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There's a bit of a mystique surrounding soundbars. They've extremely popular right now in the streaming-centric era we're currently in. And with them being sold and seen at just about every tech retailer, everyday shoppers are wondering two things: "What do they do?" and "Should I get one?"
Well, I'm here to give you my expert take on all-things soundbars and answer those burning questions, and then some.
I've been testing and reviewing tech products — with a major focus on home theater tech — for over six years now. I've trialed several soundbars throughout that time and, before learning the inner workings of these devices, had the same curiosities. I'm here to give you an honest breakdown on how soundbars work and if they're a worthy investment.
Do soundbars really make a difference?
When it comes to testing a soundbar's necessity in your home theater setup, I always recommend one simple exercise to any skeptics or curious minds. Particularly, if you've recently bought a new TV, check the sound that comes from its native speakers. Have you ever noticed that, no matter how expensive or fancy the television is, the sound is just as mediocre as your old one, or sometimes even worse?
That's because, the way modern TVs are designed, with their super-flat screens and thin panels, the units themselves have limited space for speakers. While the sound quality is decent for standard viewing, if you want that fully immersive sound that's reminiscent of an at-home movie theater, then a soundbar is one of the only solutions that can make that happen.
TL;DR: All TVs have pretty crappy native sound — no matter the price. So, investing in a soundbar is a fool-proof way to instantly boost that sound performance with little-to-no effort.
What size soundbar should I get?
Soundbars come in a range of sizes and and speaker configurations, and this all boils down the number of built-in full-range speakers, bass and height channels it has — all of which you can't see from the outside.
If you've ever researched soundbars, you may have seen a decimal number format in its specs. For example, the Sonos Arc Ultra is a 9.1.4 soundbar — but what does that mean?
First, let's start small. Let's take a simple 3.0 system, for example. This means that this particular soundbar has at least three individually powered speakers. Taking things a step further, a 3.1 system means the soundbar has three individually powered speakers — left, center and right — and one dedicated subwoofer, which usually comes as a separate unit.
You'll see an additional number at the end of that decimal range in more advanced soundbar systems like the Arc Ultra. In the case of this 9.1.4 soundbar, the "4" represents the number of upward-facing speakers. This is what gives you that room-filling sound, since these speakers bounce sound off the ceiling, giving you the simulation of ceiling-mounted speakers.
This additional component comes in handy when listening to content mixed in 3D audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X where the sound is bold and fills the room. Soundbars with these three decimal notations tend to be more expensive, but give you a more surround-sound and expansive listening experience.
TL;DR: It all depends on the type of sound you want and what your budget allows. If you're looking for sound that fills the room and bounces off the ceiling and walls, a soundbar with three decimal notations would be best since you get the combination of individually powered speakers, a dedicated subwoofer and upward-facing speakers, all at once.
If you prefer a more simplistic sound experience that's still much more robust that your TV's native speakers, a soundbar with two decimal notations will be better.
What are the main benefits of a soundbar?
There are some specific perks that come with using a soundbar that you can't get from your TV's native speakers, even if you own a smart TV.
1. More immersive audio
If you're looking to achieve that movie theater sound from your living room, then investing in a soundbar is the way to go. Most of today's feature films and series support Dolby Atmos, which is an intensely immersive audio format that delivers room-filling sound that native TV speakers usually cannot. With this format, you'll be able to hear tiny footsteps and room-shaking explosions at the intensity in which they're meant to be experienced.
Sonos Arc Ultra
An all-encompassing soundbar that is sure to give you that immersive room-filling sound
BUY NOWSo, investing in a soundbar, especially one that supports Dolby Atmos (like the Sonos Arc Ultra or the much more affordable Hisense R652 Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer), is the best way to achieve that.
2. Smart features and Bluetooth connectivity with other devices
Soundbars have come a long way! Most of today's best options have Bluetooth connectivity built-in, allowing you to pair the device with your phone, tablet or other tech devices. This gives you more user variety, allowing the soundbar to also function as a Bluetooth speaker for streaming music, listening to podcasts, and more.
Some soundbars also allow you to wirelessly play music from the most popular music streaming platforms like Apple Music, Spotify and Pandora, directly from the soundbar brand's native app.
Another smart feature that tons of soundbar users love (myself included): virtual assistants. The Yamaha YAS-209 soundbar, Sonos Arc Ultra and Polk React Home Theater soundbar for instance, have Amazon Alexa and/or Google Assistant built-in. This means you can use the soundbars, themselves, as smart assistants in your home. Ask them to tell you what the weather's like, to increase the volume or to even turn off your TV.
3. Easy setup, specific to your space
Soundbars are also known to be extremely easy to set up. You don't have to be a techie or audiophile to be able to successfully connect a soundbar to your TV.
Most soundbars connect to the HDMI-eARC port on your TV (this connection allows your soundbar to play Dolby Atmos-encoded content), and require just a couple of cables to get them running: a standard HDMI cable and the power cable that plugs into any wall outlet.
This easy setup also makes moving your system a breeze. So, if you move or decided to reconfigure your space, you won't have to endure a tedious setup to get your system up and running again.
4. Overall improved TV sound quality
This is the main reason people choose to invest in a soundbar. Frankly, this is solely why I chose to invest in one, even as a professional product tester and reviewer. The difference in sound quality with and without soundbar integration is like night and day.
Since most of today's TVs have slim backward-facing speakers which project sound away from you, the audio produced by native speakers tends to be muddled, making dialogue hard to hear and decipher. A soundbar flips the script, projecting sound towards you, as you sit facing your TV and the soundbar.
Our Verdict
All in all, a soundbar is the most important part in building a solid home theater system since TVs' native speakers are subpar, across the board. They project sound forward as opposed to backwards and to the side of the TV's frame, which most native speakers do. This gives you a fully immersive sound experience when viewing your favorite shows and films.
If you seek experiencing the truest sound produced in movies and shows, and don't want to miss a detail, a soundbar is a necessary investment that you won't regret.
