sonos performance with lower frequencies, as the bass it delivers is "tight, tuneful and expressive in a way that is rare in the soundbar world".

We listen to the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 without the subwoofer, and it still delivers clear vocals and convincing height effects. But the sound is thinner and lacks the sense of scale and authority that we get when the subwoofer is added.

Both soundbars produce clear vocals, but the Sonos model produces richer voices that lend a more emotive and warm feel to the sound.

When playing music, this warm approach carries foward with the Sonos to make it a more emotive performer than the Sony. The soft vocals of Aurora’s Churchyard start with the appropriate low-level dynamics and build to the punchy chorus as the bass kicks in. As with the Sony’s performance with movies, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S delivers a more precise and energetic bass than the Arc Ultra.

Both soundbars are excellent sonic performers, but the Sonos bar inches past the Sony system for its warmer overall sound.

**Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: verdict

If you are looking to upgrade your TV’s audio and get a more immersive audio experience, then either of these soundbars will deliver. Where the Sonos Arc Ultra offers a warm, spacious sound, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S counters with a more agile and well-integrated bass.

One of their designs might suit you more, but the Sonos Arc Ultra just takes the crown for its richer sonic performance.

**Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra**

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Here's our full review of the Sonos Arc Ultra

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If you search online for a soundbar, you will be flooded with oodles of options. From budget bars to premium models with Dolby Atmos for immersive surround sound, there is a soundbar out there for everyone.

When done right, they will upgrade the sound from your TV’s built-in speakers to deliver a more enveloping audio experience without the need for multiple extra speakers and reams of wires.

But we were not always this spoilt for choice. The only alternative to making do with your TV’s audio was investing in a multi-speaker sound system that took up a lot more space and cost a lot more money.

It was Yamaha that changed all that with the YSP-1, a "digital sound projector" that acts as the forefather of the soundbar category we know today.

The Yamaha YSP-1 came out more than 20 years ago, and the What Hi-Fi? team reviewed it back in April 2005.

This revolutionary product crammed 40 small driver units – each backed by an individual amplifier – and two bass drivers in to one long speaker bar.

These drivers were paired with a clever processing system that beamed sound around your room, bouncing off the walls to create a convincing surround sound experience.

We loved the idea of Yamaha’s YSP-1 from the moment we heard it, and the bar received a four-star verdict for delivering a “sizeable dose of energy and drive”.

Some issues held it back from five-star greatness. For one, properly configuring the soundbar to your space wasn't easy. As we noted: “Set aside an evening and work through the expert menu, adjusting beam angles, focal lengths and levels, and the sound will be significantly better.”

That set-up process is a far cry from soundbars now, with the majority of brands offering a much easier calibration process where the system can gauge the dimensions of your room using built-in microphones or even a dedicated set-up app.

Despite its fussiness we were still ultimately enthusiastic: “The Yamaha isn’t perfect, but the concept is spot on. It’s an alternative to a sub/sat system, and it could be a signpost to the future of surround”.

And call us fortune tellers, because the YSP-1 was indeed a catalyst for more brands to produce their own takes on the all-in-one soundbar.

Yamaha also continued to build upon its inaugural product in the category. Take the Yamaha True X Surround 90A (pictured, above), which includes a main soundbar, subwoofer and two surround speakers.

We were impressed by its well-controlled subwoofer and powerful audio from the soundbar, even if the speakers felt a little disconnected from the rest of the system.

While the soundbar category has evolved, not least with premium options offering serious surround sound powered by Dolby Atmos, the YSP concept remains surprisingly unchanged. Yamaha, and the YSP-1, we salute you.

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Here's our review of the Yamaha True X Surround 90A

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It's one thing to make a film sound good in the cinema, but it is a whole other task to take that experience to your home.

Much of that process relies on sound editors and engineers, who have their work cut out adapting the sound to home cinema products.

During the launch of Sony’s latest soundbar system, the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio, we heard Academy Award-nominated sound editor Andrew De Cristofaro speak about the different ways sound must be engineered.

He has worked on films such as The Housemaid, Green Book and Venom: The Last Dance, and collaborated with Sony during the development of the new Bravia Dolby Atmos sound system.

De Cristofaro says: “Sound is doing way more than you think. You can close your eyes and still follow the story but if you mute it, the experience falls apart.” He adds that instead of purely making a film sound good, his job is about making “sound tell the story”.

We watch a scene from Venom: The Last Dance to demonstrate, in which Eddie and Venom come face to face with the monstrous Xenophage. First, we listen with the raw audio that comes to the sound department after filming. As you would expect, it feels far less exciting than the final cut. Footsteps sound more like shuffling, the cracking flame of a lit car has no impact, and the reveal of the Xenophage is as casual as someone getting on the bus.

Venom’s voice is not audible either, as Tom Hardy (who plays both Eddie and the aforementioned alien symbiote) records his lines offset right before he shoots. The crew then pitch the vocals down and feed them back to him so that he can interact with the character live.

Next, De Cristofaro demonstrates how sound effects start to make the scene feel more dramatic. Layer upon layer of crackling, humming and spitting is added to create the sound of the fire. The footsteps of Hardy’s character as he walks the street become precise, which creates more of a three-dimensional sound, and vocals are brought to the fore.

The stomps of the Xenophage are also given a low squelching sound that immediately makes you feel the weight and monstrous nature of the character. The final touch comes with some dramatic bass stabs, and the end result is a tense and atmospheric scene.

But how do you adapt that sound to home cinema kit? De Cristofaro admits that it is a different kettle of fish compared to the cinema audio. The impact can disappear, vocals get lost and the sense of space collapses.

De Cristofaro says that “you have to rebuild a three-dimensional soundfield” adding that “sound isn’t tied to the speakers necessarily; it is mapped into a 360 space”.

He uses the Bravia Trio as an example of this, as the sound engineers at Sony are employing the brand’s proprietary 360 Spatial Tone Mapping which “analyses your room and reconstructs that environment so you maintain the scale”. As its name suggests, the Trio system comprises three speakers: a tiny central channel soundbar and two left and right channels.

We are yet to hear the Trio soundbar system in our test room to confirm whether this is the case, but we have heard other soundbars such as the KEF XIO and the Samsung HW-Q990F come very close to the desired full dome of sound.

De Cristofaro adds: “When everything is working right, when the dialogue is clear, when the space feels real, when the dynamics land the way they should, you don’t hear the system. You feel the film.”

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There’s a new soundbar on the block with the WiiM Bar, which the company claims will deliver “cinematic immersion and the audiophile-grade music performance WiiM is known for”. This marks the company’s – better known for its music streamers and streaming amplifiers – first venture into the soundbar category.

Dr Lifeng Zhao, CEO of WiiM, adds: “The WiiM Bar is a natural next step for our ecosystem, bringing the same simplicity and high-fidelity performance our community loves into the living room.”

The WiiM Bar boasts a 3.0.2-channel configuration. That’s powered by an eight-driver array, including front mid-woofers, front tweeters, and full-range height drivers. WiiM claims these top-firing height channels create “a true sense of overhead sound”, and RoomFit auto-correction is available so you can customise the listening experience to your space.

Both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are on board, which gives a comprehensive range of surround sound options.

You can connect the soundbar with other WiiM products through the WiiM Home App, where you will also find EQ settings. A range of streaming platforms can be accessed through the app too, or you can cast directly using Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, and Roon. There’s also a remote control for the more traditional approach.

There is an HDM port with eARC support for your physical connectivity needs, so you can hook it up to your TV.

The WiiM Bar sports a glass-covered 2.1-inch round touch display. You can choose to show off album art, or use it to access playback controls, input, or EQ settings.

The WiiM Bar will launch in a glossy black finish, and you can pre-order now with launch coming in July.

It will set you back £449 / $479 (around AU$840). That puts the WiiM entry in direct competition with the Award-winning Sonos Beam Gen 2 (£449 / $449 / AU$649) which we praised for its convincing Dolby Atmos effects and compact design.

No soundbar has knocked that model off the top step of the podium yet, so we are curious to see whether the WiiM’s quirky design and sound performance will make it a winner.

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Here is our review of the Sonos Beam Gen 2

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I have tested a fair amount of soundbars in my time, from budget bars to premium multi-speaker systems. Most of those models fit fairly neatly into the soundbar category, serving as a way to upgrade your TV’s speakers without having to fill your living room with a load of extra kit.

But the most recent product to enter our test room has not sat perfectly in that mould. Enter the Focal Mu-so Hekla, dubbed on the brand’s website an “immersive home cinema system [that] combines Dolby Atmos technology, outstanding sound performance, and ease of use.” This is a joint release coming from Naim as well as Focal, as the brands merged in 2011.

The Hekla is coming for the premium end of the market, with a serious price tag of £3000 / $3600.

Now, I’m hesitant to call it a soundbar for a few reasons.

The Focal Mu-so Hekla takes its name from Naim’s well-regarded line of wireless speakers. That includes such products as the five-star and What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Naim Mu-so, Mu-so 2 (2019) and Mu-so Qb 2nd Gen models. And the name reveals its close ties to hi-fi as well as home cinema.

Then there is its design. The Hekla makes much more sense as a hi-fi system than a soundbar when it comes to where you can actually place it. Measuring 30cm deep and 100cm wide, the Mu-so Hekla does not offer the same pick-up-and-play build, especially compared with premium soundbars such as the KEF XIO. Its size also means it can be difficult to place in front of the TV unless you have dedicated furniture to house it.

On top of the system is a light-up dial (see above) which acts as a touch screen to control volume, power and input. That placement is not ideal for being below your TV, as you can’t easily see what is being displayed. Also, the light from the display can reflect off your TV screen at certain angles, which makes viewing a little distracting.

All of that means it would look more at home on a side table, much like a hi-fi system rather than a soundbar.

Its performance also stops us from calling it purely a hi-fi or soundbar system. Our full review is in the works but, spoiler alert, it sounds excellent with both music and movies. With both, we are met with an immersive, detailed and full-bodied sound that elevates whatever we throw at it.

There have been soundbars that have performed well with music and movies, but the Mu-so Hekla’s ability to handle both brilliantly certainly threatens to set new standards for the category. And that ability to do it all has made me question whether the soundbar label is becoming outdated.

Ultimately, it’s not clear which category the Hekla fits into. We had been debating what to call it within the What Hi-Fi? team even before it entered our test room. But its show-stopping performance could move the goalposts for what we should call a soundbar – and I’m excited to see that the label will keep evolving.

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Here is our hands on review of the Focal Mu-so Hekla

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Danish audio brand Canvas HiFi has launched its latest home cinema sound system. And it’s staking a pretty huge claim, with the system being touted as the “world’s first audiophile soundbar”. Based on the specifications, we can see why.

The Canvas L is a similar proposition to the Canvas HiFi, which we reviewed last year. Unlike “conventional” soundbars on the market (think the Sonos Arc Ultra or Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9), this one is designed to be attached directly to your TV.

Much like the Canvas HiFi Canvas 65, it can either be mounted to a wall or placed in a freestanding set-up with your TV of choice mounted atop, for a “TV and HiFi in a unified design” arrangement. The bespoke magnetic grilles also return, with 65-, 75-, 77-, 83-, and 85-inch sizes widely available, and custom-made options for TVs ranging from 98- to 115-inches.

While this all seems similar to Canvas HiFi’s previous hi-fi-speakers-meets-soundbar fare, the company says that “CANVAS L was created from a completely different starting point: to build a genuine audiophile loudspeaker system within a minimalist architectural form.”

This is evident in the driver arrangement, which is a pretty radical departure from Canvas’s previous effort. The Canvas L sports two linear-phase tweeter/midrange modules, each with a custom 4-inch midrange driver from Scan-Speak and a 29mm SB Acoustics ring radiator tweeter.

These are paired with four 8-inch Scan-Speak mid/bass woofers with matching passive radiators, which have been tuned by high-end speaker designer Benno Baun Meldgaard.

All of these drivers are custom-made for the Canvas L, and they are powered by a staggering 1500W of Class D amplification. This is all housed in a “highly rigid Compact Density Fibreboard enclosure” with an upgraded version of Canvas’s patented resonance-reducing technology called BridgeBrace+.

Bacch 3D audio processing also returns. This employs advanced crosstalk cancellation algorithms to achieve a wider and more immersive sound that is “normally only experienced from large standalone loudspeaker systems”, according to Canvas HiFi. The Canvas L also sports an AD Quad-Core DSP system and a Burr Brown DAC.

Room correction is also supported – but there is a catch. Canvas says that it takes just one minute of listening via its companion app to “optimise its frequency response” for the “perfect tonal balance”, but only if you have an iOS device. Android users will have to shell out for an external Zen Microphone accessory if they want to optimise the Canvas L’s sound performance for their listening space.

The Canvas L sports HDMI ARC/eARC, digital coaxial, Toslink, stereo RCA, and ethernet inputs. Wireless connectivity comes in the form of Apple AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, TIDAL Connect, Spotify Connect, DLNA, and Roon Ready.

The Canvas L is expected to launch later this year, and it will make its official debut at the Vienna High End show on the 4th of June.

Finally, Canvas Hifi has given this prestigious soundbar a price tag to match, with the Canvas L, front panel and universal TV mount package costing a considerable €5999 (that’s around £5200 at the time of writing).

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Read our Canvas HiFi Canvas 65 review

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Sony has just unveiled its new flagship home theatre system, and it’s a bit of an odd one.

Neither a soundbar nor a four-speaker surround system in the vein of the Bravia Theatre Quad, the Bravia Theatre Trio is, as the name suggests, a system comprising three speakers: a centre, a left, and a right.

The centre looks like a particularly stumpy soundbar and is designed to sit in front of or below your TV, while the other two speakers are tall, spherical towers intended to go to the left and right of your TV.

The Trio’s raison d’être is the growing popularity of super-sized TVs. Sony has itself just announced the Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II TVs, both of which are available in sizes larger than 85 inches.

Sony says that most soundbars can’t create a wide enough soundstage to match the scale of the imagery, and that while a system such as the Bravia Theatre Quad can supply the width, the lack of a dedicated centre speaker can compromise focus and dialogue solidity.

Now that the company is (thankfully) doing away with Acoustic Centre Sync, in which the TV serves as the centre speaker, another solution was required – hence the Bravia Theatre Trio.

As you would expect of a modern home cinema system, the Bravia Theatre Trio supports Dolby Atmos (and DTS:X), with the left and right speakers each featuring an up-firing driver for genuine height effects.

A new version of Sony’s Spatial Sound Mapping is also on hand to create an aural bubble featuring phantom speakers for an authentic 3D audio experience.

On top of that, Sony Electronics says it has worked with its colleagues at Sony Pictures on the tuning of the Bravia Theatre Trio, with the intention of delivering a sound that’s as true to the cinema experience as possible.

And, in order to ensure consistency in living rooms of all shapes and sizes, Sony has even developed a bespoke USB-C microphone that you plug into your phone for use during the calibration process.

In other words, this feels like a real belt-and-braces approach to home cinema and, when I heard the Bravia Theatre Trio in Tokyo in March, it absolutely knocked my socks off.

There is, though, a massive caveat that explains why I was so impressed.

You see, the Bravia Theatre Trio’s three speakers can be enhanced through the addition of surround speakers and up to two subwoofers, and that’s how I heard it.

In fact, I heard it with a pair of Rear 8 speakers as surrounds and two of the awesomely monolithic new Sub 9 subwoofers on bass duties.

Seeing how the Bravia Theatre Trio is £2000, a pair of Surround 8s is £449, and a single Sub 9 is £900, that means what I listened to was a £4249 home theatre system, so you’d flipping well hope it sounded good.

Honestly, though, even within that pricey context, the expanded Theatre Trio system really rocked me.

Sony started by playing the spice harvester scene from Dune, and the first thing that struck me was the bass. The quantity and depth of it was close to breathtaking, but it was also brilliantly integrated with the rest of the tonal range.

Dialogue clarity was deeply impressive, too, especially during the heavy action and compared with the Bravia Theatre Bar 9 system that was used as a comparison.

There’s a fair amount of sparkly treble in the Dune soundtrack, and the Trio system delivered this without drifting into brightness or sibilance in a way that’s rare for a ‘lifestyle’ product. Detail levels across all frequencies were sky high, too.

Sony then played me the opening of Top Gun: Maverick, which brilliantly illustrated the dynamic range of the system. The shifts from quiet, subtle dialogue to bombastic, thumping effects – the launch of the hypersonic jet, for example – were handled with the sort of energy and flexibility I would usually associate with a traditional AVR and speaker package.

The weight provided by those subs was striking, too, underpinning the whole presentation with deep, tight and tuneful bass that integrated seamlessly with the midrange delivery of the main speakers.

Despite the very different form factors of the centre and left/right speakers, I found the sound to be seamless across the front of the soundfield, and the connection between the fronts and the surrounds was perfectly natural, too – though that’s less surprising given the hardware similarities between the Trio’s left and right speakers and the Surround 8s.

In short, the Dolby Atmos presentation was exemplary, with the 24 phantom speakers of the extended package assisting in passing effects around the room in a brilliantly natural, immersive way.

I hope you can understand, though, that while the system I heard sounded utterly brilliant, I can’t even begin to deliver a verdict on the Bravia Theatre Trio.

A couple of clips is never enough for firm conclusions to be drawn, and I heard the Trio with accessories that, combined, cost more than the core system itself.

My instinct is that the Bravia Theatre Trio will be very good on its own, but I worry slightly that it could sound a little feeble without at least one sub thrown into the mix.

We’ll be testing that theory just as soon as we can get the core system – and its accessories – into our dedicated test rooms for a comprehensive review.

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Soundbars, particularly those designed to deliver immersive 3D audio formats such as Dolby Atmos, live and die by calibration.

Their effectiveness depends heavily on being able to bounce sound around your room in a way that properly matches your seating position, while also taking into account the shape of the space, the placement of furniture and the amount of soft furnishing that might absorb or diffuse sound.

Without effective calibration, even an excellent soundbar can sound surprisingly underwhelming.

In the early days of soundbars, most notably with Yamaha’s pioneering YSP range, calibration was handled using a dedicated wired microphone included in the box. You would plug the microphone into the soundbar, position it where you normally sit, activate the test tones and let the system do the rest.

Manufacturers eventually concluded that this process was too cumbersome for mainstream buyers, though, so more advanced and convenient systems were developed.

The best-known of those is probably Sonos Trueplay, which uses the microphones built into your iPhone. Generally, you first take a measurement while sitting in your listening position, before walking around the room slowly wafting your phone through the air in a manner vaguely akin to vacuuming your walls.

It feels faintly ridiculous going through the process, but Trueplay is genuinely effective.

The problem is that its accuracy depends heavily on the quality and consistency of your phone’s microphones. That’s why Trueplay is still limited to iOS devices. Android owners either have to borrow an iPhone from a friend to calibrate their system properly or simply live with an uncalibrated soundbar.

Sony’s own Sound Field Optimisation system has historically been far more open, supporting both iOS and Android devices, but has it always produced entirely consistent results? The company’s latest solution rather suggests otherwise.

Said solution is simple: a bespoke USB-C microphone designed specifically for calibrating its new Bravia Theatre Trio home theatre system.

The microphone plugs directly into your smartphone during setup, allowing the Bravia Connect app to handle all of the clever room-analysis processing while ensuring that the recordings themselves are captured using consistent, purpose-built hardware rather than the wildly variable microphones built into phones.

In other words, Sony has effectively separated the software processing from the recording hardware.

That strikes me as a genuinely smart solution to a longstanding problem.

Yes, it means keeping track of an extra accessory, but that feels like a very small price to pay for more reliable and consistent calibration results – particularly for a premium Dolby Atmos system that is designed to create convincing spatial audio effects.

Accurate calibration alone doesn’t guarantee great sound, of course, but it does provide the foundation on which great spatial audio depends.

And, based on my brief hands-on experience with the Bravia Theatre Trio, Sony’s approach appears to work remarkably well. It’s one of the smartest soundbar innovations I have seen in quite some time – and one that rivals such as Sonos should probably be paying close attention to.

MORE:

Here are my initial thoughts on the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio

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Bose has a new soundbar. The Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is part of Bose's new Lifestyle Collection, and bears the same Ultra moniker as the brand's wireless headphones.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) and QC Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) have fared very well against some stiff competition. It'll be fascinating to see if the new Bose Ultra soundbar can do the same.

It will have its work cut out. Standing between it and home cinema glory is the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra.

We've only been hands-on with the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar at this stage, so we're comparing them based only on our initial impressions and the all-important features and specs. Let's get started.

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar vs Sonos Arc Ultra: price

There's really not much to choose between these two soundbars in terms of price.

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar costs £1000 / $1099 / AU$1800, while the Sonos Arc Ultra is £999 / $999 / AU$1799.

But that's not the full story.

The Sonos has been out for over 18 months now, and so is more prone to discounts. Most recently, it had £150 off, for example. So we'll give this round to Sonos.

** Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra **

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar vs Sonos Arc Ultra: design

Making a soundbar look attractive is no mean feat, so Bose should be applauded – its new 'bar looks genuinely different to any other.

That's mostly thanks to the sleek glass top that stretches out across a good proportion of the unit. It's not a glorified coffee table, but a home for the touch-sensitive controls.

Now admittedly not many people are going to get up off the sofa to change the volume by sliding their finger around the inner edge, but it's nice to have the option.

Either side of this are the up-firing drivers, which shoot sound up at 90 degrees to add a sense of height to the audio. As with all up-firing soundbars, it does limit your placement options – stick it under a shelf, and the sound will fire point blank into the shelf.

These are joined by four ‘racetrack’ drivers and two Bose PhaseGuide drivers, which use processing to more widely disperse sound. These are all housed in a textured-knit fabric that, like the Sonos, comes in either black or white.

You can wall-mount the Bose, but the wall mount costs extra.

It's a little smaller and heavier than the Sonos Arc Ultra – the former measures up at 6.7 x 111 x 12.5cm (hwd) while the Sonos is 7.5 x 118 x 11cm.

The Arc Ultra also features touch-sensitive buttons on top, though these are situated on the ledge at the back. It's not quite as sleek as Bose's implementation.

It too has a fabric grille which looks and feels pretty premium, as you would want it to at this price.

For its innovative styling, we're giving this round to Bose for now. But we reserve the right to change our minds once we've had a good look at it in our test rooms.

** Winner: Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar **

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar vs Sonos Arc Ultra: features

These are both high-end soundbars, so as you'd imagine, they're full of features.

Bose's has two QuietPorts on the back – these promise deep and controlled low frequencies with minimal distortion. The only physical connections are an ethernet port and an HDMI eARC socket – like the Sonos, there are no HDMI 2.1 inputs.

You do get plenty of wireless options, though. As well as Bluetooth 5.3 and wi-fi, you get Google Cast, Apple AirPlay and Spotify Connect. Tidal Connect is missing at launch, but we're assured it will arrive at some point. The Arc Ultra does support Tidal Connect, but not Google Cast.

Both 'bars support Dolby Atmos, which will be made more immersive by their up-firing drivers. Neither supports DTS or DTS:X. This format is less common than Dolby Atmos but it's an absence all the same.

Both have room calibration tech for optimising the sound to your surroundings. Bose CustomTune and Sonos Trueplay use the microphone on your phone to analyse your room's dimensions, surfaces and furniture placement to adjust the audio accordingly. Both work on iOS and Android devices.

They both use their company's respective apps, too. The Bose app is more intuitive than it used to be, and lets you tweak the sound. There's no remote control, so you'll find yourself using the app quite a bit.

Sonos' app has had its troubles, but is now much better than it was – and the company is vocal about the fact it's prioritising improvements.

Both soundbars support voice controls, including Amazon Alexa, and the Sonos pairs nicely with the Sonos Ace headphones to give you dynamic headtracking – you just 'swap' the audio from the 'bar to the cans.

Given the quality of Bose's wireless headphones, it's a shame the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar doesn't partner with them.

** Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra **

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar vs Sonos Arc Ultra: sound

What do they offer in terms of sound quality?

As we haven't tested the Bose yet, we can't give a verdict, but we did go 'ears-on' with it at a briefing.

A sandstorm from the movie Dune proved suitably enveloping, with the 'bar spreading the audio across the sound field convincingly.

We didn't hear any signs of distortion at high volumes, and when the scene switches to calm, it did a good job of communicating the change of pace.

We also watched a scene from Ray to test the Speech Clarity mode. It turned dialogue from a mumble to being "lifted out of the hustle and bustle of the effects around it, with the edges of words a little clearer and better defined," as we said at the time.

It also impressed as part of a 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos system, paired with the Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer and Lifestyle Ultra Speakers as surrounds. But we were only able to have a quick listen at the event – it's no substitute for hearing it in our test rooms.

The Arc Ultra has some impressive specs (9.1.4-channel configuration, 15 Class D amplifiers powering 14 drivers), and as an Award winner, it sounds just as impressive as you would imagine. A "crackingly musical soundbar" we concluded in our Sonos Arc Ultra review.

Tool’s Invincible is bristling with energy and excitement, making for a very engaging listen. But it's even better at conveying movie audio.

Chapter two of Blade Runner 2049 is a good test of bass, and it's a test that the Arc Ultra passes with flying colours, delivering plenty of weight and an impressive amount of control. The bass is "tight, tuneful and expressive in a way that is rare in the soundbar world".

Spatially, it's excellent. Effects sound like they're coming from all around you, and are placed with precision, while certain sounds (like rain) stretch far beyond the confines of the TV to which the soundbar is connected.

And there's plenty of detail without it ever sounding forced – it's delivered naturally, which adds to the sense of realism.

Suffice to say, Bose has its work cut out to compete with what this Sonos can offer.

** Winner: TBC **

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar vs Sonos Arc Ultra: early verdict

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar certainly looks impressive.

It's very easy on the eye, and – while a bit less feature-stacked than Sonos' flagship – it offers plenty to get your teeth into. As ever for us, it will all hinge on how it sounds.

On that front, the Arc Ultra is the soundbar to beat. As it's been out for a while now, it's also discounted during most big sales. Your move, Bose...

We'll update this article once we've fully reviewed the new Bose soundbar.

MORE:

Read our Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar hands-on review

And our Sonos Arc Ultra review

The best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy

With any luck, everyone knows by now that even the best-sounding TVs sound pretty rubbish by home cinema standards.

But we don't all have the space, budget or patience for a full system comprising an AV receiver, speaker package and the cables required to wire everything up.

In truth, even the super-popular soundbar systems that typically combine a bar, a wireless subwoofer and two wireless surrounds (the Samsung HW-Q990H, for example) are “too many boxes” for many people.

So, what’s the solution for those who’ve forked out for a gorgeous, premium TV and want equally gorgeous sound without all of the boxes and/or cables?

The premium solo soundbar, that’s what. In fact, that’s exactly the problem that the soundbar was originally designed to solve.

These days, a premium soundbar is a very sophisticated bit of kit that typically combines svelte styling with effective Dolby Atmos processing for movies and games, plus music streaming, simple operation, and the option to add additional speakers further down the line.

Here, we’re pitching four such soundbars against one another.

The benchmark is the Sonos Arc Ultra – the successor to the multi-Award-winning Arc and now an Award-winner in its own right.

This is a soundbar that really nails the confluence of simplicity and sound quality, and, being a Sonos product, the Arc Ultra also functions as a multi-room speaker for music.

The Sonos Arc Ultra and Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 have met before, albeit in slightly different circumstances, with the Sony priced much higher.

These days, you can usually get it for the same price as the Sonos, making the head-to-head far hotter, especially as the Bar 9 has features that the Arc Ultra does not, such as DTS:X support and HDMI passthrough.

This isn’t a head-to-head test, though: two newer soundbars are looking to disrupt the Sonos vs Sony scuffle.

The first of those is the very fancy LG Sound Suite H7. As the name suggests, this is a component in LG’s new Sound Suite family of speakers, but it’s also a Sonos Arc Ultra-rivalling soundbar in its own right.

Finally, but most unusually, we have the JBL Bar 1000MK2, which, as you may have spotted, isn’t really a solo soundbar.

However, we’ve decided to include it here as the ability to connect the surround speakers to the main bar means it can function as a solo bar – albeit one that also comes with a subwoofer.

Which of these premium soundbars deserves the spot beneath your lovely TV? Let Dolby Atmos battle commence!

Picking a winner

Each of these premium soundbars proves that you don’t need a stack of separates and a room full of speakers to get genuinely enjoyable cinematic sound from your TV.

Of course, they all tackle that challenge in slightly different ways.

The JBL leans into flexibility and sheer spectacle, the LG focuses on design and cutting-edge tech, the Sony majors on immersion and detail, and the Sonos aims to blend simplicity, sophistication and sonic excellence into one sleek package.

4. LG Sound Suite H7

All four are good products in their own right, but there is a clear hierarchy here, and in fourth place is the LG Sound Suite H7.

The H7 is certainly an interesting proposition. Its styling is refreshingly different from the norm, and those who own a compatible LG TV will appreciate the way it integrates visually and functionally with the screen. It’s also packed with features, including Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, which will be a real boon if you decide to expand your system in the future.

There’s no denying, either, that the H7 sounds impressive out of the blocks. It goes loud, delivers plenty of bass weight and throws effects around the room enthusiastically enough to create a decent sense of scale.

Ultimately, though, it lacks the refinement and subtlety of the best soundbars here. Dynamics are a little blunt, detail levels aren’t especially high, and there’s a hardness to its delivery that can become fatiguing over longer listening sessions. Dolby Atmos effects are present, but they don’t knit together cohesively enough to fully convince.

It’s a decent soundbar, then, but against this level of competition, decent simply isn’t enough.

Read the full LG Sound Suite H7 review

3. JBL Bar 1000MK2

Third place goes to the JBL Bar 1000MK2 – and this one is perhaps the trickiest to judge.

Strictly speaking, it’s not really a solo soundbar at all, thanks to the inclusion of a wireless subwoofer and detachable surround speakers. But because those surrounds can be physically attached to the main unit, we felt it deserved a place in this test – and we’re glad we included it.

There’s no question that the JBL delivers the biggest and most overtly cinematic presentation here. With the surrounds deployed, it creates an impressively expansive soundfield, and the dedicated subwoofer gives action scenes a level of low-end heft that the true solo bars simply can’t match.

It’s a hugely entertaining listen, too, with a bold, energetic character that makes blockbuster movies enormous fun.

The problem is that it’s not the most nuanced or controlled performer on test. Bass can occasionally become overbearing, subtle details are sometimes overshadowed by sheer bombast, and musicality isn’t really its strong suit. In stereo music playback, particularly, the Sonos and Sony sound noticeably more balanced, cohesive and sophisticated.

If your priority is maximum home cinema impact with minimum hassle, the JBL remains a very appealing option. But as an all-round premium soundbar package, it falls short of the class leaders.

Read the full JBL Bar 1000MK2 review

2. Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

Which brings us to the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9.

When this soundbar first launched, its pricing made it difficult to recommend wholeheartedly, but now that it can regularly be found for around the same money as the Sonos Arc Ultra, it becomes a much stronger proposition.

And it really is an excellent soundbar. Sony has managed to produce an impressively spacious and immersive presentation from a single bar, with Dolby Atmos effects projected with remarkable precision. Its sense of verticality is particularly convincing, and it fills a room with sound more effectively than almost any rival.

It’s detailed and dynamic, too, with crisp dialogue, excellent placement of effects and plenty of punch when movie soundtracks demand it. The inclusion of HDMI passthrough and DTS:X support also gives it a useful edge in the features department.

Ultimately, though, while the Sony is deeply impressive, it doesn’t quite achieve the same all-round balance and naturalness as the Sonos. There are moments where its presentation becomes just a touch forward or forceful, and while it sounds spectacular with movies, it’s not quite as consistently musical or cohesive across all content types.

Read the full Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 review

1. Sonos Arc Ultra

The Sonos Arc Ultra nails the brief.

It delivers Dolby Atmos with scale, precision and convincing height effects, but it never loses sight of subtlety or cohesion in the pursuit of spectacle. Dialogue is crystal clear, effects are expertly placed, and there’s an openness and spaciousness to the presentation that makes movie soundtracks utterly engrossing.

Crucially, it’s also the most musical soundbar here. Whether you’re watching films, gaming or simply streaming music, the Sonos sounds balanced, expressive and refined in a way that its rivals can’t quite match.

The lack of HDMI passthrough will be an annoyance for some, and the Sonos app isn’t quite back to its slick best yet, but many buyers are unlikely to bother with the app after initial setup and the superb performance of the Arc Ultra far outweighs those relatively minor niggles.

The Sonos Arc Ultra will surely be beaten one day – but today isn’t that day.

Read the full Sonos Arc Ultra review

Surround sound systems come in practically every shape and size these days, but there's one modern alternative that we've seen sweep the world of home cinema.

We are, of course, talking about wireless soundbar systems. Bose has just unveiled its Ultra Lifestyle soundbar, subwoofer and wireless speakers, and it joins the likes of Sonos, LG, Sony, Yamaha and Samsung in offering an ecosystem of home audio products that can work together to essentially create a proper surround sound experience.

While they vary in quality – we've recently raved about Samsung's superb HW-Q990H, while LG's Sound Suite system didn't quite hit the mark – there's no doubting they are super popular, convenient, and effective ways to achieve surround sound without filling your living room with bulky floorstanding speakers.

We're even seeing companies get creative with their soundbar systems. Majority recently impressed us with its pint-sized Bowfell Halo Atmos system, and Hisense scored a coveted What Hi-Fi? Award with its superbly affordable AX5125H package.

While they won't suit everyone, and a true surround sound speaker package will always win in terms of delivering proper cinematic sound, there are plenty of great options around, and it's reminding us of a previous home cinema audio trend.

A full surround sound system in a box isn't a new phenomenon; in fact, they were all the rage in the early 2010s. Samsung, Panasonic, LG and many more used to sell a whole home cinema in a box, combining a DVD or Blu-ray player alongside a compact wired 5.1 speaker set, unlocking surround sound for the masses without the need for an AV receiver.

Our review of the Panasonic SC-BTT590 from back in 2012 highlights how capable these systems once were. We complimented this system, saying "the handover between speakers is smooth, making for a convincing surround sound".

Stretching even further back to 2010 with the Award-winning Sony BDV-E370, which featured an "easy, idiot-proof set-up" and speakers that "deliver surprising scale and power".

These nifty, streamlined systems were made to combine cinematic sound with plug-and-play convenience, which sounds like a very similar objective to the soundbar systems we're seeing today.

The biggest difference between the home cinema in a box systems of old and the current soundbar packages is the inclusion of a Blu-ray player that once acted as a hub to drive these speakers.

That's to be expected in a world dominated by streaming and massively improved wireless audio protocols, but being the physical media advocates that we are, it's a shame nonetheless.

But it's not all doom and gloom. Sonos, Bose, LG and Sony all take a modular approach, allowing you to connect surround speakers and subwoofers as you see fit, and most of these companies offer components at different price points.

More customisation and different speaker configurations mean you can essentially build a surround sound package that better suits your needs and budgets, which is always a plus.

Sony, in particular, has welcomed this approach with open arms, as it now offers five different optional subwoofers and three different types of wireless sound speakers.

So, are soundbar systems secretly just a revival of one of the 2010s ' best home cinema trends? We think they're more of a spiritual successor with the same mission statement in mind: save people from their TV speakers by bringing simple, effective cinematic sound to the masses.

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

As well as the best surround sound systems

And find the best soundbar deals here

If you are looking for a soundbar system, one of the names you will keep seeing in your search is Samsung. And that's for good reason, as it has delivered plenty of strong contenders to our test room over the years.

And one of the top-performing models comes in the form of the Samsung HW-Q990F, which holds a place on our best soundbars guide. The soundbar system consists of a main soundbar, wireless subwoofer and two surround speakers.

But the newest version of the bar, the Samsung HW-Q990H has now leaped onto the scene. We put the two systems head to head in our test room, so we know how they compare. Let's see which model is the overall winner…

Samsung HW-Q990F vs HW-Q990H: price

The Samsung Q990H launched at £1599 / $2000 / AU$1999, placing it in the high-end soundbar category. It’s still a new addition to the market so we don’t expect any notable discounts just yet, but these are likely to come later down the line.

We can say that with a reasonable certainty, as that’s what happened with the Samsung Q990F. It launched at £1699 / $1999 / AU$1999, which is slightly more pricey in the UK and the US than its successor.

Since its release, the system has seen significant discounts and is regularly available for around £999 in the UK.

That means that, although the Q990H launched at a lower price initially, the Q990F’s cheaper price tag now makes it the winner in this category.

**Winner: Samsung HW-Q990F**

Samsung HW-Q990F vs HW-Q990H: design

Side by side, you would be hard-pressed to tell the two soundbar systems apart. Both of the main soundbars measure 7 x 123 x 14cm (hwd) and weigh in at 7.3kg.

You’ll find a selection of buttons on top to change source, mute the onboard microphones and adjust the volume, with a dot-matrix display on the front displaying corresponding information.

The subwoofer with both models is a cube measuring 25 x 25 x 25cm and weighing 8.3kg. Finally, the surround speakers are also the same, featuring a boxy, angular design that includes a handy cable channel on the bottom edge. They also carry identical dimensions, measuring 20 x 13 x 14cm.

Both are well-built and feel premium with everything constructed from aluminium or a sturdy, high-quality plastic. But overall the design is starting to get a little tired, especially considering the previous Q990D and Q990C models look practically identical.

The brand bundles a remote with functions to change the input, sound mode and EQ for the system, as well as adjusting the subwoofer level.

There’s not much to compare here as they are basically twins, so it has to be a tie.

**Winner: draw**

Samsung HW-Q990F vs HW-Q990H: features

It’s a familiar story when it comes to the features. Both Samsung systems offer an 11.1.4 channel configuration, with an impressive total of 23 individual drivers on board. This includes 15 drivers in the main soundbar, three in each of the wireless surround speakers, and two 8-inch woofers (in a push/pull configuration) in the wireless subwoofer.

Both the soundbars and surround speakers feature upward-firing drivers, which brings us neatly onto the immersive sound formats that the systems support.

They both support three immersive-audio formats: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Samsung’s Eclipsa Audio. The last of those hasn’t been adopted by any other services aside from YouTube so far, but it’s nice to be future-proofed in case that changes.

To adjust settings for both systems, the Samsung SmartThings app is on hand to help. With both bars, we find this is the preferred way of interacting with the settings menus, thanks to the snappy connection and easy-to-understand menus.

You can also control your source from this app, including music streamed wirelessly to the system. Both the Q990F and Q990H support Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Tidal Connect and Bluetooth; they are even Roon-compatible.

But what about physical connectivity? The soundbar has three HDMI sockets in total. This includes an HDMI eARC for connecting to your TV, alongside two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 passthrough sockets, which support up to 4K/120Hz signals with VRR and ALLM, as well as HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision (a nice touch, as Samsung TVs don't support Dolby Vision).

Samsung’s SpaceFit Sound Pro feature, which is essentially this soundbar’s calibration system, is also present in both bars. The optional feature utilises the built-in microphones to constantly monitor and adjust the soundbar and subwoofer to accommodate your viewing space.

There are four sound modes with each bar: Standard, Surround, Game and AI Adaptive. With both soundbars, Surround mode is the best for movies and TV shows, as the wider sound field means all components hang together in a more sonically cohesive way. Standard is our preferred preset for music, as it features minimal processing and a more focused sound.

One of the few differences here between the two bars is the Q990H’s inclusion of Samsung’s new Sound Elevation feature. This is designed to raise the audio upwards to match the position of your screen.

Samsung hasn’t given a clear indication of how it determines where to place the audio, and for us it seems to overshoot slightly, placing the sound towards the top edge of our reference TV. This setting may appeal more to those who wall-mount their TV and leave a gap between it and their soundbar.

On top of that, Q Symphony – in which your Samsung TV’s speakers work in tandem with the system – is also supported.

Although the Q990H offers the new Sound Elevation feature, it is not impactful enough to sway the result, so we are once again looking at a tie.

**Winner: draw**

Samsung HW-Q990F vs HW-Q990H: sound

Both soundbar systems are five-star performers, delivering a rich and engaging sound that is a huge improvement on the vast majority of TV speakers.

Vocals sound natural and detailed while carrying plenty of subtle inflexion. With the Samsung Q990H, this system manages to unearth subtler sonic nuances, which results in a slightly more natural sound than the Q990F. It’s not a night-and-day difference, but the newest model is the slightly better performer in this area.

The Q990H continues just to get the edge on its predecessor when it comes to height effects. When watching Chapter 2 of Blade Runner 2049 with the two models, both place the sound of the holographic announcements near Officer K’s apartment with excellent precision. But the newer model takes this even further than the Q990F, offering a greater sense of accuracy and spaciousness.

Continuing with Bladerunner 2049, both soundbars show off their excellent bass performance. With the famously tricky chapter two sequence, both systems deliver rich and powerful bass sounds that are controlled and dynamic, as we gain a sense of mounting tension as K approaches the police precinct.

But how do the two bars perform with music? With both systems, most, if not all, of the positive attributes from our movie testing are present and correct for music. We play a range of tracks, and the Q990F and Q990H both offer a clear-cut sense of timing and rhythmic drive. Vocals continue to sound clear and emotive, while instruments have depth and texture.

While they are both excellent-sounding systems, Samsung’s subtle upgrades to the HW-Q990H make it the better of the two soundbars.

**Winner: Samsung HW-Q990H**

Samsung HW-Q990F vs HW-Q990H: verdict

Each Samsung system is very well matched in design and features, offering ample surround sound options and a sturdy build.

The Samsung Q990F is a top-performing system when it comes to audio, but the Q990H takes everything we love about the previous generation and delivers it with even more nuance, detail and scale.

The Q990H is the more expensive option right now, but we expect the price to drop soon, as we have seen with its predecessor. If your budget cannot stretch to the newest model, however, the Q990F is still an excellent-sounding alternative.

**Overall winner: Samsung HW-Q990H**

MORE:

Check out our full review of the Samsung HW-Q990H

And here is our Samsung HW-Q990F review

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Over the years, tech giant Sony has delivered its fair share of five-star soundbars. From the wallet-friendly Sony HT-SF150 to the more premium Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 (which holds a spot in our best soundbars guide), the brand has plenty to offer.

So it was with high hopes that we came to review one of its latest offerings: the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S. This is a soundbar and subwoofer combo that comes in at £799 / $1100 (around AU$1510).

While you can buy the soundbar on its own, we recommend spending a little extra for the combined package (for reasons you will understand soon).

The two products deliver a 5.1.2-channel configuration, and offer both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support.

But what did we learn from our hours of listening to the soundbar package in our dedicated test room? Well, spoiler alert, but it’s an absolute delight that spices up our listening experience for both music and movies. Let’s take a look at what makes it so great and the two challenges it faces.

Convincing Dolby Atmos presentation

The least we expect from a soundbar is that it outperforms the majority of TV speakers in terms of dialogue clarity and immersion. The Sony system delivers on this and then some.

Vocals are clear yet emotive, and should be a welcome addition for those struggling to catch every word of dialogue.

But one of the most impressive aspects of the Sony package is its immersive and convincing Dolby Atmos effects. This is prevalent when watching Top Gun Maverick where the soundbar stretches the height effects above the TV screen as a jet soars into the atmosphere.

There’s a good level of precision with the plane, as you can pinpoint its position from the audio alone as it moves through the sky.

This impressive display continues with the width of the soundstage, as Tom Cruise whizzes across the desert from the right side of the screen to the left on his trusty motorcycle. We say in the review: “You can hear the bike move across the space in a way that matches the movement on the screen.”

That all creates an immersive experience that makes for fun viewing. It doesn’t create the full dome of Atmos sound, but that is a near-impossible task for a soundbar at this price.

Tight, precise bass

Another aspect that adds to the sense of energy is the well-handled bass from the subwoofer.

When we first plug in the package without any adjustments, we find, in our test room, that the bass is slightly lacking. So we crank it up from the default 0 to 2 via the Bravia Connect app; and we are now treated to a balanced but punchy bass.

The lower frequencies never stand out as abrupt or overzealous, however, and everything is kept in check with the rest of the sound.

We listen to the soundbar on its own and, although it still offers clear vocals and convincing surround sound, it is missing the extra zap of energy that makes the combination such a winner. The sub and soundbar sound as though they are tuned to work together, which is why we dub the overall system a “match made in heaven” in our review.

Neat design

While the sound quality is of course our main concern, it would be naive to think that looks do not play a part. After all, this set-up needs to blend into your viewing space with enough room to fit just under your TV screen.

The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S ticks both of these boxes in our test room, offering a sleek design that is hard to fault. The front of the bar is covered with a cloth grille that gives it a stylish look.

On top of that, the soundbar measures 95cm wide and just 6cm high, so it fits neatly under our 55-inch TV screen.

The subwoofer measures 36 x 35 x 13cm (hwd) so can neatly and fairly discreetly be tucked next to your TV stand.

There is also an extra element of flexibility that comes with the subwoofer. You can use it in two different positions, with the grille facing either the listener or the side of the room. We try it in each configuration, but there is not much of a difference in presentation. It ultimately depends on what arrangement works for you.

No display

Despite the practical design, there is a key aspect missing that we are a little disappointed not to see.

You will not find a display on the soundbar, and there are no physical buttons either. That makes it tricky to navigate the settings without the accompanying Bravia Connect app.

There is still a small remote control, which lets you control the power, input, bass levels, volume and turn on Night mode. But that lack of display makes it hard to decipher whether it has registered your adjustments via the app or the remote control.

Up against a big competitor

The Sony soundbar manages to deliver a five-star performance, but it is up against tough competition. This comes in the form of the indomitable Sonos Arc Ultra, a single bar that scored a What Hi-Fi? Award last year and holds the title of the best soundbar overall in our guide.

It is more expensive than the Sony system, costing £999 / $999 / AU$1799, but it is still a top challenger to the new entrant.

The Sonos Arc Ultra blew us away when we had it in our test room, delivering spacious and three-dimensional sound as well as a deep, tuneful bass.

We put the two soundbars head to head and find in our review: “The Sonos offers a richer overall sound with warmer vocals that have more character than the Sony. But the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 and subwoofer combo delivers a more precise sound that feels more agile in comparison.”

Their different designs are also worth taking into account. The Sonos model is considerably larger than its rival (7.5 x 118 x 11cm versus the Sony’s 6.4 x 95 x 13cm). That means the Bar 7 might well be a better fit for smaller living spaces.

Both bars are top performers, but the Arc Ultra just manages to edge its rival, thanks to its more characterful audio. If your budget cannot stretch to the Arc Ultra, though, the Sony subwoofer and soundbar combo is a great option for less money.

MORE:

Read our full review of the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Here is our Sonos Arc Ultra review

Building a family of great-sounding home audio products that can be used in isolation or together as a system is a tricky task. Bose will be hoping its new Lifestyle Collection can succeed where many have tried and failed.

Consisting of a Dolby Atmos soundbar, wireless subwoofer and wireless speaker, the new range was demonstrated at a special press preview where we could see and hear what it has to offer.

During the event, we got some hands-on time with the flagship Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar. We were able to hear it both in isolation and with the rest of the family in a full-blown Dolby Atmos surround sound system. Here are our initial thoughts.

Price

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is priced at £1000 / €1000 / $1099 / AU$1800, which places it firmly against the Sonos Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799).

The Sonos rival is not only a five-star product, but it’s also the current class-leader, having picked up a What Hi-Fi? Award in 2025 for its troubles. If you want the best Dolby Atmos soundbar we’ve tested at this level, the Sonos is the one to beat.

Another close rival is the Sony Theatre Bar 9, which started life a little more expensive than the Bose when it launched a couple of years ago, but has dropped from £1399 / $1400 / AU$1795 to around the £999 mark if you shop around online.

Design

It’s fair to say that soundbars don’t tend to be the most attractive pieces of tech. Credit to Bose, though – it has done a good job trying to elevate the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar’s appearance above the long plastic rectangles we tend to see dominating the category.

The ’bar is covered in a textured-knit fabric (available in either black or the white smoke finish, above), which feels relatively premium and is nice to the touch.

Stretching out across the ’bar is an attractive, sleek glass top, built into which is a circular touch-sensitive control panel. This allows you to control music playback and volume via a combination of tapping and sliding your finger around the inner edge clockwise (volume up) ot anti-clockwise (volume down).

That glass top stops short of the edges of the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar because it needs to leave room for its full-range up-firing drivers to do their work.

There’s one of these at either end of the bar, firing sound up at 90 degrees to add height and immersion to movie soundtracks. Note that this means the bar isn’t suited to being under a shelf with a TV above, as this will block the sound.

Across the front of the bar are four ‘racetrack’ drivers (the far left and right ones are full-range) and two of Bose’s PhaseGuide drivers, which use special processing to spread sound to areas where there aren’t actually any speakers.

On the rear, you’ll find two of Bose’s QuietPorts, which work with the company’s CleanBass technology and internal digital signal processing (DSP) to deliver low frequencies in a deep, controlled way with minimal distortion.

The soundbar’s dimensions are 6.7 x 111 x 12.5cm (hwd), and it tips the scales at just less than 7kg. For comparison, the Sonos Arc Ultra is a little bigger, measuring 7.5 x 118 x 11cm although it’s also a little lighter at 6kg.

For our demonstration, the Bose was used with a 75-inch flatscreen TV, but it would look equally at home with a 65-inch or 55-inch model. It can be wall-mounted, although the mount itself is optional and costs £34 / €39 / $49 / AU$69.

Features

Physical connections are limited to ethernet and a single, eARC-compatible HDMI socket. It’s a shame Bose hasn’t seen fit to include any additional HDMI 2.1 inputs – the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 includes one, although the Sonos Arc Ultra doesn’t.

Wi-fi is onboard, and streaming comes via Google Cast, Apple AirPlay or Spotify Connect. The soundbar also supports Bluetooth 5.3. Tidal Connect isn’t supported by the soundbar (or Lifestyle Ultra Speaker) at launch, but we have been assured that it’s in the pipeline.

To set the bar up, you’ll need to head into the Bose app, which has been given an overhaul to make things more intuitive, with fewer button presses required to get up and running.

As mentioned previously, Dolby Atmos is supported, but DTS isn’t. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise – the Sonos Arc Ultra is in the same boat – but it’s worth noting that Sony did find room to include it on its Bravia Theatre Bar 9, and Disney+ does now offer a DTS:X audio option for some of its content.

To calibrate the soundbar for your particular room layout, Bose’s CustomTune technology works with the microphone in your smartphone (iOS or Android) and analyses your room dimensions, surfaces and furniture placement.

In the app, you can also dive in and alter sound levels manually if you think they require a bit of extra tweaking. You are likely to find yourself in the app quite a bit, as you don’t get a physical remote control supplied with the soundbar.

Sound

As with any product listened to only briefly at a press event, it’s tricky to nail down exactly how the unit performs – especially in a room that is completely new to you.

Our demo took place in a space that should really play to the strengths of the Bose: a relatively simple square room, with bare walls and little in the way of soft furnishings to stop reflections and the spread of sound.

We start with a clip from the epic sci-fi movie Dune, and the Bose gets to work immersing us in the middle of a violent sandstorm. As the soundbar starts whipping up particles above and around our seating position, it seems to do a good job of spreading the effects across the soundfield.

We are listening at quite a high volume, and the soundbar seems to handle the pressure of the scene and the drama without showing too many signs of stress. As the on-screen action goes from all-out chaos to relative calm, the bar seems to communicate the switch in dynamics relatively well.

We switch to a scene from Ray to showcase the Bose’s Speech Clarity mode, which claims to be able to boost dialogue but not any other effects. Without the mode on, as Ray Charles crosses the road deep in conversation with his manager, it sounds more like a mumble.

Then, with Speech Clarity mode switched onto its highest setting, the dialogue does seem to be lifted out of the hustle and bustle of the effects around it, with the edges of words a little clearer and better defined. This could come in handy during late-night viewing, where you don’t want the surround effects boosting but need a bit of a dialogue boost.

To showcase the Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer and its impact on music, Bose plays Mi Corazon by Jacob Collier in stereo. There’s a decent spread of percussion, and when the sub kicks in, there's an injection of extra weight, and those low-frequency bass kicks are reinforced with a greater sense of solidity. Adding the soundbar, they immediately hit harder with more heft and body behind them.

Bose then adds a pair of Lifestyle Ultra Speakers as surrounds, so we are listening to a 7.1.4 Atmos system, and plays a clip from 6 Underground by Michael Bay.

As Ryan Reynolds is chased through Florence by the mafia and Italian police, effects are flying in all directions, with screeching tyres, gunshots, and a deep, pulsing heartbeat, all vying for your attention. And the system seems to do a good job of immersing you in the action. Detail levels seem ok, but we need to spend more time testing the bar to hear the true extent of its abilities.

The last scene we are shown is Queen’s Live Aid performance from Bohemian Rhapsody, which sounds relatively punchy and powerful through the soundbar. It’s hard not to hear the impact of the roar from the crowd as they explode into life when the band appears and they eagerly lap up Freddie’s direction. There seems to be a good, expansive spread of sound as they sing along with the frontman while he shows off his impressive vocal range.

When Hammer To Fall kicks in, there seems to be a decent amount of energy and life to the guitars and drums – but again, we really need more time with the soundbar to hear just how musical it is and how well it sticks with the tempo and rhythm of a range of different tracks.

Initial verdict

In a market still dominated by Sonos, it's good to see the arrival of a potential new rival from Bose, and we are being promised a big overhaul in terms of design and technology in an attempt to position itself as a serious rival.

Bose’s previous flagship, the Smart Ultra Soundbar, struggled to impress our review team, so we hope this new model is much more competitive when it arrives in our test room for a thorough evaluation.

MORE:

Read our Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar review

Our pick of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars for all budgets

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9: which flagship Dolby Atmos soundbar is better?

So far this year, we have had a range of soundbars passing through our test room. From the cheap and cheerful Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos system to the meaty LG Sound Suite package, and everything in between.

The most recent competitor to come through our door is the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S, a Dolby Atmos soundbar and subwoofer. You can also get the soundbar on its own, for £699 / $870, but when you add the Bravia Theatre Sub 7 into the mix, the price goes up to £799 / $1100.

The system offers a 5.1.2-channel configuration. Under the hood of the main bar, you will find 9 drive units, split between side, centre, up-firing and bass channels. As the up-firing drivers indicate, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 supports 3D Audio, in both the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats. Inside the subwoofer there is a 13cm driver with a total power output of 100W.

When we put the soundbar package through its paces in our dedicated test room, we were blown away by its punchy, balanced sound, which delivers a huge improvement on the majority of TV speakers.

Voices are much clearer, cleaner and more expressive from the soundbar. Watching Top Gun: Maverick, as Tom Cruise's protagonist delivers a speech to his new pilot cohort, the balance between dynamic subtlety and clarity is well navigated.

Later in the film as Maverick attempts to reach hypersonic speed in a jet, the Sony bar delivers height effects above the TV screen as the vehicle soars into the atmosphere with an excellent level of precision, by soundbar standards.

On top of that, the agile bass gives action scenes an extra punch, but never dominates the rest of the frequencies.

However, when we remove the Bravia Theatre Sub 7 from the mix, it's a different story.

As we say in our review: "While it still delivers clear vocals and convincing height effects, the sound is thinner and lacking the sense of scale and authority that we get when the subwoofer is added."

To put it simply, the soundbar on its own no longer sounded quite worth the price. The sub and soundbar feel like they are tuned to work together, which is why we dubbed the overall system a "match made in heaven" in our review.

We must admit that we were not expecting this dramatic of a difference considering the size and cost of the subwoofer.

Let's not forget that subwoofers, especially on the more affordable side of the market, are hard to get right and can often be the weakest link in a system.

This means that many of the soundbars without subwoofers that come through our test room often fall short on bass, so Sony offering a bundle at a reasonable price that directly addresses this issue is certainly a promising step.

And this has certainly got me thinking: should more manufacturers be adding cheap, compact subwoofers to take their soundbar system's performance to the next level? On this evidence, I really think so.

MORE:

Here is our full review of the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S

Check out the best Sony soundbars

And these are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

As much as we would like it to be the case, not everyone can have a huge multi-speaker home cinema sound system.

Whether that’s because of the hefty price tag that comes with such a set-up, or the sheer amount of space it calls for, sometimes having a full-blown cinema system is simply not practical.

And that is where soundbars make so much sense. They can give you a clearer, more immersive sound compared to most TV speakers, with many models now also offering Dolby Atmos support for an even more enveloping experience.

Sony’s new Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S soundbar package aims to tick all those boxes. It’s made up of a main soundbar and a wireless subwoofer, with the pair boasting a compact design and a comprehensive selection of surround sound formats. But can this package challenge the class leaders in the market?

Price

If you are buying the main soundbar on its own, it will set you back £699 / $870. There’s no Australian pricing released yet (it's set for launch in July), but that translates to around AU$1320.

However, for reasons we will get to below, we’re testing the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 alongside the optional Bravia Theatre Sub 7.

When bundled together, this system has several names – Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S, Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + Sub 7, HTA7100KIT or HT-AP710 – and costs £799 / $1100 (around AU$1510).

Bought separately, the sub is priced at £249 / $330 (or a curiously-low AU$299 at Sony Australia at the time of writing), so if you are going to get it (and we very much feel that you should), it’s worth going for the bundle from the off.

There is also an option to add in surrounds with the Sony Theatre Rear 8 speakers, costing £449 / $500 / AU$599 on their own. In the UK, you can buy the Rear 8s in a bundle with the soundbar and subwoofer, and doing so takes their price down to £337.

The system is up against stiff competition, mainly as it is sandwiched between the Sonos Arc (£799 / $799 / AU$1399) and Sonos Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799). These are single soundbars with no subwoofer, but the Sony’s main bar is notably smaller than both Sonos models. That is worth bearing in mind when deciding what you can accommodate.

Build

The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 has a functional overall feel, and is unobtrusive. The front of the bar is covered with a cloth grille that gives it a stylish look.

There’s no display, nor are there buttons on the bar, which makes it tricky to navigate the settings without the accompanying app (more on that in a moment).

There is also a remote control, which is quite dinky, with a lightweight design that puts functionality over style. From here, you can control the power, input, bass levels, volume and turn on Night mode.

The choice of finishes is limited to black, but this blends well into our test room. The soundbar measures 95cm wide and just 6cm high, so it fits neatly under our 55-inch TV screen.

The subwoofer is an impressively compact piece of kit with a versatile design. You can use it in two different positions, either with the grille facing the listener or the side of the room. We try it in both configurations, but there is not much of a difference in presentation. It ultimately depends on what arrangement works for you.

The subwoofer is slim as well, measuring 36 x 35 x 13cm (hwd), which is about the same size as your average briefcase, so it can easily be tucked next to your TV stand.

Features

The soundbar and subwoofer combination offers a 5.1.2-channel configuration. Under the hood of the main bar, you will find 9 drive units, split between side, centre, up-firing and bass channels.

As the up-firing drivers indicate, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 supports 3D Audio, in both the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats.

Inside the subwoofer, there is a 13cm driver with a total power output of 100W.

At the back of the soundbar, you will find a cable cove that houses two HDMI sockets. One is the eARC port to connect the soundbar to your TV, while the other is a dedicated input. The Theatre Bar 7 supports full passthrough of 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM, which will be a big bonus to gamers with limited HDMI 2.1 sockets on their TV.

The Bravia Connect app lets you fine-tune the settings of the bar, with the ability to adjust bass levels and turn on the Sound Field and Voice Zoom feature. You can also pair the subwoofer (and the surrounds if you have them) from the app, where they recognise the product almost immediately, which makes for an easy set-up.

From here, you can also calibrate the soundbar to your space. This is done by playing a range of frequencies from the bar via the app on your phone, which will only take about 30 seconds, and the brand says it “will detect your position in the room and optimise sound to suit”. The subwoofer is not included in the calibration process, however, so it must be adjusted by ear.

We listened to the bar before and after calibration, and even in our acoustically treated test room, we noted a slight improvement. In a typical living room, the gains will likely be greater, so it’s worth the small amount of effort.

Sound

We test the Sony soundbar with a range of movies and music, and in each case it delivers a punchy, cohesive sound that is immediately likeable.

Kicking off with Top Gun: Maverick on 4K Blu-ray in Dolby Atmos, we watch as Tom Cruise’s Maverick attempts to reach hypersonic speed in a jet. The soundbar stretches the height effects above the TV screen as the vehicle soars into the atmosphere with a good level of precision.

This continues with the width of the soundstage, as Cruise whizzes across the desert from the right side of the screen to the left on his trusty motorcycle. You can hear the bike move across the space in a way that matches the movement on the screen.

When we play this scene without any setting adjustments, we find the bass is slightly lacking in the rev of the motorbike’s guttural engine, so we crank it up from the default 0 to 2 via the app.

This gives the scene an injection of energy with the added bass, but the lower frequencies never stand out as overzealous. Instead, the bass is well-integrated with the main soundbar and performs with the same precision as the rest of the system.

We use the Bravia 8 II as our display during testing. It sounds excellent by TV standards, but as you would hope and expect, voices are much clearer, cleaner and more expressive from the soundbar. When Maverick delivers a speech to his new pilot cohort, the balance between dynamic subtlety and clarity is well navigated.

There is the option to turn on the Voice Zoom feature, which does succeed in bringing voices forward in the mix. But it reduces the sense of scale, so we opt to keep it off. This will still be a good option for those who generally struggle with dialogue intelligibility.

The Sony package also delivers a great sense of three-dimensionality, which gives movies an enveloping feel. When watching Sinners on 4K Blu-ray in Dolby Atmos, spirits from the past, present and future all gather for a large-scale musical performance, and the Bar 7 admirably delivers the swirling overhead effects as the camera dances around the space, while still placing each instrument and voice in the room with brilliant accuracy and organisation.

There is a Sound Field setting that can be selected, and we find in our test room that it produces a wider, more effective surround sound effect compared to when it is off. Vocals become slightly less precise and do not reach the same level of detail, but it’s a small compromise considering the increase in scale.

This sense of immersion is also helped by the well-handled dynamics. As young musician Sammie first picks up his guitar to entertain the crowd, he tentatively plucks the strings with a delicacy that is reflected in the quiet dynamics. Then the music slowly builds to a brilliant crescendo as his vocals soar and a toe-tapping bass track is added into the mix.

Should you consider buying the Theatre Bar 7 without the subwoofer? We don’t think so. We test out the soundbar on its own, and while it still delivers clear vocals and convincing height effects, the sound is thinner and lacking the sense of scale and authority that we get when the subwoofer is added. Given the relatively low price of adding it from the off, and the compact dimensions, which make it pretty easy to place in your room, we feel the subwoofer is a wise addition.

We also test out the soundbar combo with music, and it continues to be a balanced, organised performer. With Feel Good Inc by Gorillaz, the Sony package offers a tight yet energetic bass that is well integrated with the rest of the track. Vocals sound natural yet forward, as evidenced by Aurora’s Some Type Of Skin. You can hear the delicate warbles in the singer’s voice, and every word is delivered with clarity.

When compared with the slightly pricier Sonos Arc Ultra, it’s clear that the two soundbars are taking different approaches. The Sonos offers a richer overall sound with warmer vocals that have more character than the Sony. But the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 and subwoofer combo delivers a more precise sound that feels more agile in comparison.

The Arc Ultra may suit your set-up more as it’s just one unit, but it is considerably larger than its rival (7.5 x 118 x 11cm versus the Sony’s 6.4 x 95 x 13cm). That means the Bar 7 might be a better fit for smaller living spaces.

Both can deliver about the same level of height and scale effects, making the Sony a worthy competitor to the Award-winning Sonos bar.

Verdict

Overall, Sony has done an excellent job with this soundbar package, delivering punchy, engaging audio.

The system is up against two Sonos Award-winners that are both tough competition, and they have their advantages as single soundbars. But their bulk might mean they are not as easy to accommodate as you might expect, unless you are looking to wall mount.

Regardless of build, the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S is a beautifully balanced soundbar package that is hard to fault, making it a top performer at this money. Watch your back, Sonos…

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 4
• Build 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Sonos Arc Ultra

Also consider the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

Read our Sonos Arc review

Best soundbars: options for every need, recommended by our experts

We get the impression that Samsung’s audio division might be one of the hardest-working teams in the AV industry. Delivering a new soundbar lineup every year is no mean feat – especially when they’re this good.

While the likes of Sonos, Sony and JBL tend to refresh their models every few years, Samsung somehow always manages to have a fresh set of soundbars ready every year, though that can lead to some generations having quite subtle differences from their predecessors; case in point, the HW-Q990H.

Last year’s HW-Q990F wowed us with an impressive new subwoofer that was built from the ground up to deliver punchy, musical and controlled bass from a surprisingly small package.

The HW-Q990H, which we have before us in our home cinema testing room, seems like a much more modest upgrade on paper – but when we take a listen, it turns out that there are a few more changes under the hood.

Price

Samsung has decided to launch the HW-Q990H at roughly the same £1599 / $2000 / AU$1999 price as its predecessor (that's actually £100 cheaper than last year here in the UK).

While that might sound like a lot to pay for a soundbar system now, we need to keep in mind that, traditionally speaking, Samsung's annual system tends to tumble in price fairly quickly and consistently throughout the year.

Last year’s HW-Q990F, for example, has dropped well below the £800 mark at various points since its launch – and especially during the major sales events such as Black Friday.

In fact, there is still plenty of Q990F stock around with huge discounts, and that is going to make it hard for the new Q990H to justify its high launch price.

Some more affordable all-in-one soundbar options have scored highly in our test room recently, including the Sonos Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799) and Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 (£1399 / $1400 / AU$1795), which may appeal to those wanting a neater solution.

However, none of these come with dedicated surround speakers or a subwoofer in the way that the Samsung does. You’ll have to cough up some extra cash to create an HW-Q990H adjacent system with these bars.

Design

If you were to put the soundbar portion of the HW-Q990H system in a lineup next to the Q990F, Q990D and Q990C, we’d seriously struggle to pick it out as the latest model. Looks-wise, this soundbar is practically identical to its predecessor, which is both good and bad news.

This is a very well-built and premium-feeling system. Everything is constructed from aluminium or a sturdy, high-quality plastic.

The main soundbar measures 7 x 123 x 14cm (hwd) and weighs 7.3kg, whereas the surround speakers are 20 x 13 x 14cm and weigh 3.4kg each.

The subwoofer, on the other hand, is a cube measuring 25 x 25 x 25cm and weighing 8.3kg. Those measurements are absolutely identical to the HW-Q990F’s.

This design is starting to look quite tired. The sharp, elongated hexagonal design is a touch brutalist (especially compared to Samsung’s sleek OLED TVs), and while the metallic grey finish is sleek, we think that the edgy soundbar and rounded cuboid subwoofer are at odds with one another aesthetically.

We prefer LG’s handsome (but sonically flawed) Sound Suite H7, or the smooth curves of the Sonos Arc Ultra. That being said, this isn’t a beauty contest, so we’re more interested in its features and sound performance – though we also need to remember that this bar will constantly be in your eyeline, and the surround speakers will be permanent fixtures in your living room.

Features

As with every Samsung product we test these days, from TVs to mobile phones, the HW-Q990F is feature-packed. There is, of course, a healthy dose of AI inclusions, but we’ll start with the hardware configuration.

This is an 11.1.4 system, with an impressive total of 23 individual drivers on board. This includes 15 drivers in the main soundbar unit, three in each of the wireless surround speakers, and two 8-inch woofers (in a push/pull configuration) in the wireless subwoofer.

Both the soundbar and surround speakers feature upward-firing drivers, which brings us neatly onto the immersive sound formats that this system supports.

The Q990H features support for three immersive audio formats: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Samsung’s Eclipsa Audio. Having full coverage of the available formats is a bonus, and while Eclipsa hasn’t been adopted by any other services aside from YouTube so far, it’s nice to be future-proofed in case that changes at some point.

In order to achieve the best surround sound experience, Samsung recommends placing the rear surround speakers at a 135-150-degree angle behind the listening position. Thankfully, Samsung’s SpaceFit Sound Pro feature, which is essentially this soundbar’s calibration system, can accommodate if your space doesn’t allow for this placement.

Interestingly, unlike most soundbars we test, which tend to take one set of measurements to map your room and adapt the sound, Samsung’s version is a clever, constantly running system that monitors your listening space at all times to make adjustments in real time.

On top of this, Samsung supports four sound modes: Standard, Surround, Game and AI Adaptive.

Standard takes a straightforward approach in which signals are directly reproduced (two-channel recordings are presented in stereo, for example), whereas Surround broadens the soundfield by introducing audio upscaling processing.

The Game setting reduces latency, and the AI Adaptive mode will, as the name suggests, employ artificial intelligence to analyse your content and adjust the sound to suit.

Another layer of processing is Samsung’s new Sound Elevation feature, which is new for this model. It’s designed to raise the audio upwards to match the position of your screen.

Samsung hasn’t really given a clear indication of how it determines where to place the audio, and for us, it seems to overshoot slightly and place the sound towards the top edge of our reference TV. This setting may appeal more to those who wall-mount their TV and leave a gap between it and their soundbar.

There is also a new Auto Volume feature that controls sudden loud spikes in volume when switching between different channels, applications or sources.

All of these sound settings can be applied via the included remote, and the dot-matrix display on the front of the soundbar is fairly useful for telling you which setting you're adjusting.

However, the Samsung SmartThings app is the preferred way of interacting with the settings menus, thanks to its snappy connection and set-up time, easy-to-understand menus, and generally solid stability.

You can also control your source from this app, including music streamed wirelessly to the system. The HW-Q990H supports Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Tidal Connect and Bluetooth, and it’s even Roon Ready.

Samsung also allows you to connect the Q990H wirelessly to many of its compatible TVs, and Dolby Atmos is even supported here – though for the sake of getting the best audio quality and reduced latency, we recommend sticking with a wired connection.

While we’re on the topic of the Samsung ecosystem, Q Symphony – in which your Samsung TV’s speakers work in tandem with the system – is also supported here. It's worth trying, but don't assume that using Q Symphony will produce better sound than using the Q990H's speakers alone. Many TVs will bring down the overall sound quality rather than improve it.

Wired connectivity is equally impressive, as the soundbar has three HDMI sockets in total. This includes an HDMI eARC for connecting to your TV, alongside two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 passthrough sockets, which support up to 4K/120Hz signals with VRR and ALLM, as well as HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision (the last of which is especially nice as Samsung’s own TVs don’t support Dolby Vision).

Sound

We’ll be the first to admit that we weren’t expecting much of a change from last year’s Q990F, and yet the HW-Q990H has a few surprises up its sleeve.

We’ve hooked the soundbar package up to our reference TV (the Sony Bravia 8 II) and 4K Blu-ray player (the sadly discontinued Oppo UDP-203), and raided our library of reference discs to assess the system’s sound performance.

As with the previous model, the Surround mode proves to be the best for movies and TV shows, as the wider sound field means that all components hang together in a more sonically cohesive way. The Standard preset, meanwhile, is better for music, and those who prefer minimal processing, or perhaps want a more focused sound, may prefer it for movies and TV shows.

Overall, the improvements to this generation from the HW-Q990F (which we have on hand for direct comparisons) can be distilled into this: the Q990H takes everything we love about the last generation, and delivers it with even more nuance, detail and scale.

Starting with Civil War, we watch the section leading up to the climactic final battle, and we find that this soundbar package excels in practically every aspect. As Lee goes to comfort Jessie in a serene woodland area, we’re totally immersed in the environment thanks to the soundbar’s excellent placement of cinematic effects.

Birds chirping in trees overhead and the subtle crackling of twigs and leaves breaking underfoot are realised with superb accuracy, and the river trickling in the background is packed with sonic nuance; it all sounds genuinely alive.

As the two characters have a heart-to-heart conversation, we find that the tonality and emotions of their voices are captured thanks to the Q990H's rich sonic characteristics and deft handling of low-level dynamics. Vocal clarity is also excellent, as the system has no problem delivering crisp and detailed, yet full-bodied, dialogue, and we find little in the way of sharpness or sibilance in any of the characters’ voices.

As the Western Forces prepare to deploy, the thunderous rumble of helicopter blades is delivered with a crisp leading edge to each swoop, and is rounded out with a thickness, weight and richness that gives a genuine impression of heavy-duty metal blades chopping through the air.

It should come as no surprise that bass is handled very well, considering how much of a step up the HW-Q990F was with its redesigned subwoofer. The HW-Q990H seems to carry across the same, or at least a very similar, subwoofer, which brings an equally impressive dose of low-end weight.

We switch to Blade Runner 2049’s infamously tricky chapter two, and find that the bass builds nicely, peppering tension throughout. It refuses to distort or warble, and yet it reaches plenty deep, and there is a sense of tonal variation within the bass, which makes it sound tuneful and dynamic.

We find that the system’s previously established strengths are also on show. The way it projects height effects and places them – especially the announcements of the holographic advertisements near Officer K’s apartment – is impressive indeed. While this was a strength of the HW-Q990F, the Q990H takes this even further, with a greater sense of accuracy and spaciousness.

This system captures the bustle of the dystopian street and the buzz of K’s crowded apartment complex with a level of finesse and detail that seriously sells the atmosphere of each scene. It cleverly picks up background sounds and weaves them into the soundfield without making them sound forced or intentionally singled out.

Rounding out our film testing with Thunderbolts, we start the scene in which the team of anti-heroes makes a daring escape from a compound surrounded by military personnel. The tapping percussion featured throughout this sequence feels agile and snappy, conveying excitement and energy while easily keeping pace.

Dialogue is once again a highlight here; Yelena Belova’s dry wit is captured differently from John Walker’s stoic inflexion, thanks to the system’s ability to capture finer details. It’s not a night-and-day difference compared with its predecessor, but once we notice it, it becomes clear that the Q990H is the better of the two at unearthing subtler sonic nuances.

Moving on to music, we try a range of tracks, including Harry Styles’ Carla’s Song, Heavy by The Marias, and tracks from Hans Zimmer’s Interstellar OST in the system’s Standard mode. This sound mode removes the rear speakers from the equation and lets the main soundbar unit and subwoofer shine for stereo music reproduction.

The good news is that most, if not all, of the positive attributes from our movie testing are present and correct for music, too. Vocals are warm and detailed, bass is taut, deep and keeps pace, and there is a general sense of naturalism and balance to the sound.

While the Sonos Arc Ultra is our preferred soundbar for music, thanks to its richer, more rounded and smoother sound, the HW-Q990H is still a seriously talented performer.

Verdict

While it may look like a subtle upgrade on paper, and it even looks borderline identical to its predecessor when we unbox it, Samsung has made some worthwhile under-the-hood refinements with this soundbar package.

Its ability to capture a touch more detail and nuance, and place spatial sound effects with even greater precision, makes this system another step up in a lineage of soundbars that have improved year-on-year.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Build 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Samsung HW-Q990F

Also consider the Sonos Arc Ultra

Read our Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 review

Best soundbars: options for every need, recommended by our experts

Ever since the soundbar category emerged in the early 2000s, we have tested a huge range of soundbars over the years. From premium soundbar packages to budget systems, we have had all sorts in our dedicated test room.

And recently, quite a unique proposition entered the budget category. The Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos is the cheapest Dolby Atmos soundbar system we have ever tested, coming in at £169.

The package consists of a main soundbar, two small circular surrounds and a slender subwoofer. That’s all packed into a mind-bogglingly small footprint, so much so that it looks almost like a toy replica of a larger system. The soundbar, for instance, measures 6.2 x 41 x 9cm (hwd) – that’s smaller than the average baguette.

At such a low price, it’s fair to say we didn't have the highest of hopes for the cheap soundbar package. But when we put it through its paces, we were pleasantly surprised by its audio performance.

Two things held the Majority back from becoming a five-star budget find, but it is still a top pick for home cinema lovers who don't want to break the bank. Let's get into it.

Strong bass performance

When we first plug in the Majority bar, we knock the bass down via the remote control because, at its default settings for Movie mode, the lower frequencies overwhelm the rest of the sound.

Once we do this, the Bowfell Halo Atmos’ subwoofer produces a relatively controlled and tuneful bass that outperforms its price tag.

The Majority’s subwoofer is eye-bogglingly small and thin, coming in at 32 cm tall, so it is surprising that it can produce such a strong bass performance with its small stature.

At its low cost, there’s not really another Dolby Atmos soundbar package that we have tested to compare it with. The Creative Stage Pro, however, comes in at £130 and scored a solid four stars in our test room. It does not come with as much kit as the Majority, though, as it consists of just a main soundbar and subwoofer.

We put the two head-to-head, and the Bowfell Halo Atmos bar delivers a deeper bass that gives movie-watching an extra punch.

Cinematic sound considering price and size

That bass-heavy performance helps to make the system deliver a cinematic and engaging sound for the money.

The addition of separate surround speakers also adds to the experience to some extent. When watching Top Gun: Maverick, for example, as a jet flies from right to left, the soundbar does a respectable job of placing the sound and tracking it across the screen.

They are very compact, which limits their effectiveness (more on this in a second), but the surrounds give you an element of surround sound that you can’t get from single-bar set-ups.

Vocals are clear as well, which is an improvement on most TV speakers, especially with the smaller models, which the Majority will likely be paired with. They do lack the natural warmth that we hear with the Creative Stage Pro, however.

Still, the Majority soundbar offers an exciting overall sound that makes it a cheap and convenient way to improve your TV’s audio quality and get a sense of cinematic surround sound.

Surrounds could be pulling more weight

While the surrounds lend the system a more immersive experience than rival bars without the extra kit, there is a disconnect between the main soundbar and the surround speakers.

They do at times draw the ear with a neat surround effect, but their audio is quite localised and doesn’t tie in terribly effectively with the sound from the main bar. It's not a particular surprise due to their size and price, just do not expect a coherent and fully immersive surround sound experience.

The Dolby Atmos delivery in the soundbar is also rather limited. You get some sense of height effects, but only to a little above ear height. We say in our review: "If you’re expecting to hear helicopters hovering overhead and fighter planes sweeping across your ceiling, you will be disappointed."

This is particularly clear when watching Thunderbolts when a squad of soldiers gun down the hapless Bob. The firing gunshots remain pretty glued to the TV screen without much of a surround sound effect. That’s a shame if you want that extra immersion, but that’s perhaps too much to ask at this level.

Not as strong with music

The Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos is a strong performer with movies for the money, but music lovers will not be as pleased.

That is primarily due to the extra surround processing the soundbar applies to music.

When playing Harry Styles’ American Girls in Music mode with the bass knocked down again, we say in our review that "the vocal track should sound direct and focused, but the soundbar spatially separates the harmonies in a forced and discombobulating manner: it sounds as though there is an uninvited choir of Harrys serenading us."

The subwoofer’s enthusiastic bass lends the track a good sense of energy, but the Creative Stage Pro delivers a more natural listening experience with the same track, offering a better-organised rendition.

If you are looking for a cheap soundbar system with impactful bass and reasonably cinematic sound for the size and money, then this Majority package is one to consider.

MORE:

Here's our full review of the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos

Check out our review of the Creative Stage Pro

These are the best budget soundbars

The name of this Majority system might invoke visions of angelic figures or an off-brand Bond villain, but seeing the soundbar package in the flesh will set you straight pretty quickly.

Featuring one of the most compact designs we have had in our test room and boasting Dolby Atmos support, it’s a tempting proposition on paper.

And, even though the budget soundbar market has been hotting up in the past year, the Bowfell Halo Atmos still stands out as something unusual.

Price

The Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos is not only the cheapest Dolby Atmos system we’ve ever tested, but the cheapest Dolby Atmos soundbar we’ve tested, period, coming in at £169.

This converts to around $225 / AU$320 in the US and Australia respectively, but it’s not currently available in either region.

When looking at complete Dolby Atmos soundbar packages at a similar price, only the Hisense AX5125H comes close to matching this and is available for £249 / $350 (around AU$500). That model received a What Hi-Fi? Award last year, and we praised its cinematic weight and scale in our review.

If you don't mind doing without the dedicated surrounds, a subwoofer, and/or Dolby Atmos, your options at this level widen dramatically, with models such as the Sony HT-SF150, Creative Stage Pro and Sonos Ray all being strong choices.

Build

Comprising a main soundbar, two surrounds and a subwoofer, the Bowfell Halo Atmos is a complete Dolby Atmos package. That’s all packed into a mind-bogglingly small footprint, so much so that it looks almost like a toy replica of a larger system.

As a whole, the soundbar package weighs just 3.6kg so, suffice to say, it feels pretty cheap.

The soundbar alone measures 6.2 x 41 x 9cm (hwd) – that’s smaller than the average baguette. It's somewhat dwarfed by our 65-inch LG C6 TV, and will look much more at home beneath a 32- or 43-inch model.

The surrounds are incredibly compact – just a little bigger than the average clenched fist. The subwoofer also boasts a compact design at just 32cm tall, with an inconspicuous black plastic coating and a five-inch driver.

On the top of the bar is a panel where you can change the power, volume and input. Rather surprisingly for such a budget model, we have a dot matrix display at the front of the bar that flags input, volume and EQ adjustments.

Set-up is fairly simple, as the main surround speaker connects to the other via a cable. There’s no wire connecting to the main soundbar, so there's no cable running from the front to the back of the room.

While you may prefer a completely wired surround experience, at this price, we wouldn’t expect more.

Majority’s remote control for the bar is oddly quite bulky, especially compared to the rest of the package.

From here, you can control volume, power, input, toggle between EQ modes and adjust the bass and treble levels. These EQ modes consist of Music, Movie, News and Sport, although these are counter-intuitively labelled numerically on the display.

Features

Under the hood of the soundbar you will find three front-facing drivers. The subwoofer features one down-facing driver and the surrounds include one front-facing driver each. That adds up to a 5.1-channel system.

The Halo Atmos offers Dolby Atmos support, but there’s no DTS:X or DTS-HD Master Audio on the cards. As there are no up-firing drivers, these Atmos effects are virtualised.

It does offer Bluetooth 5.3 but, as you would expect from such a budget model, there is no wi-fi connection. You can use most other smart devices to stream music from the likes of Tidal, Apple Music, Qobuz and Spotify.

Connectivity is understandably quite limited. Around the back of the main soundbar you will find an HDMI eARC socket, a USB, an aux and an optical port.

Sound

It’s fair to say our expectations were fairly low for the cheap and tiny Majority system, but we are quickly and pleasantly surprised by its sound.

We opt for the Movie mode (‘EQ2’ on the display), but are at first greeted with a rather dominating bass that distracts from the rest of the sound. For that reason, we bump it down a few notches to help with integration.

Once we have scaled it back, the system delivers a deep and relatively tuneful bass that gives movies a sense of excitement.

We start off at the deep end with our go-to bass stress test as a futuristic ship weaves around buildings in chapter two of Blade Runner 2049, accompanied by a tonally varied soundtrack.

While the soundbar does not have the punch to give each beat an impactful entrance, it is still reasonably controlled in its delivery and can go impressively deep considering the subwoofer’s small stature.

What’s more, it doesn’t distort the bass – we have seen more expensive models make this mistake. This strong bass results in a loud delivery, so the dynamics feel a bit stunted.

The Blade Runner 2049 scene should start off moodily, but the Majority system goes in all guns blazing at the expense of the subtle atmospherics. It also lacks the extra extension to deliver the dynamic climb to the dramatic crescendo.

Even if you turn down the volume, it still doesn't have the expressive dynamics we are looking for.

Turning to its performance with vocals, they are certainly clear and intelligible, which will be an improvement on most TVs’ audio, especially with the smaller models with which the Majority will likely be partnered.

Watching Wicked, as Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba launches into an electric rendition of The Wizard And I, her voice is brought to the front of the track and means you won’t miss a word. The vocals lack warmth and expression though, making them come across as somewhat artificial.

The lower midrange is a particular area of inadequacy for the Majority, meaning some deeper voices feel a little inconsistent, with something of a gap felt in those frequencies.

Having dedicated satellite speakers of course gives you an element of surround sound that you can’t get from single bar set-ups, but their compact design limits their effectiveness. While they do at times draw the ear with a neat surround effect, their audio is quite localised and doesn’t tie in terribly effectively with the sound from the main bar.

When watching Top Gun: Maverick, for example, when a jet flies from right to left, the soundbar does a respectable job of placing the sound and tracking it across the screen, but there is a noticeable gap between the soundbar and the surround speakers.

That isn’t to say their presence in the system isn’t a net positive, but don’t go expecting a fully immersive surround field.

On that subject, the Majority system’s Dolby Atmos chops are also rather limited. You get some sense of height effects, but only to a little above ear height. If you’re expecting to hear helicopters hovering overhead and fighter planes sweeping across your ceiling, you will be disappointed.

In Thunderbolts, when a squad of soldiers gun down the hapless Bob, the gunshots remain pretty glued to the TV screen without much of a surround sound effect. That’s a shame if you want that extra immersion, but that’s perhaps too much to ask at this price and size.

Compared to the slightly cheaper Creative Stage Pro, the Majority model is clearly the more immersive of the two. Its deep bass and ‘true’ (if limited) surround sound make for a more cinematic experience. The Creative, however, counters with a much more natural-sounding vocal performance and a more precise soundfield. It’s primarily a choice between scale and authenticity.

The Majority does not perform nearly as well with music as it does with movies.

Playing Harry Styles’ American Girls in Music mode with the bass knocked down again, the soundbar seems to be adding surround processing where there should be none.

The vocal track should sound direct and focused, but the soundbar spatially separates the harmonies in a forced and discombobulating manner: it sounds as though there is an uninvited choir of Harrys serenading us.

On the plus side, the subwoofer’s enthusiastic way with bass lends the track a good sense of pep and energy. But the Creative delivers a more natural and pleasant listening experience with the same track, offering a more crisp and better-organised rendition.

If you are looking for a system equally capable with music as with movies, your money would be better placed elsewhere.

But the Majority model delivers a surprisingly bassy and cinematic sound that, while limited, feels rather impressive for the price.

Verdict

For such a budget model, the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos has massively exceeded our expectations. Its compact design will be a big draw for those working with a small space, as long as you don’t mind some pesky wires.

On top of that, its hard-working subwoofer makes a controlled impact and gives movies a good buzz of energy.

It’s certainly not a great choice if you are planning to use your soundbar for music, and the Atmos effect is limited, but this remains a cheap and convenient way to improve your TV’s audio quality and get a sense of cinematic surround sound.

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Features 4
• Build 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Creative Stage Pro

Also consider the Hisense AX5125H

Read our Sony HT-SF150 review

Best soundbars: options for every need, recommended by our experts

Sony has announced its latest slate of Bravia-branded TVs and home audio devices, and there's a certain soundbar that's caught my eye.

The new lineup includes the Bravia Sub 9, which looks like it fell straight out of a sci-fi movie, and the Bravia Theatre Bar 5, which is a more wallet-friendly soundbar and subwoofer combo that sits just below the Theatre System 6. But it's another soundbar that's top of my wish list.

I'm talking about the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7, which replaces the HT-A3000. I have a soft spot for this 'bar, as it was the first Dolby Atmos soundbar I ever had at home (before ultimately upgrading to the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus).

This new version looks like a shrunken-down version of the five-star Bravia Theatre Bar 9, although the soundbar that it is really challenging is the much-loved Sonos Beam Gen 2.

The five-time Award-winning Dolby Atmos soundbar delivers superb cinematic sound in a compact package, and while plenty of challengers have tried to snatch its crown, none have managed to knock it from the top spot.

Sennheiser tried, and ultimately failed, with the Ambeo Soundbar Mini, while Harman Kardon's Enchant 900 proved to be a competitive option but couldn't knock it off its perch.

The closest rival we've had to the Beam Gen 2 is the JBL Bar 300MK2, which offered up a five-star surround sound experience at a price that slightly undercut Sonos. But ultimately, the Sonos Beam 2 prevailed.

However, I think the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 could be the 'bar to finally topple the champion, as it has all of the makings of a five-star soundbar.

Unlike the Sonos Beam Gen 2, and the HT-A3000 that this soundbar replaces, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 features dedicated upward-firing drivers. This means we'll (hopefully) be treated to "proper" Dolby Atmos height effects and won't have to rely on Sony's Vertical Sound Engine processing.

And this could make all the difference. We noted that the height presentation and projection could have been better in our full HT-A3000 review, and it sounds as though Sony has listened to our concerns.

Furthermore, the new Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 features one thing that the Beam Gen 2 is sorely missing: HDMI passthrough.

Sony has gone all-out by including a full bandwidth HDMI 2.1 socket on this soundbar, which supports up to 4K/120Hz signals with VRR and ALLM, which should make gamers with multiple consoles (like me) rather happy.

Much like the Beam Gen 2, there is the option to connect rear speakers and a subwoofer (Sony suggests the new Bravia Sub 8 and Rear 9 speakers as ideal companions) for a full surround sound upgrade.

There is also a variant called the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 Plus S, which comes bundled with a 100W wireless subwoofer.

Combine these upgrades with Sony's legendary audio expertise and I think that the Bar 7 could finally be the soundbar to usurp the long-standing Sonos champion.

I can't wait to get the new Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 in for a full review and to find out if my prediction proves to be correct.

MORE:

Read our full Sonos Beam Gen 2 review

As well as our Sony HT-A3000 review

And check out our picks for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Sony has just announced the latest additions to its Bravia Theatre Bar range of Dolby Atmos soundbars (plus two new Bravia TVs). And it’s not quite what we were expecting.

Rather than replace the flagship Bravia Theatre Bar 9 or the step-down Bravia Theatre Bar 8, both of which launched almost two years ago, Sony has decided to launch more affordable models below them.

Bravia Theatre Bar 7

First up is the Bravia Theatre Bar 7, which replaces the long in the tooth, four-star rated HT-A3000.

The Bar 7 has a design very similar to that of the Bar 8 and Bar 9, with a rounded mesh front and a metallic, angular rear.

But while it’s the same height and almost the same depth as its more premium siblings, the Bar 7 is significantly narrower, at 95cm compared with the Bar 8’s 110cm and the Bar 9’s 130cm.

It’s worth noting that this means the Bar 7 is still a good deal longer than the 65cm Sonos Beam Gen 2 with which it seems destined to do battle.

As with the other Theatre Bar models, two feet are included in the Bar 7’s box. These can be used to elevate the Bar 7 just a little so that it can straddle an awkward TV pedestal stand. A wall mount is included as well.

Unlike the Sonos Beam, the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 features dedicated up-firing speakers, one at each end of the top panel. These are full-range Sony X-Balanced designs.

They are joined by a full-range X-Balanced driver at each end of the bar, plus two forward-facing X-Balanced woofers for the left and right channels, a full-range X-Balanced centre speaker, and two tweeters.

And that’s not all – there are four passive radiators for additional bass, too.

Sony then uses its 360 Spatial Audio technology to create an additional five phantom speakers, which are designed to generate a bubble of sound.

This is the basis for the Bar 7’s reproduction of 3D Audio, which it can handle in both the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats.

The compact bar is IMAX Enhanced Certified, too, though only when the optional rears and a subwoofer are connected.

Speaking of which, there are two variants of this new soundbar. You can buy the solo Bravia Theatre Bar 7 (also known as the HT-A7100), or you can buy a bundle that also includes the 100W Sub 7 subwoofer.

This bundle is known as the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S, or HT-AP710.

Away from movies, there is support for Apple AirPlay and Spotify Connect, but Tidal Connect appears to be absent.

The Bar 7 comes with the same remote as the Bar 8 and Bar 9. It isn’t fancy, but it is better than no remote at all.

Of course, it will be possible to control the volume using your TV’s remote control, and if your TV is a recent Sony, you’ll be able to access more or less all of the Bar 7’s settings and controls via the TV’s onscreen menus.

Want more ways to control and tweak the Bar 7? No problem: it’s also compatible with the very good Bravia Connect app.

This is also where you complete Sony’s ‘Sound Field Optimisation’ calibration, which attempts to adapt the sound to your room and seating position.

As you would expect, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 is designed to be connected to your TV via HDMI eARC (in fact, this appears to be another new soundbar without a legacy optical input), but unlike many rivals, there is also a dedicated HDMI input, and the soundbar supports passthrough of 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM.

Bravia Theatre Bar 5

Sony has also announced a new entry-level model in the Bravia soundbar range.

The Bravia Theatre Bar 5 is a package that contains a compact three-channel soundbar and a fairly bijou wireless subwoofer to make a neat 3.1 system.

Despite the lack of up-firing drivers, the Theatre Bar 5 is able to reproduce Dolby Atmos and DTS:X signals using Sony’s Vertical Surround Engine, which has previously impressed us in models such as the Bravia Theatre System 6.

Unlike the Bar 7, the Bar 5 doesn’t feature HDMI passthrough, but it does have an optical input nestled alongside the HDMI eARC socket.

News subs and surrounds

The two new soundbars are joined by optional new subwoofers and surround speakers, and these are very much flagship models.

The new Bravia Theatre Sub 9 is a gorgeous, sci-fi-styled cube that replaces Sony’s current SW5 flagship subwoofer.

Each half of the cube (it’s not actually a perfect cube, but it looks close enough) features a 20cm aluminium driver.

These are dual opposing drivers that employ phase cancelling to deliver smooth, ultra-deep, distortion-free bass, according to Sony, which also claims a monstrous maximum power output of 600W for the Sub 9.

The Bravia Theatre Sub 8, meanwhile, is essentially half of the Sub 9. It features one of the 20cm aluminium drivers and a claimed power output of 300W.

The new subwoofers are compatible with the Bravia Theatre Bar 9, Bar 8 and Bar 7, as well as the Bravia Theatre Quad.

Thanks to a post-launch software update, you will even be able to pair two of these subs (or two Sub 7s, for that matter) with one of the bars, though the Quad system can still have just one subwoofer.

Finally, the new surround speakers.

The Bravia Theatre Rear 9 speakers replace the RS5s and sit above the existing Rear 8s.

They feature a minimalist, cylindrical design, with a metal ring around the top that matches the metal band around the rear edge of the soundbars.

Each Rear 9 features two 80mm aluminium drivers, one facing forwards and the other upwards (with a bit of a forward-tilting angle), plus a front-firing 16mm tweeter and a side-facing passive radiator.

A swivelling wall-bracket for each speaker is included in the box.

Unfortunately, Sony hasn’t yet given us launch dates or prices for any of this new audio kit, but as soon as we have that information, we will update this story.

MORE:

The one to beat: here's our Sonos Beam Gen 2 review

Here are all of the best soundbars you can buy right now

We’ve seen a lot of cheap soundbars punch above their sonic weight recently. Our staff writer, and primary tester for a lot of them, Robyn Quick, made that clear in one of their features earlier this week.

On the back of that, I have seen a steady stream of questions appear in my inbox asking about one key feature: are they any good at Dolby Atmos?

While I’d love to have a positive response for you, I have to say that, after hours of sitting in our home cinema testing room helping to review many of the top performers, my answer is a firm no.

I have taken a quick roll call of our recent positive, cheap soundbar reviews. And, whether it’s the Award-winning Hisense AX5125H, four-star Sharp HT-SB700 or the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos we’re just finishing reviewing, while we can certainly hear palpable improvements in general audio quality, none delivers a proper Dolby Atmos experience.

The reason is simple. Despite having Dolby Atmos listed on their specifications and marketing material, each unit struggles to deliver the necessary 360-degree sense of height required.

This is a big deal. The whole point of Atmos is that it should envelop you in a dome of sound. So, whether you’re watching planes scream overhead during Top Gun: Maverick, or hearing a monster lurking upstairs during The Conjuring: Last Rights, it should sound and feel as though the sound is actually coming from above.

Done, right, Atmos makes for a truly immersive experience – especially if you have a proper 5.1.2 multi-speaker setup with ceiling-mounted, down-firing surrounds. More premium soundbar units, including the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra, come close by using up-firing drivers that bounce audio off your ceiling.

Most cheaper units don’t have these drivers, though; and even those that do still struggle to accurately replicate the effect. They at best manage to make effects sound a little higher, but usually with not enough finesse to engross you properly in the movie.

For example, playing a nighttime battle scene during Civil War, our staff writers frequently get a giggle, watching me duck or flinch as gunfire that’s meant to scream overhead feels like it’s coming in at head height. That’s a step in the right direction for cheap soundbars, for sure, but it’s not what the director actually intended.

Even the Hisense, which is the closest shot (see what I did there?) at decent Atmos we have seen in the affordable end of the market, doesn't quite manage it.

That’s not to say they’re bad. In fact, for the money, the improvements to their general scale and directionality, even compared with units released three or four years ago, are truly impressive. Which is why so many we have reviewed over the past year or so got four and even, at times, five-star ratings. I got a Sharp HT-SB700 for my parents to use, because I like it that much.

But you shouldn’t invest in them if you want Dolby Atmos – they’re not there yet.

How do they get away with calling themselves Dolby Atmos soundbars if they can’t deliver the proper experience? Because, at a technical level at the very least, they are Dolby Atmos soundbars, with eARC inputs that can recognise the signal and attempt to replicate the source material’s intended effect. It’s the delivery I’m focusing on here.

Which is why, while we stand by our cheaper Dolby Atmos soundbar recommendations – which factor general audio quality and value for money, not simply Atmos – if you want a proper dome of sound experience, you are still going to have to pay a little more.

You have been warned.

MORE:

These are the best soundbars we have reviewed

Our reviewers rank the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Our picks of the best surround sound systems

In the world of soundbars, Sonos is a name that you will see pop up time and time again. And it is for good reason, as the American brand has delivered a host of top-performing soundbar models that have proved difficult to beat.

That is certainly the case with the Sonos Arc Ultra, which has stood strong as the best model overall in our soundbar guide since it hit the shelves back in 2024.

But during its glorious reign, younger, competitively-priced models have stepped up to the plate in an effort to overthrow it. The most recent opponent is the JBL Bar 1000MK2, which offers a distinctive design and audio performance.

We put the two head-to-head in our dedicated test room to see how the models compare. Both models are strong performers with lots to like, but which is the best choice overall? Let's find out...

Sonos Arc Ultra vs JBL Bar 1000MK2: price

In the UK, the Sonos Arc Ultra has remained at its launch price of £999, although we have seen it drop lower during deals season. The JBL Bar 1000MK2 is consistently available for around £900, making it the cheaper option in the region.

The price difference is a little more varied across the pond, with the JBL Bar costing $1200 compared to Sonos’ lower price of $999.

In Australia, you can get the JBL soundbar for around AU$1600 compared to the Sonos’ price tag of AU$1799. That all positions both bars firmly in the more premium end of the Dolby Atmos soundbar category.

Despite the price variation, the JBL Bar 1000MK2 takes the prize due to its slightly lower price in more regions, but it's a close call.

**Winner: JBL Bar 1000MK2**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs JBL Bar 1000MK2: build

Where the Sonos Arc Ultra offers a compact all-in-one design with a 9.1.4-channel configuration, the JBL Bar 1000MK2 is a 7.1.4-channel package that has a larger footprint.

Consisting of a main soundbar, two detachable surrounds and a subwoofer, the JBL model is one of the most flexible designs we have seen in our test room. The package as a whole looks rather unassuming, with a simple but sturdy black plastic coating.

As you may have guessed, the battery-powered rear speakers are the highlight of the JBL’s build. They can be connected to the main soundbar via a magnetic port or used wirelessly.

Those surrounds have a claimed 10 hours of battery life, and can be juiced up by plugging them into the mains or just connecting them back to the main soundbar. JBL also provides plastic covers to hide the rather unsightly ports on the soundbar ends when the surrounds are disconnected. Each of these speakers houses one up-firing driver as well as a racetrack unit.

Additionally, they can be taken to another room while the sound from your TV or Bluetooth device continues to play, transforming into a neat wireless speaker.

Turning to the subwoofer, it is fairly hefty in size at 40 x 33 x 33 cm (hwd) but is easy to move around, weighing a reasonable 9kg. There is a single 26cm downward-facing drive unit, which is driven by an internal 300W amplifier.

With the main bar, you will find six racetrack drivers, two tweeters and two up-firing full-range drivers.

There is an LED display at the front which makes it easy to tell when you are changing the output or switching between modes, allowing for a more intuitive and simple experience.

That’s a welcome sight compared to the Sonos model, which just has a glowing status light breaking up the appearance from the front.

In contrast to all that kit, the Arc Ultra's single soundbar should fit nicely under your TV screen as it is just 75 mm tall.

It sports a hard plastic grille, complete with Sonos' minimalist aesthetic that gives it a sleek appearance.

The Arc Ultra boasts 14 speaker drivers, including seven tweeters, six midrange drivers, and one woofer. It’s quite a special woofer, however, as it is what Sonos refers to as a 'Sound Motion' speaker. This proprietary tech is designed to deliver exceptional bass in a compact design.

The soundbar comes in two colour options – black and white – which gives you more options than the JBL soundbar, which just comes in black.

The JBL model includes a handheld remote to control the soundbar, which lets you turn the soundbar on or off, adjust surround-sound and bass levels, turn on Bluetooth, and change the output and volume. Sonos, on the other hand, includes no such device as it is designed to be controlled using your TV remote, the Sonos app (more on that in a moment), or touch controls on the soundbar.

For its versatile surround speaker build, the JBL Bar takes the prize here.

**Winner: JBL Bar 1000MK2**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs JBL Bar 1000MK2: features

In terms of HDMI connections, the JBL model stands out for its comprehensive offerings. There are four HDMI sockets – three inputs and the output/eARC. While there’s no 4K/120Hz support, the HDMI passthrough supports signals up to 4K/60Hz as well as Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

Sonos’ model has no dedicated HDMI inputs, with only one HDMI eARC port available. The idea is that you simply connect the soundbar to your TV using eARC, with any external sources being routed through the TV and out to the bar. That is a bit of a drawback for some, especially if you have more than one high-spec gaming console and a TV with just two HDMI 2.1 sockets.

Where the JBL model offers support for both DTS:X and Dolby Atmos, Sonos only supports the latter. That’s a big tick for the JBL as it gives more surround sound options to movie fans.

Both the Sonos and JBL bars have an app which acts as a hub from which you can adjust and control a variety of settings (Sonos and JBL One, respectively). From here, you can access EQ controls and connect to streaming services.

Speaking of music, the apps offer a variety of streaming support including Tidal, Amazon Music, and Qobuz. Additionally, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect are available with both models. You can send music to both of the bars using Bluetooth 5.3 as well.

The JBL Bar 1000MK2 offers a selection of pre-set sound modes: Movie, Music and Standard. Movie and Music are optimised for their intended purpose, leaving Standard as a bit of a third wheel that doesn’t shine in either scenario.

Sonos offers a Speech Enhancement setting which has different levels so that you can control to what degree the dialogue is projected. The Loudness setting adds pep and weight without introducing anything negative, at least in our space.

Both soundbars offer a Night mode, which reduces dynamics and bass so you don’t disturb others in the house.

JBL’s more comprehensive HDMI offerings are certainly a pro, especially for gamers, and its better surround sound support makes it the winner in this category.

**Winner: JBL Bar 1000MK2**

JBL Bar 1000MK2 vs Sonos Arc Ultra: sound

As with their build and feature offerings, the Sonos and JBL soundbars are quite different propositions in terms of audio.

When we first get the JBL Bar 1000MK2 into the test room, its bass performance is a bit overblown, so we turn it down a few notches.

Once that’s adjusted, the JBL offers a less floor-shaking bass that feels more balanced, which adds an extra oomph to movies and makes for an exciting overall listening experience. When watching Spider-Man: Homecoming on 4K Blu-ray, for instance, the smash of the villainous Vulture’s punches and the roar of Iron Man’s suit thrusters is impactful yet detailed with a good amount of authority.

The bass is still not the punchiest we have heard, though, as it lacks that extra sense of precision.

Considering the JBL has a separate subwoofer, it won’t come as a surprise that it is the stronger performer when it comes to generating powerful bass. While you won’t get floor-shakingly strong bass with the Sonos, it counters with more tuneful and expressive low frequencies.

The JBL can also create a wide soundfield. With Blade Runner 2049, raindrops fall around Officer K and his digital companion Joi, and we feel the downpour just behind the listening position. The separate surrounds are not the strongest, however, and do not manage to generate an immersive dome of sound above us.

Turning to the Sonos Arc Ultra, the Award-winning model outdoes the JBL’s sense of immersion despite being a single soundbar. When watching the same scene in Blade Runner 2049, the Arc Ultra delivers an organised and precise overall sound that makes for a more convincing surround-sound experience.

Both soundbars deliver vocals with greater clarity than most TV speakers, but the Arc Ultra delivers the more emotive, textured voice performance.

When playing the main theme from Jurassic Park to test the bars out with music via Qobuz Connect, the Bar 1000MK2 portrays the opening's French horn call with brightness but does not quite have enough subtlety to convey the emotional impact of the score.

The Sonos, however, delivers the low-level dynamics with excellent subtlety and finesses that foundation with the swell of the whole orchestra. That makes for a more musical experience overall.

JBL’s floor-shaking bass and clear vocals certainly gave the Sonos model a run for its money in this head-to-head. But the Sonos ultimately retains its crown for its organised and tuneful performance, as well as its ability to create a more immersive soundfield without the extra kit.

**Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra**

JBL Bar 1000MK2 vs Sonos Arc Ultra: verdict

JBL’s versatile and unique build will certainly appeal to many home cinema fans, giving you the flexibility that few other models can offer. On top of that, it offers plentiful connectivity options that makes the Sonos look pretty stingy in comparison.

And it certainly put up a fight against the Award-winner, delivering a powerful bass and exciting overall listening experience for movies.

But the Arc Ultra’s more musical, cohesive and enveloping audio wins through yet again, meaning it remains our top pick in the category.

**Overall winner: Sonos Arc Ultra**

MORE:

Here's our review of the JBL Bar 1000MK2

This is the review of the Sonos Arc Ultra

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

After much anticipation, LG’s Sonos-rivalling premium home cinema system, Sound Suite, launched earlier this month.

As the first such system boasting Dolby Atmos FlexConnect technology, Sound Suite arrived promising revolutionary flexibility in terms of system configuration and speaker placement – and in those regards, it largely delivers.

Unfortunately, LG has also fumbled some of the sonic fundamentals, hence the three-star rating in our reviews of both the Sound Suite H7 soundbar and the Sound Suite system as a whole.

But, having spent two weeks using the Sound Suite system both in our dedicated test room and at home, there are actually lots of things that I really like about LG’s Dolby Atmos home cinema solution.

So let’s spend some time giving praise where it’s due by detailing Sound Suite’s many strengths – before embarking on the less pleasant task of flagging its weaknesses.

Strengths

Excellent Dolby Atmos placement

The way Dolby Atmos is handled is without doubt the Sound Suite system’s most impressive quality.

During Blade Runner 2049, audio adverts float convincingly above the listening position, while environmental effects occupy precise positions within the room. In F1, commentary sits neatly overhead and fireworks spread convincingly across the ceiling.

The system consistently places sounds in very specific three-dimensional locations, creating an impressively immersive Atmos bubble.

Huge cinematic scale

A closely related quality is Sound Suite's ability to fill a room with sound.

From the opening moments of Blade Runner 2049 to the chaotic musical sequence in Sinners, the presentation feels genuinely epic and cinematic. Sound spreads widely across the room rather than appearing confined to the speakers themselves.

Even when the speaker placement isn’t ideal, the system still produces a soundfield that feels satisfyingly expansive.

Oodles of deep, powerful bass

The bundled subwoofer delivers seriously deep and powerful bass.

Impacts, explosions and the heavy smacks of cars colliding in F1 land with tremendous weight, and the system digs impressively deep into the low frequencies.

That bass can occasionally become a little overbearing and lacks some precision, but in terms of sheer depth and presence it’s undeniably impressive.

Loads of punch and energy

The Sound Suite system never sounds timid.

Action scenes hit hard, with plenty of punch helping crashes, gunshots and musical moments feel impactful and exciting.

It may sometimes prioritise brute force over finesse, but if you want your movies to feel energetic and dramatic, LG’s system certainly delivers.

Impressively flexible speaker placement

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect technology is what truly sets the Sound Suite system apart.

Rather than demanding perfectly symmetrical speaker placement, the system analyses where each speaker sits and adjusts the soundfield accordingly. Even in less-than-ideal layouts, it manages to produce a surprisingly coherent and immersive presentation.

It can’t perform miracles, and it's well worth making the effort to place the speakers in the 'correct' positions if possible, but FlexConnect does a remarkably convincing job of compensating for awkward setups.

A stylish soundbar with a useful OLED display

The H7 soundbar itself is an attractive and nicely made piece of kit.

Its clean design looks suitably premium, and the inclusion of a small OLED display is genuinely helpful, clearly showing volume levels, input changes and the currently playing audio format.

It’s a thoughtful touch that many competing soundbars still omit.

Big, stylish M7 surround speakers

The M7 surround speakers are larger than many wireless surrounds, but that size works in their favour.

They look stylish and substantial, and their larger cabinets likely help contribute to the system’s expansive soundstage.

They also integrate neatly with the rest of the system, allowing Atmos effects to move smoothly through the room.

Customisable ambient speaker lighting

LG has added a bit of visual flair with customisable lighting built into the speakers and soundbar.

Through the app you can adjust the ambient illumination to suit your room or mood, adding a subtle cinematic atmosphere to movie nights.

It’s hardly essential, but it’s a fun extra that helps the Sound Suite system feel a little more distinctive.

A sensibly streamlined set of sound modes

Thankfully, LG hasn’t overloaded the system with endless sound presets.

There are just five main options – AI Sound Pro+, Standard, Clear Voice Pro+, Bass Boost and Custom EQ – and most users will find that Standard works best for the majority of content.

The relatively restrained selection makes the system easier to use and reduces the temptation to endlessly fiddle with settings.

A proper bundled remote control

Unlike some rivals that rely entirely on apps or TV remotes, LG also includes a dedicated remote control.

It feels a little light and plasticky, but the buttons are clearly labelled and straightforward to use, making everyday operation simple.

That said, a dedicated Night Mode button would have been a welcome addition.

Weaknesses

A cold and somewhat aggressive sound

While the Sound Suite system excels at scale and impact, it struggles with warmth and subtlety.

Treble and bass reign supreme here, leaving the midrange rather lacking, and there's a forthrightness to the delivery that feels quite shouty.

The overall tonal balance leans towards the cold and aggressive side, which can make the presentation a little fatiguing.

Dialogue can sound brash

Dialogue reproduction is one of the system’s weaker areas.

Voices frequently sound raspy and slightly synthetic, lacking the warmth and natural texture that help speech feel convincing.

Compared with rival systems such as Sonos’ Arc Ultra-based home theatres, voices often feel flatter and less expressive.

Background effects are sometimes exaggerated

The system also has a tendency to push background sounds too far forward.

Ambient noises that should remain subtle occasionally become overly prominent, drawing attention away from the dialogue or main action.

The result can feel slightly unnatural, as though the system is over-emphasising certain elements of the soundtrack.

AI sound processing makes things worse

LG’s AI Upmix and AI Sound Pro+ modes initially sound impressive because they increase scale and weight.

Unfortunately, they also exaggerate background effects and give voices an unnatural, echoey character.

In practice, the Standard mode with AI Upmix disabled delivers the most natural and balanced performance.

No HDMI inputs on the soundbar

While not a unique flaw to the Sound Suite H7 (the Sonos Arc Ultra is another notable culprit), connectivity is more limited than it should be.

The soundbar lacks dedicated HDMI inputs, meaning all sources must be connected to your TV rather than directly into the soundbar.

It’s won't be a deal-breaker for everyone, but those with loads of sources will be frustrated.

No DTS:X support

While not terribly surprising, given how closely LG appears to have worked with Dolby on this debut FlexConnect system, the lack of DTS:X compatibility here is a shame.

While Dolby Atmos is certainly the dominant immersive format, plenty of discs and some streaming services feature DTS:X.

Its absence slightly limits the system’s format flexibility.

The sub and surrounds feel less premium than the soundbar

While the H7 soundbar itself feels nicely built, the other components don’t quite match its premium feel.

The subwoofer and surround speakers feel lighter and less substantial, creating a slight mismatch in perceived quality across the system.

It’s not a huge problem, but it does slightly undermine the premium impression.

Early software bugs

During testing, we encountered a number of frustrating software issues.

Initial setup proved surprisingly fiddly, with each component requiring its own wi-fi connection process and the subwoofer using a different pairing method entirely.

At one point the system also powered on at extremely high volume and refused to respond properly to the remote controls until the app was opened – a genuinely unpleasant experience.

Fingers crossed these issues will quickly be solved via software updates.

No bundle discounts yet

At present, LG isn’t offering any meaningful discounts for buying multiple Sound Suite components together.

Given that the system is clearly designed to be built into a full ecosystem, bundled pricing would make the proposition more attractive – especially considering that Sonos offers big discounts on its system bundles.

As things stand, assembling the full setup feels rather expensive.

MORE:

Read the full LG Sound Suite H7 and LG Sound Suite system reviews

Here are the best soundbars and best surround systems you can buy right now

Philips is releasing three new soundbars, which the brand says will all offer “excellent performance, high power and good specifications.”

Kicking off with the B8301 model, this 3.1.2-channel system consists of a soundbar and a wireless subwoofer in a “slimline” package according to the brand.

There’s support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, which will be good news for movie lovers looking for multiple surround sound options. Under the hood, you will find dedicated LCR (left, centre, right) channels and with two up-firing drivers, all running on 190W of total system power.

The wireless subwoofer, which features a twin driver, can be mounted vertically or horizontally and includes 100W power output.

In terms of connectivity, there is an HDMI eARC port with 4K/120Hz passthrough, and Bluetooth on the cards. Like all of the new models, the bar offers an AI-powered "Intellisound Engine" which automatically chooses the sound profile based on what's playing. Options on offer include all the usual suspects: Movie, Music and Voice Boost.

They all also feature Philip’s EasyLink 3.0 system, which allows both the soundbar and a Philips TV to be controlled using one remote control.

So far, only the European pricing has been released, coming in at €329. That’s around £285 in the UK and $380 in the US. At that price, the B8301 is up against the Award-winning Hisense AX5125H (£249 / $350) soundbar system, which scored highly for its amazing weight, scale and spaciousness for the money. Tough competition, indeed.

Next up, the B5601 is a more compact model which Philips says is “designed to bring a full-size performance to smaller spaces.”

The 2.1 system is made up of a main soundbar and a subwoofer. You won’t find any Dolby Atmos support this time, however, as the model offers Dolby Digital+ and DTS: Virtual X compatibility.

Finally, the B5201 is Philips’ latest all-in-one model, which measures 6.5 x 77 x 91 cm (hwd) and has the smallest footprint of the bunch.

With 80W of total output power, the company says it “offers a simple but high-quality upgrade to TV sound as a single compact 2.0 soundbar”. Dolby Digital+ and DTS: Virtual X compatibility. The B5201 also includes an HDMI ARC connection, but there's no 4K passthrough on the cards.

There’s no word on price for the two more compact models, but the B5201 could well be gunning for the four-star Sony HT-SF150 (£90 / $100 / AU$199). With increasingly tricky competition in the budget soundbar market, Philips’ new range will have to work hard to stand out from the crowd.

MORE:

Here's our review of the Sony HT-SF150

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

These are the best budget soundbars

If you are on the hunt for a soundbar to add to your home cinema system, Harman Kardon and Sonos are two of the brands you will inevitably have seen pop up time and time again.

And that's for good reason, as the two names have produced a range of soundbars that have impressed with their audio performance. The Sonos Beam Gen 2 has been our top recommendation in the entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar, for instance, ever since it launched five years ago.

Harman Kardon's latest Atmos entry is directly challenging the Award-winner with the Enchant 900. With the Sonos model getting a little long in the tooth, we have been waiting with bated breath to see whether the long-time champ will be knocked off its podium by a newcomer.

So which of these soundbars is the better buy? We’ll break down the arguments below.

Sonos Beam Gen 2 vs Harman Kardon Enchant 900: price

The Harman Kardon Enchant 900 originally launched at £430 / $560 / AU$800, but the price has crept up slightly at most UK retailers to £449.

At this price, it is a direct rival to the Sonos Beam Gen 2, which is also available for £449 / $449 / AU$649. It launched at this price and, although we have seen it drop during deals season, it tracks pretty closely to this price most of the time.

Both of these models are therefore in the entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar market and there's nothing to split them on price.

**Winner: draw**

Sonos Beam Gen 2 vs Harman Kardon Enchant 900: design

Both are all-in-one soundbars sporting sleek, minimalist designs, albeit taking two different approaches.

The Harman Kardon model features a smooth fabric that covers the top panels, with a strip of metal separating them.

That contrasts with the Sonos Beam Gen 2’s rounded ends with a perforated polycarbonate grille facing the listener.

The Sonos model is slightly longer than the Enchant 900, measuring 7 x 65 x 10 cm (hwd) against the Harman Kardon’s 6.5 x 87 x 13 cm. With those measurements, both soundbars should fit under your TV nicely without blocking the screen.

At the front of the bar, the Enchant 900 features a dot display which can be dimmed or turned off completely. You can see when volume, bass level, or output is changed from here. That makes navigation easy, especially when compared to the Sonos which doesn’t feature a display.

There’s not a remote control with the Sonos Beam Gen 2 either, but it can be controlled with the Sonos app (more on this in a moment) or your TV remote. The Enchant 900, on the other hand, features a remote control that has a premium, smooth feel.

Using this remote you can turn on Bluetooth, change the output, adjust the volume and source, or tweak the bass and surround settings.

While some may prefer the inclusion of a remote control with the Harman Kardon, both models offer a subtle yet stylish design. We're calling that a draw again.

**Winner: draw**

Sonos Beam Gen 2 vs Harman Kardon Enchant 900: features

Under the hood, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is packing one central tweeter and four elliptical mid-woofers each powered by Class D amplifiers to create a 5.0-channel configuration.

With the Harman Kardon Enchant 900, there are nine drivers, including four racetrack drivers and three tweeters. You will also find two up-firing drivers, with the soundbar boasting a 5.1.4-channel system.

Both bars offer Dolby Atmos, but the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 supports DTS HD Master Audio whereas the Sonos Beam does not.

Around the back of the bars, you will find their physical connectivity offerings. Both models have an HDMI eARC port, but the Harman Kardon offers an extra HDMI input. That’s a draw for those not wanting to put all the connections through their TV.

They both use wi-fi as well, so you can stream using platforms such as Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Amazon Music Ultra HD.

Both soundbars also have apps: the Harman Kardon One and the Sonos app, respectively. These act as an all-in-one hub for the bars, with access to EQ controls and more advanced sound settings. Neither of the soundbars offer preset sound modes, so if you want to adjust the balance you are relying on these controls.

The apps also offer room calibration to fine-tune the sound to your space, which is easy to do on either model.

But the Harman Kardon’s better connectivity options and surround sound support makes it the stronger performer when it comes to features.

**Winner: Harman Kardon Enchant 900**

Sonos Beam Gen 2 vs Harman Kardon Enchant 900: sound

Now for the main event: how do these models sound? We’ve pitted the two soundbars against each other, so we know first-hand how they compare.

Starting off with the Harman Kardon, we are presented with an energetic, exciting sound that spices up our listening experience. The soundbar’s Dolby Atmos presentation is reasonably precise and clean, all while delivering a good sense of scale.

When watching Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, for instance, we note: “As the small boats paddle away from the main vessel, we can still hear where the boats are, even when they have left the frame.”

We find that the Enchant 900 is not a very subtle soundbar, though, especially in the treble department where it can overwhelm the other frequencies.

As well as this, lower frequencies sound blobby with the Enchant 900, leaving us with an unsatisfying lack of punch, especially when playing our classic bass stress test scene – Chapter 2 in Blade Runner 2049.

We play the same scene with the Sonos Beam Gen 2, which delivers the bass with a tighter, more organised precision that delivers more of an impact.

The Sonos doesn't have the same sense of scale as the Harman Kardon, but it counters with a more authentic audio performance that ultimately outdoes its rival.

Switching to the film Bohemian Rhapsody on the Sonos, we find: “The sound of each instrument feels natural and unprocessed, no matter where it sits in the shot, and when the camera flies over the audience there’s a real wide-sweeping sensation of movement and expanse.”

With music, the Harman Kardon’s exciting performance continues but the issues with bass and treble persist.

With Aurora’s Churchyard, the soundbar creates a good sense of anticipation by building from the quiet vocals to the bass-heavy chorus, and keeps up the excitement of the track with its immersive audio. But the coarse rendering of Aurora’s voice makes the track feel harsher than it should.

Listening to the same track with the Sonos bar, the Beam Gen 2 model sounds more natural and balanced with a rare musicality that is difficult to find in a soundbar at this price.

While the Harman Kardon model offers extra spaciousness and excitement, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is the better all-round performer with its more subtle and musical delivery.

**Winner: Sonos Beam Gen 2**

Sonos Beam Gen 2 vs Harman Kardon Enchant 900: verdict

Despite the Harman Kardon outdoing the Sonos Beam Gen 2 in terms of room-filling sound, it doesn't have the audio chops to overtake the class-leader here.

The Enchant 900 does offer better physical connectivity, which will be a draw for those not looking to connect everything from their TV.

However, considering both models are the same price, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 remains the clear winner in this entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar category.

**Overall winner: Sonos Beam Gen 2**

MORE:

Here is our review of the Sonos Beam Gen 2

Check out the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 review

And here are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Before I launch into my latest soundbar musing, let me introduce myself. I'm Robyn, a staff writer here at What Hi-Fi?, and I'll be your guide for today's adventure in AV.

I review soundbars for a living, which means I spend a lot of time in our test room listening to a huge variety of new models. That ranges from affordable ’bars all the way to top-of-the-range premium systems.

And in the past few months alone, I have noticed a common factor tying many of the new soundbars together: their unconventional designs.

Take, for instance, the JBL Bar 1000MK2. Costing £1000 / $1200 / AU$1600, this soundbar system sports an unusual feature that caught my eye as soon as it entered the test room.

It includes detachable speakers that can be removed from either end of the main soundbar, where they are connected via magnetic ports. These can then be moved just behind the listening position to transform into wireless rear satellite speakers to deliver surround sound for movie viewing.

The JBL set-up also offers a nifty Broadcasting feature, where you can take the surrounds out of the room while the sound from your TV or Bluetooth device continues to play.

This clever design gives users a versatility that is rare for soundbar systems, and is a stand-out feature for the JBL model. Its audio performance didn’t impress us quite enough to receive a five-star rating, but it received a more than solid four stars for its exciting sound and clear vocals.

This isn't the first time we've seen a JBL system with this feature – the OG Bar 1300 made its way into our testing room a couple of years ago with the same ability. But I'm surprised that I haven't seen more soundbars “borrow” this nifty (and practical) option since then.

That JBL isn’t the only model to surprise us with its unconventional build. The Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 also presents an odd design. The system launched at £499 / $798 / AU$1199, placing it in the entry-level Dolby Atmos category.

While the main soundbar is directly wired to the subwoofer, the surround speakers are not. Instead, the sub wirelessly transmits the surround-sound information to a receiver box at the back of the room that is in turn wired to the two surround speakers.

It’s a strangely retro approach. We don't see many wired surround sound systems these days – full-on home cinema surround speaker packages apart, of course.

The idea is that while all of the speakers themselves are wired, no cables are running from the front to the back of your room. These wires make the design feel like somewhat of a throwback to the “home cinema in a box” systems of the early 2010s, and the inclusion of a receiver box gives the Sony soundbar a peculiar look overall.

In terms of its sound, however, the Bravia Theatre System 6 really shines with its superbly punchy bass and cohesive surround sound. So much so, that it received a shining five-star rating from us.

I have a sneaky suspicion that we will continue to see more unconventional soundbars pass through our test room in the next few months as well…

This week, for example, we have been testing the Majority Halo Bowfell Atmos soundbar system. The 5.1-channel model might not appear that odd at first, offering as it does two small surround speakers, a subwoofer and a main soundbar.

But once we unpacked the box, we were taken aback by the size of the package. It’s tiny. The main soundbar measures just 6.2 x 40.5 x 9 cm (hwd) – that’s not even the length of a full baguette.

That’s certainly a pro for those short on space. And, considering it retails at the jaw-droppingly low price of £170 (around $225 / AU$320), it’s a wallet-friendly option too.

Our review of the Majority soundbar is incoming but – spoiler alert – it is a pleasingly cinematic and energetic performer.

With these quirky soundbar models joining the ranks with pretty high success rates, I’m excited to see which oddball bar will come into the test room next. And who knows? It might knock a more conventional model off the top spot in its category.

MORE:

Here are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars we have tested

This is our review of the JBL Bar 1000MK2

Check out the best budget soundbars

If you’re on the lookout for a soundbar system to take your home cinema experience to the next level, the search can feel like wading through a sea of endless models with no realistic landfall in sight.

Lucky for you, then, that our team of experts have tested a huge variety of soundbars at a range of price levels to make sure you spend your hard-earned cash only on models worth your time.

And we have just spotted a tempting discount on the JBL Bar 1000MK2, one of the most recent soundbars to enter our test room.

You can pick up the Dolby Atmos soundbar system for £899 at Peter Tyson, saving you a decent £100 off its original price. It received a more than solid four-star rating, impressing us with its nifty design and clear vocal performance.

The highlight of the JBL Bar 1000MK2's design is its wireless speakers, which can be connected to the main soundbar via a magnetic port or used wirelessly to perform as separate rear surrounds.

That gives you plenty of options for setting up your soundbar package to suit your room. The JBL model also offers a neat party trick with the surrounds: they can be moved to another room while the sound from your TV or Bluetooth device continues to play, transforming it into a wireless speaker.

This works by selecting either a mono or stereo downmix via the accompanying app, then taking one or both of the speakers to a different room to deliver the chosen mix. It's a great option if you want to pop into the kitchen to make a cup of tea, say, but don’t want to miss any of the action.

The system has four HDMI sockets, including three inputs and the output/eARC. There is no 4K/120Hz support, but the HDMI passthrough supports signals up to 4K/60Hz as well as Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

When we put it through its paces in our test room, we found that the 1000MK2 delivers an exciting yet reasonably detailed sound that enhances our listening experience.

While watching Blade Runner 2049, for instance, the soundbar shows off its sense of movement and precision. We say in our review that “drones whizz past the viewer with an energy that will have you double-checking you are not sat next to a Replicant.”

That being said, the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra delivers a more immersive overall audio experience. That model is currently available for £999 at Richer Sounds so, if you have the budget, we recommend giving it your consideration as well.

This JBL soundbar package offers a smarter design and more set-up options, though, so it’s quite the temptation, especially at the discounted price of £899 at Peter Tyson.

MORE:

Here is our review of the JBL Bar 1000MK2

Check out our thoughts on the step-down JBL Bar 300MK2

And these are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars right now

As a professional magpie, I get to see a lot of cool hardware and, as a result, have a constantly updating list of stuff I wish I could afford for home use.

Before any of you ask, no, we don’t get to keep review samples. All the good stuff stays in our hi-fi and home cinema testing rooms, so we can use them for comparisons when reviewing. Nearly everything else gets sent back.

On the hi-fi side, I have detailed the swish lower/mid-level system I want, and that remains pretty much set in stone. As for home cinema, there’s an ongoing state of flux regarding the surround sound solution I want – it changes depending on my mood.

Some days, I’ll continue my Sisyphean task of trying to find a way to fit a full-fat 5.2.2 multispeaker system into my tiny office/home cinema/mancave. Each time I fail because, no matter which measuring tape I use, I have yet to find a way to fit it all in. I was never good at Tetris…

This is usually when I pivot to a more compact solution: the Award-winning KEF XIO Dolby Atmos soundbar. Each time this happens, though, even after I have plopped it in to my online shopping cart, I have never quite managed to take the final plunge and click the checkout button.

After much soul searching and a valuable meditative session listening to Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide on repeat, I think I know why: KEF has yet to deliver the bespoke wireless satellite speakers it promised us at the XIO’s launch.

Now, I know waiting on a set of speakers we don’t know anything about seems strange. Especially as having them doesn’t automatically make a setup better.

Our staff writer, Robyn Quick, wrote a feature just this week explaining why satellites and a subwoofer don’t guarantee that a system will outperform a similarly priced single soundbar solution.

And I already know first-hand that the XIO is a fine soundbar that easily beats many soundbar systems, even as a standalone product. Its wide soundstage, atypical accuracy, and musicality were key factors that earned it an Award last year, and a place in our best Dolby Atmos soundbars guide to this day.

But there is an equal number of examples where satellites, and in some instances a subwoofer, can truly elevate a five-star Dolby Atmos Soundbar’s performance.

The Samsung HW-Q990F is a prime example of such a system done right. I can also confirm that adding two Sonos Era 300 speakers as surrounds to an Arc Ultra makes for a much more immersive experience.

The added height, sense of directionality and general oomph make such a difference, especially if you’re a horror aficionado like me.

Knowing how well they can work, and that these satellites are coming at some point, makes it hard to pull the trigger. I want to know what they are, how much they cost and most importantly, how they add, or detract from the XIO’s performance before I take the plunge.

And while I am, of course, unbiased as a reviewer, I can’t help but think the add-ons will surely be a positive, especially given KEF’s track record with wireless audio. Imagine how brilliantly a tweaked pair of LSX II LT as wireless satellites might perform, given their similar sonic profile!

All of which goes some way to explain why my illogical brain can’t settle on the XIO as my main workhorse. Not, at least, until I find out more about the promised add-ons, which truly could make the best premium Dolby Atmos soundbar money can buy even better.

All this is particularly frustrating for me, as when I asked KEF if there’s an update on the new hardware, I was firmly told, “There’s no confirmed timeline just yet.”

The only silver lining on offer is that KEF did reiterate that “rear surround connectivity is coming,” and that it has “started demonstrating” an early version of it to some retailers.

So for now, my Groundhog Day cycle of flip-flopping between a proper 5.2.2 and the XIO looks set to continue, at least for the foreseeable future.

MORE:

We rank the best soundbars we have reviewed

Our picks of the best surround sound systems

The best projectors for every type of home cinema

In the past few months alone, we have seen a whole army of soundbars march into our test room to compete against the class leaders. The JBL Bar 300MK2, for instance, gave the Award-winning Sonos Beam Gen 2 a real run for its money with its room-filling, bassy audio performance.

So it was only fair that its senior sibling, the JBL Bar 1000MK2, got a turn. Launching at £1000 / $1200 / AU$1600, the Dolby Atmos package is directly up against another Sonos model, the Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799).

Where the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra is an all-in-one model, though, the JBL is made up of a main soundbar, two wireless detachable surrounds (more on those in a moment), and a subwoofer.

It boasts a 7.1.4 configuration and is driven by a total power output of 960W. But does the JBL Bar 1000MK2's extra kit mean it takes Sonos’s crown?

After my colleagues and I put the package through its paces, the JBL is held back from greatness by two issues – but it is still a worthy competitor to our Award-winner.

Versatile design

First off, the soundbar’s innovative build really stands out from the crowd. It features battery-powered speakers, which can be connected to the main soundbar via a magnetic port, or used wirelessly to perform as separate surrounds.

JBL also offers a Broadcasting feature, allowing you to put the surrounds into another room while the sound from your TV or Bluetooth device continues to play, transforming it into a neat wireless speaker. This works by selecting either a mono or stereo downmix via the accompanying app, then taking one or both of the speakers to a different room to deliver the mix you have chosen.

The speakers offer a claimed 10 hours of battery life, and can be charged either by plugging them into the mains or just connecting them back to the main soundbar.

That's all quite an stand-out proposition, with the JBL model offering a versatility that most soundbars simply cannot match.

Exciting yet detailed performance

But how does it perform beyond this versatile design? Well, the JBL Bar 1000MK2 manages to deliver an energetic, exciting sound that is a massive improvement over the vast majority of built-in TV speakers.

This is helped by the soundbar’s sense of movement and precision. When watching Blade Runner 2049, for instance, futuristic drones whizz past the viewer in a way that will have you double-checking you are not sat next to a Replicant.

Thanks to the soundbar’s up-firing speakers, there are decent height effects that add to the immersive viewing experience. With Spider-Man: Homecoming, we note: “As Tom Holland’s Spider-Man clings on for dear life to a cloaked plane, we hear its engine sounds move around with precision.”

The separate subwoofer also adds an extra oomph to movies, without being distractingly overpowering.

Subwoofer lacks finesse

That being said, the subwoofer does struggle to deliver bass with subtlety and detail. When we first take it out the box, the JBL low-level frequencies are strong but distract from the rest of the frequencies. That means we reach for the JBL One app to adjust the settings, from which you can access the EQ controls.

After fiddling with the settings, we settle on a less floor-shaking bass that feels better balanced – but it’s still not as detailed as class leaders such as the Sonos Arc Ultra.

The JBL delivers more a powerful bass than the Award-winner, but the Sonos counters with a punchier and precise overall sound that is particularly impressive when we switch to music.

We note in our review when listening to the main theme from Jurassic Park with Qobuz Connect: “The low-level dynamics are delivered with excellent subtlety and finesse that build with the swell of the whole orchestra effectively.”

Surrounds fail to shine

The separate detachable surrounds also don’t pack the punch we were hoping for with the JBL model.

Despite their practical design, they don’t create as much scale as those from rival systems, and they struggle to generate a truly immersive dome of sound above us even when cranked up to their maximum volume.

We also test the surrounds when they are connected to the main soundbar to compare, but this understandably makes the sound field less immersive. Using the soundbar with this layout means it loses the benefits of its clever design, however, so we can’t imagine many people listening like this unless they are charging the surrounds.

With the Sonos Arc Ultra, however, the all-in-one model manages to create a more convincing surround-sound experience that outdoes the JBL Bar 1000MK2 even without the separate speakers. Ultimately, the extra kit cannot compete with the Award-winner's more organised and cohesive audio performance, meaning its crown remains firmly in place.

MORE:

Here's our review of the JBL Bar 1000MK2

Check out our thoughts on the Sonos Arc Ultra

Two things stopped this plucky Dolby Atmos soundbar from beating Sonos’s reigning champ

Looking for a home cinema sound solution? You’ll find two paths branching before you: one leads to an AVR and surround sound speaker package, the other to a Dolby Atmos soundbar.

You might think that these devices could live in harmony, but we often see people claiming soundbars to be inferior and incapable of delivering cinematic sound that even remotely rivals that of the best AVRs.

While there is a modicum of truth to that – we have tested hundreds of soundbars, AVRs and surround sound speaker packages in total and find that a true surround sound system will almost always beat the soundbar experience – there is actually plenty of nuance to the matter.

Convenience is the main draw of a soundbar – and the reason I use one myself. Not everyone, especially those in pokey city flats or shared houses, has the space to deploy a full 5.1.2 (or greater) system; and attempting to route cables around a rented property is a concept that sends a shiver down my spine.

There is also the financial aspect: when it comes to budget considerations, a Sonos Arc Ultra for £899 is a far more appealing all-in-one Dolby Atmos solution compared with an AVR and 5.1.2 speaker package, which can cost upwards of £2000.

Put simply, soundbars have their place in this world, and we are fans of them regardless of whether or not they are deemed to be “true home cinema” audio solutions.

But that doesn't mean there isn’t room for improvement.

Relatively speaking, soundbars are much newer than AV amplifiers. Yamaha introduced the first soundbar, the YSP-1, back in 2004, while Denon is credited with introducing the world's first AV amplifier back in 1985 with the AVC-500. That's a 19-year difference, and as we know, a lot can happen in the world of AV in almost two decades.

With that in mind, I feel soundbars could learn a thing or two from their elders, and that sentiment is felt with the current crop of soundbars and AVRs on the market.

Don't be stingy with the HDMI ports…

While soundbars have been improving in this regard in recent years, we are still seeing some models launch without the most important connectivity options. HDMI passthrough – which (I have recently lamented) Sonos and LG have not included in their latest soundbars – is a feature I think every soundbar should include.

AVRs have, understandably, featured an abundance of HDMI sockets for connecting Blu-ray players, streamers, games consoles and more to your TV or projector for quite some time. As such, AVRs have become the beating heart of many home cinema setups, acting as the central interface which manages connected devices and home cinema sound alike.

We have to give the likes of Samsung, JBL and Sony kudos for including full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets on their flagship soundbars; and Sennheiser and Harman Kardon also earn my favour by including HDMI sockets on their ’bars, even if they tend to be of the 2.0 standard and therefore don't support quite as many gaming features.

If a soundbar is going to take up a precious HDMI 2.1 socket – many TVs only have two of these, by the way – then it's only fair that it should give something back.

Fewer apps, more on-screen setups…

I have lost count of how many soundbar apps are currently clogging up my iPhone's storage – and I would rather drop the majority of them. While this isn't a blanket issue, I have tested many soundbars which have less-than-ideally optimised apps, and connectivity is usually the first hurdle to overcome.

I’ve had soundbar apps flat-out refuse to connect to their respective soundbar, and that has locked a handful of crucial features, including calibration, access to sound modes and input selection, leaving them to be handled via a remote control handset or on-device buttons and interpreted by either a dot-matrix display or a confusing array of flashing LEDs.

All of this could be avoided if more soundbar manufacturers included an on-screen setup, one which would allow us to adjust settings without having to rely on an app.

We have recently seen this included on the Yamaha True X Surround 90A, which was a welcome addition, while many AVRs have offered on-screen setups for quite some time. Denon’s range has supported this for a while, and we even saw a trimmed-down (yet surprisingly functional) version included on the JBL MA7100HP, which made setup and operation a lot easier.

Considering many soundbar manufacturers also produce TVs (think Sony, LG and Samsung), an on-screen menu system that ties into their respective smart platforms would be a rather nice touch.

Get serious about sound customisation and calibration…

I think this is where people place the most emphasis on the differentiation between AVRs and soundbars. A soundbar is essentially a plug-and-play device; sure, there are often various sound modes, and most Dolby Atmos-supporting soundbars include a method of calibrating them, but there aren’t often many ways to customise deeply the sound of your soundbar.

Vague EQ settings aside, I understand why soundbars aren’t as in-depth as AVRs when it comes to sound customisation. They are usually aimed at people who have no interest in the complexities of a full home cinema speaker system; for them, the ease of use and immediate sound payoff are the primary concern. That being said, a deeper customisation menu for enthusiasts would go a long way to winning over staunch audiophiles.

Calibration, on the other hand, could easily be improved on many soundbars. We often see soundbars use a built-in microphone, or utilise the microphone in your smartphone, to take measurements and calibrate the sound to your room.

While this is usually pretty effective, I much prefer the accuracy of an AVR calibration system, which usually involves hooking up an external microphone (often included in the box) and placing it in your main seating position, to best tailor the sound to the place you will be watching your movies or TV shows.

We have seen this once on a soundbar – the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max launched with an external microphone for this very purpose. But very few soundbars sporting this feature have passed through our home cinema testing room since.

A more accurate and thorough method of calibrating the sound could negate some of the criticism surrounding the notion that soundbars “don't do real Dolby Atmos”. If you’re spending in the region of £1000 on a flagship model, an included microphone shouldn't be out of the question.

MORE:

Check out our full Marantz Cinema 30 review

As well as our Sonos Arc Ultra review

Here is how to set up and get the best sound out of your AVR

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect has been the subject of much interest for home cinema fans since it was unveiled three years ago at the IFA tradeshow in Berlin.

That’s because it’s a next-generation technology designed to make Dolby Atmos even better in a variety of ways.

So when we finally got the LG Sound Suite system, which features the new technology, into our listening rooms last week, it was a pretty big deal.

Especially as Dolby has made some big claims about the tech, including one promising that compatible speakers will still deliver the “dome of sound” effect, even when placed in suboptimal locations around the room.

I have baulked at this claim multiple times, including when the system first arrived in our test rooms. After all, many companies, including Sony, have made similar boasts about their wireless soundbar systems over the years. And while many have performed better than expected, they still require due care with their placement to deliver the Atmos effect properly.

Which is why marketing material showing the satellites in incredibly silly locations, including having one in front of the viewer’s seat and another two meters behind on a bookshelf, meant I had my doubts.

What can I say? I’m Scott-ish (and by that I mean an RAF brat with roots there who still thanks the stars he has a British, not US accent after years at international school) and naturally pessimistic.

I even said as much in front of Dolby engineers, when I asked them if they were concerned that such strong marketing claims may set movie fans’ expectations a wee bit too high. I’m ashamed to admit I may have even let out an arrogant “tsch” when they affirmed that they were not.

But, you know what, magnanimous home cinema aficionado (snob) that I am, I feel it's important to acknowledge when I’m wrong.

Because, despite our best efforts to trip it up with a prolonged game of move the speaker, FlexConnect’s auto-calibration feature proved to be an admirable performer. No matter how mean we were with our experiments, the system cleverly adjusted its settings, optimising them to our, or the satellites’, new location in the room with a click of a button.

As we say in our Sound Suite review: “Dolby Atmos FlexConnect isn’t a gimmick – it’s an impressively effective technology that (in LG’s hands at least) delivers convincing height, scale and spatial precision even when speaker placement isn’t ideal.”

All in all, while Sound Suite’s slightly brash, shouty audio profile stops it getting a real recommendation from our reviewers, FlexConnect’s room calibration and optimisation, to my surprise, gets a big thumbs up.

Why am I not doing my happy dance (yes, it's very similar to Carlton’s from the OG Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)? Well, for one, while we liked Sound Suite’s calibration and room correction services, we have yet to find a FlexConnect system that we would say sounds really good. Witness this LG’s three-star rating. And that, of course, is a pretty big blocker for us to start recommending buying a FlexConnect system.

Also, we are still on the fence about one other “out there” FlexConnect feature. That is, the promise to let users create Frankenstein’s monster systems using whatever FlexConnect-compatible speakers they want.

The idea here is that people can take any FlexConnect compatible satellite speakers, subwoofers, soundbars, or even in-built TV speakers, and join them together to create a proper Dolby Atmos surround system – whether or not they are from same product line, or even brand.

This controversial feature, which surely opens the door for people to create horribly mismatched systems with speakers that don’t have complementary sonic profiles, is a key concern. And, unfortunately, it's one we didn’t get to test with the Sound Suite.

That's because LG chose to lock its Sound Suite system down and let you pair only certain speakers, soundbars and TVs in a bid to ensure you get a decent experience.

The fact that LG felt the need to do that means I am still concerned about the technology’s supposedly open nature. Especially given my experience helping non-enthusiast friends build systems in the past. Trust me, 99 per cent of the time it’s human error or a lapse in sonic judgement when attempting to match system parts that causes problems…

So opening the door for we gremlins to mess things up further seems a little dangerous, to my mind – or at the very least ill-advised.

Who knows, though? Perhaps I’ll be proven wrong once again when we try making our first FlexConnect system from random compatible parts we find lying around our stock room. After all, I was certainly wrong about Sound Suite and its robust calibration powers. Who's to say pigs won't fly twice?

MORE:

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars we have reviewed

We rank the best surround sound systems

Our picks of the best TVs for serious movie fans

As a home cinema expert, I review a whole lot of soundbars. While no model can quite match the truly immersive experience of a good, full-fat multi-speaker setup, the category has grown considerably over the years, and for good reason.

When soundbars were first introduced in 2005 with the Yamaha YSP-1, they boasted an all-in-one, compact design that packed surround sound into a single product that sat neatly in front of your TV. And there's a lot to like about that simplicity.

But I have been testing more and more soundbar packages that are adding extra elements to the mix. One of the most extreme examples is the Nakamichi Dragon soundbar package, consisting of two subwoofers, two surrounds and a main soundbar which creates a whopping 11.4.6-channel configuration.

You may think that adding extra subwoofers and surround sound speakers would immediately make for a more immersive listening experience. I've tested my fair share of soundbar packages, however, and the most recent system to be put through its paces proves that this is not always the case.

As always, the devil is in the details, and it depends heavily on the specific models you're considering.

Enter the JBL Bar 1000MK2, which sports one of the most versatile soundbar package designs we have had in our test room.

The Dolby Atmos soundbar launched at £1000 / £1200 / AU$1600, although in the UK you can pick it up for £900 at a variety of retailers.

Offering a 7.1.4-channel configuration, the JBL model features two detachable surrounds that deliver “immersive, cinematic surround sound” for movie viewing, according to the brand.

Inside each surround, you will find one up-firing driver as well as a racetrack driver.

They can also be used with JBL's Broadcasting feature, which means you can take one of the surrounds into another room and transform it into a surround speaker, so you don't miss out on the action.

The speakers provide a claimed 10 hours of battery life, but when you need to give them some juice, you can connect them to the main soundbar's magnetic ports on each side.

This all makes them sound great. But upon actually using it, the JBL shows that having lots of clever functionality and wireless surrounds doesn't garuntee it's the best product available, or that it'll be better than equivalently priced single bar solutions.

While the 1000MK2 delivers a reasonably precise and wide soundstage with its detachable speakers, they fail to pack the punch we were hoping for.

We say in our review: "Even when they are cranked up to their maximum volume, they don’t create as much scale as rival systems and struggle to generate a truly immersive dome of sound above us."

Their versatile design is still a big draw, giving the package a flexibility that rivals simply don’t have. But class-leading single soundbars can offer a more immersive listening experience without the extra kit.

Take the Sonos Arc Ultra, we compared it against, for example. The Award-winner comes in at roughly the same price as the JBL model, costing £999 / $999 / AU$1799.

When we put the two soundbars head-to-head, the Sonos surprisingly manages to produce a more convincing surround-sound experience, despite it being just one soundbar. While watching Thunderbolts with both models as gunshots fire all around the soundstage, the Sonos delivers a wider yet more precise experience that the JBL can't match.

Despite including a clever, innovative design with its detachable speakers, the JBL's surrounds don't make enough of an impact, especially when compared to the Sonos' more compact build. It seems that less is more, in this case. Which is why I felt the need to pen this warning, letting readers know, just because something has surrounds, doesn't make it automatically better. Trust me, I've done the side-by-side comparisons to check.

MORE:

Here's our review of the JBL Bar 1000MK2

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

And this is our review of the Sonos Arc Ultra

We just finished testing LG's latest flagship Dolby Atmos soundbar and, if you've read our full reviews for the Sound Suite H7 and the Sound Suite system, you'll know that despite a few redeeming features, we ultimately found both products' performance to be a let-down.

The hard, shouty and sibilant sound unfortunately overshadowed the expansive, powerful and detailed qualities of the soundbar and system, which wasn't the outcome we were hoping for.

That being said, there are some positive aspects that we mentioned in our full review, and there's one I'd like to focus on as it stood out as a highlight that other soundbars simply can't match.

In our full review of the Sound Suite H7, we stated that "we have to give the H7 kudos for being the first FlexConnect-enabled soundbar on the market", and this is where the H7 stands out among the competition.

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is a long-fabled feature which has been bubbling in the background for a few years now, and it's finally entered the soundbar market with the LG Sound Suite H7, alongside the M5 and M7 Dolby Atmos wi-fi speakers.

While LG isn't technically the first to bring a FlexConnect system to market, that credit technically goes to TCL's Z100 speakers, which are currently only available in select markets; these are the first FlexConnect speakers to make their way into our AV testing room.

And what an impression they've made. While their sonic characteristics aren't ideal, the implementation of the flexible speaker placement and what they add to the systems market really is worth praising.

The ease of plonking these speakers down and calibrating them with a press of a button really is appealing. And with our reviews out, we can confirm the system really does do a lot of the hard work for you, automatically working out how to best adjust the sound, regardless of where the speakers are in your listening room.

The Sound Suite system that we tested is also called the Immerse Suite 7 Pro here in the UK, and it consists of the H7 soundbar, two M7 speakers and the W7 subwoofer. The appeal here is that, unlike many other soundbar packages, these speakers can work pretty much anywhere, meaning you needn't stress about where you should put them in your room.

They can work as rear-surrounds, or if you want to reinforce the H7 soundbar, you can use them as front left and right channels with the soundbar acting as an overpowered centre channel. You can even pair an additional set of speakers if you want, front left and right channels alongside rear surrounds.

Now, it's worth noting that Samsung technically supports this on the HW-Q990F, as you can designate the surround speakers as additional front speakers to work alongside the bar. However, this is more of a "one-or-the-other" solution rather than the true flexibility that the LG system provides – hence the "Flex" in FlexConnect.

LG's ThinQ app makes optimising the sound very simple, thanks to the Sound Follow feature, which can identify the user's position in the room and tailor the sound to best suit their seating position. This can be adjusted by a simple press of a button, and it works pretty seamlessly in our experience.

And that ease of use is backed by a genuine sonic improvement, which makes the sound more immersive. While the H7 alone handles Dolby Atmos height effects well, and it creates a big, bold sound in itself, those qualities are hugely upgraded with the inclusion of two M7 Dolby Atmos speakers.

The "bubble of sound" that we keenly seek out with any Dolby Atmos soundbar system is superbly realised with this system, as we find ourselves placed squarely into the centre of the action with the Sound Suite system. Height effects are placed with impressive accuracy, and the sound feels even bigger and more powerful than it does with the soundbar by itself.

We tested everything from jets soaring overhead in Civil War to the booming dystopian hologram adverts being beamed onto the side of a building in Blade Runner 2049, and in every instance, we were wowed by how the surround speakers could keep up with the main soundbar.

The flexibility of how and where you can place the speakers, plus the genuine improvement to the surround sound experience signals to us that Dolby Atmos FlexConnect could really shake up the future of home cinema speakers and soundbars.

And while Sound Suite wasn't the sonic spectacle we were hoping for, it did a great job of demonstrating the capabilities of FlexConnect, and I, for one, can't wait to see where it goes.

MORE:

Read our full LG Sound Suite H7 review

As well as our LG Sound Suite System review

And check out our picks for the best surround sound systems

You are watching the game of the season, but that food you put in the oven is almost ready. Do you pause or make a frantic dash to rescue your meal before you miss the winning goal?

Well, the JBL Bar 1000MK2 offers a possible solution with its latest mid-range soundbar package. It features two detachable surrounds which can be taken to another room while the sound from your TV or Bluetooth device continues to play, transforming it into a neat wireless speaker.

This works by selecting either a mono or stereo downmix via the accompanying app, then taking one or both of the speakers to a different room to deliver the mix you have chosen.

That’s ideal if you don’t want to miss any of the action. And this is just the party trick of the JBL model, as these detachable surrounds also deliver “immersive, cinematic surround sound” for movie viewing, according to the brand.

It’s a tempting proposition, but can the soundbar deliver on such a promise?

Price

The JBL Bar 1000MK2 launched at £1000 / $1200 / AU$1600. We have seen this price drop slightly since its release, though. In the UK, you can pick it up for £900 at a variety of retailers.

At this price, the JBL is up against some stiff competition in the form of the Sonos Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799). This Award-winner impresses with its clean, three-dimensional sound as well as its excellent level of detail. It is an all-in-one design, contrasting with the JBL package, which consists of a wireless subwoofer, detachable surrounds and main soundbar.

The Samsung HW-Q990F is a closer match to the JBL in terms of design – a system also including a subwoofer, two surrounds and a main soundbar. Although it launched at almost double the price, it has dropped to around £850 / $1600 / AU$1399 (from £1699 / $1999 / AU$1999).

The Samsung snagged a What Hi-Fi? Award last year, scoring highly for its articulate bass and its dynamic overall performance. Tough competition for the JBL, indeed.

Design

This JBL’s design highlight is its versatile battery-powered rear speakers, which can be connected to the main soundbar via a magnetic port, or used wirelessly.

They have a claimed 10 hours of battery life, and can be juiced up by plugging them into the mains or just connecting them back to the main soundbar. JBL also provides plastic covers to hide the rather unsightly ports on the soundbar ends when the surrounds are disconnected.

The surrounds are light, weighing just 900g, and feel reasonably solid and well-made, as does the rest of the package. As a whole, this JBL system looks unassuming, though neat enough to blend into most rooms. The various units in this package may be predominantly made out of plastic, but that’s par for the course at this level.

Turning to the main soundbar, there is a nifty LED display at the front, something that is often lacking in models at this price. The display makes it easy to tell when you are changing the output or switching between modes, allowing for a more intuitive and simple experience.

The 1000MK2’s soundbar’s drive units are arranged in a 7.1.4-channel configuration and driven by a total power output of 960W. Under the hood, there are six racetrack drivers, two tweeters and two up-firing full-range drivers. Inside each surround speaker, you will find one up-firing driver as well as a racetrack driver.

The subwoofer is fairly hefty in size, measuring in at 40 x 33 x 33 cm (hwd), but is easy to move around as it weighs a reasonable 9kg. There is a single 26cm downward-facing drive unit, which is driven by an internal 300W amplifer.

Many users choose soundbars because they are compact, but when there is more kit in the mix, this inevitably means more clutter. In this case, it’s worth making sure you have enough space for the surrounds, as well as ensuring you can place the sub reasonably close to the main bar to help with integration.

This soundbar package can be controlled in two ways: via the JBL One app (more on this later) or by the handheld remote. The design of the latter is a simple affair, with a smooth shape that fits in the palm of the hand. From here, you can turn the soundbar on or off, adjust surround-sound and bass levels, turn on Bluetooth, and change the output and volume.

Features

The soundbar offers both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support, which is good news for movie fans wanting surround sound options.

Around the back of the bar, you will find a range of physical connectivity ports. Very unusually, there are four HDMI sockets – three inputs and the output/eARC. While there’s no 4K/120Hz support, the HDMI passthrough supports signals up to 4K/60Hz as well as Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

The JBL One app acts as a hub where you can adjust the soundbar’s settings. You can access EQ controls, change the bass levels from 1 to 5, turn down the volume of the surrounds and connect to streaming services.

The app offers a variety of streaming support, including Tidal, Amazon Music, and Qobuz. Additionally, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect are supported by the soundbar. You can send music to it using Bluetooth 5.3 as well.

There are three sound modes available: Movie, Music and Standard. Movie and Music are optimised for their intended purpose, leaving Standard as a bit of a third wheel that doesn’t shine in either scenario.

A Night mode is on offer, which mutes the surround speakers to keep noise disturbance to a minimum. This should benefit those with neighbours or housemates who are sensitive to noise.

There is also the option to calibrate the package to your room, although this is only available when the surrounds are used separately from the main bar. This is done by placing the surrounds in your listening position and playing a test signal, then moving them to their position just behind the viewer’s head and repeating. The microphones are built into the system rather than relying on the one in your phone.

After calibrating the soundbar, we can hear there is an extra sense of spaciousness and a more even tonal balance to the sound. It’s worth noting that the subwoofer is not being calibrated throughout this process, so it relies on you adjusting the bass by ear.

Sound

Straight out of the box with the surrounds positioned carefully behind us, the JBL delivers powerful bass that certainly makes an impact, but distracts from the rest of the frequencies. It also sounds a bit overblown, so we reach for the JBL One app to turn it down a notch.

After fiddling with the settings, we settle on a less floor-shaking bass that feels better balanced. It is still not the punchiest, but the subwoofer adds an extra oomph to movies, making for an exciting overall listening experience without being distractingly over-powerful.

Watching Spider-Man: Homecoming on 4K Blu-ray, the smash of the villainous Vulture’s punches and the roar of Iron Man’s suit thrusters is impactful yet detailed with a good amount of authority.

Turning to the soundbar’s performance with voices, JBL offers the PureVoice 2.0 feature, which it claims “automatically raises or optimises the dialogue, based on both ambient sound in the scene and your soundbar's volume”. While this feature makes vocals more prominent, they sound less natural and draw the focus away from the rest of the sound. For that reason, we opt to keep it off.

Voices are still clear with PureVoice disabled and, even with busy action scenes filled with explosions, you can make out every word thanks to the well-projected midrange.

The soundbar’s height effects work well but are bettered by class leaders, with the sound reaching to around the same height as the top of our TV’s screen. As Tom Holland’s Spider-Man clings on for dear life to a cloaked plane, we hear its engine sounds move around with precision.

Switching to Blade Runner 2049, we also get a sense of the JBL’s ability to create a wide soundfield. We watch as raindrops fall around Officer K and his digital companion Joi, and feel the downpour just behind the listening position. This track also shows off the soundbar’s sense of movement, as drones whizz past the viewer with an energy that will have you double-checking you are not sat next to a Replicant.

The separate surrounds could be pulling more of their weight here, though. Even when they are cranked up to their maximum volume, they don’t create as much scale as rival systems and struggle to generate a truly immersive dome of sound above us.

But what if you keep the surrounds connected to the main bar? This obviously makes the soundfield less immersive, but still keeps the frequencies nicely balanced. Using the soundbar with this layout means it loses the benefits of its clever design, however, so we can’t imagine many people listening like this unless they are charging the surrounds.

Jumping to Music mode and playing the Jurassic Park theme via Qobuz Connect, we still opt to knock the bass down a level to keep the frequencies more balanced. Once we do this, the soundbar keeps the first French horn solo clear and emotive. It builds to the well-known chorus with a tuneful and energetic feel.

It does not quite deliver the dynamic delicacy required for the start of the track as deftly as we would like, diluting the emotional impact that the music should have with these quieter moments.

We compare the JBL Bar 1000MK2 with the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra. Given the separate subwoofer, it comes as no surprise to find that the JBL is the stronger performer when it comes to generating powerful bass. When watching Thunderbolts, as an explosion rips through a secret government hideout, the JBL delivers more of floor-shaking impact than the Sonos model.

But the Sonos is more organised and rhythmically adept with both music and movies. With the Jurassic Park track, for instance, the low-level dynamics are delivered with excellent subtlety and finesse that build with the swell of the whole orchestra effectively. It also, perhaps surprisingly, manages to produce a more convincing and immersive surround-sound experience, despite it being just one soundbar.

Verdict

The JBL Bar 1000MK2 offers a clever and versatile design that stands out from the rest, giving the package a flexibility that rivals simply don’t have.

If they could apply this ingenuity to its sound as well, to deliver better dynamic finesse and a more effective surround sound experience, then JBL would be on to a real winner.

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Features 5
• Build 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Sonos Arc Ultra

Also consider the Samsung HW-Q990F

Read our Hisense AX5125H review

Best soundbars: options for every need, recommended by our experts

We're only three months into 2026, and I've already spent most of my year listening to more soundbars than I can count from the likes of Sonos, LG, Samsung, JBL and Harman Kardon.

By that metric, I’ll have listened to hundreds of soundbars by the time 2027 rolls around. But after my latest stint with the LG Sound Suite H7, it doesn't matter how a manufacturer pitches their flagship performance if there are connectivity shortcomings.

While the wireless connectivity options found on the Sound Suite H7 are bountiful, including Bluetooth 5.4, wi-fi, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect, wired connectivity options are slightly less well served.

In fact, that soundbar has a single wired connection option, and that is HDMI eARC. This is an output socket only, and it isn't backed up by any sort of additional HDMI passthrough sockets.

In our full review of the new LG flagship soundbar, we noted that the lack of any additional HDMI socket "feels like a missed opportunity considering LG has prided itself on featuring four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets on its TVs for quite some time".

Now, this isn't an issue that's exclusive to the LG Sound Suite H7, as its main competitor and notable What Hi-Fi? Award-winner is also missing this feature.

The Sonos Arc Ultra, which is a superb Dolby Atmos soundbar by all our metrics, is also missing an HDMI passthrough socket. Now, this is easily the best soundbar that we have on hand, and I look forward to listening to it every time I'm reviewing one of its many competitors, but I'm not sure if I could live with it day to day.

HDMI sockets are a precious commodity in my house. My Sony OLED TV is already limited in that it only has two HDMI 2.1 sockets, and the four in total that I do have are currently occupied by a PlayStation 5, a Sony UBP-X700 4K Blu-ray player, a Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus, and a Sky Stream box.

That leaves the rest of my AV devices (I admit I probably have more than the average Joe), such as my Apple TV 4K and Nintendo Switch, without an HDMI socket to call home; so, I rely on the very useful HDMI passthrough sockets built into my Sennheiser soundbar to pick up the slack. It's taking up a precious HDMI 2.1 port, so providing a couple of sockets in return is the least it could do.

There are some limitations, such as the fact that these sockets are HDMI 2.0 and don't support the latest gaming functions; however, my ageing Nintendo Switch doesn't support VRR or ALLM, so I'm not too fussed.

We've seen plenty of other soundbars on the market that provide HDMI passthrough sockets too. I have to give Samsung some kudos here: the HW-Q990F offers two HDMI inputs, both rated to support up to 4K/120Hz signals and Dolby Vision and HDR10+. Now that's more like it.

While I really do rate the Sonos Arc Ultra highly, I think Sonos should really consider upping its game in this specific area.

We've seen comments and feedback from various online platforms, with people venting their frustration to Sonos and, more recently, to LG about the lack of HDMI passthrough.

The really frustrating part is that the last LG soundbar that we reviewed, the mid-range, four-star S70TY, featured an HDMI 2.1 passthrough that supported 4K/120Hz gaming. It therefore feels like LG has taken an unnecessary step backwards in this regard.

Controversially, I'm at the point where I probably wouldn't even consider a soundbar unless it had HDMI passthrough.

That might sound extreme, as sound performance is and always will be paramount, but people (myself included) are expecting more from their soundbars these days.

Therefore, functionality is becoming as important as performance, and I think a few soundbar manufacturers need to recognise that.

MORE:

Read our full LG Sound Suite H7 review

As well as our Sonos Arc Ultra review

And check out our picks for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

We’ll lay our cards on the table here; LG’s home audio products have never really captured the same spot in our hearts where its stellar OLED TVs reside.

Previous models that have found their way into our AV testing room from the last three or so years have all occupied the three or four-star space, unable to topple the likes of Sonos, Sony, Samsung and Sennheiser.

LG, clearly tired of playing second fiddle to the above brands, decided to make 2026 its year, with a huge home audio comeback in the form of the new Sound Suite range; which includes a new Dolby Atmos soundbar, two pairs of wi-fi speakers (which double as surrounds) and a wireless subwoofer – all of which are compatible with Dolby Atmos FlexConnect.

That all being said, we’re here today to focus on the headliner in this new range: the Sound Suite H7 Dolby Atmos soundbar.

It’s the latest competitor to take the Sonos Arc Ultra head-on, and with huge sonic promises from LG itself, a premium build and the fact that it’s the first FlexConnect-enabled device to enter our AV testing room, it’s also building a lot of excitement here at What Hi-Fi? HQ.

So does LG’s Sound Suite sound sweet? Or does it leave a sour taste in our mouths?

Price

Officially retailing for £900 / $1000 (around AU$1700, Australia availability is TBC), the Sound Suite H7 is placed squarely in flagship Dolby Atmos soundbar territory.

It’s tackling Award-winning industry heavyweights head-on, including the Sonos Arc Ultra and Samsung HW-Q990F. While all of these ’bars officially launched at higher prices than the Sound Suite H7, they are now subject to almost constant discounts that price them on par with the LG H7.

For those with more generous budgets, the Sony Theatre Bar 9 looms large with its five-star cinematic sound, while the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus is another alternative for those with more cash to splash.

There are also other components of the system to consider if you plan on fleshing this soundbar out with surround speakers and a subwoofer, but we’re testing this soundbar as it comes with none of the other Sound Suite options attached.

Build

If there’s one aspect of the Sound Suite H7 that we can’t fault, it’s the build and design. It’s crafted from aluminium and clad in a dark grey acoustic fabric which leaves it looking smart, functional and understated, while still justifying its premium asking price.

It is, however, quite a substantial soundbar, measuring in at 6.3 x 120 x 14.3cm (hwd) and weighing 7.7kg. You’ll need a suitably wide media unit to support it, although LG does include wall-mounting brackets in the box for those who wish to suspend it below their wall-mounted TV.

Along the top edge of the soundbar, you’ll find a handful of bold, clicky buttons for changing the volume and input, as well as a customisable “heart” button which can be linked to instantly play music from LG Radio+ or your Spotify library.

You can, of course, stick to the included remote, which feels nicely made and features all of the required buttons we’d want and expect, or use the companion app.

These buttons are joined by a small yet very useful OLED display on the front edge, which lights up to clearly show us the selected input, sound mode and current sound format, as well as a tasteful LED bar that lights up in a pleasing range of colours depending on what the soundbar is doing. Our favourite is the groovy shade of purple that glows during the soundbar’s automatic calibration process.

The H7 may not have the smooth curves of the Arc Ultra, or the sharp lines of the Samsung HW-Q990F, but its quietly luxurious looks and high-quality build ensure that it scores top marks in this department.

Features

And this sentiment continues when it comes to available features, too. The H7 justifies its considerable price tag through the inclusion of countless wireless connectivity options, sound features and speaker technologies – and that starts with the surprisingly overkill processor inside.

LG has imbued this soundbar with the powerful Alpha 11 AI Processor Gen 3 processor; the very same chipset that powers its new flagship OLED TV, the G6.

As the name suggests, it serves as the foundation for a wide range of AI-backed features on this soundbar, including an AI-supported Room Calibration Pro system and a couple of AI sound modes, which we’ll get onto shortly.

This processor is also responsible for supporting Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, and while we’re on the subject, we have to give the H7 kudos for being the first FlexConnect-enabled soundbar on the market. Considering that LG has worked closely with Dolby to develop this FlexConnect-enabled system, it should come as no surprise that DTS:X is not supported.

Using the LG ThinQ app (which is considerably more organised, reliable, and smoother to use than LG’s old soundbar app), users can pair other Sound Suite speakers to the soundbar in various configurations to create up to a 13.1.7 channel system.

This can include up to two pairs of Sound Suite wireless speakers – either two pairs of M5 speakers, two pairs of M7 speakers, or a mix of both – and a W7 subwoofer (an update is coming soon to support dual subwoofers). And you don’t have to worry if you don’t have an LG TV, as this soundbar enables FlexConnect regardless of the TV it's connected to. Nor do you need to worry much about positioning, as the draw of FlexConnect is its ability to calibrate and tune the sound to accommodate less-than-ideal speaker placements.

You can read more about how FlexConnect works in our LG Sound Suite system review.

Extensive software support is a bonus, but the Sound Suite H7 is no slouch in the hardware department either. It’s equipped with eight full-range drivers from Danish audio brand Peerless, alongside four built-in woofers and eight passive radiators for low-range frequencies, all of which are arranged in a 5.1.3 configuration.

Three of the full-range drivers are lined-up across the front of the ’bar, with a side-firing driver situated at either end for horizontal sound dispersion. There are also three upward-firing drivers, which are joined by the four dedicated woofers along the top edge of the soundbar. These are supported by the front and rear facing passive radiators, which sit below the woofers.

Speaker levels can be adjusted through the LG ThinQ app manually; however, LG’s Room Calibration Pro system takes much of the hard work out of determining these. In practice, calibrating the ‘bar takes merely seconds and is as easy as pressing a button in the ThinQ app and waiting for the calibration tone to sweep through your listening space.

It’s completed via the on-board microphones, which can be physically disabled via a switch on the rear of the soundbar for the privacy-conscious among us. It’s worth noting that, despite this soundbar featuring an onboard microphone, it doesn’t seem to be compatible with any of the available voice assistants.

Enthusiasts can dig into a wider array of fine-tuning settings, including the ability to adjust bass, treble and midrange frequencies, as well as a custom EQ which feeds into the sound mode settings. There are also dynamic range control and night listening settings to be found within the app.

Speaking of which, LG offers five different sound modes (which it calls Sound Effects) in total: Standard, AI Sound Pro+, Base Boost, Clear Voice Pro+ and Custom EQ – all of which are fairly self-explanatory.

The interesting additional sound setting is AI Upscale, which (as the name suggests) upmixes any signal (including stereo) into 9.1.6 spatial sound. This setting can be layered over the other modes, though it’s worth noting that it is automatically switched on and cannot be disabled when using the AI Sound Pro+ setting.

For those with an LG TV already in their living room or home cinema, WOW Orchestra is on board, which allows the TV’s built-in speakers to work alongside the soundbar.

Another AI feature that LG seems to be quite proud of is Sound Follow, which lets the soundbar analyse not only the room, but your position within it, meaning it can direct the sound towards you regardless of your seating position.

LG says that this feature relies on Dolby Atmos FlexConnect and “requires a minimum of two M5 speakers or one M7 speaker to be connected”, so we’ll have to investigate this feature further in our review of the Immersive Suite 7 Pro.

Interfacing between the H7 and a TV is entirely handled by HDMI eARC – there is no optical socket, which is understandable (yet worth noting) for a soundbar with this great a focus placed on Dolby Atmos.

Sadly, there are also no additional HDMI passthrough sockets, which feels like a missed opportunity considering LG has prided itself on featuring four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets on its TVs for quite some time.

Wireless connectivity is, thankfully, better thanks to the inclusion of wi-fi, Bluetooth 5.4, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Apple AirPlay 2. LG also states that this soundbar can be connected to some of its TVs wirelessly via Bluetooth, though we’d recommend avoiding this as it will impact sound quality compared to a wired connection.

Sound

While the soundbar has made a strong first impression with its premium design and extensive feature set, it becomes quickly apparent that when it comes to sound quality (the most important factor), LG hasn’t hit the mark.

We pair the H7 with the Award-winning C5 OLED TV and our trusty Oppo UDP-203 Blu-ray player for our testing, and we’ve retrieved the Product of the Year-winning Sonos Arc Ultra as a frame of reference. We’ve also selected Civil War, Thunderbolts, Blade Runner 2049 and Unbroken from our library of reference discs to test this soundbar’s capabilities.

We’ll start with the positives, as, despite what the star rating may suggest, there are many to note. First and foremost, the H7 produces an incredibly detailed sound, especially when it comes to environmental and background effects.

Ambient sounds throughout Officer K’s apartment in Blade Runner 2049, such as creaking cupboard doors and clinking glasses, are realised with impressive fidelity, and dialogue in all of the films that we test is clear in our preferred Standard mode setting.

The H7 also handles bass like an absolute champion. While there isn’t oodles of tonal variation, it does dig deep and low in Blade Runner 2049’s notoriously tricky chapter two sequence. This is genuinely impressive bass depth and weight from a single soundbar unit.

And that bass is well controlled; the thumping helicopter blades in Civil War’s Charlottesville military base scene are delivered with punch and agility in equal measures to create a well-defined and rhythmic sound.

Lastly, the way that this soundbar handles Dolby Atmos effects is worthy of a shoutout. The H7 does a great job of spreading ambient and environmental sound outwards and upwards, which is especially apparent in a scene from Civil War in which Lee consoles Jessie in a forested area.

The sound of wind rustling through leaves, a bird chirping above, and even a distant helicopter flyby all sound superbly atmospheric and do a good job of drawing us into the scene as a result.

Overall, we can’t deny how detailed, spacious and punchy the H7 sounds. The issue lies in how the soundbar conveys some of these positives, and when it introduces its hard-to-ignore sonic deficiencies, those positive aspects become overshadowed and, in some cases, end up working against the soundbar.

Characteristically, the H7 is a very brash, shouty and unrelenting soundbar, and truthfully we feel this comes from a place of overexcitement rather than anything else. Even with the volume turned to the middle point or below, the H7 can’t help but yell everything, including softly spoken lines of dialogue.

This robs literal explosive moments, such as a missile hitting a building in Civil War, of impact, as the soundbar has nowhere to go dynamically. This leads to limp-sounding dynamic shifts, which contribute to this soundbar’s often uninteresting sound.

This extends to dialogue, too. While we don’t have an issue with vocal clarity, the H7’s handling of voices overall is, unfortunately, very poor. It’s lacking in key areas such as tonality and low-level dynamics, which leaves the usually witty Yelena from Marvel’s Thunderbolts and the dryly sarcastic Phil from Unbroken sounding flat, uninteresting and unnatural.

Unnatural is the word we’ll stick with, actually, as the H7 seems incapable of producing natural vocals in any of its sound modes. Switching on the AI Surround Pro+, which also enabled the AI Upmix feature by default, highlights this, as the processing leaves dialogue with a boxy, muffled and detached effect.

We also try the AI Upmix feature with the Standard sound setting, but it introduces an unpleasant synthetic vocal effect, which leads us to believe that these AI modes are better left switched off.

Even with those modes switched off, the H7 is laden with heavy amounts of sibilance, which is unfortunately mostly revealed with dialogue. Paired with a noticeable amount of strain (evident in quiet and loud instances alike), the H7 can often sound bright and fatiguing.

All of this becomes much more outwardly apparent when we introduce the Sonos Arc Ultra into the mix. While the LG takes the win in the bass department, the Arc Ultra’s rounded, rich and authentic sound is the clear winner in every other department.

It quickly reveals that the H7 has been pushing background effects too hard in an effort to create a more “spatial” effect, and the difference in dialogue is night and day. While detail isn’t being pushed as hard, it's definitely there on the Sonos, and we appreciate its more textured and tonally varied sound, which digs up far more pleasant sonic subtleties compared to the LG.

The Arc Ultra’s broad, rounded and rich cinematic sound is the equivalent of a big scoop of soothing ice cream after chomping down on a particularly fiery chicken wing – that’s to say it’s a welcome relief.

Switching to music, and it's a very similar story. The LG’s over-excited nature is once again revealed, as The Marias’ Heavy – a soft, harmonic track – is presented in a manner far too forthright for our liking.

While those strong detail levels and good bass depths persist, they manifest in an overbearing nature, with random bumps of bass and shouty lyrics taking the track over.

We find that it’s also not a high achiever when it comes to organisation and timing either. Bad Bunny’s NUEVAYoL feels frantic and cluttered, with Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio’s lyrics strangely struggling to cut through the overcrowded backing track.

The Sonos is clearly the superior ’bar when it comes to music too, with a much more natural and considered sound with better organisation skills and cohesion.

Verdict

We had genuinely high hopes when unboxing the LG Sound Suite H7. After a string of LG soundbars ranging from “good but not great” to “sonic misfires”, we had our fingers tightly crossed that the H7 would break the spell. Unfortunately, it ended up in the "sonic misfire" category.

It’s got the looks and the smarts, but the Sound Suite H7 unfortunately doesn’t have the sound to match, which is why we’ll continue to rely on the excellent Sonos Arc Ultra for our Dolby Atmos soundbar needs.

SCORES

• Sound 3
• Features 4
• Build 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Sonos Arc Ultra

Also consider the Samsung HW-Q990F

Read our Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 review

Best soundbars: options for every need, recommended by our experts

An entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar is, in theory, a great proposition. It means you can bring an immersive yet precise experience to movies at home, while not taking up your whole living room with AV kit. That’s not to mention their more affordable price tag compared to a multi-room speaker system is quite the boon.

There is a huge variety in the types of models you can choose, from small single bars to complete soundbar systems. And it is an example of each that we have before us today.

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is an all-in-one model and our top current recommendation for buyers on a budget. It’s snagged a What Hi-Fi? Award every year since it was released back in 2021, and has batted away competition from countless other models in that time.

It’s getting a little long in the tooth, however, and more soundbars have started to trouble the reigning champ. Enter the Hisense AX5125H – a complete Dolby Atmos (and DTS:X) system in a box that's cheaper than the Sonos and offers more kit for your money. It scored a What Hi-Fi? Award last year, quickly making its mark as a great option for those on a budget.

That will rightly lead you to ask: which model should I buy? Well, don’t worry too much, because we’ve compared both models side by side to help you decide which one is worthy of your home set-up.

Hisense AX5125H vs Sonos Beam Gen 2

As we mentioned, the Hisense AX5125H is the cheaper option of the two. It comes in at £249 / $350 (around AU$500), which is quite the bargain considering you get a main soundbar, a subwoofer and two small wireless surround speakers.

This makes it the most affordable soundbar package we have ever had in our test room.

The Sonos Beam Gen 2, despite being just a single soundbar, launched at £449 / $449 / AU$649. We have occasionally seen it drop down to around £349 / $399 / AU$700 during sales events, but it has stuck pretty close to its launch price since it came out.

That still means the Hisense model is the clear winner here, costing £200 / $100 (around AU$200) less than the Beam.

**Winner: Hisense AX5125H**

Hisense AX5125H vs Sonos Beam Gen 2: build

When it comes to design, the Beam is certainly the simpler of the two, with its all-in-one bar measuring 7 x 65 x 10cm (hwd).

It has quite a stylish yet compact design, sporting rounded ends with a perforated polycarbonate grille facing the listener. There are two colour finishes available – white and black.

On top of the Beam’s body are touch-sensitive buttons, LEDs, and far-field mics for voice control of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Hisense’s main soundbar is a fair bit longer, measuring 6 x 92 x 9cm (hwd), and is only available in black.

While the Hisense is longer than the Sonos, both main soundbars are compact enough to sit on most furniture and in front of most TVs without blocking their display, but not so small as to look insubstantial.

Hisense’s wireless subwoofer comes in at 29 x 21 x 30cm, and the surrounds measure 14 x 9 x 11cm each. Each bit of kit with the package model has a little more of a dull overall look than the Sonos, but nothing feels or looks cheap.

Unlike the Beam, there’s an LED display on the front of the Hisense soundbar, which is a pleasant surprise at this price and delivers information such as the input, sound preset and surround mode selected, as well as volume level.

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 does not come with a remote control, but it can be operated via the Sonos app and the TV remote.

With the AX5125H, there is no dedicated app to control the product. Instead, we get a remote that feels fairly basic and plasticky, as you would probably expect, but it does the job well enough. From here, you can turn on Bluetooth, change the output, adjust the volume, bass and treble levels, and dim the soundbar’s display.

Both soundbars are practical and easy to set up, but which one you prefer will be down to whether you are short on space or want more kit for your money. Hisense just takes it, however, for its handy LED display.

**Winner: Hisense AX5125H*

Hisense AX5125H vs Sonos Beam Gen 2: features

Under the hood of the Sonos, you will find one central tweeter and four elliptical mid-woofers, each powered by Class D amplifiers.

The 5.0 bar contrasts with Hisense’s 5.1.2-channel configuration. That consists of three front-firing channels and a driver in each surround for the ‘five’, one big driver in the sub for the ‘one’, and two up-firing drivers in the soundbar for the ‘two’.

At the back of the Sonos bar, you will find sockets for power, ethernet, and a single HDMI eARC as well as a connect/reset push button.

You will find more connectivity with the Hisense AX5125H, which offers a dedicated HDMI input. Passthrough is limited to 60Hz, so there’s no support for 4K/120Hz gaming signals, but any passthrough functionality at this level is a bonus, especially since the Beam does not have it.

Both soundbars support Dolby Atmos, but the Hisense AX5125H also supports DTS:X. That’s a big tick for movie fans looking for more options when it comes to surround sound technology.

The Sonos bar can be controlled by the Sonos app, which acts as a hub for the product. From here, you can access EQ controls and more advanced sound settings.

The app also offers room calibration to fine-tune the sound to your space, but it's worth noting that the Beam's calibration requires an iOS device – Android devices aren't compatible.

The Beam does not offer any separate sound modes, whereas the Hisense gives you a variety of presets to choose from: Movie, Music, Game, News and Sport. While it defaults to the AI setting, we settle on Movies for movies and TV shows, and Music for Music, after much testing.

For its offering as a complete system rather than a solo bar, as well as its DTS:X support, the Hisense model takes the crown for this category.

**Winner: Hisense AX5125H**

Hisense AX5125H vs Sonos Beam Gen 2: sound

Now for the juicy part: how do the two models compare when it comes to audio quality? Here, both the Hisense AX5125H and the Sonos Beam Gen 2 are quite different.

Hisense’s model produces an enveloping yet cohesive overall sound that delivers a more immersive soundstage than the Beam Gen 2, thanks to its separate satellite surrounds.

When watching Civil War in our test room, we note: “Bullets whizz from the front to the back of the room and even behind the listening position, helicopters hover at ceiling height, and distant explosions rumble menacingly.”

The bass delivered by the subwoofer is impressive considering the soundbar’s cost, with explosions and deep gunfire having a good impact and solidity.

There are frequencies at which the sub gets a little too excited, and it delivers a big thump that sticks out. This is made clear when watching The Batman, as our hero approaches the thugs in the subway tunnel, and one recurring bass note in the soundtrack is reproduced much louder than the others.

With the Sonos, although it is not as room-filling, counters with a more detailed and balanced overall sound that makes for a more authentic listening experience.

It is a particularly solid performer with voices, too, and we say in our review: “Whether it’s a chirping bird, a car or a voice, there’s remarkable consistency across the complete soundfield, and seamless handover between drivers, which we have to say doesn’t always happen when a Dolby Atmos soundbar has upward drivers to contend with.”

This is stronger than the Hisense’s performance in this area. We find with the AX5125H that while voices sound natural and pretty emotive, the busiest, bassiest sections cause them to become a touch muffled.

Unlike a lot of models at this level, both perform well with music, although the Hisense doesn’t quite match Sonos’ abilities.

The Sonos Beam’s strong vocal performance continues to shine with music, and keeps a good cohesion between the different frequencies.

When playing Tool’s Invincible with the Hisense, it manages to deliver some of the subtle warble in Maynard James Keenan’s vocals. But even at its lowest volume level, the subwoofer can’t resist interjecting slightly rudely at times and adding bass notes that stick out awkwardly.

It’s hard to pick out a clear winner here, as it really depends on what you are looking for. If you want a soundbar that offers clarity, detail and sophistication, then the Beam Gen 2 is a great pick. But if you are on the hunt for a genuinely room-filling, three-dimensional Atmos effect with a bassy sound to boot, then the Hisense model is the better choice.

**Winner: draw**

Hisense AX5125H vs Sonos Beam Gen 2

Both the Hisense AX5125H and the Sonos Beam Gen 2 are top five-star soundbars that will suit your home cinema setup if you are on the hunt for Dolby Atmos without a hefty price tag.

Sonos’ model delivers a more controlled overall performance with an excellent sense of precision and finesse that the Hisense system can't match.

But the AX5125H offers a more immersive soundstage with excellent Atmos presentation thanks to the extra surrounds and subwoofer. Plus, its more affordable price tag is a great choice for those on a budget.

We’re all tied up, folks.

**Overall winner: draw**

MORE:

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars right now

Check out our review of the Hisense AX5125H

And here are the best budget soundbars

Competition in the entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar category has been heating up in the last twelve months.

I know that, as I've helped review some of the most interesting challengers to our reigning champ, the multiple-Award-winning Sonos Beam Gen 2.

The JBL Bar 300MK2 came close to knocking it off its podium when we had it in our test room late last year, earning a five-star rating, but not quite having the finesse to finish the job.

More recently, the Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 also scored a coveted five-star review while offering more kit for your money with a complete soundbar package, but not quite having enough detail to outright beat the Sonos.

So many close attempts, but no knock-out blow. Hence why I was eager, even excited, when a new challenger entered the ring (our test rooms). Specifically, the Harman Kardon Enchant 900, which aims to pack a clever 5.1.4-channel Dolby Atmos experience into a tiny single soundbar package.

It originally launched at £430 / $560 / AU$800, but the price has crept up slightly at most UK retailers to £449. That’s challenging the Sonos model directly, which launched at £449 / $449 / AU$649.

In terms of connectivity, the soundbar offers two HDMI connections – one dedicated input and an output that can also receive sound from your TV via eARC. That’s better than the Sonos Beam Gen 2, which only includes a single HDMI eARC output.

But does it outdo our Sonos reference model in terms of audio? Spoiler alert – two issues mean not quite, but there is still a lot to like with the Harman Kardon entry. And if they got fixed in the next model, we may have a fight on our hands.

Starting with the positives...

Energetic, powerful sound

Right out the gate, the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 presents us with an exciting audio performance that is an immediate step up from our TV’s sound.

This sense of energy is helped massively by the soundbar’s wide and expansive audio presentation.

When watching Dune: Part Two in our test room, Timothée Chalamet’s Paul watches on as a huge sandworm leaps out of the sand. With this scene, the soundbar presents a more spacious soundstage than the TV’s speakers, offering an immersive sound that fills the room.

You can employ Harman Kardon’s surround sound processing feature, which makes the soundstage wider and more enveloping. We do find that it loses a touch of focus compared to when it is off, where we get a narrower but snappier sound.

The scale to focus compromise is worth it in this instance, as the improved sense of cinematic scale is worth the slight softening of the sound, so we leave it on.

It certainly outdoes the Sonos Beam Gen 2 in this respect, which cannot reach the same level of immersion and expansiveness.

Clear vocals

It’s a common complaint when watching TV at home that we often cannot hear what characters are saying on the screen, forcing you to crank up the volume or switch on the subtitles.

You won’t have that issue with the Enchant 900, though, as it delivers clear yet emotive vocals that make it hard to miss a word.

This is made clear when we switch to Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, when the motley ship crew is attacked by their enemies.

Despite competing with the sound of booming canons and the splintering of the ship’s wood, vocals are remarkably clear while still maintaining a good amount of character and emotion, which makes for a reasonably balanced overall performance; one of the best we've heard at this level recently.

But not the most subtle

But, even though it delivers a room-filling sound while keeping vocals balanced, the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 cannot be described as a subtle soundbar.

When switching to music via the streaming platform Qobuz, we get a good example of this. Aurora’s Churchyard starts soft and delicate, with only her ethereal vocals kicking off the track.

The soundbar manages to create a good sense of anticipation by building from the quiet vocals to the bass-heavy chorus. But the rendering of her vocals is harsher than it should be, and lacks the subtle presentation that we find in bars such as the Sonos Beam Gen 2.

This may not be a problem for those looking to deliver a bombastic home cinema experience, but those on the hunt for subtlety would be better served by the Award-winner.

Not the strongest performer with treble or bass

This slightly coarse presentation continues when it comes to its treble performance, particularly when pushed to extremes.

During Unbroken, for instance, the whining of the plane’s engines sounds coarse and can somewhat overwhelm the rest of the soundtrack at the loudest moments. This contrasts with the Beam’s more finessed and authentic overall sound that balances each frequency with more control.

You can turn down the treble via the app with the Enchant 900, but this disrupts the balance between the frequencies.

Additionally, while its bass delivery is floor-shaking and engaging, it struggles to reach the same level of precision as rivals such as the JBL Bar 300MK2. We say in our review: “What’s more, the slightly cheaper JBL Bar 300MK2 delivers a more controlled bass that offers greater impact during tense action scenes, thanks to better detail in the lower frequencies.”

This all meant that the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 scored a respectable four-star rating overall, with the JBL and Sonos models delivering a better bang for your buck.

Still, it’s a solid choice for those looking to add extra spaciousness and excitement to their audio. Here's hoping the firm fixes our two gripes with the next model!

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Here's our review of the Harman Kardon Enchant 900

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

And these are the best budget soundbars

Succeeding in the entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar range is comparable to competing as a newcomer in the Olympic Games. You are surrounded by the greats, and have to really put yourself out there to make an impact among the more seasoned and renowned sportspeople.

Harman Kardon’s Enchant 900 is trying to do just that, challenging Award-winners and five-star heavy hitters with its 5.1.4-channel Atmos capability.

Despite the ferocious battlefield that is the soundbar market at this level, the Enchant 900 stands its ground as a solid choice for movie fans.

Price

The Harman Kardon Enchant 900 originally launched at £430 / $560 / AU$800, but the price has crept up slightly at most UK retailers to £449.

That puts it in direct competition with the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), which launched at £449 / $449 / AU$649. The Beam Gen 2 has taken a What Hi-Fi? Award every year since it launched in 2021, with its precise, detailed and refined sound helping to secure its success.

At this price, the JBL Bar 300MK2 is also raising its fists against the Enchant 900. It came out at a slightly lower price of £350 / $450 / AU$549, and impressed with a bass-heavy, room-filling sound which earned it a coveted five-star review.

Build

The soundbar’s body has quite a sleek, minimalist design. That’s partly thanks to the fabric that covers the top panels, which are separated by a strip of black metal. It weighs just 3.5kg, so it is easy to move around the house. The Enchant model also measures 6.5 x 87 x 13 cm (hwd), and fits neatly in front of our 65-inch TV screen.

There are also brackets included in the box if you want to mount the soundbar on your wall.

Its remote is a similar affair in terms of design, oozing with silky smoothness that gives it a premium feel. From here, you can adjust the volume and source, as well as the bass and surround settings. There are also shortcuts to calibrate the soundbar (more on that soon) and to access your playlists.

Looking around the back, there is a cable cove housing the soundbar’s physical connectivity options. This includes two HDMI connections – one dedicated input and an output that can also receive sound from your TV via eARC.

You can pass 4K signals through the soundbar via the HDMI passthrough socket, and it supports Dolby Vision and HDR10.

Features

This Harman Kardon’s drive units are arranged in a 5.1.4-channel configuration and driven by a total power output of 195W. Under the hood, there are nine drivers, including four racetrack drivers and three tweeters. You will also find two up-firing drivers to deliver true Dolby Atmos support.

Harman Kardon is also employing MultiBeam technology, which “creates a spacious soundstage” without the need for extra speakers. It won’t handle DTS:X content, but the bar can take a DTS HD MA signal and apply the MultiBeam processing to give you a 3D audio effect.

You can control the soundbar through the Harman Kardon One app, which lets you fine-tune your sound performance. There are no sound modes on offer, but you can adjust the EQ settings via an equaliser.

You can also calibrate the soundbar from here as well, which plays a range of sounds to gauge the room’s layout and adjust the sound accordingly. We thoroughly recommend doing this as there is a notable difference in terms of the ’bar’s soundstage.

From the app, you can access a variety of streaming services, including Tidal, Amazon Music, and Qobuz. Additionally, Spotify Connect is supported by the soundbar. You can send music to it using Bluetooth 5.3 as well.

There’s also a Moment feature which allows you to play ambient sounds – ranging from the thrum of the ocean to the rustling of forest leaves – when you are not actively playing music or movies.

If you want to expand your system, the bar can be wirelessly connected to other Harman Kardon products as well: the Enchant Sub and Enchant Speaker. Should you buy two Enchant Speakers, the pair can be used as rear surround speakers alongside the soundbar.

Sound

When we boot up the Harman Kardon Enchant 900, we are greeted with an energetic, exciting sound that spices up our listening experience.

We play Dune Part Two on 4K Blu-ray through our trusty Oppo UDP-203 disc player, and test the Harman Kardon out as Timothee Chalamet’s Paul attempts to ride a massive sandworm. The soundbar delivers a much more spacious soundstage than the TV’s speakers, offering an immersive sound that fills the room.

Testing the surround sound processing feature, we find that the soundstage is wider and more enveloping; however, the soundbar loses a touch of focus and overall sounds somewhat softer. We find that rivals, such as the Sonos Beam Gen 2, manage to balance scale and clarity with greater nuance (more on that in a moment).

Switching the surround mode off, however, results in a narrower and slightly less engaging presentation. However, we get a snappier and more focused sound as a result. We find the scale to focus compromise to be worth it in this instance, as the improved sense of cinematic scale is worth the slight softening of the sound.

Moving to Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World, we find that the Enchant 900 sounds reasonably precise and clean in its Dolby Atmos presentation. As the small boats paddle away from the main vessel, we can still hear where the boats are, even when they have left the frame.

Earlier in the film, when the ship is being attacked by its warring neighbours, vocals are remarkably clear while still maintaining a good amount of character and emotion, even among the shattering of wood and booming cannons.

The beginning of Chapter Two in Blade Runner 2049 – our go-to bass stress test scene – reveals a flaw in the Harman Kardon’s low-frequency performance. As the futuristic vehicle weaves between buildings, the soundtrack calls for an incredibly tight and precise bass that should punch through the rest of the sound. It does not distort the bass like some soundbars at this price, but the lower frequencies sound blobby with the Enchant 900, leaving us with an unsatisfying lack of punch.

Still, it deals with the wide dynamic range well, as the scene begins with a tense quiet and builds to an impactfully booming wall of sound.

The Enchant 900 is also not the most subtle-sounding soundbar, especially in the treble department. During Unbroken, the whining of the plane’s engines sounds coarse and can somewhat overwhelm the rest of the soundtrack when pushed.

You can turn down the treble via the app, but this disrupts the balance between the frequencies.

We compare the Harman Kardon model with the Award-winning Sonos Beam (Gen 2), which does not offer the same level of room-filling sound, partly due to its smaller stature. It delivers a more authentic, detailed and subtle audio experience, however, which outperforms the Enchant 900.

What’s more, the slightly cheaper JBL Bar 300MK2 delivers a more controlled bass that offers greater impact during tense action scenes, thanks to better detail in the lower frequencies.

When it comes to music, the Enchant 900 maintains this enveloping and exciting performance, but its issues with bass and treble persist.

We listen to a range of music on Qobuz, from Aurora’s Churchyard to Everything In Its Right Place by Radiohead. With the former, the soundbar creates a good sense of anticipation by building from the quiet vocals to the bass-heavy chorus and keeps up the excitement of the track with its immersive audio. But the coarse rendering of Aurora’s voice makes the track feel harsher than it should.

Verdict

The Harman Kardon Enchant 900 focuses on experience rather than precision, producing a big sound that adds extra flavour to music and movies.

It’s unfortunate for the Enchant model that, at this price, it is up against such heavy hitters that just pip it to the post in terms of subtlety and bass. Still, it’s a solid choice for those looking to add an extra spaciousness and excitement to their audio.

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Features 4
• Build 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

Also consider the JBL Bar 300MK2

Read our Hisense AX5125H review

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