Rejoice! Home cinema fans on a budget have more choice than ever before

If you are looking to upgrade your TV's audio with a soundbar, it might seem like you have to spend a fair bit of cash to get anything close to a cinematic-sounding experience.

And, while it is certainly the case that spending over £500 / $500 on the likes of the Sonos Arc Ultra and the Samsung HW-Q990F will still yield the best results, we have seen an increasing number of budget soundbars outperform their price tags and offer a whole lot for the money recently.

In the last year alone, we have had a handful of models below £400 / $400 achieve four and even five-star ratings.

That's not to say that there were no budget models that impressed us before. Take, for instance, the Sony HT-SF150, which achieved a solid four-star rating when we had it in our test room back in 2021.

But it was a rare exception. It's the volume of decent budget options we've reviewed recently that's new. The influx is great news for home cinema fans on a budget, as they have more and more options instead of being limited to a few models.

But what makes these budget models stand out from the rest of the market?

Let's start with the Award-winning Hisense AX5125H, which achieved a dazzling five stars. It consists of a main soundbar, two dinky surround speakers and a subwoofer. We reviewed the Dolby Atmos soundbar system at £249 / $350, meaning it costs far less than most solo bars.

When we first got it into our test room, we admit that we didn't have the highest of hopes. But it surprised with its amazing weight, scale and spaciousness for the money. We say in our review: "While the lack of up-firing drivers in the surround speakers means this isn’t quite a full dome of sound, the height effects appear quite deep into the room and the overall delivery is brilliantly enveloping."

That all makes it ideal if you are looking for a soundbar that delivers convincing, exciting Dolby Atmos effects without the hefty price tag.

Then there's the Creative Stage Pro, which is a better choice for those working with a smaller space. Costing £130 / $150, the Creative model is even cheaper than the Hisense Award-winner, but there is no Dolby Atmos on the cards.

The package is made up of a slender subwoofer and a compact soundbar, with its small dimensions making it look more at home when connected to a desktop beneath a large gaming monitor.

But don't let its diminutive size put you off, as the Creative Stage Pro delivers impressively clear and emotive dialogue and surprising low end heft. Its sound is rather localised and could do with a more defined bass, but it's a brilliant performance considering the cost.

Finally, the most recent budget soundbar to enter our test room has proved to be yet another success.

We are yet to release our review of the Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos system but, spoiler alert, it very much impressed. The Majority bar will set you back just £169 (around $227), complete with two surrounds, a main soundbar and subwoofer.

While it is far from perfect with its messily wired surrounds and cheap-feeling build, the impactful bass from the subwoofer and overall cinematic experience it delivers, considering the cost, means its flaws can be overlooked for the most part.

All these soundbars, with their jaw-droppingly cheap price tags, mean that immersive sound and flexible designs are not limited to the most expensive models on the market. After all, a good quality home cinema system should be as accessible as possible.

MORE:

Here's our review of the Hisense AX5125H

Check out the best budget soundbars

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars