The 5 Best Budget Soundbars - Winter 2023 Reviews

The best budget soundbar we've tested is the Vizio V Series V51-H6. It's one of the only setups available at this price point with discrete satellites designed to improve the quality of 5.1 surround sound formats like Dolby Digital and DTS. It provides an immersive, cinematic feel with surround sound content, making you feel like you've dropped your couch right in the middle of the action. The added subwoofer brings plenty of rumble in the bass for action-packed scenes. You'll have to wire the satellites to the subwoofer to get them to work, though, which isn't ideal for all living spaces.

The bar offers a great price-to-performance ratio, whether you're listening to music, movies, or TV shows. Its sound quality is especially impressive for the price, so voices and lead instruments in your favorite tunes are reproduced with clarity right out of the box. Dialogue is easy to follow, too, and Bluetooth compatibility makes it easy to stream podcasts, audiobooks, and other content from your phone. While it doesn't support Dolby Atmos content, this is common with bars in this price range. Overall, it's a great pick that won't break the bank.

If you don't have space for satellite speakers in your living room, check out the Samsung HW-Q60C/Q6CC. This setup comes with just a soundbar and a subwoofer, so it crowds up less of your space. Still, it offers a great sound for the price, with a clear and detailed reproduction of voices and instruments in the mix. Plus, it has many sound customization features to help you switch up its performance. It gets plenty loud, too, so you can fill up larger and more open rooms with sound.

This setup supports many audio formats commonly found on Blu-rays and streaming platforms, like Dolby Digital. However, without discrete satellites, it has to downmix surround sound into stereo to play it back. Unfortunately, compared to the Vizio V Series V51-H6, this results in a less immersive listening experience. You run into the same issue with Dolby Atmos content, too. While the bar can play the file, it's downmixed into stereo. Still, given its affordable price, it's worth a look.

Living in a studio apartment? Low on space? A standalone soundbar is a good alternative since it packs sound into an all-in-one package. The best we've tested in the budget range is the Vizio M Series M213ad-K8. It has a unique trapezoidal design, and its 2.1 setup means it's ideal for listening to stereo content, including most music and TV shows. You get a clear sound right out of the box, making dialogue clear and easy to understand. It supports multichannel formats like Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital, too, though it has to downmix them into stereo to play them back.

Compared to the Samsung HW-Q60C/Q6CC, this soundbar can't reproduce as much low-bass, which is normal for a bar without a dedicated subwoofer. It's less noticeable if you mostly listen to content with little bass mixed in, like dialogue-centric TV shows and sitcoms, but it's not ideal for those who love bass-heavy EDM and hip-hop. The bass adjustment tool can bring a little more punch to the mix, but it can't adjust lower bass frequencies due to the lack of a subwoofer. Still, if you're low on space, it may be a fair trade-off.

The Samsung HW-S60B is another great option for smaller living rooms. It's a standalone soundbar that's smaller than the Vizio M Series M213ad-K8, at less than 27 inches in width. It can fit beneath your TV or PC without issue. While it's a little pricier than some of the other picks on our list, you may find it worth it since it offers impressive sound quality for only a few extra bucks. You can buy the all-black variant or try out the all-white version, the Samsung HW-S61B. Built-in Alexa offers hands-free control, too.

This soundbar has great sound quality and has many enhancement features to make the most of its sound. For example, you can access a graphic EQ to customize its sound. It supports many common audio formats, too, including 5.1 surround sound. It also supports Atmos, though it has to downmix this content into surround sound to play it. Without satellites, its sound isn't quite as immersive as with products like the Vizio V Series V51-H6. It also has fewer connections than bars like the Vizio M Series M213ad-K8, so without an HDMI In port, it can't support video passthrough. Still, for the size, this small soundbar packs a punch.

If you want to spend less on a soundbar, check out the TCL Alto 6+. This 2.1 model is the best cheap soundbar we've tested, and it makes a solid choice for those new to the soundbar space. Though it sometimes retails for over $100, you can often find it at a more affordable price point. With a dedicated subwoofer, it can bring more thump and rumble in the bass than other cheap bars, most of which come as standalone setups. As a result, it's a good pick for bass-heavy music like EDM and hip-hop.

As a 2.1 bar, it's ideal for listening to stereo content, which includes most music and TV shows, and it clearly reproduces voices and lead instruments. Audio sounds a bit dull due to the dip in the treble, but this is typical for cheap soundbars. It can also playback 5.1 surround sound content like Dolby Digital, though it has to downmix it into stereo to play it. This simple plug-and-play bar is a good way to upgrade your TV's sound without breaking the bank.