In a world with increasingly closed tech ecosystems and proprietary formats, Apple AirPlay 2 has emerged as an olive branch since its introduction in 2018 for wirelessly connecting your various speakers and soundbars from different brands with other Apple devices. AirPlay 2 is compatible with formats like Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos, so cutting the cord with wireless streaming doesn't mean major compromises on audio quality either. Whether you plan to invest in Apple TV (or not), an AirPlay-equipped soundbar is a solid choice that offers you connectivity without locking you into the brand.
If you own a compatible speaker like an Apple HomePod (2nd generation) or a Sonos Roam 2, you can manage wireless multi-room playback from an iPhone or iPad, for example, with an AirPlay-capable soundbar. While the format affords the freedom to mix and match AirPlay soundbars and speakers to an extent, it's worth considering whether you also want the convenience of managing your soundbar and other AirPlay speakers under the same app ecosystem.
We've tested over 220 soundbars. Below, you'll find our list of the best soundbars with AirPlay compatibility. See our recommendations for the best soundbars with a subwoofer, the best soundbars for music, and the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.
Our recommendations are built upon our thorough testing and rigorous reviews. Every soundbar we evaluate goes through multiple testing stages with different teams to ensure accurate, authentic results. No cherry-picked units or data.
Curious how we've tested over 200 soundbars (and counting)? Look at our How We Test Soundbars article for a behind-the-scenes look at our lab and process.
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Best Soundbar With AirPlay
The best soundbar with AirPlay we've tested is the Sonos Ultimate Immersive Set with Arc Ultra. This expanded kit includes satellites and a subwoofer to fully utilize the 7.1.4 configuration, lending you the convenience of AirPlay streaming and Apple TV connectivity with a great-sounding setup. This soundbar's immersive and wide stereo soundstage ensures your music feels enveloping with a good amount of rumble on basslines, with clear speech and soundtracks. AirPlay 2 has limitations regarding audio formats, such as no DTS:X, but this soundbar supports Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital surround sound to get the most out of AirPlay's capabilities.
Since much of AirPlay's appeal depends on integration with multi-room speaker setups, and Sonos already supports a robust ecosystem of speakers, these are a solid match with iOS features. If you continue to build up your collection of Sonos speakers with AirPlay, you can toggle between the Sonos setup and AirPlay's low-latency playback across multiple speakers, too. Unfortunately, while there's a dedicated app available, users online have reported issues with it, which can sometimes cause the bar and its surround speakers to disconnect.
If you also want more connectivity from your soundbar while still getting a great sound and AirPlay, consider the Samsung HW-Q990F instead. While Samsung's ecosystem is growing, unlike Sonos, there isn't a full roster of speakers you can control via the companion app. Still, this AirPlay-equipped soundbar lets you do all the other AirPlay features like multi-room playback, and you benefit from useful features like HDMI In ports, to use the Samsung soundbar as an entertainment hub.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Soundbar With AirPlay
The JBL Bar 1300XMK2 is the best upper mid-range bar you can buy with AirPlay compatibility. This 11.1.4 bar supports Apple AirPlay 2, for carefree streaming from your Apple TV or iOS device. It's equipped with three HDMI In ports, in addition to HDMI eARC and optical connection types, with support for all popular audio formats (including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X). Out of the box, it has a very balanced sound, with plenty of bass-range rumble to complement the balanced dialogue reproduction. It excels across all our sound tests, with a wide stereo soundstage, outstanding dynamics performance, and the ability to create an immersive Atmos sound with convincing height effects.
There's also a 7-band EQ available in the app for granular sound adjustments, as well as 'Smart Mode', which automatically switches the sound mode depending on the content you're listening to. That said, its latency over an eARC connection isn't quite as low as with the Sonos Ultimate Immersive Set with Arc Ultra, and it lacks the modularity of the Sonos system. The JBL also lacks the ability to passthrough a 4k signal @ 120Hz, so if this is a deal-breaker for you, you'll want to check out the LG S95TR instead. It's an AirPlay-compatible bar that doesn't render Atmos or 5.1 content as vividly as the JBL, but it's a great choice if you need a hub between your console and display.
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Best Mid-Range Soundbar With AirPlay
The Samsung HW-Q800F is the best AirPlay soundbar in the mid-range tier. It's the next generation of the popular Samsung HW-Q800D. This new iteration keeps the same 5.1.2 blueprint but adds a more compact subwoofer that can save some space in a crowded living room. It offers a balanced default sound with punchy bass and virtually flat mid and treble-range reproduction. As a result, it's a great choice for anything from home blockbusters to soundtracking your next soiree. Atmos content sounds immersive, with the up-firing drivers adding some sense of verticality to ascending drones and crumbling towers.
This bar comes with the usual comprehensive suite of sound enhancement adjustments we've come to expect from Samsung bars. SpaceFit Sound Pro tunes the bar's output to your room, while Active Voice Amplifier accentuates dialogue, and you can dial in more granular sound adjustments via the 7-band graphic EQ. Its stereo soundstage isn't as wide and enveloping as the JBL Bar 1300XMK2, though. If you're not too fussed about the size of the sub, you can always opt for the previous-gen Samsung HW-Q800D, which offers very similar performance at a slightly lower price point.
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Best Budget AirPlay Soundbar
If you're on a tight budget, consider the Samsung HW-S60D. This all-in-one soundbar provides a very well-built 5.0 package that's compatible with AirPlay without forcing you to overextend your bank account. It supplies a clear frequency response suitable for different kinds of audio, though the absence of a dedicated subwoofer means it lacks an especially rumbly low-end. Similarly, despite the 5.0 channel compatibility, its lack of satellites means its surround sound isn't as immersive as the Samsung HW-Q800F. There are plenty of sound enhancement tools, though: graphic EQ, virtual surround, and room correction, just to name a few.
The soundbar is also compatible with virtually every common wireless format in addition to AirPlay, making it a versatile option. It supports most of the common Dolby formats, including ones used for AirPlay, like Dolby Digital and Atmos. If you're open to compromise versatility for a cheaper alternative, the Roku Streambar SE is the most inexpensive AirPlay soundbar we've tested. It's a stereo bar, so surround audio is downmixed, but it's also smaller, so if you live in a studio apartment, it might fit better. That said, cutting the costs on the Roku might be a step too far in terms of audio format compatibility and its fairly bare bones features.
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Best Small Soundbar With AirPlay
If your living room is low on space or you don't need a full soundbar complete with an outboard subwoofer, consider the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), our pick for the best small soundbar that's AirPlay-equipped. Like our top pick, the Sonos Ultimate Immersive Set with Arc Ultra, this soundbar shares the same expansive Sonos ecosystem of expandable speakers that you can use with AirPlay while connecting them to your bar. This soundbar plays back an impressively wide stereo soundstage for its pint size, giving your music an enveloping effect.
Still, it has some limitations, such as no up-firing speakers, so while it'll work with Dolby Atmos audio, the effect isn't very tall or well-tuned compared to our top pick. Instead, look at the Bose Smart Soundbar if your primary use with AirPlay is Atmos content: its dedicated up-firing drivers lend spatial audio a more immersive effect with a more even tuning. However, with other kinds of content, like stereo music mixes, its soundstage is narrower than the Beam (Gen 2).
Notable Mentions
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Nakamichi Shockwafe Wireless:
The Nakamichi Shockwafe Wireless is a large premium soundbar that comes with satellites and two subwoofers, which is overkill for small and medium-sized spaces. Compared to the Sonos Ultimate Immersive Set with Arc Ultra, if you need more wired connections or prefer to manually tinker with tuning, the Nakamichi provides more ports and plenty of customization that's otherwise automated in the Sonos.
See our review -
Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar MAX:
The Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar MAX is an unusual all-in-one soundbar that's quite large. It has built-in subwoofers, and it sits as an option between a soundbar kit with satellites and a subwoofer, like the Sonos Ultimate Immersive Set with Arc Ultra, and a smaller, self-contained bar, such as the Sonos Beam (Gen 2).
See our review -
Sonos Arc Ultra:
The Sonos Arc Ultra is the standalone version of the Sonos Ultimate Immersive Set with Arc Ultra without the additional speakers and sub. It has the same AirPlay connectivity, but at a lower price. However, you lose the fuller bass response and immersive surround speakers.
See our review
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best AirPlay-equipped soundbars for most people to buy, according to their needs. We factor in the price (cheaper soundbars win over pricier ones if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability. Since AirPlay mainly acts as a way to wirelessly sync audio and video with compatible devices, the difference between a good soundbar with AirPlay and a bad soundbar with AirPlay is usually determined by other performance factors besides the wireless connection. While we ensure that each soundbar is tested for AirPlay connectivity, our reference graphs and measurements for soundbars use the wired connections available on the soundbars.
If you would like to choose for yourself, here's the list of all our reviews for soundbars with AirPlay, organized by their Music usage score, as most people tend to use the connection for stereo playback. Be careful not to get caught up in the details. There's no single perfect soundbar. Personal taste, preference, and listening habits will matter more in your selection.