The 5 Best Soundbars For Dialogue - Summer 2020
Reviews

The best soundbar for dialogue we’ve tested so far is the Samsung HW-R650. This 3.1 speaker setup does a very good job of making voices sound clear and accurate, even with surround content thanks to the dedicated center channel. It has a well-balanced, versatile sound profile overall and the subwoofer helps give you a bit extra bass during action-packed scenes of your favorite shows.

This soundbar has lots of different sound customization options for you to get the right balance of detail and smoothness in dialogue and voices. There's not only a dialogue enhancement feature but a 7-band EQ which lets you tweak the way it reproduces sound in different frequency ranges to your liking. There's even dynamic range control which normalizes volume levels so commercials don't sound louder than the TV show you're watching.

On the downside, this soundbar might not be ideal if you need a very crisp and bright sound right out-of-the-box. This shouldn't be a problem for most people, though, since a sound that's too sharp can be fatiguing to listen to over time. Even if you do find voices a bit too smooth, you can always adjust the amount of detail with its various sound customization options.

The Sonos Beam is the best standalone soundbar for dialogue that we've tested to date. This compact 3.0 channel soundbar packs a punch for its small size. It has a well-balanced sound profile and its dedicated center channel helps to provide clear dialogue for your favorite TV shows or podcasts.

This soundbar has a lot of sound enhancement features that can help immerse you in your audio. Its room correction feature allows it to adapt to your room setup so that it can reproduce audio that sounds more accurate. There's also a night mode and a dialogue enhancement feature that can help make voices clearer and easier to understand, at any volume. If you want to upgrade this setup down the line, it's easy as Sonos also sells wireless subwoofers or rear speakers separately.

On the downside, this soundbar lacks connectivity options like a full HDMI In port. You won't be able to stream podcasts from your mobile device using Bluetooth, and there's no DTS support. If an HDMI input is a necessity, the JBL Link Bar has three HDMI inputs as well as an HDMI ARC port. It can also support Bluetooth as well as Chromecast built-in, and it can play DTS files. However, it's much bigger than the Sonos and its reproduction of voices isn't as clear.

The best soundbar for voice clarity in the budget range that we've tested so far is the Yamaha YAS-207. Although this 2.1 channel soundbar doesn't have a dedicated center channel, it still provides a decently well-balanced stereo performance. It also comes with a wireless subwoofer which can help provide more thump and rumble to your favorite action flicks.

Thanks to its neutral sound profile, this soundbar can accurately reproduce voices found in dialogue-centric content like audiobooks or TV shows. Its phantom center channel also helps to make voices in TV shows or podcasts sound clear and, when used, its Clear Voice dialogue enhancement feature can provide an even better experience. It's still versatile enough for a variety of different content such as movies or music.

Unfortunately, it only supports Bluetooth wireless playback, which can be a bit disappointing if you normally use Chromecast built-in or Apple AirPlay to stream your podcasts. The fabric wrap in the bar also tends to be a magnet for dirt and it can look a little bit grungy if you forget to dust it. Still, for its price point, this soundbar has a great performance for dialogue, making it an excellent choice for those on a budget.