Looking for a Dolby Atmos soundbar system?

Well, if you have a mid-range budget, then look no further. We were blown away when we heard the Sony Bravia Theatre System 6, thanks to its meaty bass and enveloping Atmos experience. It's a top option at this level.

It's so good, in fact, that we've just bestowed upon it a What Hi-Fi? Award for the best soundbar system priced between £250 and £500.

And that price just got a bit better – the Bravia Theatre System 6 is now back down from £499 to a low of £419 at B&Q.

The audio quality of the Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 is top-notch, but we'll admit the design is a little oddball.

The Bravia Theatre System 6 has amplification built into the subwoofer, which is wired to the soundbar. The sub also wirelessly transmits to a receiver box at the back of the room, which has a wired link to the two surround speakers.

The idea is that you get all the benefits of having wired speaker connections without having reels of cable running through your living room.

It's certainly a unique setup, but we're glad to report that it pays off in terms of sound quality.

"The Atmos processing, in particular, is superb," our Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 review reads. "During K’s baseline test in Blade Runner 2049, the unseen interviewer’s voice is placed precisely behind and slightly above you, while K’s voice remains firmly anchored to the screen.

"In the following scene in K’s apartment, Frank Sinatra’s Summer Wind floats ambiently overhead, just as it should, and when he and Joi head out onto the balcony, the layered city soundscape spreads convincingly around the room, with the various audio advertisements clearly and accurately positioned in space."

Dialogue is crisp and intelligible even during busy scenes, and the system proves to be surprisingly rhythmic and tonally flexible when it comes to music too.

Connections include an HDMI eARC/ARC port, an optical and a 3.5mm input. There's also 1000W of power on offer – rather a lot for your money – and support for both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

Sony's atypical design delivers a fully immersive surround sound experience. It's the top option you'll find at this price, especially with £80 off at B&Q.

MORE:

Read our full Sonos Beam Gen 2 review

Also check out our Hisense AX5125H review

Our pick of the best soundbars for every budget, all tested by our experts

If you have struggled to make out dialogue and felt underwhelmed by the impact of an explosion from your TV’s speakers, then getting a soundbar could well be the answer to your problems.

They take up much less space than a beefy multi-speaker system, and there are plenty of budget options to choose from if you don’t have the cash to splash. Many of these bars offer Dolby Atmos support if you want three-dimensional sound, and it's that side of the category that we are here to talk about.

We have been testing soundbars ever since the category emerged more than 20 years ago, and have reviewed hundreds of models. We have been curating a list of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars too. And now, two new entries have leapt onto the scene as our top recommendations.

So which models are the most recent five-star stunners to make it onto our handy guide? Let’s take a look.

Samsung’s latest system is a stunner

First up, the Samsung HW-Q990H has taken the crown as the best overall soundbar package. It usurps the model’s predecessor, the Samsung HW-Q990F, thanks to its more refined and detailed sound performance.

The package launched at £1599 / $2000 / AU$1999, but it has regularly dropped to around £895 in the UK. That puts it at the pricier end of the soundbar package spectrum.

So what do you get for your money? The Q990H comprises two surround speakers, the main soundbar and a subwoofer. 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 eight-inch woofers (in a push/pull configuration) in the wireless subwoofer.

We rated the Q990H’s predecessor highly for its incredibly immersive, refined, and punchy performance, and the new model improves on this winning recipe. We say in our review that “Samsung’s considered approach to tuning the HW-Q990H has paid off nicely, and the subtle upgrades make all the difference”.

The new model kept what we liked about its older sibling, but delivers it with even more nuance, detail and scale.

That’s why the Q990H not only takes the crown in our Dolby Atmos soundbar guide as the best package, but also scores a What Hi-Fi? Award this year as the best soundbar system between £500 and £2000.

And Sony’s premium package scores big

If you can stretch your budget even further in pursuit of a Dolby Atmos soundbar system, then Sony Bravia Theatre System Trio + Rear 9 and Sub 9 is the best premium soundbar package out there.

Unlike the more conventional-looking Samsung model, Sony’s system does things a little differently. Instead of a single soundbar, it is divided into three separate speakers. The centre speaker is essentially a narrow soundbar, while the other two speakers are larger cylindrical units.

The two Rear 9s are a little shorter than these front right and left speakers, but still sport a similar shape. Finally, there’s the Sub 9, which is a huge, almost cube-shaped subwoofer. In total, that creates a mighty 5.1.4-channel system.

In terms of physical connections, there’s an HDMI eARC port for connection to your TV, plus a dedicated HDMI input that supports 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM. There's also Bluetooth, wi-fi, Apple AirPlay and Spotify Connect on the wireless side.

So how does it sound? When we listened to the Sony Theatre Trio system on its own, we were impressed by its immersive soundstage and Atmos handling. Adding in the subwoofer and rear speakers makes for even more of an enveloping and engaging performance, as you would hope.

It creates a cohesive bubble of sound around the listening position, and we said in our review: “Effects move seamlessly from front to rear, while the system maintains the same sense of cohesion that impressed us with the Trio on its own”.

The subwoofer is well-integrated with the rest of the system, too. With our go-to bass stress test (chapter two of Blade Runner 2049), we found in our review that 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.

All of that means it takes the crown as the best premium soundbar package, making it our top pick if you are looking for a cinematic addition to your home cinema set-up.

MORE:

Check out our full review of the Samsung HW-Q990H

These are the best soundbars

And here are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

When we tested LG’s Sound Suite system, there was a fair bit to like about the soundbar package.

Made up of the H7 soundbar, W7 subwoofer and two M7 speakers, the system offered a room-filling sound with impressive Dolby Atmos handling and deep bass. But its slightly aggressive overall presentation and inexpressive dialogue mean it scored a middling three-star review.

Now, though, LG is adding a big free upgrade that could make it more appealing for some, with the brand claiming to expand “immersive audio possibilities for home theatre enthusiasts".

The most notable of these upgrades is the addition of DTS:X support, as the soundbar system previously offered only Atmos. Even though the latter is much more widely available for both streaming and physical media, there are still a few discs that exclusively support the surround sound format. Anyway, it’s always nice to have both on board for comprehensive coverage.

That is available with both the LG Sound Suite as well as the LG H7 soundbar on its own.

LG is also giving the option to add in two of the W7 subwoofers instead of the one that we used to test the package. The brand adds that this should “improve bass consistency throughout a room, delivering more balanced low-frequency performance across multiple seating positions.”

On top of that, LG has added support for Wi‑Fi 6 GHz networks and 5 GHz DFS channels. You will also now be able to access Google Cast support, which means you can stream music directly from your phone, tablet, or laptop.

While it is not the upgrade we were hoping for in terms of improved audio performance, it’s certainly a welcome addition when it comes to surround sound support and increased flexibility.

MORE:

Here’s our review of the LG Sound Suite H7

Check out the best soundbars

And this is our review of the LG Sound Suite system

We were very impressed with the Samsung HW-Q990H when we reviewed it several months ago, awarding it five stars and praising its detail, nuance and spatial sound effects.

However, it clung rather tightly to the lofty £1599 price we tested at, making its discounted predecessor, the HW-Q990F, the better-value buy.

Not any more. The HW-Q990H has just won a What Hi-Fi? Award, and, almost as if to celebrate, it has been given a lofty discount itself. The refined Dolby Atmos soundbar system can now be picked up for only £886 at Smart Home Sounds, a whopping saving of 45%.

This deal price is part of a £400 cashback deal from Samsung, however – full T&Cs are here.

It didn’t seem as though Samsung had changed a lot for its latest flagship sound system – the HW-Q990H’s exterior is essentially identical to the HW-Q990F. The soundbar, surround speakers and subwoofers are all well-built and premium-feeling, even if the design is a little tired.

However, when it came to testing, it was clear Samsung had made several worthwhile improvements under the hood.

“The Q990H takes everything we love about the last generation, and delivers it with even more nuance, detail and scale,” our Samsung HW-Q990H review reads.

“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.”

Height effects – such as birds chirping overhead – are placed with impressive accuracy, and a river trickling in the background is packed with sonic nuance.

The Samsung HW-Q990H is an 11.1.4 system, with an impressive 23 individual drivers on board. This includes upward-firing drivers on both the soundbar and surround speakers, which helps explain the three-dimensional sound experience above.

The Samsung HW-Q990H has three immersive audio formats: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Samsung’s Eclipsa Audio. It's great to see Samsung embrace multiple formats, even if Eclipsa is adopted only by YouTube for the time being.

One of the new features of the HW-Q990H is Samsung’s new Sound Elevation feature, which is designed to raise the audio upwards to match the position of your screen. We found, in our review, that it overshoots slightly, and placed the audio at the top of our TV, but it’s a feature that may be of interest to those who are wall-mounting with a big gap between the TV and the soundbar.

There’s also an impressive amount of connectivity on offer. There are three HDMI sockets, including an HDMI eARC for connecting to your TV and two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 passthrough sockets.

The stellar performance of the Samsung HW-Q990H proves that subtle upgrades can make all the difference. As its What Hi-Fi? Award shows, this is the soundbar system we recommend at this price range – especially with £713 off at Smart Home Sounds.

MORE:

Also consider our Sonos Arc Ultra review

Read our Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 review

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

We blinked, and suddenly it’s been more than a year since we got KEF’s premium XIO soundbar into our test room.

And, despite a very busy 12 months in soundbar land, the KEF XIO has clinched a What Hi-Fi? Award for the second year in a row.

One of its biggest direct competitors was the awesome Focal Mu-so Hekla, which has a much higher price tag (£3000 / $3600 / around AU$5695) than the XIO (£1999 / $2500 / AU£3600), but a 7.1.2-channel configuration compared to the XIO's 5.1.2 system.

As you would expect from a much more expensive sound system, the Hekla is more detailed, refined and dynamic than the XIO, which is why it very much deserves its five-star rating.

So why isn't the Hekla our Award-winner?

Primarily, it's because while the Hekla is excellent, the 'soundbar' label doesn't fit it entirely comfortably.

That's a lot to do with its design, which is less 'bar' and more 'slab' – albeit an extremely classy, attractive slab. Ultimately, It's not really suited for placement in front of a TV, and it can't be wall-mounted. Instead, it looks more at home on a side table, much like an all-in-one hi-fi system akin to a super-sized Naim Mu-so.

So, while on a performance-per-pound basis it's a relatively close call between the XIO and Hekla, KEF's entry makes more instinctive sense than the Hekla if you are looking for the premium soundbar experience.

The Samsung HW-Q990H also served as competition of sorts for the KEF XIO. Again, it's a slightly different proposition, as the Samsung model is a soundbar system with a wireless sub and surrounds, compared with the KEF's solo soundbar design.

These products are really designed for different people and use-cases, with the Samsung prioritising cinematic scale and immersion and the KEF taking a more hi-fi-quality approach to TV sound.

And because their markets are so different, they ultimately ended up in different sub-categories, with the Samsung taking the Best Soundbar System Award in the £500 to £2000 price bracket, and the KEF being assessed as a solo bar.

As well as the XIO's top-notch audio performance, its impressive hardware under the hood helps it stand out from the crowd.

It's deeper than many soundbars when standing on its feet, but it can be reoriented for wall-mounting so that it sticks out just 7cm. The smart chassis houses 12 drive units, each with a dedicated Class D power amplifier.

KEF’s Velocity Control Technology (VECO) is also built into the drive unit. Here, a flexible PCB with a sensing coil replaces a traditional former (the component the main coil wraps around) and measures movement speed. This allows the soundbar’s ‘brain’ to compensate for any errors detected.

In our review, we concluded that the KEF XIO “is one of the best soundbars we have heard”, and, another year on, it remains the best soundbar in its class.

Our only disappointment is that KEF hasn't yet launched a step-down model with a more compact design and lower price, but perhaps it will do just that before the 2027 What Hi-Fi? Awards. It would be fascinating to see a smaller XIO take on the excellent Sonos Arc Ultra.

MORE:

Check out the full list of What Hi-Fi? 2026 Award winners

Here's our review of the Focal Mu-so Hekla

And this is our review of the KEF XIO

• Want more choice? Check out our best soundbars buying guide

Looking for a new sound system?

You may be tempted to wait until Amazon's Big Deal Days sale tomorrow, but there's already an excellent saving on one of our favourite soundbar systems of the year.

The Sony Bravia Theatre Trio creates a huge, immersive soundstage, ideal if you have a big TV and want sound on a scale to match the visuals.

And you can now get it for a brand-new low. The Bravia Theatre Trio is currently £1799 at Peter Tyson, but you can then claim an extra £200 back from Sony, which brings the grand total down to £1599.

Note that cashback is only available 35 days after purchase – full Ts and Cs can be found here.

Rather than combine the front channels into a single soundbar, as is the norm these days, the Bravia Theatre Trio splits them between three parts: a narrow central soundbar and two stylish, cylindrical satellite speakers for left and right.

The result is a larger and more spacious soundstage than conventional soundbars can achieve.

Our reviewers found that, "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."

The system doesn't just sound wider than a soundbar, but taller too, with an Atmos performance that creates a genuinely convincing sense of height.

It's impressively cohesive too, with a single, unified wall of sound that never sounds like three separate speakers,

The Trio's three speakers are aided ably by Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology, which creates up to 24 'phantom' speakers around the room to bolster the real ones and create a bigger scale.

The excellent Bravia Connect app, built-in microphones and dedicated USB-C calibration microphone make set-up and calibration a breeze, while the speakers are fairly unfussy about placement.

Connectivity is all-encompassing too, with an HDMI eARC connection for your TV, plus an HDMI input with support for 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM passthrough. Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay and Spotify Connect make up the wireless support.

Any complaints? Well, we would have loved a display, and the centre speaker is not quite as capable as the larger satellites.

Overall, though, this is a brilliantly effective soundbar concept that enjoys the strengths of both the soundbar and system approach while avoiding most of their weaknesses. And for £1599 at Peter Tyson, it's definitely one of the most compelling options at this price.

MORE:

Read our review of the KEF XIO review

Also consider our Samsung HW-Q990H review

Read our Sonos Arc Ultra review

Ah, the joys of moving house. It might be one of the most stressful yet brain-numbingly mundane tasks you face in adult life, and somehow it never gets easier.

But once all the boxes are moved away and the dust has settled, you finally feel that you can call this new place your home.

I have just about finished my own moving ordeal (I never want to see a roll of packing tape again), but I face the fresh challenge of setting up my own AV system. My new flat doesn’t have the space for a multi-speaker surround sound system, nor do I have the budget. That makes a soundbar the best option for me right now, and there’s one brand I am keen to bring into my living room.

If you have ever hunted for a soundbar yourself, you will probably have seen Sonos soundbars at the top of any suggested list. And that is because they are really very good.

We have reviewed all of Sonos’s current soundbar range, and every model (bar one) has scored five stars in our test room. For those unfamiliar with the brand’s offerings, here’s a quick run-through.

The cheapest and smallest of the bunch is the four-star Sonos Ray (£199 / $199), which we like for its assertive and punchy sound performance. In a rather old-fashioned move by Sonos, though, the soundbar has only an optical input and no eARC connectivity.

Introducing surround-sound support to the range is the step-up Sonos Beam (Gen 2) (£449 / $449), which has won multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards and is the benchmark for entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbars. As with the rest of the more expensive entries, Sonos has included one HDMI eARC port.

Then there’s the newest Sonos soundbar to join the team – meet the mid-range Beam Ultra. The bar offers a 7.1.2-channel arrangement and will set you back £699 / $699. In our review, we say, “It delivers a substantial upgrade over the Beam (Gen 2) while retaining much of the compactness and simplicity that makes that model so appealing.”

Finally, the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra (£999 / $999) is the premium Atmos entry. We praise this for its clean, precise, spacious and three-dimensional sound.

With all those tempting options, I have been struggling to decide which one works best for me. The Ray is of course the cheapest and would offer the most compact solution for my cosy living room, but the lack of HDMI support is a big drawback.

And, though the Arc Ultra is the best-performing of the group, it’s simply not in my budget.

That leaves the Beam (Gen 2) and the Beam Ultra, each of which is a five-star performer.

Even though the Gen 2 model delivers an impressively room-filling sound, it lacks up-firing drivers where the Beam Ultra boasts one on each end. As you would hope, this makes for an even more immersive experience than from its cheaper sibling. But I would still get a detailed and expressive sound from the less expensive Beam Gen 2.

To be frank, I’m stuck in the middle. The convenience of the Sonos Ray speaks to me, and it is by far the cheapest option. But the AV enthusiast in me craves the Dolby Atmos support and the inclusion of an HDMI eARC port that comes with the Beam Ultra or Beam (Gen 2) despite their higher price tags.

So, Sonos, if you are working on an upgraded version of the Ray, I’ve got a message. I’m a realist, so I know not to expect true Dolby Atmos from such a low-priced soundbar. But it would be great to have better connectivity options from the Ray to make the most of its sound performance.

MORE:

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Here are the best TVs

These are the best soundbars

Like a mackerel in a large shoal, it is hard for a soundbar to stand out from the crowd in today’s oversaturated landscape.

Even with competitive pricing and specifications, plenty of soundbars fail to make much of a splash in the expansive home cinema ocean.

But will Samsung’s new model suffer the same fate? The brand is quite confident about its soundbar, stating that the HW-QS90H delivers “cinema-quality sound from one sleek soundbar”.

Those are bold words, but the brand has a strong history of offering immersive sound, as exemplified by the five-star HW-Q990H premium soundbar package. Can the newest entrant deliver on its promises?

Price

The HW-QS90H is widely available for £799 / $899 (around AU$1500).

That puts it in the same ballpark as the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra, which you can find for £849 / $899 / AU$1585. Immediately, this is tough competition for the Samsung bar, as the Arc Ultra scored highly for its impressive level of detail, clarity and precision.

The QS90H also has its sights set on the five-star Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9, which we liked for its solidity and dynamics. It is available for around £999 in the UK, although it comes in at a higher price of $1499 / AU$1799 in the US and Australia, respectively.

Design

If you have lived with a Samsung soundbar before, you will certainly feel at home with the QS90H. It mirrors the look of the HW-Q990H system’s bar, sporting a similar grey plastic grille on the top, while a perforated surface wraps around the side.

While it’s neat and practical, it's fair to say that the QS90H’s design looks a little bit too familiar. Samsung’s soundbar range could do with a glow up.

Still, the bar feels well-built and premium, and its inconspicuous design blends reasonably well into our test room.

The bar is 125cm long, which is almost the same width as the 65-inch TV with which we are testing it. It would still look perfectly acceptable with a 50- or 55-inch screen.

At 7cm tall, the QS90H will fit in front of the majority of TVs without blocking your view, but just make sure you have enough space under the TV if you are not wall-mounting.

Features

The Samsung bar offers flexible positioning. It can be placed flat on top of a media unit for a traditional soundbar set-up, or you can turn it 180 degrees and mount the base of the unit against the wall.

An onboard gyroscope determines which orientation it's in and adjusts which drivers are activated for their required task. For example, the front-facing and upward-firing drivers switch roles depending on positioning.

The QS90H boasts 13 drivers in total. These are configured in a 7.1.2-channel arrangement. Samsung states that there are nine wide-range drivers inside the bar, which are supported by four dedicated woofers.

The QS90H is compatible with a handful of Samsung-specific features, including Q Symphony, which pairs the bar with your Samsung TV's built-in speakers, and Eclipsa Audio, which is the company's own immersive spatial audio format – though it's currently limited to YouTube videos rather than movies and TV shows.

On the subject of immersive audio, the QS90H does, of course, support Dolby Atmos, with the dedicated up-firing drivers mentioned above allowing height effects to be beamed overhead rather than virtualised. On top of that, DTS:X is on board, which isn’t the case with the rival Sonos Arc Ultra.

Bluetooth 5.3 and wi-fi are also available. In terms of physical connectivity, there is one dedicated HDMI input as well as an HDMI eARC port, inside a cable cove around the back.

HDMI video passthrough is limited to 60Hz, not 120Hz, which will be a drawback for hardcore gamers who demand 4K/120Hz performance and lack spare HDMI 2.1 sockets on their TV.

You can connect the soundbar to the SmartThings app to customise your listening experience. That lets you turn on Smartfit Sound Pro, which uses the soundbar’s built-in microphones to automatically calibrate the sound to your space.

A plethora of AI features are present, too, including Active Voice Amplifier Pro, which enhances dialogue clarity in louder environments.

Of course, there is also the option to adjust the volume, output, and access advanced EQ controls through the app. It’s all pretty painless to navigate, and it connects to our various devices quickly.

If you don’t want to be looking at your phone too much while changing the settings, you can use the included remote control.

Sound

When we boot up the Samsung QS90H, we are met with a big, expansive sound that fills our test room.

Playing Top Gun: Maverick in Dolby Atmos (in the bar’s Surround mode), the thrum of jets zooming across the screen is delivered with an impressive level of width that feels like it wraps around us. The bar tracks the movement of the plane around the soundfield pretty well, resulting in a good sense of precision that adds to the overall sense of scale.

The sense of height is impressive as well, and the jets can be felt almost above the listening position – it sounds almost as if there’s a speaker in the ceiling.

Moving to Baby Driver (also in Dolby Atmos), dialogue is crisp and clean. When the titular Baby is chatting up his crush Debora at the diner, though, the soundbar lacks the dynamic finesse needed to make dialogue sound as realistic as rivals, and it comparatively struggles to capture the subtleties of their expression.

We turn on the Voice Enhancement feature, which brings vocals forward to make them clearer, but this causes the sound to feel less natural. We opt to keep it off.

The opening scene of Baby Driver is given an injection of energy from the soundbar’s bass delivery. The low end goes pretty deep, which means you can feel the revving of engines in your feet.

While the bass is strong, though, it is not the most refined. The Sonos Arc Ultra delivers its bass with greater subtlety. The Bass Enhancement feature makes the lower frequencies more prominent in the mix, but we leave it off as it results in a more overwhelming and off-balance overall sound.

There’s a fair amount of detail in the scene, as the squeak of windscreen wipers and the pressing of pedals are clear without being distracting.

The soundbar can reach pretty high volume levels. But when pushed hard, it becomes uncomfortably harsh and edgy. This is not a problem at most sensible listening levels; just don’t crank it up to its maximum limit.

We turn to music by connecting to Qobuz via Bluetooth, and switch to Standard mode to make the presentation more direct.

Listening to At Least I’m Hot by Renee Rapp, the bass gives the track a strong foundation and immediately gets our toes tapping. Rapp’s vocals sound a touch harsh at the loudest moments, though, and compared with the Sonos Arc Ultra, the delivery does not sound quite as emotive and musical.

While the Sonos bar cannot go as deep as the Samsung model, it counters with a more expressive and cohesive overall sound that hangs together more effectively.

Verdict

The Samsung QS90H is a solid performer that will provide a big jump in quality for people currently relying on their TV's built-in speakers.

It’s not as refined or dynamically expressive as the rival Arc Ultra, but it still delivers an engaging and expansive sound experience that is well worth considering, especially if you find it discounted.

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Design 5
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Sonos Arc Ultra

Also consider the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

Read our Samsung HW-Q990H

Best Dolby Atmos soundbars: our reviewers' five recommendations

JBL has just released four soundbars under the Cinema SBMK2 series, which offer a brand-new feature for the US-based brand.

You can connect the soundbars wirelessly to JBL portable speakers as rear surrounds, which JBL says will “deliver true surround sound at the touch of a button”.

If you already own a pair of JBL Flip 7 portable speakers, you’re in luck – this is the only compatible model right now. The burrito-shaped Flip 7 got a five-star rating when we reviewed it, offering as it does a skilful handling of dynamics and detail.

But what about the new soundbars? Well, all but one offer an unusual design quirk: you can fold them into a U-shape. The brand says this is so the bars are easy to carry around and take up less space in the box. JBL also tells us that the bar cannot be used in its folded state.

First on the list is the flagship SB595MK2, which offers a 3.1.2-channel configuration and true Dolby Atmos support thanks to its up-firing drivers. That’s paired with a separate 6.5-inch subwoofer, delivering a total power output of 440W.

It will set you back £350 / $350, putting it in competition with the Award-winning Sonos Beam Gen 2 that scored five stars in our test room.

The SB580MK2 (£300 / $300) comes with the same subwoofer as its more pricey sibling. This 3.1-channel soundbar does not have up-firing drivers, but there is still virtualised Dolby Atmos support.

Next is the JBL SB550MK2, which features a 5.25-inch subwoofer and a total power output of 360W. There is no Dolby Atmos on the cards with this the 3.1-channel model, so you are limited to Dolby Audio.

Finally, comes the SB510MK2. It’s the only non-foldable soundbar of the bunch and also the cheapest. The subwoofer is built into the soundbar’s main body, so you need accommodate only one piece of kit.

Bluetooth is supported with all models, so you can stream music to the bars from other devices.

We will have to wait until we get the models in our test room to determine how well they compare with their rivals. Being able to use the JBL Flip 7 as rear surrounds is a promising addition in terms of flexibility and scale, but we hope the brand adds compatibility to even more speakers soon. Stay tuned for our full review.

MORE:

Check out the JBL 300MK2 review

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

And here are the best Bluetooth speakers

If you are looking for a Dolby Atmos soundbar, you may have noticed that there’s a certain price point that sits in a very difficult middle ground. Bars that come in at around the £700 / $700 must figure out how to make their mark between two more competitive categories.

Below this category sit cheaper, entry-level soundbars, such as the five-star Sonos Beam Gen 2 and the JBL Bar 300MK2. With their more affordable price tags and impressively immersive performance considering their compact footprints, we can certainly see the appeal for those wanting to upgrade their TV’s uninspiring audio.

Then, for those wanting a more premium addition to their system, more pricey Atmos bars make for a great upgrade. That includes the likes of the Sonos Arc Ultra which won a What Hi-Fi? Award in 2025.

So how do you make your mark as the middle child? There are two five-star models at this level that we have just put head to head – and there’s a clear frontrunner.

First up is the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S, which comprises a soundbar and a separate subwoofer. Together, that gives you a 5.1.2-channel configuration with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support.

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.

Challenging this Sony combo is the newly announced Sonos Beam Ultra, boasting a 7.1.2-channel configuration. It offers an upgrade in hardware from the Beam Gen 2 thanks to its two up-firing drivers, although there is still no DTS:X support.

In terms of design, the two soundbars are taking different approaches. The Bravia Theatre Bar 7 sports a cloth grille, while the Beam Ultra has a matte plastic finish with controls for volume and Bluetooth connectivity on the top. You can get both of them in black, while the Beam Ultra also comes in a white option.

Right now, they are both available for £699 in the UK, despite the Sony model originally coming out with a slightly higher price tag.

We gave each of them five stars in our test room, but which one comes out on top?

The Sony and Sonos models each deliver a huge upgrade over the vast majority of TV speakers with their increased scale, clarity and detail.

When it comes to bass, we test out both models with the start of Chapter 2 in Blade Runner 2049. The Sony package is the meatier of the two and offers more of a floor-shaking experience thanks to its separate subwoofer. But the Sonos model blends the bass together more cohesively with the rest of the sound, and none of the frequencies stick out.

Where the Sony system struggles with the lowest notes, with the dedicated subwoofer buzzing somewhat, the Beam Ultra offers cleaner delivery that's more refined and nuanced.

Of course, the Sonos's composure is at least partly the result of it not reaching for the super-deep notes that the Sony attempts to deliver, but our preference is the cleaner presentation, even though it's less bassy overall.

Both soundbars are precise, and we get a good sense of where each character is sitting during the interrogation scene between Officer K and the interviewer. The Sonos once again just edges ahead in this area, though, and has the best spatial positioning from the single bar.

In terms of scale, both Sony and Sonos deliver an expansive sound that extends beyond the height and width of our TV screen. That being said, the Beam Ultra’s audio hangs together more effectively to deliver the more convincing near-dome of Dolby Atmos sound.

Dialogue is crisp and expressive with both models, and remains at the forefront even during the busiest of moments.

Despite the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S delivering a bassy and immersive audio experience, the Sonos Beam Ultra manages to offer the most cohesive and engaging sound that makes it our top soundbar pick at this price.

MORE:

Here’s our review of the Sonos Beam Ultra

Check out what we thought of the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S

And these are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

The Sonos Beam Ultra is here, and after thoroughly reviewing it in our listening rooms, running it head to head with its siblings (the Sonos Beam 2 and Sonos Arc Ultra) and every comparatively priced rival we could get our hands on, we can confirm it’s great.

Offering a room-filling sound, with a much improved tight low-end and added sense of height, the Beam Ultra is a five-star Dolby Atmos soundbar. As we said in our recently published review: “Sonos has struck Dolby Atmos gold yet again.”

We don’t often give praise like that.

But as we discussed its merits as part of this year’s What Hi-Fi? Awards testing, there was one elephant in the room we couldn’t ignore: its price.

I’m not going to give away any spoilers about this year’s Award winners – you’ll have to check back with us on 13th October for that – but, with the Beam Ultra costing £699, it left a hole, which we had been hoping it would plug, gapingly open: that of the cheap soundbar.

Regular readers may remember, only a few short months ago, we were begging Sonos to release a new Beam soundbar. But, sod’s law being the eternal constant it is, when we finally get our wish, the new Beam isn’t the affordable replacement we were hoping for; it's a mid-tier upgrade that sits alongside the Beam 2.

And that's a problem. In the past two years, there has been an outright drought of five-star, affordable, Dolby Atmos soundbars. For clarity, by affordable, we mean units that cost £350/$350 or less.

Jump over to our best Dolby Atmos soundbars buying guide, and you’ll see what I mean. The current small recommendation is the Sonos Beam 2, which came out way back in October 2021. In soundbar years, it should have had its letter from the King by now.

What’s more, despite its age, it still meets our definition of “cheap” only during sales events, such as the fast-approaching Black Friday, when it usually drops from its regular £429 asking price to £349.

Below it, our current recommended cheap Dolby Atmos soundbar, the Sony HT-S2000, came out in 2023, so it is hardly a spring chicken. It also still sits in the upper end of our definition of “affordable”, retailing for £299 at most stores.

On top of that, as our reviewers and I have noted before, it falls afoul of a repeat issue we experience on affordable Atmos units: though it recognises the signal, it struggles to deliver an actual sense of height.

But, despite the two units’ age, we have yet to experience anything better. The only bar to come close was the JBL Bar 300 Mk2, which is great in most ways, but doesn’t have the finesse and musicality to dethrone the Beam 2.

Considering the cost-of-living crisis and the wealth of innovation that has appeared in the mid- and upper-end of the soundbar market over the past half-decade, the lack of new cheap models feels like a missed opportunity. Surely some of the cool stuff we’ve seen on even moderately more expensive models should have trickled down by now?

Hopefully, this will change in the not too distant future. If not, I can’t help but think some companies are missing an open goal.

Not everyone has cash to burn on a new soundbar, and right now even the best options you’ll find for less than £350/$350 are undeniably beginning to feel a little stale and show their age. Buyers on a budget deserve better, at least in my humble opinion.

MORE:

These are the best surround sound systems we have tested

We rank the best cheap TVs

Our picks of the best soundbars

Is it just us, or is everything Ultra nowadays? While Apple and Samsung have adopted the name (with the Watch Ultra and Galaxy S26 Ultra, respectively), no one has run with it quite like Sonos. First we had the Arc Ultra, then the Ace Ultra headphones and Beam Ultra soundbar. Confused? We don't blame you.

Ultra connotes the best in the range, so the Beam Ultra is positioned above the previous Beam soundbars, and Arc Ultra above the standard Arc. But while they might be the best in their respective lines, there are still some notable differences between the Beam Ultra and Arc Ultra. They are priced quite differently, after all.

Wondering which is for you? You've come to the right place. Here we'll compare the two five-star soundbars including a comparative listening test, so you can see how they compare and which you should buy. Let's dig in.

Sonos Beam Ultra vs Arc Ultra: tech specs comparison

Sonos Beam Ultra vs Arc Ultra: price

These two soundbars are priced quite differently. The Arc Ultra is Sonos' flagship soundbar, and has a price to match. It sells for £999 / $999 / AU$1799. The Beam Ultra, meanwhile, is positioned between the second-gen Beam (which remains on sale) and the Arc Ultra, with a price of £699 / $699 / AU$1099.

But sales season is coming. Of the two, the Arc Ultra is the more likely to be discounted – it's fallen to £719 before. If it falls that low again – with a possible difference of just £20 between the two 'bars – it'll be a seriously tempting proposition.

We can't imagine the brand new Beam Ultra will see any big money off, but you never know, it might see a slight fall. Stay tuned and we'll let you know.

** Winner: Sonos Beam Ultra **

Sonos Beam Ultra vs Arc Ultra: design

As you can see from the photos, there's no mistaking these two soundbars. The Arc Ultra is a bigger, more powerful proposition – it requires more space to accommodate.

The Beam Ultra is a little shorter (6.5cm to the Arc Ultra's 7.5cm) and a lot less wide (75cm to 118cm). But both are about 11cm deep.

The Arc Ultra looks more sleek too, while the Beam Ultra is more of a block with rounded-off corners. Te Arc Ultra's controls are hidden around the back, while for the Beam Ultra, Sonos has sensibly positioned them on the front, which makes them much easier to use. How much people use on-soundbar controls, however, is a subject for debate, and many will think the Arc Ultra's sleeker, more minimalist look is more than worth the lack of convenience.

The only control we would prefer was more accessible on the Arc Ultra is Bluetooth for pairing a phone or tablet. On the Beam Ultra, the button is on the lip, rather than around the back.

Remember, both of these soundbars have upwards-firing drivers, so don't position them on a shelf or you'll be shooting those height sound channels right into whatever's directly above them.

** Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra **

Sonos Beam Ultra vs Arc Ultra: features

The big sell of the Beam Ultra is that it has upwards-firing drivers, for a 'true' Dolby Atmos performance. But then so does the Arc Ultra. As you would imagine, the latter has the more powerful set-up: its 14 drivers dwarf the Beam Ultra's nine. The Arc Ultra's are arranged in a 9.1.4-channel configuration, while the Beam Ultra's are set up in 7.1.2.

Because of its size, the Arc Ultra is better suited to bigger TVs – Sonos says it's for TVs 50 inches and above, while the Beam Ultra is recommended for TVs up to 65 inches.

The Beam Ultra's centre channel has been redesigned – it now has a tweeter embedded in the woofer to add width and clarity.

Both Ultra soundbars lack DTS:X, and have a single HDMI eARC port meaning no HDMI passthrough. The Beam Ultra has a USB-C port too for hooking up additional sources like a CD player or turntable (although you will need the additional Line-In Adapter for these to work).

Both 'bars have wi-fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3.

The Arc Ultra has an additional SoundMotion woofer, which works differently to a standard driver. This creates a deeper bass than the Beam Ultra, as we'll see in the Sound section.

Both soundbars share a lot of features, including the Loudness feature (which boosts bass and treble at low volumes), Trueplay room calibration, AI Speech Enhancement and Night Sound. Both have voice controls too, though only the Arc Ultra supports Alexa for now (the Beam Ultra is limited to Sonos' voice controls, though Alexa support should arrive via a future firmware upgrade).

Both 'bars support music apps like Spotify and Tidal, and both can work as part of a bigger Sonos home cinema setup or multi-room system by pairing additional speakers. They can also both work with Sonos' Ace range of headphones for personal listening.

This one's close, but the USB-C port just edges it for the Beam Ultra.

** Winner: Sonos Beam Ultra **

Sonos Beam Ultra vs Arc Ultra: sound

Of course it's the sound that most people will be interested in. So how do these soundbars compare?

The Beam Ultra's new upwards-firing drivers deliver an added dimension to the Dolby Atmos performance. Sounds are placed with pin-point precision, which is doubly impressive when you consider just how small this soundbar is compared to the Arc Ultra.

There's detail aplenty, with the extra height adding a real sense of depth to the sounds. And the sound expands way beyond the confines of the soundbar itself.

"In No Time To Die, as an onslaught of helicopters moves in from above in pursuit of Bond, the overhead effects go much higher than our TV screen," we wrote in our Sonos Beam Ultra review. "Then, when an army of cars zoom across an open field, the sound extends to the corners of our test room and makes for an even more enveloping experience."

Bass is impressive for a 'bar of this size, with helicopter blade rotations lent a meaty thrum. And dialogue remains tonally accurate and expressive throughout, and clear even during more chaotic scenes.

But the Beam Ultra could project into a room more. Sonos isn't lying when it says it's best suited to mid-size living rooms of around 23-32.5 metres squared.

However, while undoubtedly impressive, the Beam Ultra sounds a little underwhelming when played side by side with the Arc Ultra. The bigger sibling's presentation is more authoritative and sophisticated – as you would hope it would be, given its higher price.

Its sound is even more precise than the Beam Ultra's, which helps music tracks in particular stay that bit more organised both rhythmically and spatially. Bass, too, is very impressive, with none of the chuffing that can plague lesser soundbars.

As we said in our Sonos Arc Ultra review: "It’s tight, tuneful and expressive in a way that is rare in the soundbar world."

Detail is a cut above. Watching Bladerunner 2049, "Incidental noises such as footsteps, a tooth being gently placed on a glass table, and the soft squeak of a rubber surgical gown as a character stretches out his arm are all delivered clearly and cleanly but in an unforced manner, contributing to the atmosphere without distracting." Which is exactly how it should be.

Low-level dynamics are handled deftly, with subtlety, and so the extra details evident sound natural rather than artificial. Big changes in volume – jump-scares, for instance – are dispatched clinically. And boy, is this thing loud.

It also projects into the room far better than the Beam Ultra.

So, as expected, the Arc Ultra is the more advanced in the sound department. But whether that serves your needs will really depend on your room size – those of us with smaller lounges might be better off saving some money with the Beam Ultra.

** Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra **

Sonos Beam Ultra vs Arc Ultra: verdict

The two Ultras might have a lot of features in common, but they are quite different propositions. The Beam Ultra is better suited to smaller rooms and tighter budgets, while the Arc Ultra is for those with deeper pockets and more space in which to let it work.

If you're trying to decide between the two on performance alone, go for the Arc Ultra – it's bassier, even more precise and projects more into the room. It could even drop to a similar price to the Beam Ultra, if previous discounts are anything to go by.

But the Beam Ultra is an excellent soundbar in its own right, and will serve those with medium-sized rooms (and budgets) very well indeed.

** Overall winner: Sonos Arc Ultra **

MORE:

Read our full Sonos Beam Ultra review

And our Sonos Arc Ultra review

Sonos Beam Ultra vs Beam (Gen 2): which is better?

When the Sonos Beam Ultra was announced earlier this month, there were mixed emotions from the What Hi-Fi? Team.

On one hand, we had been waiting for Sonos’s next soundbar entry since the five-star Arc Ultra hit the shelves back in 2024. But, with the bar positioned directly between the Award-winning Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799) and the Sonos Beam Gen 2 (£449 / $449 / AU$649) with a price tag of £699 / $699 / AU$1099, the new model had some big expectations to meet.

The Beam Ultra has nine drivers in total – four more than the Beam Gen 2. It also features two up-firing drivers, which the previous Beam entry was lacking, resulting in a 7.1.2-channel configuration.

After days of testing the Beam Ultra in our test room, we are happy to report that the soundbar fits in excellently with its five-star siblings. Here are three things we liked about Sonos’s latest home cinema family member, and two that we would change.

Convincing Dolby Atmos effects

First off, the Beam Ultra’s added up-firing drivers deliver the upgrade we wanted over the Beam Gen 2. We are greeted with a three-dimensional sound experience that makes for a huge upgrade over our TV’s built-in speakers.

As a helicopter flies into the sky when we watch No Time To Die, the overhead effects go much higher than our tv screen. There’s a brilliant sense of space and depth, lending each scene cinematic scale.

It does not quite reach the expansiveness of the more expensive Sonos Arc Ultra, but that is to be expected considering its higher price tag and longer build.

The helicopter is also well-placed, as we can close our eyes and still get a strong sense of where the vehicle is. By soundbar standards, this all results in the most convincing Atmos effects at this price.

Tight bass

The Sonos Beam Ultra’s bass is refined and adds to the soundbar's impact. When we listen to Rosalia’s Divinise, the punchy lower frequencies give the track a strong foundation without overpowering the rest of the sound.

The bass track flutters with a series of quick beats, and the soundbar delivers these with a clean leading edge on each note which drives the song’s energy forward.

It’s the same experience with films, as we find when watching Bumblebee. When the titular transformer lands on earth in a flurry of flames, the Beam Ultra offers up muscular deep notes which add to the sense of impact.

It isn’t the deepest bass we have heard at this level, but the Beam Ultra’s tight, well-balanced lower frequencies more than makes up for it.

Could do better at forward projection

Although we were hugely impressed by the soundbar’s detailed and punchy audio quality, we did note one small issue.

Unlike some rivals we have tested, the Beam Ultra doesn’t push sound out into the room and towards the listening position quite as much as we would like. That can make certain elements, most notably voices, sound a little less direct and engaging than they otherwise might.

And this is quite different from the Beam Gen 2, which offers a somewhat direct sound. That could be because the older model features only forward-facing drivers, while some of the sound is being directed upwards with the Beam Ultra’s up–firing drivers. Despite that issue, the bar still delivers a spacious sound that is hard to beat at this price.

No HDMI passthrough

As well as sound performance, the soundbar’s build needs to be taken into account.

The Beam Ultra has the same physical connections as the rest of Sonos's soundbar entries. That means it has one HDMI eARC port, but no dedicated HDMI inputs. That’s a shame for those who are running out of HDMI sockets on their TV, especially for gamers with high-spec devices.

There is a USB-C port alongside the HDMI connection, as well. This works in conjunction with the optional Line-In Adapter, which features a 3.5mm auxiliary input, via which you can connect pretty much any audio source, such as a turntable or CD player.

You can also opt for Sonos’s Combo Adapter, which features both the 3.5mm input and an ethernet socket for wired networking.

Clean, compact design

The new model is slightly thinner and longer than the Beam Gen 2, so it will sit nicely in front of your TV screen. It certainly doesn’t block the screen on the 55-inch TV in our test room, and should look just as at home with a 65-inch or 43-inch TV.

There is also the option to wall mount if that suits your set-up better. It weighs 2.8 kg, which is the same as the Beam Gen 2, meaning it should be simple to position.

The matte finish of the bar is quite stylish as well, coming in either black or white colour options.

If you're looking for a soundbar to deliver convincing Dolby Atmos effects and tight bass in a sleek all-in-one package, the Sonos Beam Ultra should be at the top of your list.

MORE:

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

These are the best TVs on the market

And here is our review of the Sonos Beam Gen 2

How do you live up to the high expectations set by your talented siblings? You could rebel against your parents and get some ill-advised ink, or you could work yourself into the ground trying to prove you’re just as good.

The Sonos Beam Ultra has a similar challenge. It sits directly between two Award-winning soundbars from the US-based brand, the Beam (Gen 2) and Arc Ultra, so we have high expectations for the new model.

But rather than buckling under the pressure, this new middle child proves to be a near-perfect blend of the two.

Price

The Sonos Beam Ultra will set you back £699 / $699 / AU$1099. As we said, that puts it directly between the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) (£449 / $449 / AU$649) and the Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799), both of which have scored What Hi-Fi? Awards and five-star reviews.

Despite pre-announcement expectations, the Beam Ultra isn’t a replacement for the Beam (Gen 2), which is staying in the Sonos soundbar range. That feels like a good move to us, as it leaves a more affordable Dolby Atmos soundbar (albeit without dedicated up-firing drivers) in the range.

Design

The Beam Ultra feels lightweight yet well-built and sturdy. Despite it being a little longer than the Beam (Gen 2), the new model comes in at the same weight of 2.8kg. It’s slightly thinner as well, meaning it fits nicely under our 55-inch TV screen in the test room. You can also mount the bar on your wall if you prefer.

The soundbar comes in two colour options: black and white. That’s the same as the rest of Sonos’s soundbar models, and the matte finish looks quite stylish, although the black model we have in our room quickly shows fingerprints after handling.

The Beam Ultra features perforated grilles on the top. On the lip of the bar, you will find a press-button to activate Bluetooth, as well as touch controls for volume and play/pause.

Features

Those perforated grilles on the top are there to allow the two up-firing drivers on either end of the bar to work their magic. That’s an upgrade on the Beam (Gen 2), which relies on virtualisation for Dolby Atmos rather than physical drivers.

In fact, the Beam Ultra has nine drivers in total – four more than the Beam (Gen 2). These are arranged in what Sonos says is a 7.1.2-channel configuration.

Sonos states that the centre channel has been redesigned to feature a coaxial transducer, which embeds a tweeter into a woofer. With this new arrangement, the brand says the Beam Ultra makes “movies sound wider” and “dialogue sound clearer”.

While the new bar supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X is still not on the cards. That’s not a big surprise considering this has been the case with all of Sonos’s products, but it could be a drawback for those wanting fully comprehensive surround sound options.

There’s just a single HDMI eARC port on the back of the bar. The lack of dedicated HDMI inputs and passthrough functionality is no surprise (no previous Sonos products have had it either), but it's still a shame for those who are already running out of HDMI sockets on their TV.

There is also a USB-C port, which the Beam (Gen 2) doesn’t have. This works in conjunction with the optional Line-In Adapter, which features a 3.5mm aux input, via which you can connect pretty much any audio source, such as a turntable or CD player. Alternatively, you can opt for Sonos’s Combo Adapter, which features both the 3.5mm input and an Ethernet socket for wired networking.

Unlike some rivals, but very much like previous Sonos soundbars, the Beam Ultra doesn’t come with a remote control. For everyday use with your TV, the only controls you really need are volume up, down and mute, all of which are handled by your TV’s remote.

For more advanced operation and initial set-up, the newly updated Sonos27 app is on hand. This is where you can link your various music streaming services for playback via the Beam Ultra, and access EQ settings.

The latter includes sliders to adjust height, bass and treble levels, but in our experience, the automatic Trueplay calibration renders these fine adjustments unnecessary.

As with the Arc Ultra, Trueplay is provided in two flavours: Quick and Advanced. With the Quick Tuning option, the soundbar tunes its sound by measuring its output via its own microphones. It takes seconds and is very effective.

If you want the very best sound for your room, though, it’s worth using the Advanced Tuning option, which involves measuring the output from the soundbar using an iOS device. It takes slightly longer and involves moving around your room to get measurements from all corners, but it can improve frequency response and spatial accuracy, particularly if your room is large or unusually shaped.

In addition to the aforementioned EQ options, there is a Loudness setting, which is on by default and is designed to boost bass and treble, particularly when listening at lower volumes, where these frequencies can become less prominent. In practice, though, we find that the effect is noticeable at most volumes, adding a little extra heft to the sound. We prefer to leave it on, but your mileage may vary, so it’s worth experimenting with the toggle yourself.

The Sonos app also contains a Night Sound setting, which can be used to reduce bass and dynamics for those times when you don’t want to disturb your housemates or neighbours.

As well as being able to control your music via the Sonos app, as with previous Sonos soundbar models, music can be sent directly from apps such as Spotify and Tidal. Bluetooth 5.3 is on board, too.

There is the option to switch from listening out loud to enjoying movies or music privately by linking the soundbar to a pair of Sonos Ace or new Ace Ultra headphones

Like Sonos's other soundbars, the Beam Ultra can also be upgraded with a pair of wireless speakers (such as Era 100s) as surrounds, and you can add a Sonos subwoofer to the mix.

Sonos has even released an update that allows the brand's portable speakers – the Move 2 and Play – to be used as surrounds.

Sound quality

Right from the off, it’s clear that the Beam Ultra’s added up-firing drivers deliver the upgrade we were looking for over the Beam (Gen 2).

When watching Blade Runner 2049 in Dolby Atmos, flickering digital adverts pop up as Officer K marches across the street, and each accompanying sound effect is portrayed with precision. It’s impressive how the bar places these effects so exactly, almost above the listening position, especially considering its compact footprint.

Whether it's the spritely voice of announcements or the thrum of the street sweeper, each sound is delivered with an excellent amount of detail while being tied into a cohesive overall audio experience.

Later, when Officer K returns home to Joi, the spatial placement of the two voices is excellently portrayed. This makes it clear that K is at the forefront of the scene, whereas his digital companion is in the background. You could watch the scene with your eyes closed and still get an excellent sense of where each character is.

There is also an expansive sense of width and height. In No Time To Die, as an onslaught of helicopters moves in from above in pursuit of Bond, the overhead effects go much higher than our TV screen. Then, when a phalanx of cars zooms across an open field, the sound extends to the corners of our test room and makes for an even more enveloping experience than the Beam (Gen 2) can provide.

The Beam Ultra’s muscular bass lends the sound of the helicopters a meaty thrum. Each rotation of the chopper’s blades has a strong leading edge, which makes it feel powerful and punchy. While it is not the deepest bass we have heard at this level, its precision, rhythm, tonality and control are ample compensation.

Switching to our 4K Blu-ray of Bumblebee demonstrates the Beam Ultra’s talent for dialogue, which is tonally accurate and brilliantly expressive. John Cena’s baritone voice is easy to differentiate from his whining colleague’s higher vocals, and even in scenes in which lots of characters are talking over each other and loud background effects, the dialogue remains clear and characterful.

If you still need a little more dialogue clarity, perhaps because of hearing limitations, Sonos’s AI Enhancement feature is on hand to prioritise voices over effects, with several levels of boost available.

Our only slight criticism of the Beam Ultra’s movie performance is that it doesn’t project sound out into the room and towards the listening position quite as much as some rivals. That can make certain elements, most notably voices, sound a little less direct and engaging than they otherwise might. Interestingly, the Beam (Gen 2) is a little more direct-sounding, perhaps primarily as a result of it having only forward-firing drivers.

In every other respect, though, the Beam Ultra is a clear upgrade on its smaller, cheaper sibling, delivering a bigger, weightier, more expansive and more detailed performance.

As you would hope from a Sonos soundbar, the Beam Ultra is a cut above its rivals when it comes to music, too. Listening to Divinize by Rosalia via Qobuz, the singer’s expressive vocals and the detail in the instruments make for an immediately engaging experience.

The bass is refined and provides a strong foundation for the track, with the fluttering low-frequency notes delivered with a powerful kick at the beginning of each beat to drive the song forward.

In Childish Gambino’s This Is America via Qobuz, each element – whether that’s the layered choral vocals or the drum machine – is excellently organised, resulting in an open, cohesive overall sound. Then, the gradual diminuendo at the end of the track is handled with delicacy and nuance to bring the song to a careful close.

This transparent, emotive performance puts the Beam Ultra at the top of its class with music as well as with movies.

Verdict

The Beam Ultra is a significant step up from the Beam (Gen 2), delivering a bigger, weightier and more expansive performance thanks to its additional up-firing drivers and upgraded speaker configuration.

The Arc Ultra still remains a step beyond the Beam Ultra, particularly in terms of authority and sophistication. But given the Beam Ultra's more compact dimensions and lower price, that is neither a surprise nor a criticism.

Instead, the Beam Ultra occupies a useful middle ground in Sonos' soundbar range: it delivers a substantial upgrade over the Beam (Gen 2) while retaining much of the compactness and simplicity that makes that model so appealing.

More importantly, set aside the inevitable comparisons with its super-accomplished siblings, and the Beam Ultra is an exceptional soundbar in its own right. Sonos has struck Dolby Atmos gold yet again.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Design 5
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Sony Theatre Bar 7 + S

Also consider the Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

Read our Sonos Arc Ultra review

Best Dolby Atmos soundbars: our reviewers' five recommendations

Here at What Hi-Fi?, we pride ourselves on advising on the best AV equipment to buy, and you can see our recommendations in our many buying guides.

However, we're always interested in the opinions of our readers and the public at large, and it seems on this product we're aligned.

The Hisense AX1525H, now on offer for £199 at Amazon, is our budget soundbar system Award winner, offering stellar audio quality for surprisingly little money.

And it seems the general public agrees – it's still one of our most popular reviews nearly a year after publication and it's consistently retained the top spot in Amazon's competitive soundbar charts.

The Hisense AX5125H will be a marked improvement on your TV's sound. But as an incredible-value Dolby Atmos package, it's capable of so much more.

It's a complete 5.1.2-channel system in a box, with wireless surround speakers and a wireless subwoofer all for less than the price of most solo soundbars. Together they'll create a bigger, more immersive sound than even Dolby Atmos-enabled TVs.

We tested the AX5125H with a viewing of Civil War, and found a cohesive and enveloping presentation with a surprising ability to project effects around the room.

"As the gentle guitar track recedes and is replaced by the sounds of war, we’re surrounded by gunfire and incidental effects," our Hisense AX5125H review reads. "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 subwoofer is also impressive for the price, going loud and deep while still offering enough tonal expression to sound musical.

Music playback is respectable too, delivering some subtlety despite occasional overenthusiastic bass notes.

At £199, you won't find a similarly priced package that sounds better, and going by the Amazon charts, it seems that the secret is out. If you want Award-winning Dolby Atmos sound at a bargain price, consider the Hisense AX5125H with £50 off at Amazon.

If you do have the budget to splash out a bit more, we also recommend these soundbar systems for more refinement:

MORE:

Here are all of the best budget soundbars you can buy right now

Also in the market for a new telly? Here are all of the best TVs

Check out our Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 review and Samsung HW-Q990F review

If you take your home cinema seriously, then you’ll understand the need for a serious audio upgrade over your TV’s built-in speakers. If you don’t have the space (or the budget) for a fully-fledged speaker package, a great soundbar is the next best thing and the Sennheiser Ambeo Max is one of the best you can get.

While it might have been released way back in 2019, Sennheiser’s big and burly ‘bar continues to leave a lasting impression on us, and it’s now on the receiving end of a monster AU$2,650 discount via the company’s own eBay store when using the code SEP15OFF.

Or, while you might not get the additional AU$150 saving, if you prefer to shop on Amazon you can grab the Ambeo Soundbar Max for AU$1,499.

Finally, you could head to Sennheiser directly and score the Ambeo Soundbar Max and the Ambeo Subwoofer for AU$1,898 — a total saving of AU$3,221.90.

Key to the Ambeo Max’s success is its use of larger speaker drivers than what you’ll traditionally find in other soundbars – six 10cm woofers, five 25mm tweeters and two 9cm full-range drivers firing upwards, to be precise. While their use does mean the Ambeo Max is max by nature (it weighs 18.5kg), the extra heft allows it to produce a sound with incredible scale.

Even at full price, we said in our review it was “well worth the money and effort”, adding “In using bigger, higher-quality drivers, the Ambeo Soundbar can produce audio with natural tonality, cohesion and solidity, and the 3D audio processing is some of the best we've heard in a product of this type.”

Indeed, you might think the lack of rear speakers means it won’t be all that effective at creating a surround sound effect, but our testing found the opposite to be true. Dialogue is delivered with great clarity too, and the companion app gives access to a number of adjustable EQ presets to fine tune the sound even further. A microphone is also included for calibration to ensure the soundbar performs to its best in your individual room.

It’s certainly a sizable investment, but when you factor in how much you’re saving, it does make the Sennheiser Ambeo Max incredibly good value.

MORE:

Read our full Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max review

And check out the best soundbars with options for every need

Poor-quality TV audio can very quickly ruin a movie night.

Was the main character meant to sound that muffled in the climax? Or did they just explain something crucial to the plot?

That's just one of the reasons we at What Hi-Fi? usually recommend investing in a good soundbar or sound system. It doesn't have to be a super flashy or premium model either, which is why the Hisense HS215 has caught my eye for £59 at AO.com.

It's an inexpensive but effective way to improve your TV speakers, especially for clearer dialogue and a wider tonal range. And frankly, out of all the soundbars we've tested, there's nothing else we recommend at this price.

With darker nights on the horizon and cosy evenings on the sofa becoming more common, your TV speakers are going to get quite the workout over the next few months.

Which is why a quick soundbar upgrade might just save your autumn, especially if you have a nice TV that gives movies the picture they deserve.

The Hisense HS214 can do just that, adding a broader soundstage and a welcome touch of bass thanks to a 3-inch down-firing woofer on the underside.

Dialogue clarity is one of the key benefits of the HS214, sounding even better than the five-star OLED TV we were testing with.

"The HS214 anchors the vocal, meaning you can sit back and enjoy the unfolding drama without focusing on the subtitles," our Hisense HS214 review reads. "The enhanced depth that the bass unit brings to the table isn’t superfluous either; there’s a solid sound to the lows and kick that gives the sound a touch more musicality than you would otherwise experience."

The HS214 is also a surprisingly competent music player, an area where even expensive soundbars struggle. Despite its size, the soundbar produces a pleasant, uncluttered midrange and a decent stereo image, delivering Follow Me Around by Radiohead without the tinniness we often experience with small speakers.

It’s simple to set up, too: an HDMI ARC port means you can just plug your TV in via HDMI and be done with it, but there are also optical and coaxial sockets, a 3.5mm mini-jack auxiliary input, Bluetooth 4.2 and a USB port.

At only 9.2 x 5.8 x 65 cm, it's also compact enough to fit in small spaces, and a decent build quality means it will sit happily beneath both a new high-spec TV, or an older model. It can also be wall-mounted thanks to rigging points on the rear and fixings included in the box.

If you're looking for a decent upgrade to your TV speakers at the lowest possible price, the Hisense HS214 is for you.

MORE:

Read our Hisense HS214 2.1 review

Check out the best budget soundbars: cheap ’bars, tested by our experts

And the best TVs under £1000: affordable OLED, Mini LED and LCD models hand-picked by our experts

Sonos has a new soundbar. The Beam Ultra follows the Award-winning Beam (Gen 2), and adds up-firing drivers, a redesigned centre channel and multiple levels of AI speech enhancement.

But with the Beam (Gen 2) remaining on sale, would you be better off opting for the tried-and-tested older model? Or spending more on the Ultra?

We're here to help you decide. We’ve put both soundbars through their paces in our world-class testing room, so you can see exactly how they compare and which would be right for you.

• Read our Sonos Beam Ultra review

Sonos Beam Ultra vs Beam (Gen 2): tech specs comparison

Sonos Beam Ultra vs Beam (Gen 2): price

Price is likely to be chief among buyers' considerations when eyeing up a new soundbar, so let's kick off with that.

The Sonos Beam Ultra launches at £699 / $699 / AU$1099 when it goes on sale at the end of September. That's £250 / $250 / AU$450 more than the Beam (Gen 2)'s launch price of £449 / $449 / AU$649.

However, the Beam (Gen 2) has been discounted plenty of times in the five years since it launched, and is likely to be again. In days gone by, it has fallen as low as £299, so if you're willing to wait, you could snap up a bargain.

** Winner: Sonos Beam (Gen 2) **

Sonos Beam Ultra vs Beam (Gen 2): design

There's not much to choose between the two 'bars in terms of looks. They both opt for a rectangle-with-curved-corners design, and a perforated grille on the front. The big difference? The Ultra has a perforated grille on the top as well, for the up-firing drivers.

The Beam (Gen 2) has no up-firing drivers, hence no top grille.

The Ultra also has a button on the lip which you press to activate Bluetooth. The Beam (Gen 2) lacks Bluetooth, and so doesn’t have this button.

Both models come in the same black and white finishes as most Sonos devices, which should fit most decors (as well as slot neatly into a Sonos set-up, as long as you're consistent with your choice of colour).

The Ultra is slightly shorter than the Gen 2, which means it's less likely to obscure the bottom part of the TV screen when placed on a cabinet. But at 75cm wide, it is almost 10cm wider than the Gen 2's 65.1cm. It's also very slightly deeper (10.5cm compared to 10cm). Both 'bars weigh the same 2.88kg.

** Winner: Sonos Beam Ultra **

Sonos Beam Ultra vs Beam (Gen 2): features

The big addition over the Beam (Gen 2) is the up-firing drivers, which should provide a more immersive Dolby Atmos experience. The Gen 2 relies on clever processing (AKA "virtualised Dolby Atmos") to provide height effects, and with superb results, as its string of What Hi-Fi? Awards attests.

The extra up-firing drivers give the Ultra a 7.1.2-channel configuration, compared to the Gen 2's 5.1.2.

However, despite the extra drivers, the Ultra still lacks DTS:X support (which is also missing from the Gen 2). This likely won't be a deal-breaker for most people, but it's a shame nonetheless.

Though like many of Sonos' more recent speakers, the Ultra does have Bluetooth, so you can play music on it direct from your phone or tablet. The Beam (Gen 2) lacks this feature.

The Ultra has a USB-C port too, which its predecessor lacks. Plug in the Line-In Adapter (which you have to buy separately) and you can hook up a range of audio sources like a CD player or turntable.

Also new are a redesigned centre channel and four levels of AI Speech Enhancement to help it deliver clearer dialogue (the Gen 2 only had one level).

The Ultra has a newer version of wi-fi (Wi-Fi 6 compared to the Gen 2's Wi-Fi 4), which makes sense, given that its predecessor came out in 2021.

Other than that, their feature sets are the same, with Trueplay, Night Sound and TV Audio Swap with the Sonos Ace (and newer Ace Ultra) headphones.

There is one other thing. On Sonos' comparison table, it says that the Beam Ultra is suitable for rooms up to 23–32.5 m² in size, while the Gen 2 is listed as "up to 250 sq ft" (around 23 m²). So thanks to the addition of the height channels, the Ultra is better suited to filling a slightly larger room with sound than the Gen 2.

** Winner: Sonos Beam Ultra **

Sonos Beam Ultra vs Beam (Gen 2): sound

So what do those up-firing drivers add to the Beam Ultra’s performance? A lot, is the short answer. Sounds are placed with greater precision, with some seeming to land above the listening position – impressive, especially for such a compact 'bar.

The extra drivers also add a tangible sense of height and width. "In No Time To Die, as an onslaught of helicopters moves in from above in pursuit of Bond, the overhead effects go much higher than our TV screen," we wrote in our Sonos Beam Ultra review. "Then, when an army of cars zoom across an open field, the sound extends to the corners of our test room and makes for an even more enveloping experience than the Beam Gen 2 can provide."

Bass, while not class-leading, is still impressive, with the rotation of helicopter blades lent a satisfyingly low-end thrum. Dialogue remains clear and distinct, even with multiple voices talking at once. But it's not as direct-sounding as the Beam (Gen 2), as it doesn't project sound as much into the room. That's the tradeoff of the more precise placement, and it's one we're happy to make.

It's also a very satisfying musical listen. "Listening to Divinize by Rosalia via Qobuz, her expressive vocals and the detail in the instrumentals make for an immediately engaging experience," we noted in our review. "The bass is refined and provides a strong foundation for the track. With the fluttering low-frequency notes delivered with a powerful kick at the beginning of each beat to drive the song forward."

Overall, the Ultra delivers a bigger, weightier, more expansive and more detailed performance than the Beam (Gen 2). Though seeing that it is quite a bit pricier, that's hardly surprising.

For a lot less cash, the Beam (Gen 2) still excels in the sound department, which is part of the reason why keeping it on sale is a wise decision.

"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 doesn’t always happen when a Dolby Atmos soundbar has upward drivers to contend with," we wrote in our Sonos Beam (Gen 2) review.

The soundstage is expansive, and offers "tangible motion, depth and space, which heightens the drama and sense of immersion", we added. It comprehensively outperforms every soundbar in its class, even five years after its launch. That doesn't happen too often.

** Winner: Sonos Beam Ultra **

Sonos Beam Ultra vs Beam (Gen 2): verdict

With more features – including Bluetooth and those all-important up-firing drivers – the Ultra is a real step up from the Beam (Gen 2). It sounds far weightier, more detailed and more precise, though it doesn't project as well into the room as the Gen 2. Still, it's an excellent performance that more than justifies the extra outlay.

But the Beam (Gen 2) remains on sale, which is very welcome indeed. If your room is smaller and/or your budget tighter, it's still a fine choice for anyone looking to upgrade their TV's sonic abilities.

** Winner: Sonos Beam Ultra **

MORE:

Read our Sonos Beam Ultra review

Our Sonos Beam (Gen 2) review

Another comparison: Sonos Beam Ultra vs Arc Ultra

The best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy

Looking for a soundbar to liven up your living room? Not just any soundbar, but a Dolby Atmos-enabled one that adds spaciousness and excitement?

Then we've got you covered. Our expert testers found the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 to be a particularly fun sound experience that delivers a much more immersive soundstage than most TV speakers.

It's seeing a healthy discount now too – the code ENCHANT20 brings the price down to £263 at Peter Tyson, saving you a whopping £167.

A 5.1.4-channel soundbar driven by a total power output of 195W, the Harman Kardon 900 includes two up-firing drivers for true Dolby Atmos support.

MultiBeam technology is on hand to create a more spacious soundstage, and the Harman Kardon One app allows you to adjust the EQ settings and calibrate the soundbar. We highly recommend you do this – our testers found a notable difference in the bar's soundstage after calibration.

Streaming services such as Tidal and Amazon Music can also be played through the app, with Spotify Connect and Bluetooth 5.3 also supported.

Those who already have Harman Kardon products will want to listen up – the soundbar can wirelessly connect to the Enchant Sub and Enchant Speaker, with two Enchant speakers able to function as rear surrounds.

The Enchant 900 alone is more than up to the job, however, as upon booting it up, we are "greeted by an energetic, exciting sound", as our Harman Kardon Enchant 900 review states.

It's an immersive, room-filling sound that's much more spacious than our TV speakers, with remarkably clear vocals and a reasonably clean presentation.

It's not the most subtle soundbar, however, with the treble especially sounding rather coarse when pushed.

But if it's a big sound you're looking for, the Enchant 900 provides that in spades, with plenty of spaciousness and excitement to boot. It's also far easier to recommend in the crowded entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar market now that it's £167 off at Peter Tyson.

MORE:

Read our review of the Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

Also consider the JBL Bar 300MK2

Read our Hisense AX5125H review

This week, one of the biggest pieces of news to break is that, after years of our team wishing upon an AV star, Sonos has released a new Beam Dolby Atmos soundbar.

Specifically, the firm lifted the lid on its spiffy new Sonos Beam Ultra at the IFA trade show in Berlin.

Unveiled alongside the new Sonos Ace Ultra wireless headphones, I want to kick off this opinion piece by making clear: I think the Ultra looks impressive and is, in nearly every way, the successor we’ve been waiting for.

In fact, as our reviewer on the ground at IFA, Robyn Quick, rattled off the details about the bar to the team back home, all of us (outside of senior staff writer, Harry McKerrell, who’s always miserable) had a smile growing on our faces.

Upgraded drivers, including the addition of proper up-firing height channels? Yep, it’s got them.

The ability to add Sonos Era 100 or Era 300 satellite wireless speakers as surrounds? Yes, the awesome feature has finally trickled down from the Arc Ultra into the more affordable Beam range.

And as a cherry on top, Robyn then penned a feature detailing how it sounds. The top line is, while it’s too early to give our final verdict, the Ultra left a very strong opening impression – so much so that a game of rock, paper, scissors ensued among the team to decide who would be the primary reviewer (it ended in a stalemate).

All in all, it was huzzahs abound at What Hi-Fi? towers.

But then, one more fact came rumbling in that replaced our smiles with a quizzical expression. Specifically, the Ultra is not a replacement or successor to the Sonos Beam (Gen 2); it’s actually a new step-up model in Sonos’ range.

Yes, we don’t know how the Beam Ultra will perform in our test rooms, but truthfully, given the Beam 2’s age, this was a curveball for us.

Why would the company do that when the Beam 2 is so old? Surely, it’s time to let the old girl retire? These were some of the mutterings that came out of our mouths as we processed the information.

But as I pondered the question, a final bit of information trickled through from the launch event that, at least for me, explained the move.

The Beam Ultra is a lot more expensive, set to retail for £699 (around $946 / AU$1320). The Beam (Gen 2) – outside of big sales events where it’s dropped as low as £349 – usually retails for £429 / $429 in most stores right now.

Cash-rich people may laugh at the idea of going for a soundbar that launched in 2021, when a newer model is out. But truthfully, £160 / $160 is a lot of money for most of us right now.

As a person who has listened to the Beam (Gen 2) alongside newer rivals, I can confirm it is still a very competent unit. That’s why it remains the recommended small option in our best Dolby Atmos soundbars guide.

I cited the cost of living crisis as a key reason I don’t think we’re in a golden age of home cinema during our public debate on the topic earlier this year, and I stand by that sentiment.

So given that it still sounds good, keeping it around and giving normal people an entry point to Sonos’ ecosystem that won’t completely break the bank not only makes sense, but for me is 100 per cent the right thing to do.

It’s also why, even if the Beam Ultra delivers the sonic goods in our review rooms later this year, I can easily envision the Beam (Gen 2) retaining its recommendation. There are very few good, sub-£500 soundbars around and even fewer with the Beam’s compact form factor. So it’s definitely not beyond the realm of possibility…

MORE:

These are the best soundbars we’ve tested

We rank the best surround sound systems

Our picks of the best TVs

When testing entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbars, there’s one Award-winning model that all new entrants must compete with: the Sonos Beam Gen 2.

Since it burst onto the scene in 2021, the five-star soundbar has blown away the competition with its refined delivery of both movie soundtracks and stereo music.

We have been waiting patiently for a new model for ages now, and the time has finally come.

The Sonos Beam Ultra isn’t a replacement for the Beam Gen 2, but an upgraded model that will sit above it, and the big news is that, unlike its sibling, the Ultra sports dedicated up-firing speakers to aid in its delivery of Dolby Atmos sound.

In fact, the Beam Ultra has nine drivers in total – four more than the Beam Gen 2. These are arranged in what Sonos says is a 7.1.2-channel configuration.

The Ultra is launching on 29th September for £699 / $699 / AU$1099. That price puts it between the Beam Gen 2 (£449 / $449 / AU$649) and the also Award-winning Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799).

As with both of those sibling soundbars, the Beam Ultra can be upgraded through the addition of surrounds and/or a subwoofer, and you can easily jump from out-loud to personal listening if you also have a pair of Sonos’s Ace or new Ace Ultra headphones.

This is all great stuff on paper, but how does the Beam Ultra actually sound? We got a chance to hear it during a demo session in Berlin, and it certainly sounds promising.

Of course, we will save our final verdict until we get the bar into our acoustically treated test room for extensive, comparative testing, but these are our first impressions.

The demo kicked off with a Dolby Atmos mix of Harry Styles’ Ready, Steady, Go!. Harry’s vocals were clear, direct and expressive, immediately drawing us into the track.

The instrumentals were well placed around the soundfield, too, with the guitar plucking featured in the mid-section delivered with a strong sense of precision.

Next, we got a taste of how the soundbar performs with movies. Watching the scene in Sinners when Sammie summons spirits from the past, present and future, the up-firing drivers worked their magic and the sound could be felt well above the TV screen.

When the track I Lied To You reached its crescendo, it created a room-filling experience that was very impressive considering the size of the bar.

From our first listen, the bass was not the deepest, but the soundbar delivered refined and detailed lower frequencies that gave the demo scenes a strong foundation.

In terms of design, the bar is impressively lightweight and has a compact footprint. There are perforated grilles at the top of the soundbar for the up-firing drivers, and these look quite stylish. On the lip of the Beam Ultra you will find volume and Bluetooth controls, as well as play and pause 'buttons'.

As mentioned, we will of course wait until we have fully reviewed the new bar in our dedicated test room before we deliver our final verdict, but during this initial listening session, the Beam Ultra made all the right noises.

The big question is whether it's the perfect halfway house between the Beam Gen 2 and Arc Ultra or a soundbar stranded in no man's land between two awesome Award-winners. We should be in a position to answer that question very soon.

MORE:

Here are the 5 Beam Ultra things I’m most excited about – and my 3 disappointments

Here's our review of the Sonos Beam Gen 2

Could Sonos one day support DTS:X? “The door isn’t closed”

Quiz! I made a TV tech crossword to test your knowledge - can you get 100%?

Hisense has given us a preview of its first 2027 soundbar at IFA 2026, and it has its sights set squarely on Samsung's Award-winning formula.

The UX1 bundles a soundbar, wireless subwoofer, and two wireless satellite speakers for a true surround sound experience, and Hisense claims it can output a staggering 1840W across the whole system.

The ethos behind this premium package is that Hisense wants to up its audio game to bring it in line with its premium TV offerings.

The company now sells made-to-order Micro LED sets and 116-inch RGB Mini LED TVs, so naturally it wants a premium audio offering that reflects its flagship products.

Hence the UX1's title – Hisense already offers the UX range of premium TVs, so this has been conceived as a dedicated audio companion for that range.

Generally speaking, Hisense is really paying attention to audio this year and, from what we've seen, next year, too – the Chinese tech giant's stand in Berlin had a whole section dedicated to soundbars, party boomboxes, and portable wireless speakers, so it looks as though the brand is taking sound seriously.

And the UX1 is clearly the most serious product of this new range, and I've walked away from the Hisense booth with three key thoughts on why it could be a genuine competitor for Samsung's dominant HW-Q990H system.

1. It's packed full of drivers

Hisense proudly touted the driver tech within this system during my stand tour, and I can see why.

This is an 11.2.6-channel system, and Hisense has packed 26 individual drive units into the soundbar, subwoofer, and surround speakers. 14 of those drivers appear to be in the main soundbar unit alone, with the rest embedded within the other components.

That includes side-firing and up-firing speakers within the soundbar and the surround speakers, which means that the UX1 should (in theory) have no issue presenting Dolby Atmos height effects.

We're anticipating the "bubble of sound" effect we look for in all premium soundbar systems here, so we're hoping the UX1 delivers.

2. It's taken some big bass inspiration

The subwoofer bundled with the UX1 uses an almost identical setup to the Samsung system. It sports dual opposing 8-inch woofers, which Hisense says will help to reduce unwanted bass distortion.

While I didn't get a chance to listen to the soundbar outside of some looping branded demo content, I have relatively high hopes for the bass performance, based on the specs.

That said, Hisense has taken a different approach to the design of its sub. Unlike the petite and polite Samsung subwoofer, this Hisense has quite the presence.

I think it wears its heft well, though: it combines sharp lines with smooth edges, and if the design facilitates better bass performance, then it makes sense to me.

3. It could be a high end version of a system we already love

Hisense struck gold with the AX5125H budget Dolby Atmos soundbar system, so think what it can do with a proper flagship version of that concept.

While that isn't always the case – sometimes budget products aren't indicative of their premium counterparts and vice versa, even when they come from the same company – I think it's fair to say that expectations are high based on our experience with the Award-winning budget package.

If Hisense can scale up the AX5125H into a flagship sound system, then Samsung could have a problem on its hands.

Pricing is, of course, crucial to figuring that part out, and with this being a 2027 product, we don't have that information right now.

That said, if I were Samsung right now, I'd be nervous. The HW-Q990H is a stellar soundbar system, but with fresh competition coming in 2027, the next version of that package might need to be more than an iterative update.

MORE:

Read our full Samsung HW-Q990H review

As well as our Hisense AX5125H review

And check out our picks for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Quiz! I made a TV tech crossword to test your knowledge - can you get 100%?

As someone who uses both a Sonos Beam and Beam Gen 2 at home, I’m probably more excited than most about the announcement of the new Beam Ultra.

And, I have to say, I think it broadly looks excellent, delivering pretty much everything that Beam owners like me have been asking for.

But ‘pretty much everything’ and ‘everything’ aren’t the same thing, and we always want more.

So, here are the five features of the Beam Ultra about which I’m most excited, and the three elements that I find slightly disappointing.

Good: up-firing drivers

This is the big one: the thing Sonos Beam owners have been clamouring for since the launch of the original model back in 2018 – dedicated up-firing drivers.

In fairness, the Beam Gen 2 does an excellent job of creating a Dolby Atmos effect with its front-firing drivers and clever virtualisation tech, but the Beam Ultra should be significantly better in this regard. I find that very exciting indeed.

Good: more drivers in general

The Beam Ultra actually features nine drivers, which is four more than the existing Beam Gen 2.

As well as the two up-firers, the new soundbar features a forward-firing driver, two side-firing drivers, and four woofers, arranged into what Sonos says is a 7.1.2-channel configuration.

This should bring improvements to spaciousness and directness as well as Dolby Atmos delivery – assuming Sonos has nailed the tuning, that is.

Good: compact dimensions

It might feature four more drivers than the Beam Gen 2, but the Beam Ultra is still impressively compact, measuring 6.5 x 75 x 10.5cm.

In other words, it’s only 10cm wider than the diminutive Beam Gen 2, which means it will still fit neatly below or in front of most TVs – even smaller models – and it won't visually dominate a typical living room.

Good: upgradability

As with Sonos’s previous soundbars, the Beam Ultra can be upgraded through the addition of a subwoofer and/or wireless surrounds, and the new model’s launch is coinciding neatly with a new feature called ‘Portable Surround’.

This, as the name suggests, will allow you to use two portable speakers – the Play and Move 2 are compatible – as surrounds with one of Sonos’s soundbars.

Why does that matter? If you use a pair of non-portable speakers (Era 300s or Era 100s, for example) as surrounds, that's likely all they’ll ever be. Use portable speakers, though, and they can be picked up and used as music speakers anywhere in or out of the house. That’s much better value for money.

Good: new app

The launch of the Beam Ultra is also coinciding neatly with the launch of the new Sonos app, called Sonos 27.

Sonos is promising fancy features such as integration with any and all AI chatbots, so you can control your system via ChatGPT if you like, but, frankly, I’m just excited for the promised usability overhaul.

I still find the current Sonos app a real pig to operate, so I can’t wait to see how Sonos has (hopefully) improved things.

Disappointing: no HDMI passthrough

Look, I wasn’t expecting Sonos to add HDMI passthrough – I don’t think this is a feature that Sonos will ever support – but that doesn’t mean I’m not disappointed that it’s not been added.

I own a TV with just two HDMI 2.1 inputs, and one of those doubles as the eARC port. Once that’s taken up by a soundbar, I have just the one left. Seeing as I have both a PS5 and an Xbox Series X, that’s a bit of a pain in the bum, and it wouldn’t be if the soundbar just had a dedicated HDMI input and 4K/120Hz passthrough.

For Sonos, though, simplicity is key, so I think the single HDMI socket is here to stay.

Disappointing: no DTS:X

Again, this isn’t something I was expecting, and I don’t actually think a lack of DTS:X in the context of a mid-range soundbar is actually that big a deal, but it would still be better to have than not, especially as there are rivals that offer both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

That said, Sonos hasn't completely ruled out adding DTS:X support in the future.

Disappointing: a fairly high price

Whether the Beam Ultra is good value will ultimately depend on how it sounds, but at £699 / $699 / AU$1099, it certainly looks expensive on paper.

There are rivals from the likes of JBL and Harman Kardon that offer up-firing drivers and similar driver configurations for around the same money as the Beam Gen 2. If the Beam Ultra had simply replaced the Beam Gen 2 at its £449 / $449 / AU$649 price, it would be exceptionally tempting.

At £699 / $699 / AU$1099, though, Sonos is asking us to pay a significant premium, and the new soundbar is going to have to deliver some seriously impressive performance to justify it.

In fairness, this is nothing new for Sonos, which typically prioritises performance over specs – let's see if it's got the formula right again when we get the Beam Ultra in for review.

MORE:

“We know the home, we know audio, we know music” – we speak to Sonos about its operating system rebrand, its "customer-led" focus and app updates

Sonos Ace Ultra feature all-new drivers, updated ANC, and a "direct connection" to the current Sonos ecosystem

Here are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy right now

"Good things come to those who wait", and I've been waiting a long time for a new Sonos Beam. Three long years, to be precise.

Thankfully, it looks like my patience has paid off, as Sonos has finally announced a new version of its compact Beam Dolby Atmos soundbar, and upon first impression, it's exactly what I've been waiting for.

The Sonos Beam Ultra takes the concept of the Award-winning Beam Gen 2 and elevates it; and I mean that in a literal sense.

While the Beam Gen 2 sported a five-speaker array with four elliptical mid-range drivers and a single tweeter, the Beam Ultra takes things up a notch with nine drivers in a 7.1.2 arrangement. That includes two upward-firing drivers for the first time on a Sonos Beam.

This upgrade was top of my wish list for a new Sonos Beam. While the Gen 2's advanced psychoacoustic processing delivers a surprisingly convincing Dolby Atmos experience, it's hard to beat dedicated height channels when it comes to delivering a proper "dome of sound" effect.

The addition of up-firing drivers brings the Beam Ultra closer to the Arc Ultra in many ways. Taking Sonos' usually excellent sound tuning into account, I'm really hoping that the Beam Ultra will deliver the height I felt was missing on the Beam Gen 2 after years of waiting.

However, there's one missing upgrade that has tempered my excitement ever so slightly. Specifically, the firm's SoundMotion woofer technology.

As we mentioned in our Sonos Arc Ultra review, this smaller, redesigned bass driver features "four smaller, lightweight motors in opposing corners" which are "able to push the cone to shift far more air and produce far more bass".

As a result, the Arc Ultra delivers "deep, tuneful and expressive bass", and it's a noticeable difference compared to the original Arc soundbar.

A smaller, more efficient bass driver seems like a perfect fit for the Beam, especially given the footprint of the soundbar. The Beam is also starting to see challengers in the market when it comes to bass performance, so a low-end upgrade would have been appreciated.

Despite this, Sonos appears not to have outfitted the Beam Ultra with its SoundMotion bass tech, which feels like a missed opportunity to me.

That's not to say the Beam Ultra won't deliver better bass. We'll only know if it is better in that metric when we run the two head-to-head in our review rooms. I just think the Arc Ultra tech would have been a great fit for the new Beam, considering our positive experience with it.

Nevertheless, the Beam Ultra is shaping up to be the compact Atmos-equipped soundbar that I've been waiting for, and I can't wait to hear it in action.

MORE:

Read our full Sonos Beam Gen 2 review

Here are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

As well as the best cheap soundbars

Sonos has just taken the wraps off the Beam Ultra, a new Dolby Atmos soundbar that sits between the entry-level Beam Gen 2 and premium Arc Ultra.

One of the coolest things about the Beam Ultra is that, unlike the Beam Gen 2, it has dedicated up-firing speakers for a more involving Dolby Atmos delivery.

Dolby Atmos isn't the only 3D audio format in town, though. DTS:X is a serious alternative, and one that's particularly popular with home cinema enthusiasts, yet Sonos has resolutely refused to support it on any of its speakers.

Given the chance to speak with Brandon Holley, Sonos’s Senior Director of Product, ahead of the Beam Ultra’s launch, we asked about that.

“Beam Ultra doesn’t support DTS:X at this time”, he said.

But could it (and other Sonos speakers) do so one day?

“It’s definitely a question that we ask ourselves, and it’s one of the many features, codecs and partnerships that we’re constantly entertaining. The door isn’t closed to any of those particular things”.

I realise that all seems a bit "nothing to see here", but I actually took some encouragement from the way Holley said it, and I genuinely believe this is a discussion that Sonos is having regularly.

It’s always seemed slightly odd to me that Sonos – a brand that has had format and service agnosticism at its core from its inception – would support Dolby Atmos and not DTS:X.

Sure, DTS:X is comparatively niche, but so are a large number of the streaming services that the Sonos ecosystem supports.

I wouldn't be surprised if DTS:X eventually found its way onto Sonos speakers. The more pressing question, though, is whether the Sonos Beam Ultra is any good in its own right.

We intend to answer that question by putting it through our comparative review process just as soon as possible.

MORE:

Sonos' new Beam soundbar is finally here with a big Dolby Atmos upgrade – but there’s still something missing

Sonos Ace Ultra feature all-new drivers, updated ANC, and a "direct connection" to the current Sonos ecosystem

Here are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy right now

Sonos has finally launched a new version of its Award-winning Sonos Beam (Gen 2) soundbar.

The new Beam Ultra was unveiled at a pre-launch press event today and sits in the same family as the more premium Arc Ultra, which came out in 2024.

The “mid-size soundbar” boasts a 7.1.2-channel configuration. This includes two up-firing drivers.

The up-firing drivers are a key upgrade over the older Beam Gen 2, which didn't feature them.

Despite the upgrade, there is still no DTS:X support. The omission isn't a huge surprise, as none of the company’s soundbars features it, but it is a bit of a shame for those wanting comprehensive surround sound options.

When asked whether Sonos would add DTS:X in the future, Senior Director of Product Development at Sonos, Brandon Holley told us: "The door isn't closed for us, but just in terms of delivering the value that we think our customers are specifically asking for, that's what Beam Ultra has today."

The Beam Ultra also features a redesigned centre channel and four levels of AI Speech Enhancement to help it deliver clearer dialogue.

There’s also a Night Sound setting if you don’t want to disturb the neighbours, which should compress the bar's dynamic range. Once again, the firm's Trueplay calibration is on hand to fine-tune the sound to your space.

You can also link the Beam Ultra with other Sonos products to create a multi-room listening experience, including the newly announced Sonos Ace Ultra over-ear headphones.

Holley added that the firm has worked to ensure the Beam Ultra delivers better audio with music, telling us: "We treat music as important as we do home theatre performance, and so we want it to sound great musically as a soundbar as well."

That's something we found to be true with Sonos' previous models, so we are hopeful it will be the same with the new addition.

The Beam Ultra will be available in two finishes (black and white) and you can mount the bar to your wall or simply place it in front of your TV. We don't have its full dimensions yet, but Holley told us that the Beam Ultra has been intentionally designed not to block the TV screen, even if it is sitting on the surface.

So, how much will the new soundbar set you back? In the UK, the Beam Ultra will launch at £699 (around $946 / AU$1320). That means it sits between the Sonos Arc Ultra and the Sonos Beam Gen 2, which launched at £999 / $999 / AU$1799 and £449 / $449 / AU$649, respectively. The base Beam Gen 2 will remain on sale, sitting below the Ultra in Sonos' range.

We haven't managed to get the Beam Ultra into our test room yet, but we should have a chance to get up close with it very soon at the IFA trade show in Berlin. Watch this space.

MORE:

Check out our review of the Sonos Beam Gen 2

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

And here are the best soundbars we recommend

Bose has released the most premium addition to its home cinema roster – the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar – and it is aiming to take on all-comers at this elevated price. The US brand claims that it can offer “a listening experience that shatters any perceived limits of a soundbar-only set-up”.

Those are some big expectations to meet, but can it outperform the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra? Let’s just say that our current front-runner has been left untroubled by its latest competitor.

Price

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is priced at £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 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.

There is the option to upgrade the Bose soundbar to a 7.1.4-channel system by adding a pair of wireless speakers (£300 / $299 / AU$545 each) and one subwoofer (£900 / $899 / AU$1295). We reviewed the former (the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker) in July this year as a standalone wireless speaker, where it received a three-star rating.

Here, though, we are looking at the bar on its own.

Design

The Bose bar has a premium-feeling design befitting its price thanks to a stylish glass top and textured-knit fabric (available in either a black or white smoke finish).

Built into the glass top is a dial to adjust volume, which allows you to control music playback and volume via a combination of tapping and sliding your finger around the inner edge clockwise (volume up) or anti-clockwise (volume down).

That all makes it stand out from the crowd, as we have seen our fair share of non-descript black plastic rectangles pass through the test room.

As you would hope from a premium soundbar, there are a variety of drive units packed into the body. The nine drive units include one full-range 6cm up-firing driver at either end of the bar, which fires 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 full-range ‘racetrack’ drivers that measure around 75mm wide, and two of Bose’s 20cm PhaseGuide drivers, which use special processing to fill in any gaps in the soundfield. There’s also a 25mm centre tweeter for dialogue.

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). The brand claims this can deliver low frequencies in a deep, controlled way with minimal distortion.

The bar looks at home next to our 55-inch screen, although it would fit equally as well with a 65- or 75-inch model.

Features

There’s no remote control in the box, so you will find yourself relying on the Bose app a fair bit. It offers an intuitive and simple overall experience, letting us set up the bar without much of a fuss.

From here, you can adjust the volume, input, and you can calibrate the soundbar to your space. This is done via the built-in microphones in the bar, and takes just a few minutes. During the process, the soundbar outputs a few test tones to adjust to the space. The soundbar’s presentation improves in scale and clarity once we go through the calibration process, so this is something well worth doing.

In terms of physical connectivity, you are limited to an Ethernet and a single, eARC-compatible HDMI socket. It’s a shame Bose hasn’t seen fit to include any additional HDMI inputs, as it limits the flexibility of your set-up, but this criticism can (and is) also aimed at the Sonos Arc Ultra.

Wi-fi is onboard, and streaming comes via Google Cast, Apple AirPlay 2 or Spotify Connect. The soundbar also supports Bluetooth 5.3. Tidal Connect and Qobuz Connect are not supported by the soundbar (or Lifestyle Ultra Speaker) yet, but we have been assured that these are in the pipeline.

There are no preset modes for movies or music, but you can manually adjust the centre, surround and height channels on the app.

Sound

Let’s start with the positives. The Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar offers a nicely balanced sound that makes for easy listening.

When watching F1: The Movie, the bassy revving of engines as cars zoom around the race track does not stand out from the rest of the frequencies and blends seamlessly. There is a decent amount of weight and power in the Ultra’s bass performance, and it gives the soundtrack a firm foundation.

Dialogue is clean and relatively clear, as we can hear every word during the tense racing scene at the start of the film, even through the crackling headsets of the pit crew.

There is a fairly good sense of detail as we continue with the scene, as the beeping of the vehicle tracker and the scuffle of the pit crew are clear without being distracting. It’s certainly an improvement on the vast majority of TV speakers, and longer listening periods do not make for a fatiguing experience.

However, the Bose soundbar is not without its flaws. The synth-heavy soundtrack and revving engines should grow into an exciting crescendo. But the Bose bar’s timid handling of dynamics results in a flat performance that doesn’t create a sense of anticipation.

Given that this is a Dolby Atmos soundbar, there is not a great sense of scale, either. Watching Blade Runner 2049 when Joi experiences rain for the first time, the width of the sound does not extend much further than the length of our 55-inch Samsung S90H TV screen. The limited sense of height doesn’t make for an immersive experience, either: the rain should be heard overhead, but instead the drops are locked to the screen.

In an attempt to fix this, we go into the app’s audio settings and turn the height and surround channels to their maximum levels. This helps to create a wider sense of space, but the increase in scale information isn’t as obvious as it should be.

Later, as the holographic adverts pop up on the street, the Bose fails to locate individual sounds with any great focus compared with a class-leading rival such as the Sonos Arc Ultra.

We switch to Tidal via Bluetooth to test the Bose’s musical chops. Compared with the Arc Ultra, there isn't a great deal of detail with Yosi Horikawa’s Bubbles. This track starts with a series of bouncing balls of all types, resulting in a cacophony of textures that make for a stern audio test. The Bose struggles here, lacking the insight and precision to differentiate the range of sounds.

Verdict

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar offers a premium-looking design that stands out from the crowd. Its audio performance may be undemanding to listen to, but at such a premium price, that is not enough to earn our recommendation. We also demand punch, dynamism and immersion, and in these regards the Bose is sadly lacking.

When a rival such as the Sonos Arc Ultra achieves so much more for the same price, it’s clear that the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is no more than an also-ran in this particular race.

SCORES

• Sound 3
• Design 4
• Features 3

MORE:

Read our review of the Sonos Arc Ultra

Also consider the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

Read our Samsung HW-Q990F

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

Sonos is set to have a rather busy September.

It already looks likely that the US brand will unveil its sequel to the Sonos Ace over-ears, the Ace Ultra, next month, but those premium cans could be joined by a brand new soundbar.

According to Bloomberg, Sonos is working on a new soundbar currently dubbed the 'S56' and codenamed 'Gambit'. A new filing with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) shows a product resembling the second-generation Beam from 2021, implying that a new iteration of Sonos' 'middle-child' soundbar could be arriving next month.

Sonos had already confirmed that a new product would be coming in September during a recent earnings call, with CEO Tom Conrad hinting that AI would play a large part in the company's plans going forward. Now, it seems, this new 'product' may in fact be a pair of releases designed to satisfy wearable audio fans and home cinema enthusiasts alike.

Given that the most recent Beam launched in 2021, it certainly feels like it's time for an upgrade. All we have to go on is Sonos' filing to the FCC, so details for the upcoming soundbar remain sketchy at best, but we'd expect the usual Sonos boxes to be ticked as and when a third-gen Beam sequel arrives.

Dolby Atmos support, seamless ecosystem integration, and some form of voice control via baked-in smart assistant are all taken as read, though we wonder how Conrad's hinted 'AI integration' might find its way into the third-generation Beam.

The big question on our minds is whether the new Beam (assuming that's what Gambit turns out to be) will feature up-firing drivers, or stick to delivering Atmos via clever virtualisation, as with the Gen 2 model. And might HDMI passthrough be added? We doubt it, as Sonos tends to favour simplicity over extra cabling, but we can hope.

If nothing else, we hope that prices stay stable. The Beam 2 launched at £449 / $449 / AU$699, so that's the sort of RRP we'd hope the new model would tend to sit at, but given that the Beam 2 was itself a good deal more than the original model, which cost £399 / $399 / AU$599 at launch, there's little guarantee of things staying as they are. Costs are only going one way in tech, and it isn't downwards.

For now, though, all eyes look to September to discover exactly what Sonos has in store. We'll keep you updated as soon as we discover any new information about its future plans.

MORE:

Sonos Beam Gen 3 preview: the things we want from the next budget Dolby Atmos soundbar

See our Sonos Arc Ultra and Sonos Ray reviews

Best soundbars: the best TV speakers you can buy

What is the point of a soundbar? To reduce the number of speakers, right?

Well, it looks as if no one told the Sony Bravia Trio. The system comes with a soundbar and two satellites, but they're not rear-channel speakers – but very much front-facing.

Essentially, the Trio has split its soundbar into three parts, resulting in a huge, immersive soundstage while still remaining cohesive.

It's one of the finest Dolby Atmos systems you can currently buy – and it's just had its first discount, dropping to £1799 at Smart Home Sounds with the code SONYTRIO10.

The Sony Bravia Theatre Trio consists of two stylish, cylindrical satellite speakers, as well as a rather narrow central soundbar.

We found the Bravia Trio is fairly unfussy with its placement, whether wall-mounted or not, though we would have liked a display.

There are also several notable features other than the three-piece design – Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology creates up to 24 'phantom' speakers around the room, which bolster the real ones to create a larger, more immersive soundstage.

Set-up and calibration are also top-notch, thanks to the excellent Bravia Connect app and built-in microphones, as well as a dedicated USB-C calibration microphone.

Connectivity is solid too, with an HDMI eARC connection for your TV, plus an HDMI input with support for 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM passthrough. Wireless support also includes Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay and Spotify Connect.

And the all-important sound quality? Sony has certainly succeeded in its aim of creating a larger and more spacious soundstage.

"Compared with even the best conventional soundbars, the Trio sounds huge," our Sony Bravia Trio review reads. "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."

The system sounds wider than a traditional soundbar but also taller, with an impressive Dolby Atmos performance that frequently extends overhead announcements and environmental effects above the listening position.

Yet all the while, the Bravia Trio is cohesive, never sounding like three physically separate speakers but instead a single, unified wall of sound.

If you're after a premium Dolby Atmos system and have the budget to stretch this far, the Sony Bravia Trio is one of the most compelling options on the market right now. Its innovative speaker setup takes the strengths of both the soundbar and system approach while avoiding most of their weaknesses, and it's available now for £1799 at Smart Home Sounds.

MORE:

Read our review of the KEF XIO

Also consider the Samsung HW-Q990H

Read our Sonos Arc Ultra review

If you're looking to upgrade your sound system, then there are currently more options than ever.

Soundbars, soundbar packages, 5.1 systems... the choice is yours.

But one of JBL's latest releases, the JBL Bar 1000 Mk2, offers the best of both worlds when it comes to soundbars. The Bar 1000MK2 features detachable surrounds, meaning they can connect to the main soundbar to save space or function as a fully-fledged multi-speaker package, with rear satellites.

And this is where things get really innovative – the surround speakers can also be taken to another room, where they can continue playing either in mono or stereo. Ideal for not missing any of the action!

To top it all off, the Bar 1000Mk2 is back to its lowest price. Get it from Amazon now for £719, a good £281 off the £1000 price we tested at.

While the wireless speaker party trick might be the biggest draw of the JBL Bar 1000MK2, we're happy to report that the all-important sound quality is also up to scratch.

The Dolby Atmos system delivers an exciting and reasonably detailed sound at all times, but our expert testers found it performs best when using the two wireless speakers as surrounds.

"Switching to Blade Runner 2049, we also get a sense of the JBL’s ability to create a wide soundfield," our JBL Bar 1000MK2 review reads. "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."

We also found the surround speakers to be lightweight enough to carry between rooms, and it was easy to switch between stereo and mono using the accompanying app.

The JBL Bar 1000 Mk2 is also a rare case of four HDMI ports. There's no 120Hz support for high-frame-rate gaming, but the HDMI passthrough can handle signals up to 4K/60Hz as well as Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

If you are an audiophile who is serious about sound, you might want to consider the Sonos Arc Ultra, which offers a more immersive overall experience. However, it currently retails for a pricier £899 and lacks the detachable surrounds.

If you want the benefit of surround speakers but want somewhere tidy to keep them – or perhaps you're often popping to the kitchen during your TV watching – then the JBL Bar 1000MK2 may well be the ideal solution for you. And it's now back to its Prime Day pricing of £719 at Amazon.

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

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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The best soundbars money can buy

Adventures in AV: 2026 is the year of weird and wacky soundbar systems

Does your soundbar really need a subwoofer? Find out here

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.

MORE:

The best soundbars you can buy

The best Dolby Atmos soundbars around

Strapped? The best budget soundbars

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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The best soundbars to pair them with

And the best surround sound systems worth your cash

When you watched the England v Mexico game (whether live or on catch-up), could you truly feel the stadium atmosphere of the mighty Azteca? Could you clearly hear every boo from the crowd, every goal hit the net, and the sweet celebratory sound of Wonderwall being played?

If you couldn’t, you might want to consider upgrading your sound system. And I have been eyeing up the Hisense HS214, which can now be yours for £60 at Amazon, as the ideal affordable replacement for my muffled TV speakers.

The HS214 is currently one of Amazon’s best-selling soundbars, and it’s not hard to see why. While soundbars this cheap usually set off alarm bells, our expert testers found the HS214 to be a straightforward and highly effective way of boosting your TV’s sound.

My living room set-up has been getting quite the workout recently from the World Cup – and it has exposed the sonic shortfalls of my TV’s built-in audio.

And that’s where the Hisense HS214 comes in. It doesn’t have the dynamic performance and features of more premium models, but it offers great value for money and a straightforward solution to muffled sound.

You can get a lot less for the money at this price – we were pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of a three-inch woofer, which adds a welcome touch of bass, improved dialogue clarity, and a broader soundstage.

“The enhanced depth that the bass unit brings to the table isn’t superfluous either; there’s a solid sound to the lows and kick that gives the sound a touch more musicality than you would otherwise experience,” our Hisense HS214 review reads. “Watching Leonardo DiCaprio grapple with a bear in The Revenant on Blu-ray, that extra bit of heft means each blow and snarl has more impact and danger attached.”

The HS214 is also excellent at anchoring vocals, so you can be sure the commentary isn’t getting jumbled up amongst all the other stadium sounds. It excels at music too – an area where even expensive soundbars struggle. Despite its size, the soundbar produces a pleasant, uncluttered midrange and a decent stereo image.

It’s simple to set up, too: an HDMI ARC port means you can just plug your TV in via HDMI and be done with it; but there are also optical and coaxial sockets, a 3.5mm mini-jack auxiliary input, Bluetooth 4.2 and a USB port.

With a quality build, the HS214 would fit aesthetically with both a new high-spec TV or an older model, though its compact 9.5 x 65 x 5.8cm (hwd) size might make it a better fit for smaller rooms and screens. There are also rigging points at the rear, with fixings included in the box should you wish to wall mount.

The Hisense HS214 is our super-cheap soundbar of choice, then. If you have a bit more of a budget, though, you might want to consider these alternatives:

MORE:

Read our Hisense HS214 2.1 review

Check out the best budget soundbars: cheap ’bars, tested by our experts

And the best TVs under £1000: affordable OLED, Mini LED and LCD models hand-picked by our experts

As much as we love all the bells and whistles and fancy features that come with a big soundbar or speaker system, often they’re just not practical.

No matter the soundbar’s quality, you’ll have to take into account the available space, the screen size, and the positioning of any extra speakers. Luckily, we have found the perfect solution for those looking for a desktop or a small space: the Creative Stage Pro, which is now reduced to £90 at Amazon.

With a main soundbar that measures just 8 x 55 x 11cm (hwd) and a slender subwoofer that comes in at 42 x 12 x 27cm, this is a highly versatile soundbar package that can be neatly tucked onto and under a PC desk, or slot into even the smallest of rooms.

Don’t let the diminutive stature fool you, however – the sound is far more cinematic than we expected at this price.

Computer accessory brand Creative has ditched most fancy features in a straightforward attempt to improve sound, and we think that was a smart move.

As our Creative Stage Pro review reads: “Starting with the 4K Blu-ray of Blade Runner 2049 via our Oppo UDP-203 disc player, we find that the Stage Pro delivers a surprisingly cinematic sound despite its small footprint.

“The challenging bass section towards the start of chapter two is handled with surprising oomph, and while it isn’t the most defined bass that we’ve ever experienced, it remains controlled, tonally balanced and, most importantly, doesn’t distort even at higher volumes.”

The soundbar is an equally pleasant midrange surprise – voices are presented with impressive detail and emotion, while it excels with music too thanks to a pin-sharp sense of timing and impressively clean vocals.

The biggest drawback of the Stage Pro is scale – it struggled to push the sound out to fill our test room fully. But if you have a small room, this ’bar will make an excellent upgrade for your TV speakers, especially at this price point.

The simplicity extends to the set-up process too. A single cable links the soundbar and subwoofer, while the two can be connected easily to your TV or monitor via HDMI ARC or optical cable. There are USB Type-C and 3.5mm auxiliary inputs also, along with support for Bluetooth 5.3.

Given the Creative Stage Pro’s size and price, our expectations were admittedly low going into testing. But we were quickly swayed when we heard the soundbar package in action. For £90 at Amazon, it’s cheap, cheerful, and better than it has any right to be – and it’s our compact soundbar of choice.

MORE:

Read our full Creative Stage Pro review

Check out the best soundbars: options for every need, recommended by our experts

And the best budget soundbars: cheap bars, tested by our experts

Soundbars have come a long way over the years, now offering effective Dolby Atmos and surround effects all from a single bar.

But there’s one element where soundbars struggle the most: bass.

To address that shortcoming, one of Sony’s most recent releases has come with a convenient solution: the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S comes with a subwoofer included. And you can pick one up for £699 at Sevenoaks.

And it really makes all the difference – when we removed the subwoofer from the sonic equation, the soundbar lacked the scale and authority that the tight, agile bass provided.

Unlike its predecessor, the Sony HT-A3000, the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 has dedicated upward-firing drivers, meaning you’ll get ‘proper’ Dolby Atmos height effects and won’t have to rely on Sony’s Vertical Sound Engine processing.

And the effects are immersive and convincing indeed – a test viewing of Top Gun: Maverick resulted in the sound stretching above the TV screen as a jet soared into the atmosphere. You can pinpoint the plane’s position through the audio alone, while a motorcycle ride also showcases the width of the soundstage as Tom Cruise zips from left to right.

Voices are clear and emotive too, offering a huge improvement over most TV speakers.

What makes this soundbar stand out, however, is the well-handled bass from the subwoofer. So much so that when we remove the subwoofer from the equation, the soundbar on its own doesn’t quite feel like great value for money.

As we say in our Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S 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.”

Given that the package with the subwoofer is only £100 more than the regular soundbar, that really is quite impressive.

The soundbar has a neat design, with a stylish cloth grille and a 6cm height that should easily fit under most displays. The subwoofer is also fairly compact at 36 x 35 x 13cm (hwd), and can work with the grille either facing the listener or the side of the room.

There are plenty of great features, including full HDMI passthrough of 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM for the gamers out there.

There is also DTS:X support, while the Bravia Connect app allows you to fine-tune settings. This is especially important; while there is a remote control, we were disappointed to discover there were no physical buttons or display panels on the Bar 7.

The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S is up against some steep competition, in the form of the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra, but does boast a more agile and well-integrated bass. If you’re after a bargain soundbar package that doesn’t disappoint in the bass department, then the Bar 7 and subwoofer duo are a match made in heaven, especially with £100 off at Sevenoaks.

MORE:

Also consider the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

Check out the best Sony soundbars

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

You're probably well aware of this, but England are playing Panama in the World Cup tomorrow, and it's now a much bigger game than it should have been, thanks to that tame no-score-draw with Ghana.

The good news is that this should also be a fun game, with at least a couple of goals for Tuchel's chaps.

If you're still using your TVs built-in speakers, though, you're still missing out on a fair bit of the fun that football can offer. The good news is that there's still time to rectify that.

I've scoured the Amazon Prime Day (and adjacent) sales to find a high-quality soundbar that you can have delivered tomorrow. Somewhat surprisingly, I can't find a model I recommend at Amazon with fast enough delivery.

But, thankfully, Currys has come up trumps with a full Dolby Atmos soundbar system that I tested and we gave a What Hi-Fi? Award to – and it can be delivered tomorrow.

Said system is the Hisense AX5125H, which comprises soundbar, a wireless subwoofer and two wireless surrounds for a record-equalling low price of just £199 at Currys.

Delivery tomorrow will cost you an extra £6.99, which seems very reasonable for the convenience, or you might find you can pick up from a local store for free.

At £199, the AX5125H isn't just a cheap way to improve your TV's sound – it's one of the very best-value Dolby Atmos packages we've tested.

Unlike most soundbars at this price, you get a complete 5.1.2-channel system in the box, with wireless surround speakers and a wireless subwoofer helping to create a much bigger, more immersive sound than your TV could ever hope to produce on its own.

During testing, we were particularly impressed by the Hisense's ability to project effects around the room. That makes it a brilliant choice for sport, where crowd noise, commentary and the atmosphere of the stadium all feel far more involving than they do through a TV's built-in speakers. If (when!) England find the back of the net against Panama, you'll feel much more like you're there to celebrate it.

It's not just for football, either. We found the AX5125H delivered an energetic, spacious and surprisingly cinematic performance with movies, while dialogue remains clear and easy to follow. Music playback is respectable, too, making this a genuinely versatile all-rounder rather than a one-trick pony.

No soundbar is perfect at this price, and there are more refined and dynamic systems available if you're prepared to spend considerably more. But at £199, the Hisense simply delivers too much performance to ignore.

That's why we gave it five stars, a What Hi-Fi? Award and, now that it's back down to its record-equalling lowest price, it's one of the easiest Prime Day alternatives I can recommend.

MORE:

Here are all of the best budget soundbars you can buy right now

Also in the market for a new telly? Here are all of the best TVs

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.

MORE:

Find the best Amazon Prime Day home cinema deals here

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.

MORE:

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Check out the best budget soundbars

And here are the best TVs right now

"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.

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You will recognise, no doubt, the feeling of watching a film on TV and not quite being able to make out the dialogue. Fast-paced action can also sound a little flat, with big explosions making barely any impact. Pretty disappointing, right?

Luckily, there is a quick fix to those sonic frustrations. Soundbars offer a great solution to your TV’s lacklustre audio quality, especially if you are short on space and working on a limited budget.

And right now, to kick off Amazon Prime Day, one of the best budget soundbar systems we have tested is available at a great discount. The Award-winning Hisense AX5125H has dropped from £250 to £199 at Currys. The last time we saw it drop to this price was back in December, and it’s still the lowest price we have spotted on the five-star model.

When we had the Hisense AX5125H in our test room, we were presented with a cohesive, spacious sound that was a huge step up from the TV’s built-in speakers. Watching Civil War, as the White House is swarmed by army personnel, bullets whizz from the front to the back of the room and even behind the listening position with brilliant accuracy considering this soundbar’s low price tag.

Dialogue is also made clearer and more expressive, with only the busiest sections causing voices to become a touch muffled.

If you want a much-needed injection of weight and energy into your movies, the Hisense model can deliver. As we say in our review: “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.”

There are no up-firing drivers with the AX5125H’s surround speakers, so we don’t get a full dome of sound from the Dolby Atmos system. Still, the height effects appear quite deep into the room and the overall delivery is immersive thanks to the two up-firing drivers in the soundbar.

In terms of physical connectivity, you will find an HDMI input and HDMI output with eARC. There is also an optical digital input, a USB 2.0 port and a 3.5mm jack.

The system is easy to set up as well. The two small surround speakers can be placed on stands in your space or you can wall-mount them. The soundbar is compact as well, measuring 6 x 92 x 9cm (hwd), and should sit in front of most TVs without blocking the display. Finally, the subwoofer’s dimensions (29 x 21 x 30cm) make it easy to place next to the TV in the test room without feeling overly cramped.

If you are looking to upgrade your TV’s speakers without breaking the bank, the Hisense AX5125H is a great choice, especially for £199 at Currys.

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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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