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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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.

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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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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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

MORE:

Here is our review of the Samsung HW-Q990F

Check out the best soundbars

These are the best budget bars on the market

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.

MORE:

Here is our full review of the Hisense AX5125H

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

These are the best soundbar deals

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

MORE:

Read our review of the KEF XIO

Also consider the Samsung HW-Q990H

Read our Sonos Arc Ultra review

Best Dolby Atmos soundbars: our reviewers' five recommendations

I’ve reviewed a whole range of soundbars in my time at What Hi-Fi?, ranging from five-star wonders to less-than-satisfactory models.

But it is not every day that a product like the Focal Mu-so Hekla enters the test room. This all-in-one sound system comes in at a whopping £3000 / $3600 (around AU$5625), placing it firmly in the high-end soundbar category.

The system supports Dolby Atmos (but there is no DTS:X), plus you get the full complement of streaming-service support, including Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify.

While it is branded as Focal, it is a collaboration between the French manufacturer and its sister company Naim Audio. Both brands hold a strong pedigree, so we had high hopes when we got the system into our test room.

And (spoiler alert) we were not disappointed. My colleagues and I spent days testing the Mu-so Hekla, so here are three things that impressed us the most about the model, and one thing that gave us some trouble.

Immersive, detailed sound with music and movies

First off, the Hekla sounds amazing with whatever we throw at it, whether that is a tense action thriller or a delicate piece of classical music. During testing we felt like we were immersed in everything we listened to, thanks to the system’s enveloping soundstage that wrapped around the listening position.

This experience was heightened by the system’s excellent precision, as you can hear effects placed around the soundfield with startling accuracy. When watching Dune: Part Two, we found in our review: “The levels of detail are breathtaking, as we can hear the grains of sand falling with an impressive exactness.”

Turning to music, this same show-stopping performance continued. Vocals sounded natural and expressive, and each frequency remained well-balanced.

We tested the Hekla against one of its closest competitors – the Award-winning KEF XIO. This five-star model launched at £1999 / $2500 / AU$3600, and holds the crown as the top premium soundbar in our best soundbars guide.

While the XIO is still an excellent performer, the Hekla justifies its higher price tag with better dynamics, detail resolution and refinement.

Clean, agile bass

Another sonic standout is Hekla’s bass. The low frequencies are meaty yet agile, lending its performance an extra sense of impact.

We felt the tight punch of initial bass in the soles of our feet during Dune: Part Two as our central character slips the thumper into the sand to call the worm.

Later as the worm bursts out from the depths, the roar of sand was forceful but not overwhelming, as you still hear Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides slinging his metal hooks and shouting in his efforts. It never stood out from the rest of the sound despite its low-end heft, and remained balanced even during busy action scenes.

We said in our review that it “reaches the lowest we have heard for an all-in-one system”, making it a class-leader in the soundbar category.

Stylish design

Aside from its audio performance, the Mu-so Hekla has a stylish design that feels worthy of its premium price tag. It is made from anodised aluminium with sandblasted finishes, which gives the system a sturdy and smooth feel.

Under the hood, it is equally impressive. There are 15 drivers in total, including seven on the front (three woofers, two midrange and two tweeters), two full-range drivers each on either side of the unit, and four upward-firing drivers at the top.

The Hekla is available only in an all-black finish – the idea is for the unit to disappear in a dark room (you can also turn off the LED illumination surrounding the control dial) for ultimate immersion in what you are watching or listening to.

There is also a tactile dial on the top of the bar that also acts as a touch screen, and adds to its sleek appearance. You can control volume with a twist to the side, and the dial acts as a touch screen to adjust input and power.

No display and bulky design

As much as we like this stylish touch dial, it makes navigation a little difficult when it is being used as a soundbar. As the display is on the top of the bar, it is not as intuitive as other designs we have seen such as the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max where the change in volume or output is clear.

In our test room, the light from the dial also reflected off the screen from certain angles. This won't be a problem if you're using the Hekla as a hi-fi system away from your TV, though.

The bar is also pretty hefty, weighing 15.5kg and measuring one metre long and almost 30cm deep. That means it’s less easy to accommodate than other premium soundbar rivals, as it needs a relatively large piece of furniture to support it.

This design makes sense from an engineering perspective, as Focal says it had to be this large to fit the required drivers, electronics and acoustic technology into the box to deliver the high-quality sound and immersion it wanted. Still, it is certainly worth considering how it will fit into your space.

Despite this design quirk, the Focal Mu-so Hekla is an incredibly strong sonic performer that more than justifies its high price tag.

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The Focal Mu-so Hekla is not your average soundbar. It claims to be an “immersive all-in-one system” that “combines Dolby Atmos technology, outstanding sound performance, and ease of use to transform your everyday listening”.

Its name alone shows off its strong pedigree. While it is branded as Focal, it is a collaboration between the French manufacturer and its sister company Naim Audio. This isn’t the first time the two brands have worked together on a product: that was the high-end Diva Utopia active wireless stereo speaker system (£29,999 / $39,999 / AU$59,999) which came out back in 2024.

The Naim link is also apparent with the inclusion of the Mu-so branding, which audio fans may recognise as the company’s well-regarded line of wireless speakers that launched in 2014. The range boasts such products as the five-star and What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Naim Mu-so 2 (2019) and Mu-so Qb 2nd Gen models, which wowed us with their punchy, detailed and dynamic sound.

And where does Hekla come from? It’s the name of one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes. If that evokes an explosive and powerful performance, then you would be correct.

Price

The Focal Mu-so Hekla has its sights set on the high-end market, and is only sold in authorised Focal Powered By Naim retailers. This exclusive nature is also reflected in its price tag, which is a whopping £3000 / $3600 (around AU$5625).

That’s higher than the all-in-one music systems we have encountered from Ruark Audio and Cambridge Audio, as well as premium Dolby Atmos soundbars such as the KEF XIO (£1999 / $2500 / AU$3600) which snagged a What Hi-Fi? Award last year. We praised this KEF soundbar for its agile bass and detailed overall sound.

Design

The Mu-so Hekla is quite a bulky beast. It is one metre long and almost 30cm deep. On top of that, it weighs 15.5kg. This makes it less easy to accommodate than other premium soundbar rivals, as it needs a relatively large piece of furniture to support it.

On the top of the bar, you will find a stylish white illuminated dial that is the same as that featured on Naim’s Mu-so products. You can control volume with a twist to the side, and the dial acts as a touch screen to adjust input and power. It makes for a sleek design that rotates smoothly and adds to the premium feel.

As much as we like it, this design creates some issues when the Hekla is used as a soundbar. In our test room, it only just fits under our TV screen and the light from the dial is reflected off the screen from certain angles. This is not a problem when using the Hekla as a hi-fi system away from your TV.

Given the system’s bulkiness it’s fair to ask, why not make it more soundbar-y in shape? The Hekla’s shape is dictated by the engineering team’s insistence on prioritising acoustics. It simply had to be this large to fit the required drivers, electronics and acoustic technology into the box in order to deliver the high-quality sound and immersion they wanted.

“When we created this product, yes, we wanted a home cinema experience; but above all, we wanted to keep our hi-fi signature, specifically for music,” a Focal representative told our Hi-Fi and Audio Editor Kashfia Kabir at the product’s launch showcase last year.

The Hekla is available only in an all-black finish – the idea is for the unit to disappear in a dark room (you can also turn off the LED illumination surrounding the control dial) for ultimate immersion in what you are watching or listening to.

Although it is large, the Hekla has a premium-feeling design that matches its price tag.

Features

There are 15 drivers in total, with each powered by its own Class D amplifier. That includes seven drivers on the front (three woofers, two midrange and two tweeters), two full-range drivers each on either side of the unit, and four upward-firing drivers at the top of the unit.

All together, it outputs a claimed 660 watts of power (60W each to the front three drivers, 40W each to the remaining 12 drivers). The electronics (streaming and amplification) are all designed by Naim. Steve Sells, the engineer behind the original Mu-so and the flagship Naim Statement amplifier, was also involved in the development of this Mu-so Hekla.

In terms of physical connectivity, you will find an HDMI port with eARC support. There is also an optical input, a wired Ethernet port (alongside wi-fi capability), and a pair of RCA outputs to add a subwoofer.

You can connect your TV, CD player, Blu-ray or games console; but unlike other do-it-all modern systems, there is no built-in phono stage.

As you would expect, you get the full complement of streaming-service support and high-resolution file compatibility. Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify – and their Connect versions – are present, as are AirPlay 2, Google Cast and Bluetooth (standard AAC and SBC codecs only) for easy streaming from your devices. UPnP streaming is also on board, meaning you can play stored files from connected hard drives.

Hekla supports hi-res audio up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD128 files, and it can also connect with other compatible Focal/Naim streaming products that use the same Focal & Naim app and streaming platform to create a multi-room system.

In terms of sound modes, there are a range of options to choose from: Dolby Music, Dolby Movie, Sphere Music and Sphere Movie. There is also a Night Mode, which reduces dynamics and bass so you do not disturb others in the house.

You can switch between these modes via the app, which lets you easily fine-tune the bar’s settings and change the output. You can also go into the EQ settings, and calibrate the soundbar to your space with Focal’s ADAPT (Adaptative Acoustic Personal Tuning) technology. Get your tape measure handy for that one, as you will be asked to calculate a range of different measurements.

With ADAPT on, the scale of the sound is wider, which adds an extra bit of immersion to our listening experience.

Sound

As soon as we boot up the Focal Mu-so Hekla with movies, we are greeted with a spacious yet precise sound that elevates every scene.

We kick off with Sinners in Dolby Atmos as our protagonist Sammie summons spirits from the past, present, and future to a small barn in Mississippi. When Sammie sings his heartfelt tune, accompanied by just his guitar, his slightly tentative vocals sound emotive and grow stronger as he gains confidence with a sense of authenticity.

As the spirits join in and more instruments are added to the mix, the Hekla does a brilliant job of expanding the soundfield to create a sense of spaciousness without losing its composure. Each instrument and voice is still placed exactly around the space, which adds a sense of precision that is rare for an all-in-one system. There is not a trace of harshness either, as we are instead treated to a solid and full-bodied approach that adds an extra weightiness.

The Hekla maintains this composed yet impactful performance with its bass. With Dune: Part Two in Atmos, we watch as Timothee Chalamet’s Paul Atreides rides his first sandworm. When he slips the thumper into the sand to call the worm, the initial click is tight and clean with a precision that can be felt in the soles of our feet. The levels of detail are breathtaking, as we can hear the grains of sand falling with an impressive exactness.

Later as the worm bursts out from the depths, the roar of sand is forceful but not overwhelming, as you can hear Atreides slinging his metal hooks and shouting in his efforts. The bass also packs an authoritative low-end punch that reaches the lowest we have heard for an all-in-one system, adding to the scene’s impact.

The gradual build from Atreides quietly skulking across the sand to the exhilarating flurry of sound as the worm emerges is expertly handled by the Hekla, and shows off its superb dynamics.

When switching between the sound modes, each offers a slightly different experience. Dolby Movie offers the most precise sound, but this results in a slightly less three-dimensional feel. Sphere Mode, on the other hand, offers a more spacious sound with a more muscular bass but sacrifices a degree of precision. Both sound great, but it is down to personal preference.

The same can be said for the modes when we switch between Dolby Music and Sphere Music when playing some tunes.

The Hekla continues its show-stopping performance with music, and deals excellently with whatever we throw at it. Listening to 500 Miles by Peter, Paul and Mary via Qobuz Connect, the system shows off its softer side. As the vocals get louder near the end of the piece then grow quieter to almost a whisper, it handles this change in dynamics with subtlety to compound the emotive finale.

It can go punchy and loud, too. With Liar’s Tale by Kneecap, the initial visceral electric zing is portrayed with enthusiasm and clarity. When the bass comes in full throttle, it is delivered with authority and immediately gets our toes tapping.

With Yosi Horikawa’s Bubbles, the sound of bouncing ping pong balls cascades all around our listening position with incredible levels of detail and spaciousness.

We put the Hekla up against the less pricey KEF XIO. While the cheaper XIO is still great for the money, the Hekla justifies its higher price tag with better dynamics, detail resolution and refinement.

Verdict

As far as all-in-one systems go, the Focal Mu-so Hekla offers the best of both worlds. It delivers all the drama you could want from a soundbar when watching movies, with controlled bass and authoritative overall sound that elevates each scene.

But you can also feed it a delicate piece of music and be treated to a finessed performance that makes you feel the emotion of each note.

It might come at a high price but, if you have the funds, its performance more than justifies the cost.

Review published: 15th June 2026

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Design 5

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If you are looking for a way to upgrade from your TV’s subpar audio without taking up space in your home, then a soundbar is a great way to go.

There are a range of options on the market, from budget bars to more premium models. The Sonos Arc Ultra is an example of the latter, and it has snagged a What Hi-Fi? Award for its excellent performance.

Since its release in 2024, the Arc Ultra has been relatively unchallenged. But the new Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S has stepped into the ring with its eye on the prize.

Boasting both a subwoofer and a soundbar as opposed to the Arc Ultra’s all-in-one design, they are two different beasts. But who will come out on top when it comes to audio performance? We have put both soundbars head-to-head in our test room, so we can tell you from experience which model is most worth your money.

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: price

So how much will each soundbar set you back? The Sonos Arc Ultra launched at £999 / $999 / AU$1799 but, since its release, you can get it cheaper. In the UK, the Sonos model has dropped to £799 at most retailers, although we have seen it fluctuate.

The Sony system launched at £799 / $1100 (around AU$1320), and has remained at that price since its release. This combo has not been out as long as the Arc Ultra, so there is still an opportunity for the price to drop as time goes on.

There is the option to buy the Bravia 7 without the subwoofer but, for reasons that will become clear, we recommend spending the extra cash.

Right now, though, it is a tie between the two bars when it comes to cost.

**Winner: draw**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: design

The two soundbars offer opposing designs that cater to different sides of the market.

The Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S consists of a soundbar and subwoofer, so there is one extra bit of kit to consider compared to Sonos’ single all-in-one bar.

Offering a versatile design, the accompanying subwoofer is easy to place in our test room and connects to the soundbar quickly. You can use it in two different positions, either with the grille facing the listener or the side of the room.

The Arc Ultra is longer than the Bar 7 soundbar, coming in at 8 x 118 x 11cm (hwd) versus Sony’s 6 x 95 x 13cm (hwd). The Sonos model is also heavier, weighing 5.9kg compared to 4.6kg.

With the Sony bar, you will find a small remote control that puts functionality over style. From here, you can control the power, input, bass levels, volume and turn on Night mode. There’s no such addition with the Sonos, however.

You can find the Sonos bar in either a black or white finish, whereas the Sony system is only available in black. Neither of the bars has a display, and the Sony has no buttons on the top of the bar. The Arc Ultra features touch-sensitive buttons, though these are situated on a ledge at the back. A display with both models would make navigating the settings without relying on the accompanying apps feel more straightforward.

Both designs offer their own benefits. The Sonos offers a slightly simpler set-up with its all-in-one build, but the Sony’s soundbar is more compact and offers versatility with the subwoofer’s placement.

That all depends on what you need from your soundbar, so it’s a draw this time round.

**Winner: draw**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: features

In terms of physical connectivity, both bars have an HDMI that supports eARC, but the Sony model has an extra HDMI port.

Dolby Atmos is available with both systems, but the Bravia 7 also offers DTS:X, which provides more options for surround sound.

The Sony bar offers a 5.1.2-channel configuration. Under the hood of the main bar, you will find nine drive units, split between side, centre, up-firing and bass channels. That differs from the Sonos, which is packing a 9.1.4-channel configuration. This is made up of seven tweeters, six midrange woofers, and a 'Sound Motion' woofer.

They both use their company's respective apps. The Bravia Connect and Sonos apps let you fine-tune the settings of the bars. With the Sony’s app, you can also pair the subwoofer (and the surrounds if you have them) from the app, where they recognise the product almost immediately, which makes for an easy set-up.

Both apps are easy to use, but Sony’s user interface is more intuitive and this results in a smoother overall experience.

From both apps, you can calibrate the soundbar to your space (the Arc Ultra employs Sonos Trueplay). Once we have calibrated the bars to our space, we are offered a wider soundstage with both systems. It’s worth noting that the subwoofer is not included in this process with the Sony system, so it must be adjusted by ear using the bass settings with the app or the remote.

There is also the option to expand your set-up with both systems. With the Sony soundbar and subwoofer, you can also add in the Sony Theatre Rear 8 speakers, costing £449 / $500 / AU$599 on their own.

Sonos’ offerings here are more comprehensive, as you can connect other products from the brand, such as the Sonos Sub 4 or the Era 300 speakers. These can be arranged in a multi-room set-up or in one room.

For its more comprehensive HDMI support and better app experience, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 takes it.

**Winner: Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: sound

Sony and Sonos take different approaches when it comes to audio performance here. But both are five-star systems that provide a massive upgrade from the majority of TV speakers.

When we start up the Bravia Theatre Bar 7, we are greeted with a punchy, cohesive sound that is immediately likeable. It offers an immersive experience, which is put to the test with Top Gun: Maverick as Maverick attempts to reach hypersonic speed in a jet, and the soundbar stretches the height effects above the TV screen.

The Arc Ultra also impresses, matching the Sony’s sense of scale and punch. Effects sound like they're coming from all around you, and are placed with precision, while certain sounds (like rain) stretch far beyond the confines of the TV to which the soundbar is connected.

Bass performance is strong with both soundbars, but the Sony’s added subwoofer gives it the edge in terms of agility and precision. We also find that the bass is well-integrated with the main soundbar and performs with the same precision as the rest of the system. That’s not to dismiss the Sonos performance with lower frequencies, as the bass it delivers is "tight, tuneful and expressive in a way that is rare in the soundbar world".

We listen to the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 without the subwoofer, and it still delivers clear vocals and convincing height effects. But the sound is thinner and lacks the sense of scale and authority that we get when the subwoofer is added.

Both soundbars produce clear vocals, but the Sonos model produces richer voices that lend a more emotive and warm feel to the sound.

When playing music, this warm approach carries foward with the Sonos to make it a more emotive performer than the Sony. The soft vocals of Aurora’s Churchyard start with the appropriate low-level dynamics and build to the punchy chorus as the bass kicks in. As with the Sony’s performance with movies, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S delivers a more precise and energetic bass than the Arc Ultra.

Both soundbars are excellent sonic performers, but the Sonos bar inches past the Sony system for its warmer overall sound.

**Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: verdict

If you are looking to upgrade your TV’s audio and get a more immersive audio experience, then either of these soundbars will deliver. Where the Sonos Arc Ultra offers a warm, spacious sound, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S counters with a more agile and well-integrated bass.

One of their designs might suit you more, but the Sonos Arc Ultra just takes the crown for its richer sonic performance.

**Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra**

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If you search online for a soundbar, you will be flooded with oodles of options. From budget bars to premium models with Dolby Atmos for immersive surround sound, there is a soundbar out there for everyone.

When done right, they will upgrade the sound from your TV’s built-in speakers to deliver a more enveloping audio experience without the need for multiple extra speakers and reams of wires.

But we were not always this spoilt for choice. The only alternative to making do with your TV’s audio was investing in a multi-speaker sound system that took up a lot more space and cost a lot more money.

It was Yamaha that changed all that with the YSP-1, a "digital sound projector" that acts as the forefather of the soundbar category we know today.

The Yamaha YSP-1 came out more than 20 years ago, and the What Hi-Fi? team reviewed it back in April 2005.

This revolutionary product crammed 40 small driver units – each backed by an individual amplifier – and two bass drivers in to one long speaker bar.

These drivers were paired with a clever processing system that beamed sound around your room, bouncing off the walls to create a convincing surround sound experience.

We loved the idea of Yamaha’s YSP-1 from the moment we heard it, and the bar received a four-star verdict for delivering a “sizeable dose of energy and drive”.

Some issues held it back from five-star greatness. For one, properly configuring the soundbar to your space wasn't easy. As we noted: “Set aside an evening and work through the expert menu, adjusting beam angles, focal lengths and levels, and the sound will be significantly better.”

That set-up process is a far cry from soundbars now, with the majority of brands offering a much easier calibration process where the system can gauge the dimensions of your room using built-in microphones or even a dedicated set-up app.

Despite its fussiness we were still ultimately enthusiastic: “The Yamaha isn’t perfect, but the concept is spot on. It’s an alternative to a sub/sat system, and it could be a signpost to the future of surround”.

And call us fortune tellers, because the YSP-1 was indeed a catalyst for more brands to produce their own takes on the all-in-one soundbar.

Yamaha also continued to build upon its inaugural product in the category. Take the Yamaha True X Surround 90A (pictured, above), which includes a main soundbar, subwoofer and two surround speakers.

We were impressed by its well-controlled subwoofer and powerful audio from the soundbar, even if the speakers felt a little disconnected from the rest of the system.

While the soundbar category has evolved, not least with premium options offering serious surround sound powered by Dolby Atmos, the YSP concept remains surprisingly unchanged. Yamaha, and the YSP-1, we salute you.

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It's one thing to make a film sound good in the cinema, but it is a whole other task to take that experience to your home.

Much of that process relies on sound editors and engineers, who have their work cut out adapting the sound to home cinema products.

During the launch of Sony’s latest soundbar system, the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio, we heard Academy Award-nominated sound editor Andrew De Cristofaro speak about the different ways sound must be engineered.

He has worked on films such as The Housemaid, Green Book and Venom: The Last Dance, and collaborated with Sony during the development of the new Bravia Dolby Atmos sound system.

De Cristofaro says: “Sound is doing way more than you think. You can close your eyes and still follow the story but if you mute it, the experience falls apart.” He adds that instead of purely making a film sound good, his job is about making “sound tell the story”.

We watch a scene from Venom: The Last Dance to demonstrate, in which Eddie and Venom come face to face with the monstrous Xenophage. First, we listen with the raw audio that comes to the sound department after filming. As you would expect, it feels far less exciting than the final cut. Footsteps sound more like shuffling, the cracking flame of a lit car has no impact, and the reveal of the Xenophage is as casual as someone getting on the bus.

Venom’s voice is not audible either, as Tom Hardy (who plays both Eddie and the aforementioned alien symbiote) records his lines offset right before he shoots. The crew then pitch the vocals down and feed them back to him so that he can interact with the character live.

Next, De Cristofaro demonstrates how sound effects start to make the scene feel more dramatic. Layer upon layer of crackling, humming and spitting is added to create the sound of the fire. The footsteps of Hardy’s character as he walks the street become precise, which creates more of a three-dimensional sound, and vocals are brought to the fore.

The stomps of the Xenophage are also given a low squelching sound that immediately makes you feel the weight and monstrous nature of the character. The final touch comes with some dramatic bass stabs, and the end result is a tense and atmospheric scene.

But how do you adapt that sound to home cinema kit? De Cristofaro admits that it is a different kettle of fish compared to the cinema audio. The impact can disappear, vocals get lost and the sense of space collapses.

De Cristofaro says that “you have to rebuild a three-dimensional soundfield” adding that “sound isn’t tied to the speakers necessarily; it is mapped into a 360 space”.

He uses the Bravia Trio as an example of this, as the sound engineers at Sony are employing the brand’s proprietary 360 Spatial Tone Mapping which “analyses your room and reconstructs that environment so you maintain the scale”. As its name suggests, the Trio system comprises three speakers: a tiny central channel soundbar and two left and right channels.

We are yet to hear the Trio soundbar system in our test room to confirm whether this is the case, but we have heard other soundbars such as the KEF XIO and the Samsung HW-Q990F come very close to the desired full dome of sound.

De Cristofaro adds: “When everything is working right, when the dialogue is clear, when the space feels real, when the dynamics land the way they should, you don’t hear the system. You feel the film.”

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There’s a new soundbar on the block with the WiiM Bar, which the company claims will deliver “cinematic immersion and the audiophile-grade music performance WiiM is known for”. This marks the company’s – better known for its music streamers and streaming amplifiers – first venture into the soundbar category.

Dr Lifeng Zhao, CEO of WiiM, adds: “The WiiM Bar is a natural next step for our ecosystem, bringing the same simplicity and high-fidelity performance our community loves into the living room.”

The WiiM Bar boasts a 3.0.2-channel configuration. That’s powered by an eight-driver array, including front mid-woofers, front tweeters, and full-range height drivers. WiiM claims these top-firing height channels create “a true sense of overhead sound”, and RoomFit auto-correction is available so you can customise the listening experience to your space.

Both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are on board, which gives a comprehensive range of surround sound options.

You can connect the soundbar with other WiiM products through the WiiM Home App, where you will also find EQ settings. A range of streaming platforms can be accessed through the app too, or you can cast directly using Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, and Roon. There’s also a remote control for the more traditional approach.

There is an HDM port with eARC support for your physical connectivity needs, so you can hook it up to your TV.

The WiiM Bar sports a glass-covered 2.1-inch round touch display. You can choose to show off album art, or use it to access playback controls, input, or EQ settings.

The WiiM Bar will launch in a glossy black finish, and you can pre-order now with launch coming in July.

It will set you back £449 / $479 (around AU$840). That puts the WiiM entry in direct competition with the Award-winning Sonos Beam Gen 2 (£449 / $449 / AU$649) which we praised for its convincing Dolby Atmos effects and compact design.

No soundbar has knocked that model off the top step of the podium yet, so we are curious to see whether the WiiM’s quirky design and sound performance will make it a winner.

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Adding a soundbar to your home cinema setup is all about elevating the audio to deliver a more immersive experience. So if you’re looking to upgrade your sub-par TV speakers, then this deal on JBL's five-star ’bar could be just what you’re after.

For just £249 at Amazon, the JBL Bar 300MK2 has dropped to its lowest-ever price meaning you can grab Dolby Atmos sound for much, much less.

If you lack space or budget for a multi-channel speaker system, this compact Dolby Atmos soundbar is one we’re happy to recommend.

The JBL Bar 300MK2 may not quite reach the same heights as the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) in the entry-level Dolby Atmos category, but it still produces a bombastic yet detailed sound for movies. Plus, it will also cost you £110 less than its rival (currently at £359 at Amazon).

The JBL Bar 300MK2 is a great example of how a mid-range soundbar can push its compact dimensions to the limit. It measures 5 x 94 x 10cm, so is perfectly suited to partner a 48- or 55-inch TV – but, of course, it also fits nicely under a 65-inch.

Where this Dolby Atmos soundbar really comes into play is in being able to produce room-filling sound despite its size and accessible pricing. Our expert testers say in its review: “Straight out of the box, the JBL soundbar provides an immersive sound experience that is, as you would hope, a massive improvement on almost any TV’s audio.”

They add, when viewing and listening to Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning: “It packs a punch in terms of bass, too, which gives these action-heavy moments an extra level of excitement. When the helicopter flies overhead, we can feel the thrum of the chopping in the soles of our feet.”

While it doesn’t feature upward-firing drivers, the JBL offers virtualised Dolby Atmos as well as DTS Virtual:X. There are two HDMI connections – one dedicated input and an output that can also receive sound from your TV via eARC. While there is no 4K/120Hz support, the HDMI passthrough does support Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

Ultimately, JBL’s weightier, more bombastic, more room-filling sound might be why you grab the Bar 300MK2 over the Sonos Beam (Gen 2). But it might also just be the price, now that it’s down to an excellent £249 at Amazon.

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Check out the Sonos Beam Gen 2 review

And these are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars right now

I have tested a fair amount of soundbars in my time, from budget bars to premium multi-speaker systems. Most of those models fit fairly neatly into the soundbar category, serving as a way to upgrade your TV’s speakers without having to fill your living room with a load of extra kit.

But the most recent product to enter our test room has not sat perfectly in that mould. Enter the Focal Mu-so Hekla, dubbed on the brand’s website an “immersive home cinema system [that] combines Dolby Atmos technology, outstanding sound performance, and ease of use.” This is a joint release coming from Naim as well as Focal, as the brands merged in 2011.

The Hekla is coming for the premium end of the market, with a serious price tag of £3000 / $3600.

Now, I’m hesitant to call it a soundbar for a few reasons.

The Focal Mu-so Hekla takes its name from Naim’s well-regarded line of wireless speakers. That includes such products as the five-star and What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Naim Mu-so, Mu-so 2 (2019) and Mu-so Qb 2nd Gen models. And the name reveals its close ties to hi-fi as well as home cinema.

Then there is its design. The Hekla makes much more sense as a hi-fi system than a soundbar when it comes to where you can actually place it. Measuring 30cm deep and 100cm wide, the Mu-so Hekla does not offer the same pick-up-and-play build, especially compared with premium soundbars such as the KEF XIO. Its size also means it can be difficult to place in front of the TV unless you have dedicated furniture to house it.

On top of the system is a light-up dial (see above) which acts as a touch screen to control volume, power and input. That placement is not ideal for being below your TV, as you can’t easily see what is being displayed. Also, the light from the display can reflect off your TV screen at certain angles, which makes viewing a little distracting.

All of that means it would look more at home on a side table, much like a hi-fi system rather than a soundbar.

Its performance also stops us from calling it purely a hi-fi or soundbar system. Our full review is in the works but, spoiler alert, it sounds excellent with both music and movies. With both, we are met with an immersive, detailed and full-bodied sound that elevates whatever we throw at it.

There have been soundbars that have performed well with music and movies, but the Mu-so Hekla’s ability to handle both brilliantly certainly threatens to set new standards for the category. And that ability to do it all has made me question whether the soundbar label is becoming outdated.

Ultimately, it’s not clear which category the Hekla fits into. We had been debating what to call it within the What Hi-Fi? team even before it entered our test room. But its show-stopping performance could move the goalposts for what we should call a soundbar – and I’m excited to see that the label will keep evolving.

MORE:

Here is our hands on review of the Focal Mu-so Hekla

Check out the best soundbars

And these are the best music streamers

Danish audio brand Canvas HiFi has launched its latest home cinema sound system. And it’s staking a pretty huge claim, with the system being touted as the “world’s first audiophile soundbar”. Based on the specifications, we can see why.

The Canvas L is a similar proposition to the Canvas HiFi, which we reviewed last year. Unlike “conventional” soundbars on the market (think the Sonos Arc Ultra or Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9), this one is designed to be attached directly to your TV.

Much like the Canvas HiFi Canvas 65, it can either be mounted to a wall or placed in a freestanding set-up with your TV of choice mounted atop, for a “TV and HiFi in a unified design” arrangement. The bespoke magnetic grilles also return, with 65-, 75-, 77-, 83-, and 85-inch sizes widely available, and custom-made options for TVs ranging from 98- to 115-inches.

While this all seems similar to Canvas HiFi’s previous hi-fi-speakers-meets-soundbar fare, the company says that “CANVAS L was created from a completely different starting point: to build a genuine audiophile loudspeaker system within a minimalist architectural form.”

This is evident in the driver arrangement, which is a pretty radical departure from Canvas’s previous effort. The Canvas L sports two linear-phase tweeter/midrange modules, each with a custom 4-inch midrange driver from Scan-Speak and a 29mm SB Acoustics ring radiator tweeter.

These are paired with four 8-inch Scan-Speak mid/bass woofers with matching passive radiators, which have been tuned by high-end speaker designer Benno Baun Meldgaard.

All of these drivers are custom-made for the Canvas L, and they are powered by a staggering 1500W of Class D amplification. This is all housed in a “highly rigid Compact Density Fibreboard enclosure” with an upgraded version of Canvas’s patented resonance-reducing technology called BridgeBrace+.

Bacch 3D audio processing also returns. This employs advanced crosstalk cancellation algorithms to achieve a wider and more immersive sound that is “normally only experienced from large standalone loudspeaker systems”, according to Canvas HiFi. The Canvas L also sports an AD Quad-Core DSP system and a Burr Brown DAC.

Room correction is also supported – but there is a catch. Canvas says that it takes just one minute of listening via its companion app to “optimise its frequency response” for the “perfect tonal balance”, but only if you have an iOS device. Android users will have to shell out for an external Zen Microphone accessory if they want to optimise the Canvas L’s sound performance for their listening space.

The Canvas L sports HDMI ARC/eARC, digital coaxial, Toslink, stereo RCA, and ethernet inputs. Wireless connectivity comes in the form of Apple AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, TIDAL Connect, Spotify Connect, DLNA, and Roon Ready.

The Canvas L is expected to launch later this year, and it will make its official debut at the Vienna High End show on the 4th of June.

Finally, Canvas Hifi has given this prestigious soundbar a price tag to match, with the Canvas L, front panel and universal TV mount package costing a considerable €5999 (that’s around £5200 at the time of writing).

MORE:

Read our Canvas HiFi Canvas 65 review

As well as our KEF XIO review

And check out our picks for the best soundbars

Sony has just unveiled its new flagship home theatre system, and it’s a bit of an odd one.

Neither a soundbar nor a four-speaker surround system in the vein of the Bravia Theatre Quad, the Bravia Theatre Trio is, as the name suggests, a system comprising three speakers: a centre, a left, and a right.

The centre looks like a particularly stumpy soundbar and is designed to sit in front of or below your TV, while the other two speakers are tall, spherical towers intended to go to the left and right of your TV.

The Trio’s raison d’être is the growing popularity of super-sized TVs. Sony has itself just announced the Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II TVs, both of which are available in sizes larger than 85 inches.

Sony says that most soundbars can’t create a wide enough soundstage to match the scale of the imagery, and that while a system such as the Bravia Theatre Quad can supply the width, the lack of a dedicated centre speaker can compromise focus and dialogue solidity.

Now that the company is (thankfully) doing away with Acoustic Centre Sync, in which the TV serves as the centre speaker, another solution was required – hence the Bravia Theatre Trio.

As you would expect of a modern home cinema system, the Bravia Theatre Trio supports Dolby Atmos (and DTS:X), with the left and right speakers each featuring an up-firing driver for genuine height effects.

A new version of Sony’s Spatial Sound Mapping is also on hand to create an aural bubble featuring phantom speakers for an authentic 3D audio experience.

On top of that, Sony Electronics says it has worked with its colleagues at Sony Pictures on the tuning of the Bravia Theatre Trio, with the intention of delivering a sound that’s as true to the cinema experience as possible.

And, in order to ensure consistency in living rooms of all shapes and sizes, Sony has even developed a bespoke USB-C microphone that you plug into your phone for use during the calibration process.

In other words, this feels like a real belt-and-braces approach to home cinema and, when I heard the Bravia Theatre Trio in Tokyo in March, it absolutely knocked my socks off.

There is, though, a massive caveat that explains why I was so impressed.

You see, the Bravia Theatre Trio’s three speakers can be enhanced through the addition of surround speakers and up to two subwoofers, and that’s how I heard it.

In fact, I heard it with a pair of Rear 8 speakers as surrounds and two of the awesomely monolithic new Sub 9 subwoofers on bass duties.

Seeing how the Bravia Theatre Trio is £2000, a pair of Surround 8s is £449, and a single Sub 9 is £900, that means what I listened to was a £4249 home theatre system, so you’d flipping well hope it sounded good.

Honestly, though, even within that pricey context, the expanded Theatre Trio system really rocked me.

Sony started by playing the spice harvester scene from Dune, and the first thing that struck me was the bass. The quantity and depth of it was close to breathtaking, but it was also brilliantly integrated with the rest of the tonal range.

Dialogue clarity was deeply impressive, too, especially during the heavy action and compared with the Bravia Theatre Bar 9 system that was used as a comparison.

There’s a fair amount of sparkly treble in the Dune soundtrack, and the Trio system delivered this without drifting into brightness or sibilance in a way that’s rare for a ‘lifestyle’ product. Detail levels across all frequencies were sky high, too.

Sony then played me the opening of Top Gun: Maverick, which brilliantly illustrated the dynamic range of the system. The shifts from quiet, subtle dialogue to bombastic, thumping effects – the launch of the hypersonic jet, for example – were handled with the sort of energy and flexibility I would usually associate with a traditional AVR and speaker package.

The weight provided by those subs was striking, too, underpinning the whole presentation with deep, tight and tuneful bass that integrated seamlessly with the midrange delivery of the main speakers.

Despite the very different form factors of the centre and left/right speakers, I found the sound to be seamless across the front of the soundfield, and the connection between the fronts and the surrounds was perfectly natural, too – though that’s less surprising given the hardware similarities between the Trio’s left and right speakers and the Surround 8s.

In short, the Dolby Atmos presentation was exemplary, with the 24 phantom speakers of the extended package assisting in passing effects around the room in a brilliantly natural, immersive way.

I hope you can understand, though, that while the system I heard sounded utterly brilliant, I can’t even begin to deliver a verdict on the Bravia Theatre Trio.

A couple of clips is never enough for firm conclusions to be drawn, and I heard the Trio with accessories that, combined, cost more than the core system itself.

My instinct is that the Bravia Theatre Trio will be very good on its own, but I worry slightly that it could sound a little feeble without at least one sub thrown into the mix.

We’ll be testing that theory just as soon as we can get the core system – and its accessories – into our dedicated test rooms for a comprehensive review.

MORE:

Read our Sony Bravia 9 II hands-on and Sony Bravia 7 II hands-on

Here are all of the best soundbars and best surround systems you can buy right now

Soundbars, particularly those designed to deliver immersive 3D audio formats such as Dolby Atmos, live and die by calibration.

Their effectiveness depends heavily on being able to bounce sound around your room in a way that properly matches your seating position, while also taking into account the shape of the space, the placement of furniture and the amount of soft furnishing that might absorb or diffuse sound.

Without effective calibration, even an excellent soundbar can sound surprisingly underwhelming.

In the early days of soundbars, most notably with Yamaha’s pioneering YSP range, calibration was handled using a dedicated wired microphone included in the box. You would plug the microphone into the soundbar, position it where you normally sit, activate the test tones and let the system do the rest.

Manufacturers eventually concluded that this process was too cumbersome for mainstream buyers, though, so more advanced and convenient systems were developed.

The best-known of those is probably Sonos Trueplay, which uses the microphones built into your iPhone. Generally, you first take a measurement while sitting in your listening position, before walking around the room slowly wafting your phone through the air in a manner vaguely akin to vacuuming your walls.

It feels faintly ridiculous going through the process, but Trueplay is genuinely effective.

The problem is that its accuracy depends heavily on the quality and consistency of your phone’s microphones. That’s why Trueplay is still limited to iOS devices. Android owners either have to borrow an iPhone from a friend to calibrate their system properly or simply live with an uncalibrated soundbar.

Sony’s own Sound Field Optimisation system has historically been far more open, supporting both iOS and Android devices, but has it always produced entirely consistent results? The company’s latest solution rather suggests otherwise.

Said solution is simple: a bespoke USB-C microphone designed specifically for calibrating its new Bravia Theatre Trio home theatre system.

The microphone plugs directly into your smartphone during setup, allowing the Bravia Connect app to handle all of the clever room-analysis processing while ensuring that the recordings themselves are captured using consistent, purpose-built hardware rather than the wildly variable microphones built into phones.

In other words, Sony has effectively separated the software processing from the recording hardware.

That strikes me as a genuinely smart solution to a longstanding problem.

Yes, it means keeping track of an extra accessory, but that feels like a very small price to pay for more reliable and consistent calibration results – particularly for a premium Dolby Atmos system that is designed to create convincing spatial audio effects.

Accurate calibration alone doesn’t guarantee great sound, of course, but it does provide the foundation on which great spatial audio depends.

And, based on my brief hands-on experience with the Bravia Theatre Trio, Sony’s approach appears to work remarkably well. It’s one of the smartest soundbar innovations I have seen in quite some time – and one that rivals such as Sonos should probably be paying close attention to.

MORE:

Here are my initial thoughts on the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio

These are all of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy right now

Every so often, we are treated to a discount on our overall top pick for the best soundbars we have tested. And when that time comes around, we’re sure to shout about it.

Right now, the Sonos Arc Ultra is down to just £799 at Amazon. That’s a whopping £200 off but only for a limited time.

If you’re looking to upgrade your home cinema set-up, now seems like the perfect time to strike. The deal is available on both the White and Black models, so you can take your pick.

The Sonos Arc Ultra had big boots to fill, replacing the original Sonos Arc. Thankfully, our expert testers found it to be a five-star, What Hi-Fi? Award-winning upgrade.

The Arc Ultra looks very similar to its predecessor, though slightly less tall, meaning it is less likely to obstruct the bottom of your TV’s image. It also has a new ‘ledge’, which houses most of the touch controls.

As has always been the case with Sonos soundbars, simplicity is key. There’s no remote control or display – you simply connect it to your TV via HDMI eARC and you’re good to go. While that simplicity is a great advantage for many, others may feel limited by the lack of any HDMI inputs for external equipment – you’ll have to connect extra products directly to your TV. And the lack of DTS:X support might bother some people – although it’s not a huge omission in our book.

It’s worth overlooking these slight omissions, because the sound quality is superb. The Arc Ultra boasts a 9.1.4-channel configuration, up from the 5.0.2 arrangement of the original Arc. There are 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 is the really big deal.

Markedly different from a typical speaker driver, it allows the Arc Ultra to produce, Sonos claims, ‘double the bass’ of its predecessor. The big question, of course, is how did our expert review team rate it on sound?

Well, they had this to say: “The Sonos Arc Ultra is a hit. Perhaps contrary to expectations, it’s not vastly bassier than the original Arc, but its low end is significantly more controlled, tuneful and better defined. And that’s just the start of the improvements. It really is quite amazing how much more crisp, spacious, precise and detailed the Ultra sounds.”

For a solo soundbar, this is an impressive buy and you can always add surrounds and a dedicated subwoofer to the Arc Ultra at a later date – especially with the saving you’ll make picking it up for just £799 at Amazon.

MORE:

Read our full Sonos Arc Ultra 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

Picture the scene: you're watching the England game, and you pop to the kitchen just for a minute – and completely miss a goal.

No one wants this tragic situation, but let us suggest a solution: the JBL Bar 1000MK2.

This unique Dolby Atmos soundbar features two detachable surrounds, which can be taken into another room to use as a wireless speaker.

So you'll be able to check the oven or get another drink without missing any of the action!

And it's currently at a new lowest price. The JBL Bar 1000MK2 soundbar system is now available for £749 at Peter Tyson, a solid 25 per cent saving.

The big selling point of the JBL Bar 1000MK2 is, of course, the wireless speakers, which can be taken to another room while the sound from your TV continues to play. The accompanying app lets you choose whether you'd like a stereo or mono downmix for these speakers while you're on the move.

However, the speakers can be used as regular surrounds, of course, or attached magnetically to the main soundbar to avoid clutter.

And let's not forget the 1000MK2's performance as a soundbar. We found the Dolby Atmos system delivers an exciting and reasonably detailed sound whatever the set-up, but it was most effective 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."

The Bar 1000MK2 has four HDMI sockets, made up of three inputs and an eARC output. There is no 4K/120Hz support for the gamers out there, but the HDMI passthrough supports signals up to 4K/60Hz as well as Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

If you're serious about sound, you might want to consider the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra, which delivers a more immersive overall audio experience and is currently on sale for £799. However, it does lack the Bar 1000MK2's wireless speaker party trick.

If you can't bear to miss a single minute of this year's World Cup, the JBL Bar 1000MK2 is the soundbar system for you. It delivers an exciting sound sure to make you feel like you're pitchside yourself, and the clever, versatile design means the action continues into other rooms. Now 25 per cent off at Peter Tyson.

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

Look, not everyone has enough money to spend $1099 on the Sonos Arc Ultra. But don't let that stop you buying another one of our best Dolby Atmos soundbars.

Right now, the five-star, What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Sonos Beam (Gen 2) has had its price slashed down to just $369 at Amazon. That’s a saving of $80 on the launch price and almost a third of the price of the Arc Ultra.

If the idea of warm, refined sound, streaming smarts and effective handling of Dolby Atmos is getting your audio juices flowing, take a look at this deal.

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) has been around for a while now (since October 2021, to be exact) so it’s not surprising to see a discount. But what you should know is that it’s still a wildly impressive soundbar, despite its age.

When the Gen 2 first launched, it impressed us by taking everything the original Beam had to offer, then adding genuinely convincing Dolby Atmos without changing the overall design or adding dedicated upward-firing drivers.

And it has continued to impress us, taking a What Hi-Fi? Award in 2025 as the best Dolby Atmos soundbar in its size and price categories.

The Gen 2 uses clever processing using psychoacoustic HRTF (head-related transfer function) technology to deliver a sense of height using two of the unit's five front-facing drivers.

So, if space and budget are limited, this is an affordable, all-in-one device of rare ability.

While Sonos has released the Sonos Ray and the Sonos Arc Ultra since, the Ray doesn't support Dolby Atmos, meaning the Beam Gen 2 is still the entry-level option if you want a Sonos with immersive 3D audio.

The Dolby Atmos is really the headline feature for the Beam Gen 2. It handles the format better than any similarly priced soundbar, producing spacious sound with good tracking of audio objects.

This being a Sonos product, you also get the ability to build a wireless multi-room system. You’ll need the (free) Sonos S2 app to get the most out of your purchase, and this also comes with access to Trueplay room calibration technology and a two-band EQ.

There is Wi-Fi onboard, though, which means you can also stream to the Beam Gen 2 from a handheld device using Apple AirPlay 2; Spotify Connect is built-in too.

Support for Amazon Music Ultra HD audio (for both the Beam Gen 2 and other Sonos models) is also now available and gives access to lossless 24-bit/48kHz tracks as well as Dolby Atmos Music.

For audio formats, the Beam Gen 2 supports stereo PCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos (both the Digital+ and TrueHD versions), multichannel PCM and Dolby Multichannel PCM.

Decoding for DTS digital surround has now been added to this and other Sonos products, although this doesn't extend to DTS:X.

In terms of sound, during testing, we paired the Beam Gen 2 with TVs ranging from 43 inches to 65 inches and confirmed that “it enhances the cinematic scale and viewing experience”.

As we say in our review verdict: “The Beam Gen 2 not only lives up to the high bar set by its predecessor but exceeds it by a margin that more than justifies its new feature set and higher cost.”

And it’s a higher cost no more, thanks to a whopping $80 off at Amazon.

MORE:

Read our full Sonos Beam Gen 2 review

And check out the best budget soundbars

As well as our list of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

I'm always on the hunt for good deals on the best soundbars and, I'll admit, they are pretty hard to come by. But, once in a while, a saving will pop up that surprises me.

Right now, the Sonos Arc Ultra is down to just £799 at Amazon, a £200 saving on its usual price. It's not quite the lowest price as it dropped to £719 on Cyber Monday – but that's a once a year sales event.

In our review we said the Arc is "the best soundbar you can currently buy" – and that was before the discount. But you'll have to be quick, as it's only a limited time deal.

The Sonos Arc Ultra is a five-star, What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Dolby Atmos soundbar.

It launched with high expectations, following in the footsteps of the original, and now legendary, Sonos Arc.

But, after years of speculation and rumours, the Ultra turned out to be exceptionally good. And while it looks very similar to its predecessor, there are some noteworthy differences.

It's slightly less thick, which means it is less likely to obstruct the bottom of your TV’s image, and it also has a ‘ledge’, which houses most of the soundbar's touch controls in a rather stylish way.

As has always been the case with Sonos soundbars, simplicity is at the fore. There's no remote or display – you simply connect it to your TV via HDMI eARC and you're ready to rock. While many find this to be an ideal setup, the Arc Ultra may seem limited to some, especially with no HDMI inputs nor DTS:X support.

It's worth overlooking these flaws though, especially when you consider how the Arc Ultra sounds.

Boasting a 9.1.4-channel configuration, up from the 5.0.2 arrangement of the original Arc, there are 15 Class D amplifiers powering 14 drivers.

There are also seven tweeters, six midrange woofers, and a ‘Sound Motion’ woofer. It's the last of those that really makes the difference.

In our review, we said: “The Sonos Arc Ultra is a hit. Perhaps contrary to expectations, it’s not vastly bassier than the original Arc, but its low end is significantly more controlled, tuneful and better defined. And that’s just the start of the improvements. It really is quite amazing how much more crisp, spacious, precise and detailed the Ultra sounds.”

This audio performance makes the Arc Ultra hard to beat, as well-suited to music as it is to movies.

So, if you're looking for a terrific all-rounder that ticks a lot of boxes, you'll want to grab this deal before it's gone – just £799 at Amazonfor a limited time.

MORE:

Read our full Sonos Arc Ultra 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

The best soundbars deliver room-filling sound and elevate any TV or movie-watching experience. But if you want even more room-filling sound, then you'll want one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.

With that in mind, let me suggest the JBL Bar 300MK2, which has just been discounted down to $350 at Amazon. That's an impressive $100 off its launch price, making it one of the best bargains in the world of soundbars at the moment.

And despite being a budget Dolby Atmos soundbar, it actually rivals the superior and more expensive Sonos Beam Gen 2. Get it now with 22 per cent off.

Soundbars are an excellent alternative for anyone looking to upgrade their TV's middling audio quality without taking up tons of space or costing as much as a multi-speaker system.

And, for those looking for an even more immersive experience, investing in a Dolby Atmos soundbar is the way to go, as it can create a precise yet expansive soundstage that is a huge improvement on your TV's sound.

The JBL Bar 300MK2 is a great example of why, with its wide soundstage and clear dialogue that will outperform the vast majority of TVs when it comes to audio.

When watching Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning during testing, the thrum of the helicopter rotor blades stretches into the room to a point just above the listening position. It doesn't go beyond where we are sitting, but we add that it "does an excellent job of filling the room between us and the screen."

The soundbar still manages to keep voices clear and precise, as each frequency slots into place and does not overwhelm the overall sound.

It's worth noting that while the JBL model still scores an impressive five stars, it does not quite beat the class-leading Sonos Beam Gen 2. But the Sonos model is sporting a more expensive price tag, with the best price being $499 from Amazon at the moment.

So, if you are looking for a top-notch Atmos soundbar and are on a budget, the JBL Bar 300MK2 is an excellent pick, especially at $350 from Amazon.

MORE:

This is our full JBL Bar 300MK2 review

Check out the Sonos Beam Gen 2 review

And these are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars right now

Bose has a new soundbar. The Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is part of Bose's new Lifestyle Collection, and bears the same Ultra moniker as the brand's wireless headphones.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) and QC Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) have fared very well against some stiff competition. It'll be fascinating to see if the new Bose Ultra soundbar can do the same.

It will have its work cut out. Standing between it and home cinema glory is the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra.

We've only been hands-on with the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar at this stage, so we're comparing them based only on our initial impressions and the all-important features and specs. Let's get started.

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar vs Sonos Arc Ultra: price

There's really not much to choose between these two soundbars in terms of price.

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar costs £1000 / $1099 / AU$1800, while the Sonos Arc Ultra is £999 / $999 / AU$1799.

But that's not the full story.

The Sonos has been out for over 18 months now, and so is more prone to discounts. Most recently, it had £150 off, for example. So we'll give this round to Sonos.

** Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra **

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar vs Sonos Arc Ultra: design

Making a soundbar look attractive is no mean feat, so Bose should be applauded – its new 'bar looks genuinely different to any other.

That's mostly thanks to the sleek glass top that stretches out across a good proportion of the unit. It's not a glorified coffee table, but a home for the touch-sensitive controls.

Now admittedly not many people are going to get up off the sofa to change the volume by sliding their finger around the inner edge, but it's nice to have the option.

Either side of this are the up-firing drivers, which shoot sound up at 90 degrees to add a sense of height to the audio. As with all up-firing soundbars, it does limit your placement options – stick it under a shelf, and the sound will fire point blank into the shelf.

These are joined by four ‘racetrack’ drivers and two Bose PhaseGuide drivers, which use processing to more widely disperse sound. These are all housed in a textured-knit fabric that, like the Sonos, comes in either black or white.

You can wall-mount the Bose, but the wall mount costs extra.

It's a little smaller and heavier than the Sonos Arc Ultra – the former measures up at 6.7 x 111 x 12.5cm (hwd) while the Sonos is 7.5 x 118 x 11cm.

The Arc Ultra also features touch-sensitive buttons on top, though these are situated on the ledge at the back. It's not quite as sleek as Bose's implementation.

It too has a fabric grille which looks and feels pretty premium, as you would want it to at this price.

For its innovative styling, we're giving this round to Bose for now. But we reserve the right to change our minds once we've had a good look at it in our test rooms.

** Winner: Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar **

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar vs Sonos Arc Ultra: features

These are both high-end soundbars, so as you'd imagine, they're full of features.

Bose's has two QuietPorts on the back – these promise deep and controlled low frequencies with minimal distortion. The only physical connections are an ethernet port and an HDMI eARC socket – like the Sonos, there are no HDMI 2.1 inputs.

You do get plenty of wireless options, though. As well as Bluetooth 5.3 and wi-fi, you get Google Cast, Apple AirPlay and Spotify Connect. Tidal Connect is missing at launch, but we're assured it will arrive at some point. The Arc Ultra does support Tidal Connect, but not Google Cast.

Both 'bars support Dolby Atmos, which will be made more immersive by their up-firing drivers. Neither supports DTS or DTS:X. This format is less common than Dolby Atmos but it's an absence all the same.

Both have room calibration tech for optimising the sound to your surroundings. Bose CustomTune and Sonos Trueplay use the microphone on your phone to analyse your room's dimensions, surfaces and furniture placement to adjust the audio accordingly. Both work on iOS and Android devices.

They both use their company's respective apps, too. The Bose app is more intuitive than it used to be, and lets you tweak the sound. There's no remote control, so you'll find yourself using the app quite a bit.

Sonos' app has had its troubles, but is now much better than it was – and the company is vocal about the fact it's prioritising improvements.

Both soundbars support voice controls, including Amazon Alexa, and the Sonos pairs nicely with the Sonos Ace headphones to give you dynamic headtracking – you just 'swap' the audio from the 'bar to the cans.

Given the quality of Bose's wireless headphones, it's a shame the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar doesn't partner with them.

** Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra **

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar vs Sonos Arc Ultra: sound

What do they offer in terms of sound quality?

As we haven't tested the Bose yet, we can't give a verdict, but we did go 'ears-on' with it at a briefing.

A sandstorm from the movie Dune proved suitably enveloping, with the 'bar spreading the audio across the sound field convincingly.

We didn't hear any signs of distortion at high volumes, and when the scene switches to calm, it did a good job of communicating the change of pace.

We also watched a scene from Ray to test the Speech Clarity mode. It turned dialogue from a mumble to being "lifted out of the hustle and bustle of the effects around it, with the edges of words a little clearer and better defined," as we said at the time.

It also impressed as part of a 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos system, paired with the Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer and Lifestyle Ultra Speakers as surrounds. But we were only able to have a quick listen at the event – it's no substitute for hearing it in our test rooms.

The Arc Ultra has some impressive specs (9.1.4-channel configuration, 15 Class D amplifiers powering 14 drivers), and as an Award winner, it sounds just as impressive as you would imagine. A "crackingly musical soundbar" we concluded in our Sonos Arc Ultra review.

Tool’s Invincible is bristling with energy and excitement, making for a very engaging listen. But it's even better at conveying movie audio.

Chapter two of Blade Runner 2049 is a good test of bass, and it's a test that the Arc Ultra passes with flying colours, delivering plenty of weight and an impressive amount of control. The bass is "tight, tuneful and expressive in a way that is rare in the soundbar world".

Spatially, it's excellent. Effects sound like they're coming from all around you, and are placed with precision, while certain sounds (like rain) stretch far beyond the confines of the TV to which the soundbar is connected.

And there's plenty of detail without it ever sounding forced – it's delivered naturally, which adds to the sense of realism.

Suffice to say, Bose has its work cut out to compete with what this Sonos can offer.

** Winner: TBC **

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar vs Sonos Arc Ultra: early verdict

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar certainly looks impressive.

It's very easy on the eye, and – while a bit less feature-stacked than Sonos' flagship – it offers plenty to get your teeth into. As ever for us, it will all hinge on how it sounds.

On that front, the Arc Ultra is the soundbar to beat. As it's been out for a while now, it's also discounted during most big sales. Your move, Bose...

We'll update this article once we've fully reviewed the new Bose soundbar.

MORE:

Read our Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar hands-on review

And our Sonos Arc Ultra review

The best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy

With any luck, everyone knows by now that even the best-sounding TVs sound pretty rubbish by home cinema standards.

But we don't all have the space, budget or patience for a full system comprising an AV receiver, speaker package and the cables required to wire everything up.

In truth, even the super-popular soundbar systems that typically combine a bar, a wireless subwoofer and two wireless surrounds (the Samsung HW-Q990H, for example) are “too many boxes” for many people.

So, what’s the solution for those who’ve forked out for a gorgeous, premium TV and want equally gorgeous sound without all of the boxes and/or cables?

The premium solo soundbar, that’s what. In fact, that’s exactly the problem that the soundbar was originally designed to solve.

These days, a premium soundbar is a very sophisticated bit of kit that typically combines svelte styling with effective Dolby Atmos processing for movies and games, plus music streaming, simple operation, and the option to add additional speakers further down the line.

Here, we’re pitching four such soundbars against one another.

The benchmark is the Sonos Arc Ultra – the successor to the multi-Award-winning Arc and now an Award-winner in its own right.

This is a soundbar that really nails the confluence of simplicity and sound quality, and, being a Sonos product, the Arc Ultra also functions as a multi-room speaker for music.

The Sonos Arc Ultra and Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 have met before, albeit in slightly different circumstances, with the Sony priced much higher.

These days, you can usually get it for the same price as the Sonos, making the head-to-head far hotter, especially as the Bar 9 has features that the Arc Ultra does not, such as DTS:X support and HDMI passthrough.

This isn’t a head-to-head test, though: two newer soundbars are looking to disrupt the Sonos vs Sony scuffle.

The first of those is the very fancy LG Sound Suite H7. As the name suggests, this is a component in LG’s new Sound Suite family of speakers, but it’s also a Sonos Arc Ultra-rivalling soundbar in its own right.

Finally, but most unusually, we have the JBL Bar 1000MK2, which, as you may have spotted, isn’t really a solo soundbar.

However, we’ve decided to include it here as the ability to connect the surround speakers to the main bar means it can function as a solo bar – albeit one that also comes with a subwoofer.

Which of these premium soundbars deserves the spot beneath your lovely TV? Let Dolby Atmos battle commence!

Picking a winner

Each of these premium soundbars proves that you don’t need a stack of separates and a room full of speakers to get genuinely enjoyable cinematic sound from your TV.

Of course, they all tackle that challenge in slightly different ways.

The JBL leans into flexibility and sheer spectacle, the LG focuses on design and cutting-edge tech, the Sony majors on immersion and detail, and the Sonos aims to blend simplicity, sophistication and sonic excellence into one sleek package.

4. LG Sound Suite H7

All four are good products in their own right, but there is a clear hierarchy here, and in fourth place is the LG Sound Suite H7.

The H7 is certainly an interesting proposition. Its styling is refreshingly different from the norm, and those who own a compatible LG TV will appreciate the way it integrates visually and functionally with the screen. It’s also packed with features, including Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, which will be a real boon if you decide to expand your system in the future.

There’s no denying, either, that the H7 sounds impressive out of the blocks. It goes loud, delivers plenty of bass weight and throws effects around the room enthusiastically enough to create a decent sense of scale.

Ultimately, though, it lacks the refinement and subtlety of the best soundbars here. Dynamics are a little blunt, detail levels aren’t especially high, and there’s a hardness to its delivery that can become fatiguing over longer listening sessions. Dolby Atmos effects are present, but they don’t knit together cohesively enough to fully convince.

It’s a decent soundbar, then, but against this level of competition, decent simply isn’t enough.

Read the full LG Sound Suite H7 review

3. JBL Bar 1000MK2

Third place goes to the JBL Bar 1000MK2 – and this one is perhaps the trickiest to judge.

Strictly speaking, it’s not really a solo soundbar at all, thanks to the inclusion of a wireless subwoofer and detachable surround speakers. But because those surrounds can be physically attached to the main unit, we felt it deserved a place in this test – and we’re glad we included it.

There’s no question that the JBL delivers the biggest and most overtly cinematic presentation here. With the surrounds deployed, it creates an impressively expansive soundfield, and the dedicated subwoofer gives action scenes a level of low-end heft that the true solo bars simply can’t match.

It’s a hugely entertaining listen, too, with a bold, energetic character that makes blockbuster movies enormous fun.

The problem is that it’s not the most nuanced or controlled performer on test. Bass can occasionally become overbearing, subtle details are sometimes overshadowed by sheer bombast, and musicality isn’t really its strong suit. In stereo music playback, particularly, the Sonos and Sony sound noticeably more balanced, cohesive and sophisticated.

If your priority is maximum home cinema impact with minimum hassle, the JBL remains a very appealing option. But as an all-round premium soundbar package, it falls short of the class leaders.

Read the full JBL Bar 1000MK2 review

2. Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

Which brings us to the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9.

When this soundbar first launched, its pricing made it difficult to recommend wholeheartedly, but now that it can regularly be found for around the same money as the Sonos Arc Ultra, it becomes a much stronger proposition.

And it really is an excellent soundbar. Sony has managed to produce an impressively spacious and immersive presentation from a single bar, with Dolby Atmos effects projected with remarkable precision. Its sense of verticality is particularly convincing, and it fills a room with sound more effectively than almost any rival.

It’s detailed and dynamic, too, with crisp dialogue, excellent placement of effects and plenty of punch when movie soundtracks demand it. The inclusion of HDMI passthrough and DTS:X support also gives it a useful edge in the features department.

Ultimately, though, while the Sony is deeply impressive, it doesn’t quite achieve the same all-round balance and naturalness as the Sonos. There are moments where its presentation becomes just a touch forward or forceful, and while it sounds spectacular with movies, it’s not quite as consistently musical or cohesive across all content types.

Read the full Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 review

1. Sonos Arc Ultra

The Sonos Arc Ultra nails the brief.

It delivers Dolby Atmos with scale, precision and convincing height effects, but it never loses sight of subtlety or cohesion in the pursuit of spectacle. Dialogue is crystal clear, effects are expertly placed, and there’s an openness and spaciousness to the presentation that makes movie soundtracks utterly engrossing.

Crucially, it’s also the most musical soundbar here. Whether you’re watching films, gaming or simply streaming music, the Sonos sounds balanced, expressive and refined in a way that its rivals can’t quite match.

The lack of HDMI passthrough will be an annoyance for some, and the Sonos app isn’t quite back to its slick best yet, but many buyers are unlikely to bother with the app after initial setup and the superb performance of the Arc Ultra far outweighs those relatively minor niggles.

The Sonos Arc Ultra will surely be beaten one day – but today isn’t that day.

Read the full Sonos Arc Ultra review

When it comes to the best soundbars we've ever tested, there's one that stands out in the compact category – the Creative Stage Pro.

We only reviewed this model in February, but quickly found the soundbar and subwoofer combination surprisingly potent for TV use and incredibly affordable.

And almost unbelievably, it's back down to its lowest-ever price of just £113 at Amazon. That's a cool 13 per cent off for a dinky soundbar that delivers a surprisingly cinematic audio performance.

The Creative Stage Pro is an unexpected soundbar from a brand best known for its computer accessories.

But, while Creative's entry may be small, it's ready to compete with the big-hitting brands such as Sonos, Sony and Samsung. In fact, the Creative Stage Pro has quickly found a place amongst our best budget soundbars list and the best soundbars we've tested.

Consisting of a main soundbar that measures 8 x 55 x 11cm (hwd) and a slender subwoofer that comes in at 42 x 12 x 27cm, the Creative model is incredibly compact. And that forms one of its biggest selling points, tucking in neatly under a desk if you plan on pairing the system with a PC.

In terms of connectivity, the soundbar features HDMI ARC, optical, USB Type-C and 3.5mm auxiliary inputs. Bluetooth 5.3 is on board, too, with support for the A2DP and AVRCP profiles. There is no support for wi-fi streaming from the likes of Tidal, Spotify or Apple Music, though.

But, how does it sound? In our full review, our expert testers said: "We’ll lay our cards on the table here; our expectations going into the Stage Pro were fairly low. A soundbar as affordable and basic as this on paper doesn’t inspire oodles of confidence, and yet we’re quickly corrected when we actually get to hear how this bar performs.

"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."

And listening to music also produces an enjoyable experience that's underpinned by a pin-sharp sense of timing and impressively clean vocals.

But our experts did caution that the sound is pretty localised to the bar, with it struggling to push the sound out to deliver a truly immersive experience.

Considering its low price tag, though, it's still a great choice that we're happy to recommend for those looking for good audio quality. And for just £113 at Amazon, that recommendation just got even easier.

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

We're big fans of the KEF XIO. Not only did we give KEF's first soundbar a What Hi-Fi? Award, but our Editor-in-Chief recommended purchasing the XIO on Black Friday even though it wasn't discounted.

Well, I'm pleased to report the KEF XIO sales drought is over. You can currently get the KEF XIO for £1799 at Peter Tyson, netting you a nice saving of £200.

Please bear in mind that this is a cashback deal, meaning you'll pay the full £1999 before claiming £200 back directly from KEF. Full T&Cs can be found here.

We appreciate that this is still a premium price, but you'll be rewarded with a premium performance. As our Editor-in-Chief said: "If you’re looking for the best possible audio from a Dolby Atmos soundbar and aren't interested in expanding to a system, let alone a full-fat multi-speaker 5.1.2 setup, just buy the KEF XIO."

After months of testing the XIO and several of its rivals, our expert review team is convinced that the KEF XIO is the one to get if you want the best audio possible from a single-box soundbar. So much so that we give it five stars, a 2025 Award and the premium spot in our best Dolby Atmos soundbars guide.

While there are cheaper soundbars that might offer better value, from a purely performance-based perspective, the KEF XIO is the current benchmark.

"KEF says that it wants the soundbar to effectively act as a hi-fi package wrapped up in one product, and it has achieved that," our KEF XIO review reads. "Put simply, it is one of the best soundbars we have heard."

Low-end performance is tight and agile, while the overall sound is detailed, precise, and, to put it simply, exciting.

KEF has said that the XIO is designed to excel with music as well as movies, a duality that most soundbars struggle with.

The KEF XIO achieves this with ease, though – listening to Radiohead’s Codex, voices sound natural while the bass and midrange meld together well. We feel like the XIO can easily serve as a standalone music system, unlike most soundbars.

There's no shortage of music streaming options, including Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Amazon Music, Qobuz, Deezer and, of course, through a smartphone via Bluetooth.

Physical connections include HDMI 2.1 eARC, optical and USB.

For serious movie and audio enthusiasts, the KEF XIO is quite simply the best experience possible for home cinema immersion. If you're not quite that dedicated, you may want to consider the Sonos Arc Ultra, itself a fine soundbar that is half the cost of the XIO.

If you are a cinephile, though, you might want to take advantage of this cashback offer while it lasts. KEF has stood firm on the pricing of the XIO so far, so there's no telling when or if there'll be a better deal on the best premium soundbar option, now £1799 at Peter Tyson.

MORE:

Also consider the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

Read our Samsung HW-Q990H review

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

Surround sound systems come in practically every shape and size these days, but there's one modern alternative that we've seen sweep the world of home cinema.

We are, of course, talking about wireless soundbar systems. Bose has just unveiled its Ultra Lifestyle soundbar, subwoofer and wireless speakers, and it joins the likes of Sonos, LG, Sony, Yamaha and Samsung in offering an ecosystem of home audio products that can work together to essentially create a proper surround sound experience.

While they vary in quality – we've recently raved about Samsung's superb HW-Q990H, while LG's Sound Suite system didn't quite hit the mark – there's no doubting they are super popular, convenient, and effective ways to achieve surround sound without filling your living room with bulky floorstanding speakers.

We're even seeing companies get creative with their soundbar systems. Majority recently impressed us with its pint-sized Bowfell Halo Atmos system, and Hisense scored a coveted What Hi-Fi? Award with its superbly affordable AX5125H package.

While they won't suit everyone, and a true surround sound speaker package will always win in terms of delivering proper cinematic sound, there are plenty of great options around, and it's reminding us of a previous home cinema audio trend.

A full surround sound system in a box isn't a new phenomenon; in fact, they were all the rage in the early 2010s. Samsung, Panasonic, LG and many more used to sell a whole home cinema in a box, combining a DVD or Blu-ray player alongside a compact wired 5.1 speaker set, unlocking surround sound for the masses without the need for an AV receiver.

Our review of the Panasonic SC-BTT590 from back in 2012 highlights how capable these systems once were. We complimented this system, saying "the handover between speakers is smooth, making for a convincing surround sound".

Stretching even further back to 2010 with the Award-winning Sony BDV-E370, which featured an "easy, idiot-proof set-up" and speakers that "deliver surprising scale and power".

These nifty, streamlined systems were made to combine cinematic sound with plug-and-play convenience, which sounds like a very similar objective to the soundbar systems we're seeing today.

The biggest difference between the home cinema in a box systems of old and the current soundbar packages is the inclusion of a Blu-ray player that once acted as a hub to drive these speakers.

That's to be expected in a world dominated by streaming and massively improved wireless audio protocols, but being the physical media advocates that we are, it's a shame nonetheless.

But it's not all doom and gloom. Sonos, Bose, LG and Sony all take a modular approach, allowing you to connect surround speakers and subwoofers as you see fit, and most of these companies offer components at different price points.

More customisation and different speaker configurations mean you can essentially build a surround sound package that better suits your needs and budgets, which is always a plus.

Sony, in particular, has welcomed this approach with open arms, as it now offers five different optional subwoofers and three different types of wireless sound speakers.

So, are soundbar systems secretly just a revival of one of the 2010s ' best home cinema trends? We think they're more of a spiritual successor with the same mission statement in mind: save people from their TV speakers by bringing simple, effective cinematic sound to the masses.

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

As well as the best surround sound systems

And find the best soundbar deals here

If you are looking for a soundbar system, one of the names you will keep seeing in your search is Samsung. And that's for good reason, as it has delivered plenty of strong contenders to our test room over the years.

And one of the top-performing models comes in the form of the Samsung HW-Q990F, which holds a place on our best soundbars guide. The soundbar system consists of a main soundbar, wireless subwoofer and two surround speakers.

But the newest version of the bar, the Samsung HW-Q990H has now leaped onto the scene. We put the two systems head to head in our test room, so we know how they compare. Let's see which model is the overall winner…

Samsung HW-Q990F vs HW-Q990H: price

The Samsung Q990H launched at £1599 / $2000 / AU$1999, placing it in the high-end soundbar category. It’s still a new addition to the market so we don’t expect any notable discounts just yet, but these are likely to come later down the line.

We can say that with a reasonable certainty, as that’s what happened with the Samsung Q990F. It launched at £1699 / $1999 / AU$1999, which is slightly more pricey in the UK and the US than its successor.

Since its release, the system has seen significant discounts and is regularly available for around £999 in the UK.

That means that, although the Q990H launched at a lower price initially, the Q990F’s cheaper price tag now makes it the winner in this category.

**Winner: Samsung HW-Q990F**

Samsung HW-Q990F vs HW-Q990H: design

Side by side, you would be hard-pressed to tell the two soundbar systems apart. Both of the main soundbars measure 7 x 123 x 14cm (hwd) and weigh in at 7.3kg.

You’ll find a selection of buttons on top to change source, mute the onboard microphones and adjust the volume, with a dot-matrix display on the front displaying corresponding information.

The subwoofer with both models is a cube measuring 25 x 25 x 25cm and weighing 8.3kg. Finally, the surround speakers are also the same, featuring a boxy, angular design that includes a handy cable channel on the bottom edge. They also carry identical dimensions, measuring 20 x 13 x 14cm.

Both are well-built and feel premium with everything constructed from aluminium or a sturdy, high-quality plastic. But overall the design is starting to get a little tired, especially considering the previous Q990D and Q990C models look practically identical.

The brand bundles a remote with functions to change the input, sound mode and EQ for the system, as well as adjusting the subwoofer level.

There’s not much to compare here as they are basically twins, so it has to be a tie.

**Winner: draw**

Samsung HW-Q990F vs HW-Q990H: features

It’s a familiar story when it comes to the features. Both Samsung systems offer an 11.1.4 channel configuration, with an impressive total of 23 individual drivers on board. This includes 15 drivers in the main soundbar, three in each of the wireless surround speakers, and two 8-inch woofers (in a push/pull configuration) in the wireless subwoofer.

Both the soundbars and surround speakers feature upward-firing drivers, which brings us neatly onto the immersive sound formats that the systems support.

They both support three immersive-audio formats: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Samsung’s Eclipsa Audio. The last of those hasn’t been adopted by any other services aside from YouTube so far, but it’s nice to be future-proofed in case that changes.

To adjust settings for both systems, the Samsung SmartThings app is on hand to help. With both bars, we find this is the preferred way of interacting with the settings menus, thanks to the snappy connection and easy-to-understand menus.

You can also control your source from this app, including music streamed wirelessly to the system. Both the Q990F and Q990H support Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Tidal Connect and Bluetooth; they are even Roon-compatible.

But what about physical connectivity? The soundbar has three HDMI sockets in total. This includes an HDMI eARC for connecting to your TV, alongside 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 (a nice touch, as Samsung TVs don't support Dolby Vision).

Samsung’s SpaceFit Sound Pro feature, which is essentially this soundbar’s calibration system, is also present in both bars. The optional feature utilises the built-in microphones to constantly monitor and adjust the soundbar and subwoofer to accommodate your viewing space.

There are four sound modes with each bar: Standard, Surround, Game and AI Adaptive. With both soundbars, Surround mode is the best for movies and TV shows, as the wider sound field means all components hang together in a more sonically cohesive way. Standard is our preferred preset for music, as it features minimal processing and a more focused sound.

One of the few differences here between the two bars is the Q990H’s inclusion of Samsung’s new Sound Elevation feature. This is designed to raise the audio upwards to match the position of your screen.

Samsung hasn’t given a clear indication of how it determines where to place the audio, and for us it seems to overshoot slightly, placing the sound towards the top edge of our reference TV. This setting may appeal more to those who wall-mount their TV and leave a gap between it and their soundbar.

On top of that, Q Symphony – in which your Samsung TV’s speakers work in tandem with the system – is also supported.

Although the Q990H offers the new Sound Elevation feature, it is not impactful enough to sway the result, so we are once again looking at a tie.

**Winner: draw**

Samsung HW-Q990F vs HW-Q990H: sound

Both soundbar systems are five-star performers, delivering a rich and engaging sound that is a huge improvement on the vast majority of TV speakers.

Vocals sound natural and detailed while carrying plenty of subtle inflexion. With the Samsung Q990H, this system manages to unearth subtler sonic nuances, which results in a slightly more natural sound than the Q990F. It’s not a night-and-day difference, but the newest model is the slightly better performer in this area.

The Q990H continues just to get the edge on its predecessor when it comes to height effects. When watching Chapter 2 of Blade Runner 2049 with the two models, both place the sound of the holographic announcements near Officer K’s apartment with excellent precision. But the newer model takes this even further than the Q990F, offering a greater sense of accuracy and spaciousness.

Continuing with Bladerunner 2049, both soundbars show off their excellent bass performance. With the famously tricky chapter two sequence, both systems deliver rich and powerful bass sounds that are controlled and dynamic, as we gain a sense of mounting tension as K approaches the police precinct.

But how do the two bars perform with music? With both systems, most, if not all, of the positive attributes from our movie testing are present and correct for music. We play a range of tracks, and the Q990F and Q990H both offer a clear-cut sense of timing and rhythmic drive. Vocals continue to sound clear and emotive, while instruments have depth and texture.

While they are both excellent-sounding systems, Samsung’s subtle upgrades to the HW-Q990H make it the better of the two soundbars.

**Winner: Samsung HW-Q990H**

Samsung HW-Q990F vs HW-Q990H: verdict

Each Samsung system is very well matched in design and features, offering ample surround sound options and a sturdy build.

The Samsung Q990F is a top-performing system when it comes to audio, but the Q990H takes everything we love about the previous generation and delivers it with even more nuance, detail and scale.

The Q990H is the more expensive option right now, but we expect the price to drop soon, as we have seen with its predecessor. If your budget cannot stretch to the newest model, however, the Q990F is still an excellent-sounding alternative.

**Overall winner: Samsung HW-Q990H**

MORE:

Check out our full review of the Samsung HW-Q990H

And here is our Samsung HW-Q990F review

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

The highly rated Sonos Arc Ultra is discounted to £999 at Amazon. On sheer sound quality, it is our top soundbar recommendation.

But, if you own a Sony TV or are a serious gamer, don’t buy it!

Instead, you should go for the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9. Thankfully you can snap it up also for just £999 at Amazon. That’s a 17% saving on the launch price of £1399.

The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 is one of the best soundbars we have tested – we gave it a What Hi-Fi? Award in 2024 to cement that fact.

While there’s stiff competition from non-Sony rivals, namely the Sonos Arc Ultra which right now is also priced at £999, there are many ways in which the Theatre Bar 9 is the better choice.

One such way is the inclusion of an HDMI 2.1 input, which many rivals such as the Sonos Arc Ultra lack. Most TVs have only two HDMI 2.1 inputs, and when you plug in your soundbar, you are taking one of those up and leaving just one for your current-gen console or gaming PC.

With the Theatre Bar 9, though, you are getting a dedicated HDMI 2.1 input and support for 4K/120H, VRR and ALLM – a solid feature for gaming fans.

Beside that, the Theatre Bar 9 is a great soundbar in its own right. It has a sophisticated 13-driver configuration, four front-firing woofers working alongside three standard tweeters and two beam tweeters.

This arrangement is complemented by side-firing speakers on each end and two up-firing drivers, creating Sony’s signature 360 Spatial Sound Mapping experience.

All this leads to sound that is exceptionally crisp and precise, and the Atmos-ability of its delivery is hugely impressive for a standalone ’bar.

In our full review, we say: “The soundbar’s rhythmic and spatial organisation is second to none in this category, with every instrumental and vocal layer afforded space to breathe while clearly maintaining its tether to the whole.”

The Bravia Theatre Bar 9 can handle both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X 3D sound formats. You can also send music using Spotify Connect, AirPlay and Bluetooth 5.2 – though Tidal Connect is not supported.

Ultimately, the Theatre Bar 9 is an exceptional soundbar that should be considered alongside the Sonos Arc Ultra, depending on what you’re looking for.

If you own a Sony TV, there is some great synergy between the two that can be explored even further with this excellent deal, just £999 at Amazon.

MORE:

These are the best soundbars we have reviewed

We rate the best surround sound systems

Our picks of the best projectors

Over the years, tech giant Sony has delivered its fair share of five-star soundbars. From the wallet-friendly Sony HT-SF150 to the more premium Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 (which holds a spot in our best soundbars guide), the brand has plenty to offer.

So it was with high hopes that we came to review one of its latest offerings: the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S. This is a soundbar and subwoofer combo that comes in at £799 / $1100 (around AU$1510).

While you can buy the soundbar on its own, we recommend spending a little extra for the combined package (for reasons you will understand soon).

The two products deliver a 5.1.2-channel configuration, and offer both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support.

But what did we learn from our hours of listening to the soundbar package in our dedicated test room? Well, spoiler alert, but it’s an absolute delight that spices up our listening experience for both music and movies. Let’s take a look at what makes it so great and the two challenges it faces.

Convincing Dolby Atmos presentation

The least we expect from a soundbar is that it outperforms the majority of TV speakers in terms of dialogue clarity and immersion. The Sony system delivers on this and then some.

Vocals are clear yet emotive, and should be a welcome addition for those struggling to catch every word of dialogue.

But one of the most impressive aspects of the Sony package is its immersive and convincing Dolby Atmos effects. This is prevalent when watching Top Gun Maverick where the soundbar stretches the height effects above the TV screen as a jet soars into the atmosphere.

There’s a good level of precision with the plane, as you can pinpoint its position from the audio alone as it moves through the sky.

This impressive display continues with the width of the soundstage, as Tom Cruise whizzes across the desert from the right side of the screen to the left on his trusty motorcycle. We say in the review: “You can hear the bike move across the space in a way that matches the movement on the screen.”

That all creates an immersive experience that makes for fun viewing. It doesn’t create the full dome of Atmos sound, but that is a near-impossible task for a soundbar at this price.

Tight, precise bass

Another aspect that adds to the sense of energy is the well-handled bass from the subwoofer.

When we first plug in the package without any adjustments, we find, in our test room, that the bass is slightly lacking. So we crank it up from the default 0 to 2 via the Bravia Connect app; and we are now treated to a balanced but punchy bass.

The lower frequencies never stand out as abrupt or overzealous, however, and everything is kept in check with the rest of the sound.

We listen to the soundbar on its own and, although it still offers clear vocals and convincing surround sound, it is missing the extra zap of energy that makes the combination such a winner. The sub and soundbar sound as though they are tuned to work together, which is why we dub the overall system a “match made in heaven” in our review.

Neat design

While the sound quality is of course our main concern, it would be naive to think that looks do not play a part. After all, this set-up needs to blend into your viewing space with enough room to fit just under your TV screen.

The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S ticks both of these boxes in our test room, offering a sleek design that is hard to fault. The front of the bar is covered with a cloth grille that gives it a stylish look.

On top of that, the soundbar measures 95cm wide and just 6cm high, so it fits neatly under our 55-inch TV screen.

The subwoofer measures 36 x 35 x 13cm (hwd) so can neatly and fairly discreetly be tucked next to your TV stand.

There is also an extra element of flexibility that comes with the subwoofer. You can use it in two different positions, with the grille facing either the listener or the side of the room. We try it in each configuration, but there is not much of a difference in presentation. It ultimately depends on what arrangement works for you.

No display

Despite the practical design, there is a key aspect missing that we are a little disappointed not to see.

You will not find a display on the soundbar, and there are no physical buttons either. That makes it tricky to navigate the settings without the accompanying Bravia Connect app.

There is still a small remote control, which lets you control the power, input, bass levels, volume and turn on Night mode. But that lack of display makes it hard to decipher whether it has registered your adjustments via the app or the remote control.

Up against a big competitor

The Sony soundbar manages to deliver a five-star performance, but it is up against tough competition. This comes in the form of the indomitable Sonos Arc Ultra, a single bar that scored a What Hi-Fi? Award last year and holds the title of the best soundbar overall in our guide.

It is more expensive than the Sony system, costing £999 / $999 / AU$1799, but it is still a top challenger to the new entrant.

The Sonos Arc Ultra blew us away when we had it in our test room, delivering spacious and three-dimensional sound as well as a deep, tuneful bass.

We put the two soundbars head to head and find in our review: “The Sonos offers a richer overall sound with warmer vocals that have more character than the Sony. But the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 and subwoofer combo delivers a more precise sound that feels more agile in comparison.”

Their different designs are also worth taking into account. The Sonos model is considerably larger than its rival (7.5 x 118 x 11cm versus the Sony’s 6.4 x 95 x 13cm). That means the Bar 7 might well be a better fit for smaller living spaces.

Both bars are top performers, but the Arc Ultra just manages to edge its rival, thanks to its more characterful audio. If your budget cannot stretch to the Arc Ultra, though, the Sony subwoofer and soundbar combo is a great option for less money.

MORE:

Read our full review of the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Here is our Sonos Arc Ultra review

The price of the Samsung HW-Q990F has been on a bit of a rollercoaster since it was released a year ago. It launched at an eye-watering £1699, so we were very happy to see it drop to a little below £800 in the Black Friday and Christmas sales.

But never has it dropped as low as £769, which is the price it's now on sale for at Amazon. That's a seriously good price given its five-star Award-winner status.

We love its “crisp and engaging sound and a whole new level of bass performance”, which means we have no reservations recommending it, especially now it can be yours for significantly less than half its original price.

The Samsung HW-Q990F is a five-star system made up of a soundbar, a subwoofer, and two surround speakers, stepping up the quality from the already five-star Q990D.

It’s an 11.1.4 system with 23 drivers across the bar, surrounds and subwoofer. That’s 15 drivers in the main soundbar, three drivers in each of the surround-sound units, and dual 20cm force-cancelling drivers in the subwoofer, which features a claimed 300W power output.

And all of this helps with sound quality, which our expert testers praise in our review, specifically when it comes to the redesigned subwoofer: “There is a much greater sense of tonal variation from this sub, 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.”

Much smaller than the old model, the subwoofer makes all the difference, allowing for a more dynamic and engaging performance when it comes to scenes with heavy low-end effects.

In terms of connectivity, there are HDMI eARC and optical ports to handle audio transmission from your TV, while the additional two HDMI sockets serve as passthrough ports. Each is rated to the HDMI 2.1 standard, with support for up to 4K/120Hz signals plus HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.

Despite its fairly eye-watering price at launch, there have been a fair few discounts, and right now, this entire package can be yours for just £769 at Amazon.

MORE:

Read our full Samsung HW-Q990F 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

Building a family of great-sounding home audio products that can be used in isolation or together as a system is a tricky task. Bose will be hoping its new Lifestyle Collection can succeed where many have tried and failed.

Consisting of a Dolby Atmos soundbar, wireless subwoofer and wireless speaker, the new range was demonstrated at a special press preview where we could see and hear what it has to offer.

During the event, we got some hands-on time with the flagship Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar. We were able to hear it both in isolation and with the rest of the family in a full-blown Dolby Atmos surround sound system. Here are our initial thoughts.

Price

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is priced at £1000 / €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 a little 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 online.

Design

It’s fair to say that soundbars don’t tend to be the most attractive pieces of tech. Credit to Bose, though – it has done a good job trying to elevate the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar’s appearance above the long plastic rectangles we tend to see dominating the category.

The ’bar is covered in a textured-knit fabric (available in either black or the white smoke finish, above), which feels relatively premium and is nice to the touch.

Stretching out across the ’bar is an attractive, sleek glass top, built into which is a circular touch-sensitive control panel. This allows you to control music playback and volume via a combination of tapping and sliding your finger around the inner edge clockwise (volume up) ot anti-clockwise (volume down).

That glass top stops short of the edges of the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar because it needs to leave room for its full-range up-firing drivers to do their work.

There’s one of these at either end of the bar, firing 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 ‘racetrack’ drivers (the far left and right ones are full-range) and two of Bose’s PhaseGuide drivers, which use special processing to spread sound to areas where there aren’t actually any speakers.

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) to deliver low frequencies in a deep, controlled way with minimal distortion.

The soundbar’s dimensions are 6.7 x 111 x 12.5cm (hwd), and it tips the scales at just less than 7kg. For comparison, the Sonos Arc Ultra is a little bigger, measuring 7.5 x 118 x 11cm although it’s also a little lighter at 6kg.

For our demonstration, the Bose was used with a 75-inch flatscreen TV, but it would look equally at home with a 65-inch or 55-inch model. It can be wall-mounted, although the mount itself is optional and costs £34 / €39 / $49 / AU$69.

Features

Physical connections are limited to ethernet and a single, eARC-compatible HDMI socket. It’s a shame Bose hasn’t seen fit to include any additional HDMI 2.1 inputs – the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 includes one, although the Sonos Arc Ultra doesn’t.

Wi-fi is onboard, and streaming comes via Google Cast, Apple AirPlay or Spotify Connect. The soundbar also supports Bluetooth 5.3. Tidal Connect isn’t supported by the soundbar (or Lifestyle Ultra Speaker) at launch, but we have been assured that it’s in the pipeline.

To set the bar up, you’ll need to head into the Bose app, which has been given an overhaul to make things more intuitive, with fewer button presses required to get up and running.

As mentioned previously, Dolby Atmos is supported, but DTS isn’t. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise – the Sonos Arc Ultra is in the same boat – but it’s worth noting that Sony did find room to include it on its Bravia Theatre Bar 9, and Disney+ does now offer a DTS:X audio option for some of its content.

To calibrate the soundbar for your particular room layout, Bose’s CustomTune technology works with the microphone in your smartphone (iOS or Android) and analyses your room dimensions, surfaces and furniture placement.

In the app, you can also dive in and alter sound levels manually if you think they require a bit of extra tweaking. You are likely to find yourself in the app quite a bit, as you don’t get a physical remote control supplied with the soundbar.

Sound

As with any product listened to only briefly at a press event, it’s tricky to nail down exactly how the unit performs – especially in a room that is completely new to you.

Our demo took place in a space that should really play to the strengths of the Bose: a relatively simple square room, with bare walls and little in the way of soft furnishings to stop reflections and the spread of sound.

We start with a clip from the epic sci-fi movie Dune, and the Bose gets to work immersing us in the middle of a violent sandstorm. As the soundbar starts whipping up particles above and around our seating position, it seems to do a good job of spreading the effects across the soundfield.

We are listening at quite a high volume, and the soundbar seems to handle the pressure of the scene and the drama without showing too many signs of stress. As the on-screen action goes from all-out chaos to relative calm, the bar seems to communicate the switch in dynamics relatively well.

We switch to a scene from Ray to showcase the Bose’s Speech Clarity mode, which claims to be able to boost dialogue but not any other effects. Without the mode on, as Ray Charles crosses the road deep in conversation with his manager, it sounds more like a mumble.

Then, with Speech Clarity mode switched onto its highest setting, the dialogue does seem to be lifted out of the hustle and bustle of the effects around it, with the edges of words a little clearer and better defined. This could come in handy during late-night viewing, where you don’t want the surround effects boosting but need a bit of a dialogue boost.

To showcase the Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer and its impact on music, Bose plays Mi Corazon by Jacob Collier in stereo. There’s a decent spread of percussion, and when the sub kicks in, there's an injection of extra weight, and those low-frequency bass kicks are reinforced with a greater sense of solidity. Adding the soundbar, they immediately hit harder with more heft and body behind them.

Bose then adds a pair of Lifestyle Ultra Speakers as surrounds, so we are listening to a 7.1.4 Atmos system, and plays a clip from 6 Underground by Michael Bay.

As Ryan Reynolds is chased through Florence by the mafia and Italian police, effects are flying in all directions, with screeching tyres, gunshots, and a deep, pulsing heartbeat, all vying for your attention. And the system seems to do a good job of immersing you in the action. Detail levels seem ok, but we need to spend more time testing the bar to hear the true extent of its abilities.

The last scene we are shown is Queen’s Live Aid performance from Bohemian Rhapsody, which sounds relatively punchy and powerful through the soundbar. It’s hard not to hear the impact of the roar from the crowd as they explode into life when the band appears and they eagerly lap up Freddie’s direction. There seems to be a good, expansive spread of sound as they sing along with the frontman while he shows off his impressive vocal range.

When Hammer To Fall kicks in, there seems to be a decent amount of energy and life to the guitars and drums – but again, we really need more time with the soundbar to hear just how musical it is and how well it sticks with the tempo and rhythm of a range of different tracks.

Initial verdict

In a market still dominated by Sonos, it's good to see the arrival of a potential new rival from Bose, and we are being promised a big overhaul in terms of design and technology in an attempt to position itself as a serious rival.

Bose’s previous flagship, the Smart Ultra Soundbar, struggled to impress our review team, so we hope this new model is much more competitive when it arrives in our test room for a thorough evaluation.

MORE:

Read our Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar review

Our pick of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars for all budgets

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9: which flagship Dolby Atmos soundbar is better?

So far this year, we have had a range of soundbars passing through our test room. From the cheap and cheerful Majority Bowfell Halo Atmos system to the meaty LG Sound Suite package, and everything in between.

The most recent competitor to come through our door is the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S, a Dolby Atmos soundbar and subwoofer. You can also get the soundbar on its own, for £699 / $870, but when you add the Bravia Theatre Sub 7 into the mix, the price goes up to £799 / $1100.

The system offers a 5.1.2-channel configuration. Under the hood of the main bar, you will find 9 drive units, split between side, centre, up-firing and bass channels. As the up-firing drivers indicate, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 supports 3D Audio, in both the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats. Inside the subwoofer there is a 13cm driver with a total power output of 100W.

When we put the soundbar package through its paces in our dedicated test room, we were blown away by its punchy, balanced sound, which delivers a huge improvement on the majority of TV speakers.

Voices are much clearer, cleaner and more expressive from the soundbar. Watching Top Gun: Maverick, as Tom Cruise's protagonist delivers a speech to his new pilot cohort, the balance between dynamic subtlety and clarity is well navigated.

Later in the film as Maverick attempts to reach hypersonic speed in a jet, the Sony bar delivers height effects above the TV screen as the vehicle soars into the atmosphere with an excellent level of precision, by soundbar standards.

On top of that, the agile bass gives action scenes an extra punch, but never dominates the rest of the frequencies.

However, when we remove the Bravia Theatre Sub 7 from the mix, it's a different story.

As we say in our 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."

To put it simply, the soundbar on its own no longer sounded quite worth the price. The sub and soundbar feel like they are tuned to work together, which is why we dubbed the overall system a "match made in heaven" in our review.

We must admit that we were not expecting this dramatic of a difference considering the size and cost of the subwoofer.

Let's not forget that subwoofers, especially on the more affordable side of the market, are hard to get right and can often be the weakest link in a system.

This means that many of the soundbars without subwoofers that come through our test room often fall short on bass, so Sony offering a bundle at a reasonable price that directly addresses this issue is certainly a promising step.

And this has certainly got me thinking: should more manufacturers be adding cheap, compact subwoofers to take their soundbar system's performance to the next level? On this evidence, I really think so.

MORE:

Here is our full review of the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S

Check out the best Sony soundbars

And these are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Wireless sound systems are very much the norm now, offering a myriad of advantages such as easier set-up and better placement flexibility.

Which is why it's sometimes a shock to see a 2026 system that includes (gasp) wires. But that's exactly what the Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 has done, and it's now discounted to £419 at Amazon.

Truth be told, the System 6 is neither truly wired nor wireless – the soundbar is wired to the subwoofer, which houses all the amplification and connectivity.

The sub then wirelessly transmits the sound to a receiver at the back of the room, which is wired to the two surround speakers.

Wired set-ups do come with advantages to do with sound quality and latency – and with this system, at least, there won't be wires trailing across your living room floor.

Wired or not, we were very impressed with the Bravia 6's performance during our testing process

"The Atmos processing, in particular, is superb. 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," our Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 review reads.

"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."

Bass in particular is a highlight, with the large subwoofer providing serious depth and weight. Dialogue is never drowned out, though, remaining intelligible even when the soundtrack gets busy during hectic action scenes.

The Sony system works well with music too, proving to be surprisingly rhythmic and tonally flexible.

If you're looking for a Dolby Atmos soundbar package in this price range, you'll struggle to do better than the Sony Bravia Theatre System 6. If you can get past the wired set-up, it's a supremely capable system that's already £80 off at Amazon.

MORE:

Read our review of the Sonos Beam Gen 2

Also consider the JBL Bar 300MK2

Read our Hisense AX5125H review

As much as we would like it to be the case, not everyone can have a huge multi-speaker home cinema sound system.

Whether that’s because of the hefty price tag that comes with such a set-up, or the sheer amount of space it calls for, sometimes having a full-blown cinema system is simply not practical.

And that is where soundbars make so much sense. They can give you a clearer, more immersive sound compared to most TV speakers, with many models now also offering Dolby Atmos support for an even more enveloping experience.

Sony’s new Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S soundbar package aims to tick all those boxes. It’s made up of a main soundbar and a wireless subwoofer, with the pair boasting a compact design and a comprehensive selection of surround sound formats. But can this package challenge the class leaders in the market?

Price

If you are buying the main soundbar on its own, it will set you back £699 / $870. There’s no Australian pricing released yet (it's set for launch in July), but that translates to around AU$1320.

However, for reasons we will get to below, we’re testing the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 alongside the optional Bravia Theatre Sub 7.

When bundled together, this system has several names – Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S, Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + Sub 7, HTA7100KIT or HT-AP710 – and costs £799 / $1100 (around AU$1510).

Bought separately, the sub is priced at £249 / $330 (or a curiously-low AU$299 at Sony Australia at the time of writing), so if you are going to get it (and we very much feel that you should), it’s worth going for the bundle from the off.

There is also an option to add in surrounds with the Sony Theatre Rear 8 speakers, costing £449 / $500 / AU$599 on their own. In the UK, you can buy the Rear 8s in a bundle with the soundbar and subwoofer, and doing so takes their price down to £337.

The system is up against stiff competition, mainly as it is sandwiched between the Sonos Arc (£799 / $799 / AU$1399) and Sonos Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799). These are single soundbars with no subwoofer, but the Sony’s main bar is notably smaller than both Sonos models. That is worth bearing in mind when deciding what you can accommodate.

Build

The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 has a functional overall feel, and is unobtrusive. The front of the bar is covered with a cloth grille that gives it a stylish look.

There’s no display, nor are there buttons on the bar, which makes it tricky to navigate the settings without the accompanying app (more on that in a moment).

There is also a remote control, which is quite dinky, with a lightweight design that puts functionality over style. From here, you can control the power, input, bass levels, volume and turn on Night mode.

The choice of finishes is limited to black, but this blends well into our test room. The soundbar measures 95cm wide and just 6cm high, so it fits neatly under our 55-inch TV screen.

The subwoofer is an impressively compact piece of kit with a versatile design. You can use it in two different positions, either with the grille facing the listener or the side of the room. We try it in both configurations, but there is not much of a difference in presentation. It ultimately depends on what arrangement works for you.

The subwoofer is slim as well, measuring 36 x 35 x 13cm (hwd), which is about the same size as your average briefcase, so it can easily be tucked next to your TV stand.

Features

The soundbar and subwoofer combination offers a 5.1.2-channel configuration. Under the hood of the main bar, you will find 9 drive units, split between side, centre, up-firing and bass channels.

As the up-firing drivers indicate, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 supports 3D Audio, in both the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats.

Inside the subwoofer, there is a 13cm driver with a total power output of 100W.

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. The Theatre Bar 7 supports full passthrough of 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM, which will be a big bonus to gamers with limited HDMI 2.1 sockets on their TV.

The Bravia Connect app lets you fine-tune the settings of the bar, with the ability to adjust bass levels and turn on the Sound Field and Voice Zoom feature. You can also pair the subwoofer (and the surrounds if you have them) from the app, where they recognise the product almost immediately, which makes for an easy set-up.

From here, you can also calibrate the soundbar to your space. This is done by playing a range of frequencies from the bar via the app on your phone, which will only take about 30 seconds, and the brand says it “will detect your position in the room and optimise sound to suit”. The subwoofer is not included in the calibration process, however, so it must be adjusted by ear.

We listened to the bar before and after calibration, and even in our acoustically treated test room, we noted a slight improvement. In a typical living room, the gains will likely be greater, so it’s worth the small amount of effort.

Sound

We test the Sony soundbar with a range of movies and music, and in each case it delivers a punchy, cohesive sound that is immediately likeable.

Kicking off with Top Gun: Maverick on 4K Blu-ray in Dolby Atmos, we watch as Tom Cruise’s Maverick attempts to reach hypersonic speed in a jet. The soundbar stretches the height effects above the TV screen as the vehicle soars into the atmosphere with a good level of precision.

This continues with the width of the soundstage, as Cruise whizzes across the desert from the right side of the screen to the left on his trusty motorcycle. You can hear the bike move across the space in a way that matches the movement on the screen.

When we play this scene without any setting adjustments, we find the bass is slightly lacking in the rev of the motorbike’s guttural engine, so we crank it up from the default 0 to 2 via the app.

This gives the scene an injection of energy with the added bass, but the lower frequencies never stand out as overzealous. Instead, the bass is well-integrated with the main soundbar and performs with the same precision as the rest of the system.

We use the Bravia 8 II as our display during testing. It sounds excellent by TV standards, but as you would hope and expect, voices are much clearer, cleaner and more expressive from the soundbar. When Maverick delivers a speech to his new pilot cohort, the balance between dynamic subtlety and clarity is well navigated.

There is the option to turn on the Voice Zoom feature, which does succeed in bringing voices forward in the mix. But it reduces the sense of scale, so we opt to keep it off. This will still be a good option for those who generally struggle with dialogue intelligibility.

The Sony package also delivers a great sense of three-dimensionality, which gives movies an enveloping feel. When watching Sinners on 4K Blu-ray in Dolby Atmos, spirits from the past, present and future all gather for a large-scale musical performance, and the Bar 7 admirably delivers the swirling overhead effects as the camera dances around the space, while still placing each instrument and voice in the room with brilliant accuracy and organisation.

There is a Sound Field setting that can be selected, and we find in our test room that it produces a wider, more effective surround sound effect compared to when it is off. Vocals become slightly less precise and do not reach the same level of detail, but it’s a small compromise considering the increase in scale.

This sense of immersion is also helped by the well-handled dynamics. As young musician Sammie first picks up his guitar to entertain the crowd, he tentatively plucks the strings with a delicacy that is reflected in the quiet dynamics. Then the music slowly builds to a brilliant crescendo as his vocals soar and a toe-tapping bass track is added into the mix.

Should you consider buying the Theatre Bar 7 without the subwoofer? We don’t think so. We test out the soundbar on its own, and 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 the relatively low price of adding it from the off, and the compact dimensions, which make it pretty easy to place in your room, we feel the subwoofer is a wise addition.

We also test out the soundbar combo with music, and it continues to be a balanced, organised performer. With Feel Good Inc by Gorillaz, the Sony package offers a tight yet energetic bass that is well integrated with the rest of the track. Vocals sound natural yet forward, as evidenced by Aurora’s Some Type Of Skin. You can hear the delicate warbles in the singer’s voice, and every word is delivered with clarity.

When compared with the slightly pricier Sonos Arc Ultra, it’s clear that the two soundbars are taking different approaches. The Sonos offers a richer overall sound with warmer vocals that have more character than the Sony. But the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 and subwoofer combo delivers a more precise sound that feels more agile in comparison.

The Arc Ultra may suit your set-up more as it’s just one unit, but it is considerably larger than its rival (7.5 x 118 x 11cm versus the Sony’s 6.4 x 95 x 13cm). That means the Bar 7 might be a better fit for smaller living spaces.

Both can deliver about the same level of height and scale effects, making the Sony a worthy competitor to the Award-winning Sonos bar.

Verdict

Overall, Sony has done an excellent job with this soundbar package, delivering punchy, engaging audio.

The system is up against two Sonos Award-winners that are both tough competition, and they have their advantages as single soundbars. But their bulk might mean they are not as easy to accommodate as you might expect, unless you are looking to wall mount.

Regardless of build, the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S is a beautifully balanced soundbar package that is hard to fault, making it a top performer at this money. Watch your back, Sonos…

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 4
• Build 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Sonos Arc Ultra

Also consider the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

Read our Sonos Arc review

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

If you’re shopping for one of the best soundbars in the affordable Dolby Atmos category, both the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 and the JBL Bar 300MK2 deserve a place on your shortlist.

Both models aim to deliver immersive, room-filling sound without the need for a full surround speaker package. They also arrive at roughly the same point in the market, sitting just below more premium options such as the Sonos Beam (Gen 2).

Look a little closer, though, and the two soundbars take quite different approaches. The Harman Kardon offers true up-firing Atmos drivers and a more complex channel layout, while the JBL focuses on virtual Atmos processing and a punchy, cinematic presentation.

We have thoroughly reviewed both soundbars, and below we compare them across price, design, features, and sound quality, to help you decide which deserves the coveted spot under your TV.

Harman Kardon Enchant 900 vs JBL Bar 300MK2: price

The Harman Kardon Enchant 900 was £430 / $560 / AU$800 when we reviewed it, but UK pricing has crept slightly higher and now typically sits around £449.

That puts it directly in line with the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), a multiple What Hi-Fi? Award winner, and one of the most formidable rivals in this part of the market.

The JBL Bar 300MK2, meanwhile, arrives at a more accessible £350 / $450 / AU$549, with prices of £349 widely available in the UK at the time of writing. That undercuts both the Enchant 900 and the Sonos Beam while still offering Dolby Atmos support and a substantial specification sheet.

Given the price gap, the JBL offers a more budget-friendly route into Atmos soundbars without sacrificing too much capability.

** Winner: JBL Bar 300MK2 **

Harman Kardon Enchant 900 vs JBL Bar 300MK2: design and build

The Harman Kardon Enchant 900 has a sleek, minimalist aesthetic that feels appropriately premium for the price. The top panel is wrapped in fabric, and divided by a strip of black metal, giving the bar a refined, modern look.

It’s relatively compact and weighs 3.5kg, making it easy to place in front of most TVs. Wall-mounting brackets are included in the box, and the supplied remote has a similarly polished feel.

The JBL Bar 300MK2 takes a simpler approach. The unit is finished in black with rounded edges and a plastic front grille, with minimal physical controls that sit flush on the top panel.

The JBL is slightly wider but also slimmer and, at 2.9kg, lighter than the Harman Kardon.

One advantage for some buyers will be the inclusion of an LED display on the front, which clearly shows volume and input changes – something that rivals such as the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) lack.

Overall, both soundbars feel solidly built and thoughtfully designed for their price bracket. The Harman Kardon has a more premium finish, while the JBL’s display adds a touch of useful practicality.

** Winner: Draw **

Harman Kardon Enchant 900 vs JBL Bar 300MK2: features

The Harman Kardon Enchant 900 uses a 5.1.4-channel configuration powered by nine drivers, including two up-firing units, promising bona fide Dolby Atmos height effects. Harman Kardon also employs its MultiBeam technology to widen the soundstage without needing extra speakers.

Connectivity includes HDMI eARC, an additional HDMI input, optical and Bluetooth 5.3. The soundbar itself can also be controlled through the Harman Kardon One app, which allows room calibration, EQ adjustment and access to streaming services such as Tidal, Amazon Music and Qobuz. Spotify Connect is also supported.

One limitation, though, is that the soundbar does not support DTS:X, though it can accept a DTS HD Master Audio signal and apply its processing to create a more immersive, three-dimensional effect.

If you want to expand your system later, the bar can also be wirelessly paired with other Harman Kardon products, such as the Enchant Sub and Enchant Speaker, allowing you to add a subwoofer or rear surrounds.

The JBL Bar 300MK2, in contrast, uses a simpler 5.0 speaker arrangement, made up of five mid/bass racetrack drivers and four tweeters. It supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X, but height effects are virtualised, rather than delivered through dedicated upward-firing drivers.

Connectivity includes HDMI eARC, one HDMI input and Bluetooth 5.3. The JBL One app provides room calibration and access to the same core streaming services, including Tidal, Amazon Music and Qobuz, alongside Spotify Connect.

Interestingly, JBL keeps things simple when it comes to sound modes. There are no preset listening profiles, such as a night mode or dialogue enhancer, although treble and bass can be adjusted via JBL’s app.

While the JBL offers strong streaming support and a straightforward setup, the Harman Kardon’s true Atmos drivers and more advanced channel configuration give it the edge, on paper at least.

** Winner: Harman Kardon Enchant 900 **

Harman Kardon Enchant 900 vs JBL Bar 300MK2: sound

Sound performance ultimately carries the most weight – and here the two bars present noticeably different sonic characters.

The Harman Kardon Enchant 900 delivers a large, energetic presentation. When playing Dune Part Two, the soundstage spreads convincingly into the room, creating an immersive experience that easily surpasses typical TV speakers.

Dialogue remains clear even during chaotic scenes, and the soundbar handles dynamic shifts well. However, the bass can sound a little soft and “blobby” in demanding moments such as the Chapter 2 bass stress test from Blade Runner 2049. The treble can also become slightly coarse when pushed hard.

In contrast, the JBL Bar 300MK2, despite lacking up-firing drivers, produces an impressively immersive presentation for its size and price. During Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, the sound stretches convincingly across the room and along the ceiling, creating a believable sense of Atmos height.

Bass performance is particularly impressive as well. The bar delivers a punchy, floor-shaking low end that adds excitement to action scenes while remaining largely controlled. In fact, the Enchant 900’s own review notes that the cheaper JBL delivers tighter, more controlled bass in demanding scenes. Dialogue also cuts clearly through the mix, helped by the JBL’s forward midrange.

Where the JBL falls slightly short, though, is musical subtlety. When playing Aurora’s My Name, dense sections of the track can become slightly congested, with the bar struggling to keep overlapping elements fully separated.

Even so, its lively, room-filling character makes it hugely engaging with films and TV. With a five-star sound score compared with the Harman Kardon’s four in our respective reviews, the JBL ultimately proves the stronger performer, despite its virtualised Atmos effect.

** Winner: JBL Bar 300MK2 **

Harman Kardon Enchant 900 vs JBL Bar 300MK2: verdict

Both of these soundbars represent solid ways to upgrade your TV’s audio without moving to a full surround system.

The Harman Kardon Enchant 900 impresses with its spacious presentation and proper Dolby Atmos drivers, and it offers a more technically ambitious setup on paper. However, its bass performance and slightly coarse treble hold it back from true class-leading status.

The JBL Bar 300MK2 may rely on virtual Atmos processing, but it delivers a more exciting and controlled performance overall. Its punchy bass, engaging presentation and lower price make it a compelling choice.

If you want the more advanced Atmos hardware and potential system expandability, the Harman Kardon is worth considering. But if outright sound quality and value are your priorities, the JBL Bar 300MK2 is the soundbar we would pick.

** Overall winner: JBL Bar 300MK2 **

Most of the best soundbars cost a pretty penny, which doesn’t help if you happen to be disappointed with your TV speakers but don’t have several hundred pounds to sort it out.

That, though, is where the four-star Sony HT-SF150 comes in. Because, for just £99 at Amazon, you can get a premium-looking soundbar with impressive scale and width.

Now, we’re the first to admit that it’s not going to provide the same sound quality as the likes of the KEF XIO or Sonos Arc, but what it is is a “supremely affordable enhancement to your TV’s in-built speakers”.

The Sony HT-SF150 is a basic soundbar – but that’s arguably one of its greatest strengths.

Simply connect it to your TV using HDMI ARC, and it should automatically take over sound duties from your telly.

Expect a huge, immediate upgrade, particularly in terms of scale, weight, detail and dynamics. You will get much clearer dialogue, too – for many people, that is the primary reason to buy a soundbar at all.

We originally tested the HT-SF150 back in 2021, when we awarded it four stars; but we still have it in our stockroom and regularly use it as a reference when testing newer rivals.

In fact, we got it out just a couple of weeks ago to see how it compared with the integrated sound system of the Sky Glass Gen 2.

The Sky Glass sounds much better than most TVs, particularly in its price category, yet the Sony soundbar demolished it for audio quality.

Honestly, if you are still suffering your TV’s own speakers, this Amazon deal is the perfect opportunity to change that.

MORE:

Read our Sony HT-SF150 review

Discover soundbar, Blu-ray and streaming deals at John Lewis

And big deals on projectors, speaker packages and soundbars at Peter Tyson

Dolby Atmos is still the big buzzword in the home cinema sound market – and for good reason, as it's tough to beat the experience of being enveloped in a dome of sound while watching a movie.

So if, like me, a multi-speaker system is not a possibility, the hunt is on then for a decent soundbar that balances the Atmos effect with a suitable price.

I've been eyeing up Dolby Atmos soundbars for a while, and I've come across a wallet-friendly winner: the Sony HT-A3000 for £329 at Amazon.

Our expert testing team have put more than a few Dolby Atmos soundbars through their paces over the years, and were mightily impressed with the Sony HT-A3000.

To achieve a more affordable price, Sony uses clever virtualisation technology rather than upward-firing drivers to achieve Dolby Atmos – namely S-Force PRO for surround effects and Vertical Sound Engine for overhead sound placement, which we promptly put to the test.

"Moving onto something a bit louder and more action-packed, The Batman’s Batmobile chase scene to be exact, we get to see the Sony let loose somewhat. Its muscular sound does a good job of conveying the Batmobile’s snarling engine, and the directionality of the sound as the cars make sharp turns and swerve across the motorway is effective," our Sony HT-A3000 review reads.

"Here is where the bar feels most open and has the most room-filling presence, with the built-in subwoofer doing some heavy lifting with those lower frequencies."

Dolby Atmos is far from the only format on offer, however – the bar boasts DTS:X, and Sony's own 360 Reality Audio for compatible streaming services.

There are also multiple connectivity options in the form of HDMI eARC, optical and USB inputs, plus wi-fi enabling Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay 2, and Google Chromecast streaming.

With a solid build quality too, the HT-A3000 matches the usual performance characteristics of Sony's house sound – decent detail reproduction, solid tonal balance and Sony's processing technologies, now with £171 off at Amazon.

If you're open to spending a bit more, I've also had my eye on the soundbars below, which we've also tested and recommended for their Atmos abilities:

MORE:

Read our in-depth Sony HT-A3000 review

Read our review of the Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

Best soundbars: top options for every budget, tried and tested

The five-star Hisense AX5125H proved, when we reviewed it, that the best soundbars don't have to cost the earth. And now it’s even cheaper, thanks to this new Richer Sounds deal which slashes the price down to just £209.

The soundbar was a hands-down What Hi-Fi? Award winner in 2025, praised for being the best soundbar under £500. Full disclosure, its price did drop briefly to £189 during last year’s Black Friday sales, but this latest discount is still a fantastic deal.

So, if you’ve been looking for a complete Dolby Atmos (and DTS:X) system in a box that will cost you less than most solo soundbars, your search is now over.

The Hisense AX5125H has prompted us to ask questions such as is this the home cinema bargain of the year? So it’s clear that we are massive fans of this Dolby Atmos soundbar system.

An Award winner and one of the best soundbars on the market right now, the Hisense AX5125H is an immersive, cinematic system at a budget price.

But what do you get for your money? Rather a lot actually. This Hisense package includes not only a 5.1.2-channel soundbar, but also a wireless subwoofer and two wireless surround speakers along with it.

There is support for both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and set up and operation are easy. There are several audio presets to choose from and two surround modes, Pure Surround and Surround Pro, to round off your listening experience.

While many owners will simply connect their TV to the Hisense AX5125H via HDMI eARC/ARC and be done with it, those with external sources (particularly those with lots of them) will be pleased to see that the soundbar also has a dedicated HDMI input. It is limited to 60Hz though, so might not be suitable for the most hardcore of gamers.

Given the price and the fact the surrounds that come as part of the package are dinky, our expert testers didn't have high hopes for the AX5125H's sonic ability. But they were immediately struck by how cohesive and enveloping the presentation is.

This led them to say in our review: “The subwoofer is really rather impressive, given the system cost. It’s capable of going very loud and very deep, and while it of course lacks the sophistication of a good, standalone sub, it’s not the woolly, monotonal blunt instrument that one would expect at this level.”

So, if you’re in the market for a full soundbar system but can’t stretch your budget to the much pricier Samsung HW-Q990F, this is a great option to upgrade your TV’s sound and will only cost you £209 at Richer Sounds.

MORE:

Read our full Hisense AX5125H review

Our pick of the best soundbars you can buy for every budget

Dolby Atmos: what is it? How can you get it?

Here at What Hi-Fi?, we test an awful lot of TV audio hardware. And while there are a few exceptions and built-in speakers are gradually getting better, we usually land at the same conclusion: invest in a soundbar or speaker system to give your movies the sound they deserve.

However, after spending hundreds, if not thousands, on a new TV, shelling out again just to complete your setup can be a bitter pill to swallow. Luckily, we've found a cheap, practical solution: the Hisense HS214 for £69 at Amazon.

For less than the price of a family takeaway, we found the Hisense soundbar blesses TVs with more forthright dialogue and an extended tonal reach than most TV speakers would hope to achieve. It's rather compact too, meaning it can nestle snugly under your TV no matter how much space you have.

As an AV fan, there's not much worse than splashing out on a fancy new TV only for the snazzy picture quality to be matched with a tinny, fizzy audio that even flagships aren't immune to.

This is where the Hisense HS214 comes in. Despite the low price, we were pleasantly surprised to find a 3-inch down-firing woofer on the underside, adding a welcome touch of bass as well as improved dialogue clarity and a broadened soundstage.

Even when testing with the Award-winning Panasonic 48OLED806, we found a viewing of The Beatles: Get Back to be far more engaging with the Hisense HS214.

"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. A listen to Follow Me Around by Radiohead brings a solid presence, without the tinniness we often experience with small speakers.

At 9.2 x 5.8 x 65 cm we found its small footprint suited well to smaller rooms and screens, and the decent build quality means it will sit happily beneath both a new high-spec TV or an older model. There are rigging points at the rear and fixings included for wall mounting, making the HS214 a capable all-rounder for any setup.

The Hisense HS214 is the cheapest soundbar we recommend, and an easy go-to for a quick, convenient and low-cost improvement to your TV speakers. If you're willing to shell out a bit more for a wider cinematic scale, check out some of the alternatives we've tested below.

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

We get the impression that Samsung’s audio division might be one of the hardest-working teams in the AV industry. Delivering a new soundbar lineup every year is no mean feat – especially when they’re this good.

While the likes of Sonos, Sony and JBL tend to refresh their models every few years, Samsung somehow always manages to have a fresh set of soundbars ready every year, though that can lead to some generations having quite subtle differences from their predecessors; case in point, the HW-Q990H.

Last year’s HW-Q990F wowed us with an impressive new subwoofer that was built from the ground up to deliver punchy, musical and controlled bass from a surprisingly small package.

The HW-Q990H, which we have before us in our home cinema testing room, seems like a much more modest upgrade on paper – but when we take a listen, it turns out that there are a few more changes under the hood.

Price

Samsung has decided to launch the HW-Q990H at roughly the same £1599 / $2000 / AU$1999 price as its predecessor (that's actually £100 cheaper than last year here in the UK).

While that might sound like a lot to pay for a soundbar system now, we need to keep in mind that, traditionally speaking, Samsung's annual system tends to tumble in price fairly quickly and consistently throughout the year.

Last year’s HW-Q990F, for example, has dropped well below the £800 mark at various points since its launch – and especially during the major sales events such as Black Friday.

In fact, there is still plenty of Q990F stock around with huge discounts, and that is going to make it hard for the new Q990H to justify its high launch price.

Some more affordable all-in-one soundbar options have scored highly in our test room recently, including the Sonos Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799) and Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 (£1399 / $1400 / AU$1795), which may appeal to those wanting a neater solution.

However, none of these come with dedicated surround speakers or a subwoofer in the way that the Samsung does. You’ll have to cough up some extra cash to create an HW-Q990H adjacent system with these bars.

Design

If you were to put the soundbar portion of the HW-Q990H system in a lineup next to the Q990F, Q990D and Q990C, we’d seriously struggle to pick it out as the latest model. Looks-wise, this soundbar is practically identical to its predecessor, which is both good and bad news.

This is a very well-built and premium-feeling system. Everything is constructed from aluminium or a sturdy, high-quality plastic.

The main soundbar measures 7 x 123 x 14cm (hwd) and weighs 7.3kg, whereas the surround speakers are 20 x 13 x 14cm and weigh 3.4kg each.

The subwoofer, on the other hand, is a cube measuring 25 x 25 x 25cm and weighing 8.3kg. Those measurements are absolutely identical to the HW-Q990F’s.

This design is starting to look quite tired. The sharp, elongated hexagonal design is a touch brutalist (especially compared to Samsung’s sleek OLED TVs), and while the metallic grey finish is sleek, we think that the edgy soundbar and rounded cuboid subwoofer are at odds with one another aesthetically.

We prefer LG’s handsome (but sonically flawed) Sound Suite H7, or the smooth curves of the Sonos Arc Ultra. That being said, this isn’t a beauty contest, so we’re more interested in its features and sound performance – though we also need to remember that this bar will constantly be in your eyeline, and the surround speakers will be permanent fixtures in your living room.

Features

As with every Samsung product we test these days, from TVs to mobile phones, the HW-Q990F is feature-packed. There is, of course, a healthy dose of AI inclusions, but we’ll start with the hardware configuration.

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 8-inch woofers (in a push/pull configuration) in the wireless subwoofer.

Both the soundbar and surround speakers feature upward-firing drivers, which brings us neatly onto the immersive sound formats that this system supports.

The Q990H features support for three immersive audio formats: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Samsung’s Eclipsa Audio. Having full coverage of the available formats is a bonus, and while Eclipsa hasn’t been adopted by any other services aside from YouTube so far, it’s nice to be future-proofed in case that changes at some point.

In order to achieve the best surround sound experience, Samsung recommends placing the rear surround speakers at a 135-150-degree angle behind the listening position. Thankfully, Samsung’s SpaceFit Sound Pro feature, which is essentially this soundbar’s calibration system, can accommodate if your space doesn’t allow for this placement.

Interestingly, unlike most soundbars we test, which tend to take one set of measurements to map your room and adapt the sound, Samsung’s version is a clever, constantly running system that monitors your listening space at all times to make adjustments in real time.

On top of this, Samsung supports four sound modes: Standard, Surround, Game and AI Adaptive.

Standard takes a straightforward approach in which signals are directly reproduced (two-channel recordings are presented in stereo, for example), whereas Surround broadens the soundfield by introducing audio upscaling processing.

The Game setting reduces latency, and the AI Adaptive mode will, as the name suggests, employ artificial intelligence to analyse your content and adjust the sound to suit.

Another layer of processing is Samsung’s new Sound Elevation feature, which is new for this model. It’s designed to raise the audio upwards to match the position of your screen.

Samsung hasn’t really given a clear indication of how it determines where to place the audio, and for us, it seems to overshoot slightly and place the sound towards the top edge of our reference TV. This setting may appeal more to those who wall-mount their TV and leave a gap between it and their soundbar.

There is also a new Auto Volume feature that controls sudden loud spikes in volume when switching between different channels, applications or sources.

All of these sound settings can be applied via the included remote, and the dot-matrix display on the front of the soundbar is fairly useful for telling you which setting you're adjusting.

However, the Samsung SmartThings app is the preferred way of interacting with the settings menus, thanks to its snappy connection and set-up time, easy-to-understand menus, and generally solid stability.

You can also control your source from this app, including music streamed wirelessly to the system. The HW-Q990H supports Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Tidal Connect and Bluetooth, and it’s even Roon Ready.

Samsung also allows you to connect the Q990H wirelessly to many of its compatible TVs, and Dolby Atmos is even supported here – though for the sake of getting the best audio quality and reduced latency, we recommend sticking with a wired connection.

While we’re on the topic of the Samsung ecosystem, Q Symphony – in which your Samsung TV’s speakers work in tandem with the system – is also supported here. It's worth trying, but don't assume that using Q Symphony will produce better sound than using the Q990H's speakers alone. Many TVs will bring down the overall sound quality rather than improve it.

Wired connectivity is equally impressive, as the soundbar has three HDMI sockets in total. This includes an HDMI eARC for connecting to your TV, alongside 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 (the last of which is especially nice as Samsung’s own TVs don’t support Dolby Vision).

Sound

We’ll be the first to admit that we weren’t expecting much of a change from last year’s Q990F, and yet the HW-Q990H has a few surprises up its sleeve.

We’ve hooked the soundbar package up to our reference TV (the Sony Bravia 8 II) and 4K Blu-ray player (the sadly discontinued Oppo UDP-203), and raided our library of reference discs to assess the system’s sound performance.

As with the previous model, the Surround mode proves to be the best for movies and TV shows, as the wider sound field means that all components hang together in a more sonically cohesive way. The Standard preset, meanwhile, is better for music, and those who prefer minimal processing, or perhaps want a more focused sound, may prefer it for movies and TV shows.

Overall, the improvements to this generation from the HW-Q990F (which we have on hand for direct comparisons) can be distilled into this: the Q990H takes everything we love about the last generation, and delivers it with even more nuance, detail and scale.

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.

Birds chirping in trees overhead and the subtle crackling of twigs and leaves breaking underfoot are realised with superb accuracy, and the river trickling in the background is packed with sonic nuance; it all sounds genuinely alive.

As the two characters have a heart-to-heart conversation, we find that the tonality and emotions of their voices are captured thanks to the Q990H's rich sonic characteristics and deft handling of low-level dynamics. Vocal clarity is also excellent, as the system has no problem delivering crisp and detailed, yet full-bodied, dialogue, and we find little in the way of sharpness or sibilance in any of the characters’ voices.

As the Western Forces prepare to deploy, the thunderous rumble of helicopter blades is delivered with a crisp leading edge to each swoop, and is rounded out with a thickness, weight and richness that gives a genuine impression of heavy-duty metal blades chopping through the air.

It should come as no surprise that bass is handled very well, considering how much of a step up the HW-Q990F was with its redesigned subwoofer. The HW-Q990H seems to carry across the same, or at least a very similar, subwoofer, which brings an equally impressive dose of low-end weight.

We switch to Blade Runner 2049’s infamously tricky chapter two, and find that the bass builds nicely, peppering tension throughout. 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.

We find that the system’s previously established strengths are also on show. The way it projects height effects and places them – especially the announcements of the holographic advertisements near Officer K’s apartment – is impressive indeed. While this was a strength of the HW-Q990F, the Q990H takes this even further, with a greater sense of accuracy and spaciousness.

This system captures the bustle of the dystopian street and the buzz of K’s crowded apartment complex with a level of finesse and detail that seriously sells the atmosphere of each scene. It cleverly picks up background sounds and weaves them into the soundfield without making them sound forced or intentionally singled out.

Rounding out our film testing with Thunderbolts, we start the scene in which the team of anti-heroes makes a daring escape from a compound surrounded by military personnel. The tapping percussion featured throughout this sequence feels agile and snappy, conveying excitement and energy while easily keeping pace.

Dialogue is once again a highlight here; Yelena Belova’s dry wit is captured differently from John Walker’s stoic inflexion, thanks to the system’s ability to capture finer details. It’s not a night-and-day difference compared with its predecessor, but once we notice it, it becomes clear that the Q990H is the better of the two at unearthing subtler sonic nuances.

Moving on to music, we try a range of tracks, including Harry Styles’ Carla’s Song, Heavy by The Marias, and tracks from Hans Zimmer’s Interstellar OST in the system’s Standard mode. This sound mode removes the rear speakers from the equation and lets the main soundbar unit and subwoofer shine for stereo music reproduction.

The good news is that 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, deep and keeps pace, and there is a general sense of naturalism and balance to the sound.

While the Sonos Arc Ultra is our preferred soundbar for music, thanks to its richer, more rounded and smoother sound, the HW-Q990H is still a seriously talented performer.

Verdict

While it may look like a subtle upgrade on paper, and it even looks borderline identical to its predecessor when we unbox it, Samsung has made some worthwhile under-the-hood refinements with this soundbar package.

Its ability to capture a touch more detail and nuance, and place spatial sound effects with even greater precision, makes this system another step up in a lineage of soundbars that have improved year-on-year.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Build 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Samsung HW-Q990F

Also consider the Sonos Arc Ultra

Read our Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 review

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

Sonos tends to rule the roost when it comes to the best Dolby Atmos soundbars, but Samsung has made some great inroads with its most recent models. Not only that, you can now get some seriously impressive discounts, which make them extremely attractive propositions.

Take the Samsung HW-QS700F, for example.

We originally tested it at £649, which made it a good, four-star alternative to Sonos but not a great one. Now, what if we said that the price had plummeted to a record low of £288 at Amazon?

At this price, we think you’d be crazy not to consider it. Not only is it a low price, but you’re also getting a serious amount of performance for the money and some great features too.

The HW-QS700F also has impressive connectivity, including two HDMI ports, one of which supports eARC.

Bluetooth 5.3 and wi-fi are available as well, and music fans will get their streaming fix from Chromecast and AirPlay, as well as Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect.

The bar’s ‘Convertible Fit’ feature gives the Samsung impressive flexibility too. Depending on whether you have the ‘bar on a tabletop or wall mount, its built-in gyro system automatically switches the roles of the front and up-firing speakers to accommodate where you put it.

The key difference between the Samsung and its closest Sonos rival at the money, the Beam (Gen 2) is that the Samsung comes with its own wireless subwoofer, which immediately gives it an advantage.

And the Samsung bar and cute, cuboid sub work extremely well together.

In our Samsung HW-QS700F review, we praised its bass performance and the impact of that wireless subwoofer: “We switch to Jurassic World, and as the sea-dwelling Mosasaurus leaps out of the water with a huge crash, the brilliant bass truly shocks the system and gives the scene a massive amount of punch, while still keeping the audience’s gasped reactions in the mix.”

We were also impressed with its clarity, especially with dialogue. ”While watching Thunderbolts in Dolby Atmos, assassin Yelena’s terse conversation with her unlikely companions is crystal clear. It doesn’t sound quite as realistic as rivals, but the voices still have a decent tonality and emotion.”

On the flipside, the Samsung’s soundfield doesn’t stretch as far as that of the Sonos Arc Ultra, and the way it handles Dolby Atmos movie soundtracks isn’t quite as convincing.

But we did compare the two when the former was at full price, and this new record low price of just £288 at Amazon now makes it extremely easy to recommend.

MORE:

I just tested Samsung's new mid-range soundbar – here are 3 things I liked and 2 I didn't

Read our Sonos Arc Ultra review

And our Sonos Beam (Gen 2) review

Our pick of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy

If space and budget are limited in your hunt for one of the best soundbars on the market, there's one Dolby Atmos soundbar that we love to recommend – and right now, it's down to an excellent price.

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) can be yours for just £349 at Amazon, a lovely £100 saving on both the Black and White models.

It's not quite the cheapest we've ever seen it, dropping to just £329 back in January, but it's the best deal we've seen in a while.

And you'll have to be quick, Amazon has this down as a limited-time deal, which means it won't be hanging around for long.

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) may be considered an older pick, launching in October 2021, but it's still one we absolutely love to recommend.

It takes everything that the original Beam had to offer, but adds in genuinely convincing Dolby Atmos without changing the overall design or adding dedicated upward-firing drivers.

And it's all done through clever processing using psychoacoustic HRTF (head-related transfer function) technology to deliver a sense of height using two of the unit's five front-facing drivers.

Years on from launch, the Gen 2 remains the best Dolby Atmos soundbar in its size and price categories, holding pride of place amongst the best soundbars we've ever tested.

While Sonos has released the Sonos Ray and the Sonos Arc Ultra since, the Ray doesn't support Dolby Atmos, meaning the Gen 2 is still your entry-level pick if you want a Sonos with immersive 3D audio that won't cost you too much.

And it's the Dolby Atmos that is really the headline feature here, handling the format better than any similarly priced soundbar, producing spacious sound with good tracking of audio objects.

This being a Sonos product, you also get the ability to build a wireless multi-room system. You'll need the (free) Sonos S2 app to get the most out of your purchase, and this also comes with access to Trueplay room calibration technology and a two-band EQ.

On top of that, there's Wi-Fi, which means you can also stream to the Gen 2 from a handheld device using Apple AirPlay 2, and Spotify Connect is built in too. It even now supports hi-res 24-bit/48kHz 'Ultra HD' tracks from Amazon Music.

For audio formats, the Beam Gen 2 supports stereo PCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos (both the Digital+ and TrueHD versions), multichannel PCM and Dolby Multichannel PCM.

Decoding for DTS digital surround has now been added to this and other Sonos products, but this unfortunately doesn't extend to DTS:X.

In terms of sound, during testing, we paired the Beam Gen 2 with TVs ranging from 43 inches to 65 inches, and confirmed that "it enhances the cinematic scale and viewing experience", urging you not to discount this little soundbar if you've got a big TV.

And our expert testers said: "The Beam Gen 2 not only lives up to the high bar set by its predecessor but exceeds it by a margin that more than justifies its new feature set and higher cost."

Ultimately, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is the bar for you if you're looking for a small, affordable soundbar that can deliver convincing Dolby Atmos. And right now, it's even cheaper, dropping to just £349 at Amazon for a limited time.

MORE:

Read our full Sonos Beam Gen 2 review

And check out the best budget soundbars

As well as our list of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars