Two Award-winning systems have stormed our best soundbars guide – here’s why they beat the rest

At What Hi-Fi?, our team of experts have tested more soundbars between us than we care to count.

In fact, we've been covering them since the category emerged in the early 2000s when Yamaha launched the world's first soundbar, the YSP-1.

Since then the models appearing in our review rooms have ranged from dinky designs under £100 to beefy £1000-plus Dolby Atmos systems aiming to rival a full fat multi-speaker set-up.

That means we know what makes a good soundbar, and lets us keep our best soundbars guide up to date and accurate to with all the models we know are worth your time and money.

And with our What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025 testing giving us more clarity than ever on what products are best for your home cinema set-up (and your wallet), it was a no-brainer to add two of the best performing soundbar packages to our list of recommendations.

With one model taking the budget soundbar market by storm and the other setting a new precedent for premium packages, there’s something for everyone here.

A surprisingly brilliant budget package

When we got the Hisense AX5125H into our test room, we were not expecting audio excellence.

That's not because we're biased against it. It's just that we've been let down by a lot of cheap soundbars recently, many of which have decent specifications, on paper, but sound terrible in the real world.

We tested this model at £249 / $350 (around AU$500), which is quite a jaw-dropping price for a system consisting of a main soundbar, subwoofer and two surrounds.

But this Award-winning Hisense model proves that you should never judge a book (or bar) by its cover.

With support for both DTS:X and Dolby Atmos, we were pleasantly surprised to find that this soundbar system is an incredibly cohesive and immersive performer at this price.

While watching the dystopian action thriller Civil War, for example, we found: “Explosions and deep gunfire have good impact and solidity, and there’s just about enough tonal expression for bassy soundtrack elements to sound reasonably musical.”

The vocals remained nicely clear and sounded relatively emotive too, although the subwoofer can get a little overzealous and cause them to become muffled in the busiest sections. Still, you can get an impressively cinematic and immersive sound from this system, which is a serious surprise given its price.

Even its specifications are shockingly comprehensive for this price point.

While many owners will simply connect their TV to the Hisense AX5125H via HDMI eARC/ARC and be done with it, those with external sources (particularly those with lots of them) will be pleased to see that the soundbar also has 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.

We haven’t tested a soundbar system that comes close to this level of performance for such an affordable price, so it’s an easy recommendation for those looking to upgrade their TV’s audio without breaking the bank.

A step up system from Samsung

If your budget can stretch further, there is another What Hi-Fi? Award winner that we would heartily recommend.

Enter the Samsung HW-Q990F – a system once again consisting of a soundbar, two surround speakers and a subwoofer.

Its predecessor, the Samsung HW-Q990D, received a five-star rating after being reviewed in our test room where we praised its three-dimensional and dynamic performance.

This makes it a tough model to beat, but the Q990F manages to only improve upon this system’s sound quality.

It's an 11.1.4-channel system, with 23 drivers in total. 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 sub [compared to the Q990D], 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."

Its connectivity options continue to impress. The system carries a very well-stocked feature set, with DTS:X audio, HDMI 2.1 passthrough with 4K/120Hz gaming and Dolby Vision HDR support. There are also countless sound modes to choose from, including SpaceFit Pro, which adapts the sound to best suit your room and speaker placement.

We awarded the Q990F five stars at its full price of £1699, but you won't need to spend that much to pick up right now as this hugely talented Dolby Atmos soundbar system is already getting discounted. You can grab it for around a grand at most stores right now, making it an even more enticing option for home cinema aficionados.

MORE:

These are the best soundbars right now

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

And here's our full review of the Hisense AX5125H