Are you a home cinema hound voraciously keeping up with the latest audio trends? Or a soundbar newbie still not completely sure what Dolby Atmos is?
Either way, our expert reviewers have been hard at work testing all the latest soundbars and systems to find the best recommendations – whatever your budget or knowledge level.
And they've unearthed some great products this year. Whether you're after the convenience of a solo soundbar or the extra immersion of a system with rear speakers and a subwoofer, we've narrowed it down to seven options across a range of budgets.
You'll find some old favourites below, as well as a few new entries, including an oddball option from Sony.
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) has just won its sixth(!) What Hi-Fi? Award, holding onto its trophy as the best Dolby Atmos soundbar in its price category for another year. Its relatively dinky size will appeal to those with TVs 50 inches and under, but all will be able to appreciate its impressively spacious sound that works just as well with music.
If you're after a step-up model, the flagship Sonos Arc Ultra is terrifically detailed for a soundbar, with a clean, precise, spacious and three-dimensional sound. Despite several contenders to the throne over the last year, the Sonos Arc Ultra holds onto its crown.
The KEF XIO has yet to have a discount and may be only for those with deep pockets, but the premium soundbar is the best and most musical option that we've tested. It's detailed, precise and exciting, and a rare soundbar that can deliver both movie and music audio with finesse.
Moving onto systems, and the Hisense AX5125H is one of the biggest Dolby Atmos bargains in the business. For just over £200, you get a full soundbar system complete with a subwoofer and rear speakers that deliver Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks with room-filling, sofa-shaking exuberance. A second win for this hidden gem.
The Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 stands out for having, gasp, wires, but don't let that put you off. The Dolby Atmos system can do things no other soundbar at this level can match, with an impressively enveloping and cohesive surround sound and Atmos presentation. It's a rare system that's a deep, room-filling performer but combines that scale with control and nuance.
Samsung has been making impressive, Award-winning soundbar systems for some time now, and their latest offering continues that trend. The Samsung HW-Q990H offers detailed, full-bodied cinematic sound, and is particularly impressive at placing spatial sound effects.
The Sony Bravia Theatre Trio + Rear 9 and Sub 9 is the best alternative to a traditional Dolby Atmos speaker package we've tested, with exceptional cinematic scale and immersion. You'll have to manually select the Rear 9 and Sub 9 when ordering, but these extra speakers make quite the difference.
MORE:
The What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 winners have been revealed!
Best soundbars: options for every need, recommended by our experts
These Award-winning Dolby Atmos soundbars have just trumped two old champions
