You may not realize it, but your TV is sad. This is sad because it wants to deliver great sound with its amazing picture, but it is woefully ill-equipped to do so. You can shop for a multi-component home theater system or a pair of bookshelves to fix things, but if it seems like too much trouble, a good soundbar Is a great option. Luckily, now is the perfect time to get one. Below we've collected the best black Friday The soundbar works to reverse the confusion of your TV. Be sure to check us out Also live Black Friday deal tracker,
Updated November 29th: It's Black Friday! We've added some new deals and improved the prices.
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If you're looking for a simple and affordable audio upgrade, Yamaha's SR-C20A is one option, now at an extremely reasonable price. It doesn't offer features like network streaming or multiroom connections, but its 100-watt power plant can easily more than make up for your TV's weak performance. The 2.1-channel configuration includes dual full-range drivers and a built-in woofer for some weighting in the low frequencies. You'll get a simplified TV connection over HDMI, standard Bluetooth streaming, and even a 3.5-mm analog input so you can connect Turntable with pre-amp And some cable finishing.
Bar 1300X (8/10, Wired recommends) has a sweet audio system that gets even sweeter with this deal. This multi-piece setup provides realistic Atmos immersion with a unique twist. Battery-powered, completely wireless surround speakers can connect to the main bar to play and charge, or disconnect to sit behind you for versatile configuration – you can even set them out as stand-alone Bluetooth speakers. Can take. It's a futuristic feature, but my favorite feature this time is how good it sounds, providing a wide dome of sound with 3D audio and great musicality to stream your tunes. I wish the app were a little more precise for setting adjustments, but the 1300X's performance makes up for it, bringing a cinematic punch to everything you play.
Classic audio brands have had a harder time than other brands breaking into the soundbar world, but Polk has managed to make a good bar and stand behind it for the last few years. This model features integration with Alexa, and you can also expand it with other powered Polk speakers, making the React a great system for slowly building a home theater. -Parker Hall
The Sonos Beam Gen 2 delivers detailed sound from a pint-sized package. It's not big on bass, but it offers detailed dialogue, a wide soundstage, and solid music streaming prowess from a frame that almost disappears at the bottom of your TV screen. It offers good Dolby Atmos virtualization, though it's more limited than bars with dedicated upfiring drivers (see Bose Smart Soundbar). The Beam's best trick is its advanced networking skills that let it connect to other Sonos speakers in a surround configuration or whole-home audio system through the Sonos app. It is said that the app has been disgraced recently, but now it is almost back on track. You can also stream music from multiple services directly from the app, or via AirPlay and Spotify Connect. The Beam has long been one of the most popular compact bars, and it's still a top choice.
It's not the latest and greatest soundbar we've tested, but the Signa S4 (7/10, Wired recommends) has a slim bar with a relatively large wireless subwoofer making it great for action fans. I wish it had Wi-Fi for music streaming, but as long as you connect it to your TV, you can use the apps there for that. -Parker Hall
Bose Smart Soundbar (8/10, Wired recommends) is my favorite new compact soundbar because of its excellent sound and innovative new features. It all starts with true upfiring speakers, which help provide spacious immersion for Dolby Atmos TV shows and movies. The bar's new AI Dialogue Mode is equally impressive, delivering stunning clarity in dialogue and centre-channel effects. Perhaps most interestingly, you can now add Bose open earbuds To be used in conjunction with the bar as personal surround speakers. The app is easy to use for making basic adjustments or streaming music, and the versatile design lets you connect other Bose speakers like bass module subwooferSo that you can expand the system to suit your needs.
Every TV deserves better sound, and this inexpensive soundbar and wireless subwoofer from Yamaha is a great way to get it. It's very easy to set up with a simple HDMI eARC connection, and it brings surprising depth to content you might otherwise watch through tiny TV speakers. Its little brother, the SR-C20A, has been our Best soundbar for most of the year, and it now brings more bass at a discounted price. -Parker Hall
Sonos' popular Arc (9/10, Wired recommends) has received an upgrade to the Arc Ultra, which offers revised sound and some cool new features. But at $1,000, it makes the regular Arch feel like a real bargain, especially on sale. The Bassline Arc is still a heckuva bar, delivering smooth and detailed sound, great dialogue, and wide Dolby Atmos immersion thanks to the multiple speakers and acoustic waveguides that bounce sound around your room. It has some fun features, like the ability to connect ace headphones (8/10, Wired recommends) Link a Sonos speaker to a surround or multiroom audio setup with its Clever TV Swap feature, or with the Sonos app. The app has made headlines for all the wrong reasons recently, but it looks like it's mostly back on its feet, and Arc is one of the best stand-alone bars you can buy.
Klipsch's Flexus Core 200 (8/10, Wired recommends) is the most powerful and musical stand-alone soundbar I've heard at its price point. Built more like a traditional speaker system than most plastic bars, it utilizes MDF construction and Onkyo internals for impressive sound and responsive performance. The upfiring drivers deliver punchy Dolby Atmos performance, and the massive woofers punch deep into the mid-bass region for cinematic punch. You won't find a Wi-Fi connection here, limiting streaming to Bluetooth, but as the name of the bar suggests, you can still hook up surround speakers or a massive sub from a Flexus system. On its own, the Core 200 won't quite give you the bar you can get with a separate subwoofer, but if you value sound quality most, it's a great option.
The Ray (9/10, Wired recommends) is a quirky little Sonos offering, but the smallest bar on the list is a great option for the right buyer. This is the cheapest soundbar I've seen with such network prowess, letting you connect to Wi-Fi and enjoy all of Sonos' features, including pairing with other Sonos speakers into a whole home audio system. also includes. The trade-off is that, unlike almost all soundbars we've tested, the Ray connects to your TV via an optical connection rather than HDMI. This means it can't automatically work with your TV remote (though most remotes can be programmed), and it doesn't even come with its own remote, only the Sonos app as an option. I leave. If you don't mind those limitations, the Ray is a great bar of its size, delivering powerful, clear and musical sound at a profile that barely registers.
If you want surround sound, Dolby Atmos and even its rival DTS:9/10, Wired recommendsOffering a multicomponent setup with true surround speakers, upfiring drivers, and a massive subwoofer to bring the boom, this system will instantly take your sound game to cinematic heights. To make it economical, the bar cuts some corners; It requires a wired connection to the surround speakers rather than a wireless connection like many competitors, and it doesn't offer a Wi-Fi connection for high-quality music streaming. However, you will get Bluetooth streaming, as well as intuitive controls via a backlit remote. This might be the best Atmos deal, and on sale, it's a guilt-free pickup.