When shopping for a soundbar, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by all the expensive options. Thankfully, you don't need to spend a fortune to find something that performs reasonably well, especially when the competition is a poorly performing TV speaker. For less than $300, you can find a decent soundbar that meets your needs. For an immersive movie-watching experience, rear satellite speakers provide the most convincing surround effects. But if you're gearing up a bedroom or smaller space, a standalone bar saves space at the expense of bass and immersion. You'll also want to consider which formats the bars support, as these vary considerably at this price.
We've tested over 255 soundbars; below, you'll find the best soundbars under $300. Also see our recommendations for the best budget soundbars, the best soundbars under $200, and the best small 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 250 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 Under $300
The best soundbar under $300 is the Samsung HW-B750D thanks to its balanced sound and dedicated subwoofer. It's nearly identical to the newer Samsung HW-B750F, so buy whichever of the two you can find cheaper. Like most bars in this price range, it doesn't support the Dolby Atmos format and doesn't have up-firing drivers. And while it doesn't include rear satellites either, its side-firing drivers help widen the sound, though surround effects still come mostly from in front of you.
Its balanced frequency response reproduces everything from punchy kick drums to high-pitched clashing swords well. Bass heads might wish for a little more low-end thump, but fans of dialogue-heavy period dramas will appreciate the dedicated center channel, which keeps speech clear and audible. You can tweak the bar's sound to your liking using the 7-band EQ and cycle through a few different listening modes, including one that helps you hear dialogue more clearly. Unfortunately, extra features are pared down somewhat: there's no Wi-Fi, Chromecast, or Apple AirPlay playback here, with only Bluetooth connectivity.
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Best Soundbar With Satellites Under $300
The best soundbar with satellites we've tested under $300 is the Vizio SV510X-0806. Since it's a 5.1 setup with dedicated rear satellites, it offers a more immersive surround sound experience than our top pick, the Samsung HW-B750D. It's easy to track objects as they fly around you, and the discrete center channel keeps dialogue clear and audible even during busy fight scenes. The Vizio's sound isn't as balanced out of the box, with an overactive, boomy bass. The dedicated subwoofer packs a punch in the bass range but, like the Samsung, can't reproduce the lowest rumbles of an explosion effect.
The Vizio also plays back Atmos content, although without up-firing drivers the effect is somewhat limited. Still, it's a bonus at this price, since Atmos support is more common on more expensive models like the best soundbars under $500. If the Vizio is out of stock or too expensive where you are, try the Hisense HS5100. The Hisense sounds less boomy than the Vizio, but it doesn't support Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. Still, it offers optical support, unlike the Vizio, and you get a remote instead of an app to control the bar, which some people may prefer.
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Best Standalone Soundbar Under $300
No space for a subwoofer? No problem. Standalone soundbars are a great alternative to multi-speaker models, and the best we've tested in this price range is the Samsung HW-S60D. This 5.0 model has a sleek design with many of the manufacturer's premium sound-enhancement tools built in. It also has Amazon Alexa voice assistant support for hands-free control, so you can do things like adjust the bar's volume from the comfort of your couch or switch preset modes. Since it doesn't have a subwoofer, it can't match the Samsung HW-B750D for low-end thump and rumble, but that's the usual trade-off with standalone bars.
On the plus side, the bar comes with room correction that adjusts the sound to your room's acoustics, and its balanced default sound works well for music and dialogue. There's even Dolby Atmos support, though it has to downmix this content into stereo to play it. Those who prefer manually switching up the bar's sound can access a full 7-band graphic EQ and some EQ presets.
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Best Small Soundbar Under $300
Standalone soundbars are great for smaller living spaces or for your computer setup. If you're especially space-conscious, you'll want to look at the Bose TV Speaker. At less than 24 inches wide, it's smaller and more compact than the Samsung HW-S60D. You can place it below your TV or computer monitor for clear dialogue without taking up much space. And it's loud enough for an average living room, but it struggles in larger spaces.
Of course, this 2.0 setup doesn't bring as impressive a surround sound performance as 5.0 models like the Samsung. It lacks some low bass, which is typical for bars without a dedicated subwoofer. While a bass adjustment feature is on hand, this bar doesn't offer as many sound enhancement tools as the similarly priced Sonos Ray. The Sonos Ray's room correction feature automatically optimizes audio reproduction based on your room's acoustics, though you'll need a compatible iOS device to use it. It doesn't reproduce as much bass as the Bose TV Speaker, but it's a good alternative if you want more customization tools.
Notable Mentions
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Roku Streambar SE:
If you're looking for a small soundbar like the Bose TV Speaker at a cheaper price, check out the Roku Streambar SE. It's the only bar in this article that features built-in support for streaming services like Netflix, so it can substitute for a smart TV. However, it compresses much more at high volumes than the Bose and doesn't support Dolby Digital.
See our review
Recent Updates
Oct 20, 2026:
We've rewritten parts of this text to clarify the trade-offs between picks.
Jul 06, 2026:
We've validated our picks are still relevant and in stock, and made no changes to our picks under $300.
May 01, 2026:
We've made no changes to our picks as they still represent the best soundbars you can find under $300, but we verified the article for accuracy.
Apr 02, 2026:
All our picks are still up-to-date and in stock, so we've just edited this text for clarity.
Mar 03, 2026:
We've updated this article, streamlining the text and refining our descriptions of the picks. However, we've kept our picks the same because we believe they still offer the best value in this price range.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best soundbars under $300 for most people. We factor in the price (a cheaper soundbar wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no soundbars that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you would like to choose for yourself, here's the list of all our reviews of soundbars under $300. Be careful not to get caught up in the details. No soundbar is perfect. Personal taste, preference, and listening habits will matter more in your selection.