I need to buy a soundbar this Prime Day – here are the ones I'll be watching

Considering I work for What Hi-Fi?, you would expect my home to be an Aladdin's cave of audio visual delights. You would be wrong.

Yes, I do have some pretty shiny devices pass through my door, but sadly, they have to go back. And when they do, I'm back to my day-to-day tech.

Imagine a car journalist testing an Aston Martin Valhalla for the weekend, and then on Monday morning having to go back to their Nissan Micra, and you get the picture.

And believe me, my TV is very much a Nissan Micra. I can't afford a new one right now, but that doesn't mean I can't improve it. Which is why I'm after a soundbar this Prime Day. One that doesn't break the bank.

These are the ones I have my eye on.

Hisense HS214

Not the last word in TV sound quality, certainly, but the 214 is as solid a performer as they come. It's one of those devices that's so old, it's actually more expensive now than when we first reviewed it three years ago. A rare breed indeed.

But the £99 full price is still very cheap indeed. And come Prime Day, it's pretty much guaranteed to fall back to its launch price of £79 (as it has done during every big sale in recent memory). Or maybe even lower.

In our Hisense HS214 review, we praised the "solid sound to the lows and kick that gives the sound a touch more musicality than you would otherwise experience."

If you're on a tight budget, as I am, this should be your first port of call.

Read our Hisense HS214 review

Sony HT-SF150

For a step up, this Sony model ticks all the boxes. It looks more expensive than it is, and it's from a bigger name in the world of home cinema.

You get plenty of features for your money, too: HDMI ARC, an optical input supporting Dolby Digital, Dolby Dual mono and LPCM 2ch. There's a USB port and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity for music playback from an external source, too.

And you get Sony's S-Force Front Surround technology. This uses processing to make the sound stage more immersive. It's not proper surround sound, but does add more weight and separation.

As we wrote in our Sony HT-SF150 review: "Streaming the opening scene of Unbroken from Netflix with the soundbar in Cinema mode, there's a tangible breadth to the soundstage as the planes fly past and dramatic contrast as we switch between locations within the aircraft."

And it's only a few pounds more than the budget Hisense above. One to watch.

Read our Sony HT-SF150 review

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Sonos Ray

And a Sonos to round things off. I've been using Sonos products for years, and while I don't currently own any (see the point in the intro about having to give devices back), I love how seamlessly they all work together. Hence a Sonos soundbar could be a wise investment.

It is about £100 more than the Sony, making it the most expensive model here. But it's still reasonably affordable in the grand scheme of things.

Around Black Friday last year, it dropped to £139 – that's £60 off its RRP. If it can go that low again, it would certainly be tempting.

That's largely down to how well it handles dialogue. It's "clear and forthright," we wrote in our Sonos Ray review, adding that "speech is pleasantly crisp without veering into harshness."

It's small too, which suits my setup. And because there are no upward-firing drivers, I can stick it on the shelf of my TV cabinet, next to my Sky Q box.

At £199, it's more money than I want to spend. But if the price does come down, and it can help me pick some sense out of the dialogue in The Bear, it will be money well spent.

Read our Sonos Ray review

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