April 2021
Sound Bar Rankings Report
This report contains an aggregate consensus of Sound Bar rankings posted by key online experts, as of April 2021.
Methodology: combine opinions of key experts
Identify Experts
We identify key publishers and experts that consistently review and recommend Sound Bars.
Capture Rankings
For each publisher we find a currently recommended "top 10" list of Sound Bars, it must be updated in the last 9 months.
Aggregate Rankings
We put all those lists together and aggregate them. The more frequently a product is recommended, the higher it is in our ranking
Experts chosen for April 2021 ranking
CNET
SoundGuys
PCMag
TechHive
Tom's Guide
TechRadar
World Wide Stereo
WIRED
Rtings.com
CNN Underscored
We ranked Sonos Arc #1 in April 2021 because:
- 7 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
- Out of those, 1 expert ranked Sonos Arc as #1.
TechRadar
The Best Soundbar You Can Buy Right Now
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Pros
Dolby Atmos, TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus
Discrete all-in-one soundbar
Amazing surround sound and music playback
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Cons
Doesn’t suit every room
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Rtings.com
Best 5.1 Soundbar
|
Pros
Sleek and very well-built design.
Room correction feature.
Very well-balanced sound profile.
Low latency.
|
Cons
No full EQ.
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Tom's Guide
The Best Premium Soundbar
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Pros
Clear vocals and focused sound
Strong, Sonos-quality bass
Alexa and Google Assistant built-in
|
Cons
Very large
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PCMag
Our Favorite High-End,All-in-One Soundbar
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Pros
Large sound field with powerful bass, even without a subwoofer
Supports Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
Can easily be expanded with satellites and a subwoofer
Dolby Atmos compatibility with angled tweeters
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Cons
Expensive
Only works with pricey Sonos subwoofer
|
We ranked Sonos Beam #2 in April 2021 because:
- 7 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
TechRadar
|
Pros
Great compact design
HDMI ARC compatible
Superb sound
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Cons
No Dolby Atmos
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Rtings.com
Smaller Alternative
|
Pros
Well-balanced sound profile.
Great center channel performance for dialogue in movies.
|
Cons
Poor surrounds performance.
|
SoundGuys
|
Pros
Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant support
Size
Dolby Digital Support
Easy Setup
Simple to connect other Sonos Speakers
|
Cons
Doesn't support any object based codecs
Overpriced
|
Tom's Guide
Big Sound And Smart Home Controls
|
Pros
Easy set up
Alexa inside
Wide soundstage
|
Cons
Bass lacks detail
No Bluetooth audio
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PCMag
A More Affordable Sonos Soundbar
|
Pros
Powerful sound for its size.
Built-in Amazon Alexa voice assistant.
Easily expanded with additional Sonos speakers.
|
Cons
No Bluetooth.
Optional subwoofer is expensive.
|
We ranked Sennheiser Ambeo 3D Soundbar #3 in April 2021 because:
- 5 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
- Out of those, 1 expert ranked Sennheiser Ambeo 3D Soundbar as #1.
TechRadar
Dazzling 3D Sound
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Pros
Superb sound quality
Effective Dolby Atmos
|
Cons
Humongous price, size and weight
No AirPlay or AptX for Bluetooth
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Rtings.com
Best Standalone Soundbar
|
Pros
Impressive immersive sound for a stand-alone bar.
Good performance with surround content.
Supports all audio formats.
Well-built design.
|
Cons
Very heavy.
Disappointing bass performance, especially on stereo content.
|
SoundGuys
|
Pros
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support
Number of Inputs
Chromecast built-in
|
Cons
Price
Fairly large soundbar
|
PCMag
Immersive All-in-One Audio
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Pros
Powerful audio with rich bass depth, crisp highs, and listening modes tailored to music, film, and TV.
Ambeo modes widen stereo field and create immersive listening experience.
|
Cons
Wildly expensive.
Big and heavy.
We'd still like to add a subwoofer.
|
We ranked Yamaha YAS-209 #4 in April 2021 because:
- 4 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
- Out of those, 1 expert ranked Yamaha YAS-209 as #1.
Tom's Guide
The Best Soundbar And Subwoofer Combo
|
Pros
Clear and resonant dialog
Excellent for music
Alexa inside
|
Cons
Lacks low-frequency effects when movies are playing
Only 1 HDMI input
|
We ranked Roku Smart Soundbar #5 in April 2021 because:
- 4 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
- Out of those, 1 expert ranked Roku Smart Soundbar as #1.
SoundGuys
|
Pros
Integrated Roku Player
HDMI ARC output
Google Assistant and Alexa Support
Bluetooth and WIFI Streaming
Remote access via Roku App
Vslue
|
Cons
Sound clarity lacking
|
PCMag
Best for Roku Media Streaming
|
Pros
Affordable.
Solid audio performance.
Lots of media streaming options.
|
Cons
Relatively week bass response.
|
We ranked Vizio V21 #6 in April 2021 because:
- 3 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
- Out of those, 2 experts ranked Vizio V21 as #1.
Tom's Guide
The Best Cheap Soundbar And Subwoofer Combo
|
Pros
Great value
Wide soundstage
Can add voice assistants
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Cons
Bass can overwhelm
Dolby Audio only works over optical connection
|
We ranked Roku Streambar #7 in April 2021 because:
- 3 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
Tom's Guide
The Best Soundbar For Cord-Cutters
|
Pros
4K streaming
Clear, loud sound
Compact design
|
Cons
Relatively weak bass
No Ethernet port
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We ranked Samsung HW-Q950T #8 in April 2021 because:
- 2 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
- Out of those, 1 expert ranked Samsung HW-Q950T as #1.
TechRadar
One Of Best Soundbars Just Got Better
|
Pros
Outstandingly powerful sound
Unprecedented channel support
Tasteful and slender design
|
Cons
Expensive for a soundbar
Unhelpfully positioned display
No auto-calibration system
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Rtings.com
Best Soundbar
|
Pros
Well-balanced sound profile.
Can get loud.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compatible.
Supports Atmos.
|
Cons
No room correction.
|
We ranked Klipsch Cinema 600 #9 in April 2021 because:
- 2 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
- Out of those, 1 expert ranked Klipsch Cinema 600 as #1.
PCMag
Powerful,Affordable 3.1 Audio
|
Pros
Powerful audio performance with deep, theater-like sub-bass and crisp high-end definition
Wireless subwoofer
Bluetooth streaming
Virtual surround mode sounds good
Can be expanded to a true 5.1 system
|
Cons
No user-adjustable EQ
|
We ranked Vizio M-Series 5.1 #10 in April 2021 because:
- 3 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
Tom's Guide
A Full Dolby Atmos Kit At A Great Price
|
Pros
Affordable
Full surround sound with Atmos
Lots of input options
|
Cons
Takes work to get the right sound
No upfiring speakers
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PCMag
Affordable 5.1 Surround
|
Pros
Powerful, theater-like sub-bass and solid overall balance
EQ and dedicated levels for individual channels
5.1 surround with Dolby Atmos support
Generous array of included cabling
|
Cons
Can distort on deep bass at high volumes
Rear surrounds are wired to subwoofer
|
We ranked Samsung HW-Q90R #11 in April 2021 because:
- 2 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
TechRadar
|
Pros
Impressive sound quality
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X
Easy to install and setup
|
Cons
Expensive
|
We ranked Bose Soundbar 700 #12 in April 2021 because:
- 2 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
We ranked Vizio SB36512-F6 #13 in April 2021 because:
- 2 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
Rtings.com
More Affordable Alternative
|
Pros
Great stereo performance.
Decent soundstage.
Atmos support.
Amazing connectivity options.
|
Cons
No Dialog Enhancement feature.
Surround speakers need to be wired to the wireless sub.
Slow, buggy, and laggy app.
|
We ranked Vizio Elevate #14 in April 2021 because:
- 2 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
We ranked Polk Signa S3 #15 in April 2021 because:
- 2 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
PCMag
Affordable 2.1 Audio
|
Pros
Powerful audio performance with deep bass and crisp highs
Wireless subwoofer
Voice Adjust mode for clearer dialogue
Supports Chromecast audio and Google Assistant voice commands
Ships with both HDMI and optical cables
|
Cons
No EQ
Lacks visual indicators for various audio modes
|
We ranked Sony HT-ST5000 #16 in April 2021 because:
- 2 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
We ranked JBL Bar 9.1 #17 in April 2021 because:
- 2 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
PCMag
Best for True Surround Sound
|
Pros
Powerful audio with thunderous bass depth
Dolby Atmos drivers
Wireless rear channel speakers
Easy setup
|
Cons
Expensive
Large
Could use more precise EQ controls
|
We ranked Sony HT-S350 #18 in April 2021 because:
- 2 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Sound Bars” rankings.
PCMag
The Best Affordable 2.1 Audio
|
Pros
Relatively affordable.
Powerful, clear audio with multiple sound modes and adjustable subwoofer levels.
Easy to set up and operate.
|
Cons
Sound signature is quite sculpted, regardless of mode.
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