If you've grown tired of blown-out TV speakers with their boxy, honky voices and lack of oomph in the bass, you may be looking to a soundbar to solve your audio woes. The best entries in this product category are user-friendly, have relatively balanced audio, support a wide variety of audio formats, and can come with a subwoofer and/or satellites, depending on the needs of your content and the constraints of your room. Whether you need a full Atmos setup with surrounds or just a small standalone bar, you'll likely find an option that works for you, even at this lower price bracket.
We've tested over 235 soundbars. Below are our recommendations for the top soundbars under $500. Also, check out our picks for the overall best soundbars, the best Dolby Atmos soundbars if you watch a lot of movies, and the best budget soundbars if you're on an even tighter budget.
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 Under $500
The Hisense AX5140Q is the best soundbar under $500 we've tested. It's a very good choice for everything from music to movies to TV shows. This 5.1.4-channel setup includes a dedicated subwoofer, two discrete satellites, and four up-firing drivers. Coupled with the bar's balanced sound, this versatile package delivers balanced vocals in your favorite tracks and immersive surround effects from the latest blockbusters on your streaming service of choice. The bar also features comprehensive sound enhancement features you'd typically find in more premium setups. You have access to a graphic EQ, independent channel-level adjustments, a night mode, and even dialogue enhancements. Still, you'll miss out on room correction unless you have a supported Hisense TV, though we didn't find the feature made too much difference when we tested it in our room.
If you have an older setup, the bar also works with optical inputs in addition to HDMI In and eARC. The bar supports common DTS and Dolby formats, including object-based DTS:X and Dolby Atmos, so you're covered whether you're watching a movie from your Blu-ray collection or Netflix. If you need as much rumbly bass as possible, consider the 5.1-channel Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus with Sub + Speakers. Just keep in mind you'll sacrifice the up-firing drivers for the extra low-end output.
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Best Soundbar Without Satellites Under $500
Depending on your room's layout, you may not have enough space for a soundbar with dedicated satellite speakers, like those that come with the Hisense AX5140Q. In that case, you'll want to look at bar plus sub combos like the Samsung HW-B750F. This 5.1 setup consists of a soundbar and a subwoofer, and that's it. You'll miss out on object-based audio formats like Dolby Atmos, but not everyone needs a soundbar that can decode this format. What this bar does give you is a clean and clear sound that is well-suited for a variety of audio content, including music and TV shows. It's a great pick if you want a budget-friendly option with a subwoofer.
While this setup doesn't have satellite speakers, its side-firing drivers add a sense of immersion to your audio. This bar is well-suited to many different types of content. By default, it has a well-balanced sound profile with a bit of extra punch and warmth. Its center channel keeps dialogue comprehensible during busy cutscenes. Naturally, you don't find as many features as with the top-of-the-line offerings; there's no room correction, for example, so the bar sounds a little different depending on your room's acoustics. But thanks to its bass, treble, and subwoofer level adjustments, you can make up for this and tweak the bar's sound to your liking. It's worth noting that this bar and its predecessor, the Samsung HW-B750D, perform very similarly, so get whichever you can find cheaper.
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Best Small Soundbar Under $500
If you don't have a lot of room in your setup, you can always opt for a small standalone bar like the Sonos Beam (Gen 2). Since it doesn't come with a subwoofer like the Samsung HW-B750F, it takes up even less space in your listening space. The bar is less than 25 inches wide, so it easily fits underneath most TVs with bipedal stands like those made by Sony. You don't have to sacrifice sound quality with a small bar, either. The Sonos delivers a wide, immersive soundstage that rivals some home theater speakers; audio formats like Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital are immersive and lifelike.
This soundbar has many of the same features as Sonos's more premium offerings. For example, its companion app allows you to connect the bar with other Sonos products to spread audio throughout your room. Also, the TruePlay room correction tool automatically calibrates the bar's output based on your room's unique acoustics. It's only available with iOS devices at this time, but if you're an Android user, you can still manually adjust the bar's sound with its bass and treble adjustments. Of course, without a sub, you don't get as much rumble in the bass. Still, it's a solid choice if you're low on space and mostly listen to content without a lot of bass mixed in.
Notable Mentions
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Vizio SV510X-0806:
The Vizio SV510X-0806 is a 5.1 setup that's significantly cheaper than the 5.1.4-channel Hisense AX5140Q. While it can playback Dolby Atmos content, it doesn't have up-firing drivers like the Hisense, which limits the sensation of height from movie audio.
See our review -
Bose Smart Soundbar:
The Bose Smart Soundbar can get louder with less compression than the Sonos Beam (Gen 2). If you already own Bose products, it could make a good alternative. However, the Sonos has a wider stereo soundstage that works well with music and TV shows.
See our review
Recent Updates
Mar 02, 2026:
We've replaced our top pick with the Hisense AX5140Q and removed our previous customizable pick, the Samsung HW-Q600F, since our new top pick is just as customizable.
Oct 06, 2025:
The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus with Sub + Speakers is our new top pick, with the Vizio Elevate SE SL512X-0806 an alternative for anyone who knows they want up-firing drivers. The Samsung HW-B750F is our choice for the top bar and sub combo (without satellites). The Samsung HW-Q600F replaces the Samsung HW-Q600C as our customizable pick, although you can safely buy whichever of the two you can find cheaper. We also removed the 'Best Soundbar Without Atmos' pick because the Samsung HW-B750F covers that option. Finally, we removed the Vizio M Series M51ax-J6 from our Notable Mentions, as it's out of stock.
May 12, 2025:
We've replaced the Vizio M Series M51a-H6 with its more available successor, the Vizio M Series M51ax-J6, in the Notable Mentions.
Feb 06, 2025:
The Vizio M Series M512a-H6 is getting hard to find, so the Hisense AX5125H is our new top pick for its good all-around performance. The Samsung HW-B750D is our new pick for the 'Best Soundbar Without Atmos' because it's great for watching movies and listening to music. Finally, we also added the Bose Smart Soundbar to our Notable Mentions.
Nov 08, 2024:
We've added the Vizio SV510X-0806 as a Notable Mention; it's more affordable than the Vizio M Series M512a-H6, but it only has an eARC port.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the top soundbars under $500 for most people to buy. 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'd like to choose for yourself, here's the list of all our soundbars for under $500 reviews. 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.