The 7 Best Soundbars For Movies - Fall 2024

The top soundbar for movies we've tested is the Samsung HW-Q990D. This flagship 11.1.4 model improves on the winning formula of the last generation Samsung HW-Q990C, so you can enjoy your favorite movies at home. In addition to the bar and subwoofer, the model includes two satellite speakers for spreading a clear representation of the source audio in the surround. Plus, the kit can get loud enough to fill your room without tons of compression to maintain the dynamics of the movie's mix. The soundbar supports Dolby Atmos with a myriad of correction tools to help tweak the sound to suit your space, like Adaptive Sound, room correction, and a seven-band EQ.

Unlike the previous generation, you can send audio just to the satellites in 'Private Listening' mode for the times you don't want to disturb others sharing the space, and you can also make groups to send the audio to specific speakers. The soundbar has HDMI 2.1 connectivity to expand its utility and very low latency, as well as 4k passthrough at 120Hz if you play games in addition to watching movies. On the other hand, if you don't need HDMI passthrough and want a premium built soundbar with a solid stereo spread, consider the Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers + Bass Module. It has fewer features, but if you're part of the Bose ecosystem, not needing to download yet another app is convenient. However, the Samsung still represents a more feature-full soundbar.

The Samsung HW-Q930C is a more affordable alternative that's also great for watching movies. Released in 2023, this premium soundbar offers a stand-out performance with multi-channel content like Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital, both of which you're likely to come across on streaming platforms and Blu-rays. Though it comes with two fewer surround channels than the Samsung HW-Q990D, this soundbar still provides a clear and real feel with sound effects thanks to its two discrete satellite speakers. Dialogue is clearly reproduced, and its sub brings plenty of rumble in action-packed scenes.

This soundbar doesn't get quite as loud as its high-end cousin, and there's more compression when you push it to max volume. Still, you may find it offers better value since it has many of the same sound enhancement tools for less. For example, the room correction feature automatically optimizes the sound based on your room's unique acoustics. If you prefer to manually adjust the bar's sound, a graphic EQ and presets are on hand. Built-in Alexa even offers hands-free control. Overall, this versatile setup is a great way to watch movies and so much more. However, if you don't have the room for satellites, the 2024-release Samsung HW-Q800D is a great alternative that consists of the bar and sub-only. Despite it's only a 5.1.2 setup, it retains a lot of the sound enhancement tools for a balanced sound, though its surround performance isn't as impressive.

The LG S90TR is a solid mid-range choice if you want an immersive experience and have the space for an outboard subwoofer and satellites. While it doesn't have very impressive Dolby Atmos height compared to the Samsung HW-Q990D, in part because the satellites don't up fire, it still supplies you with a 7.1.3 setup with a rumbling low-end for action scenes and a clear treble region. Its discrete satellites help to track movement in the surround space during fast-paced scenes.

Alongside the discrete set-up, the soundbar supports virtually every audio format from Dolby Atmos to DTS:X with fairly comprehensive connectivity, so it can take advantage of the audio mix of your movies on various platforms. The soundbar comes equipped with room calibration and oodles of EQ modes to adjust the sound for every kind of movie. In the box, you get the necessary mounting brackets for the bar itself and cables, but you'll need to find your own workaround for mounting satellites. However, the satellites and subwoofer are wireless so you won't have to devise a way of hiding the cabling.

The best lower mid-range soundbar for movies we've tested is the Vizio M Series M512a-H6. It's a 5.1.2 setup that offers versatile performance for a more affordable price, with a dedicated subwoofer and satellites included right out of the box. There's Dolby Atmos support, and its wide, immersive soundstage does a good job of wrapping you in your audio from all angles. The focus with its rear speakers is very good, so sound effects seem to come from accurate locations in the space around you.

When you listen to surround sound and Dolby Atmos content, you get the sense that you're sitting right in the middle of your favorite movies—though, unfortunately, since the sides don't rotate upwards and its satellites lack up-firing drivers, it doesn't sound quite as immersive as the top pick. However, the bar's sound quality is impressive compared to other models at this price point. Voices and lead instruments reproduce with clarity, and you won't have any trouble following along with the dialogue in your favorite movies.

Plus, the Vizio soundbar's subwoofer brings plenty of rumble in the low-bass, so you'll feel your seat shake underneath you during action-packed scenes. It doesn't include as many customization tools as the more premium picks on this list, and without room correction, it sounds different depending on the acoustics of your room. If you want better 5.1 performance, the Vizio M Series M51ax-J6 is worth a look, as it provides a more even 5.1 sound, but it's not as widely available, and it otherwise exhibits similar enough performance that you may prefer the M Series M512a-H6 for its availability and better stereo sound for older movies.

The best budget soundbar we've tested is the Vizio V Series V51-H6. It's an affordable option that's one of the only setups with discrete satellite speakers in this price range. As a result, when you watch 5.1 surround sound formats like Dolby Digital and DTS, which are commonly found on streaming platforms, you get a more immersive feel. Sound effects are accurately placed in the space around you, matching the action you see on your screen. As you might expect from a budget soundbar, it lacks premium features, and, like most bars in its price range, there's no Dolby Atmos support on hand to take advantage of more immersive audio formats.

That said, if you don't watch Atmos movies, it's a great value for the price. This setup has a neutral sound right out of the box, especially in the mid-range, where most dialogue reproduces. Thanks to its dedicated subwoofer, the bass in action-filled scenes is present and thumpy without overwhelming the voices from the mids. Naturally, there are fewer sound enhancement features than more pricey models, but you still get the basics like bass and treble adjustments and a dialogue enhancement mode. It's also versatile enough to be suitable for music and TV shows.

Your local movie theater doesn't use a soundbar, so if you're looking to replicate the movie-going experience in the comfort of your home, the Sony BRAVIA Theater Quad with Bass Module approximates the big soundstage of the cinema with discrete speakers. It doesn't look like a conventional soundbar. Instead, it uses separate left and right stereo speakers that sit on either side of the TV with a small wireless receiver control box, two satellites, and a subwoofer, so you'll need room on either side of your TV. The kit is able to create a wide soundstage, in part because the L/R speakers are ideally already placed on either side of the screen, rather than a standard soundbar, which is rarely longer than your TV.

Each speaker has up-firing drivers for object-based audio formats like Dolby Atmos, which yields the illusion of height while objects track well as they move in the surround space. The kit includes a few presets to enhance the sound like Sound Field Optimization and 'Voice' and 'Night' modes, in addition to a room calibration feature. That said, if you watch a lot of dramas, the lack of a discrete center speaker means the Sony creates a phantom center channel, which isn't quite as clear sounding as the Samsung HW-Q990D for dialogue-heavy movies.

If your setup has limited space, a small soundbar like the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is a great option. At under 26 inches in width, this compact soundbar fits easily into your living room, and despite its small size, it packs a punch with your favorite movies. The bar uses psychoacoustic principles to make its soundstage seem wider than the bar itself, so sound effects seem to stretch to the space around your couch. With Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital support, you can enjoy movies from different sources, including streaming platforms and Blu-ray discs.

Like the standalone Sonos Arc, this bar has a room correction feature called TruePlay that adjusts the bar's output to meet the unique acoustics of your space. It's only available on iOS devices now, but Android users can adjust its bass and treble to make up for differences in the sound. Given its smaller size, though, it's not much of a surprise that it doesn't get quite as loud as the Arc, and its Atmos performance isn't quite as impressive since it can't mimic as much height in the soundstage. Still, it's a great choice for its size, and you can always upgrade it to the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) with Sub Mini + One SL Speakers if you want to improve its performance.