The Roku Streambar Pro is a budget-friendly 2.0 setup that's the next generation of the Roku Smart Soundbar. It's similar to its predecessor in design and performance but with a few extra features available over its voice remote. The included headphones are great for private listening, either through the Roku app on your mobile device or through the remote that lets you watch on your TV. The bar also gives you access to Roku media's streamer, a neat tool that organizes all your channels and streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu into one place for easy access. The manufacturer also sells a compatible subwoofer and satellites that you can add to the bar if you want to improve its bass reproduction and surround sound, respectively.
Our Verdict
The Roku Streambar Pro is okay for mixed usage. This 2.0 bar has a simple design that makes it ideal for listening to stereo content, which includes most music and dialogue-centric TV shows. With its balanced mids, voices and lead instruments are clear and detailed in the mix, and you even have some sound enhancement tools to customize its sound to your liking. Its surround sound performance isn't very impressive, and there's no support for more immersive formats like Dolby Atmos. You can add a sub and satellites to improve its performance, but it'll cost a little more.
- Subwoofer add-on available.
- Satellites available as separate add-on.
- Roku media streamer included.
- Lacks low-bass.
- Some compression at max volume.
- No Dolby Atmos support.
The Roku Streambar Pro is decent for dialogue-heavy content like TV shows and podcasts. It's a 2.0 setup, so there's no discrete center channel to improve vocal reproduction. That said, you won't have trouble following the action on screen, as its balanced mids keep voices clear and detailed in the mix. The dialogue enhancement feature, called Voice Clarity, is adjustable, meaning you can choose between 'Off', 'Low', and 'High' modes. If you're watching TV at night, the Volume Mode tool is handy since it balances the volume level to keep dialogue audible without waking up those around you with louder effects in the mix.
- Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Apple AirPlay compatibility.
- Roku media streamer included.
- No Chromecast support.
- Some compression at max volume.
The Roku Streambar Pro is fair for music. Out-of-the-box, it offers a balanced sound, especially in the mids, where most voices and lead instruments reproduce. As a result, those instruments sound clear and detailed in the mix, making the soundbar suitable for listening to most genres. Fans of bass-heavy music like hip-hop and EDM will be disappointed, though, as the bar struggles to bring the thump in the bass range on its own. You have some customization tools on hand, but if you want a rumbling low bass, you'll need to add a separate sub from the manufacturer.
- Subwoofer add-on available.
- Roku media streamer included.
- Lacks low-bass.
- Some compression at max volume.
The Roku Streambar Pro is middling for movies. You won't have trouble following the action in your favorite films, and the bar can playback the most commonly-used surround sound format, Dolby Digital. However, since it's a 2.0 setup, it has to downmix Dolby Digital into stereo to play it, which doesn't sound quite as clear or real. There's no support for more immersive object-based formats like Dolby Atmos, which is also common on lots of streaming platforms. The manufacturer sells separate satellites if you want to improve its surround sound, which is nice.
- Satellites available as separate add-on.
- Roku media streamer included.
- Lacks low-bass.
- Some compression at max volume.
- No Dolby Atmos support.
Changelog
- Updated Oct 11, 2024: The Wireless Playback section has been updated to mention the Roku Streambar SE.
- Updated Mar 01, 2023: Added cable lengths to In The Box.
- Updated Mar 01, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 1.1. With this update, we've added a Mounting test and added information aboutSubwoofer Output, Spotify Connect, and Microphone Mute.
- Updated Aug 11, 2022: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Roku Streambar Pro is available in 'Black'. You can see the label for the model we tested here.
If you come across another version, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Soundbar Comparisons
The Roku Streambar Pro is a 2.0 bar that's the next generation of the Roku Smart Soundbar. The bars have a similar design and a similar performance with sound. However, the Pro adds some extra features, including a private listening mode that lets you enjoy content on your TV without bothering those around you via the included headphones that connect to the remote. Compared to other budget-friendly models, there's also access to Roku's media streamer, a platform that organizes different apps and services into one place.
See also our recommendations for the best budget soundbars, the best all-in-one soundbars, and the best soundbars under $200.
The Roku Streambar is a smaller alternative to the Roku Streambar Pro. It offers a more compact design, which is great if you're low on space. Because of its small size, it doesn't reproduce as much bass as the Pro, which is especially noticeable with bass-heavy music like EDM. The Pro's remote adds a private listening tool thanks to the headphone jack on the remote, and it has two programmable controls so you can access common voice controls with the press of a button. Otherwise, there isn't much of a difference in their performance.
The Roku Streambar Pro is the next generation of the Roku Smart Soundbar. That said, there isn't much of a difference between these bars when it comes to design and sound quality. Instead, the Pro offers a newly-designed remote with a headphone jack so you can enjoy private listening from your TV. Also, its two programmable controls make it easy to access your favorite voice controls with a button press.
The Sonos Beam is a better standalone bar than the Roku Streambar Pro. The Sonos is a 3.0 bar with a discrete center channel to improve its vocal reproduction. It has a better soundstage, and you notice more bass in the mix right out of the box. Unlike the Roku soundbar, it supports DTS content and has a room correction feature.
The Roku Streambar Pro is a better variant of the Roku Streambar SE with more specifications. Both soundbars come with a similar suite of wireless connectivity options, including Wi-Fi and Airplay connectivity, as well as easy access to streaming apps. The two also share a similar sound profile; one that lacks bass and high-end sheen. However, the Pro variant has some improvements in its performance, most notably when it comes to dynamics, and it supports the popular Dolby digital format. It also offers voice assistant support and headphone monitoring via its remote.
Test Results
