No home entertainment system can deliver an extraordinary experience without proper sound quality, even if you have the best picture quality from your TV. Like in a movie theater or a stadium, sound plays an important role in immersing the audience. TVs are getting thinner and thinner, which means less space for proper speakers. Despite this, our testing shows that some modern high-end TVs can get loud; some have decent bass and deliver clear, understandable dialogue, but the sound quality is nothing compared to a proper sound setup. We suggest you check our recommendations for the best soundbars if you want the best sound. However, some TVs still deliver solid sound that immerses you in your content.
Below are our recommendations for the TVs with the best sound you can buy. If you're more concerned about image quality, make sure to check out recommendations for the best TVs, the best outdoor TVs, and the best smart TVs. You can also vote on which new models you want us to purchase and test. To learn more about the new TVs coming out soon, check out our 2026 TV lineup page.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
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Best Sounding TV
Mixed UsageHome TheaterBright RoomSportsGamingBrightnessBlack LevelColorMotion HandlingGame Mode ResponsivenessProcessing (In Development)Resolution:4kNative Refresh Rate:144HzScreen Finish:GlossyPanel Type:OLEDSub-Type:WOLEDDolby Vision:YesSee all our test resultsSizes:55" 65" 77"The best-sounding TV we've tested is the Panasonic Z95B OLED. It has a built-in 170W 5.1.2 sound system with Atmos support, which gives it similar sound quality to a mid-range soundbar. Although its bass isn't as deep as soundbars with a dedicated subwoofer on your floor, the built-in subwoofer provides more bass than traditional TV speakers, so you hear some low-end rumble in movies, shows, and games. The sound profile is pretty well-balanced, and dialogue is easy to understand due to its dedicated center channel, even in action scenes. The speakers get loud enough to fill a room, which is great if you're seated towards the back of a large space. You can also plug your own soundbar or home theater system into the TV, since it passes through all Dolby audio formats. However, it doesn't pass through DTS audio formats commonly found on physical media.
Fortunately, you also get one of the best-looking OLED TVs on the market. Blacks are inky, colors are incredibly vibrant, and it has excellent brightness, so movies and shows look incredible whether they're in SDR or HDR. It has solid reflection handling, so you can use it in a bright room without reflections being a major issue. The TV also has modern gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, 4k @ 144Hz, and VRR. Furthermore, it displays crystal clear motion, so fast-paced games look great.
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Best Sounding Mid-Range TV
Mixed UsageHome TheaterBright RoomSportsGamingBrightnessBlack LevelColorMotion HandlingGame Mode ResponsivenessProcessing (In Development)Resolution:4kNative Refresh Rate:120HzScreen Finish:GlossyPanel Type:LCDSub-Type:VADolby Vision:YesSee all our test resultsSizes:55" 65" 75" 85" 98"The Sony BRAVIA 5 is the best-sounding mid-range TV we've tested. It doesn't sound nearly as good as the Panasonic Z95B OLED, but it has a 40W speaker system built in that actually gets pretty loud, so it does a pretty good job filling rooms with sound. There's not much bass, but the sound profile is well-balanced, making dialogue easy to understand. If you have your own soundbar or surround sound system, you can use the TV's built-in speakers as a dedicated center channel with the rest of your setup. It also passes through all DTS and Dolby audio formats, so it has great compatibility with streaming services and physical media.
The TV also has pretty good image quality. It has local dimming to deepen blacks without any severe blooming, colors have good vibrancy, and the TV is bright enough in SDR to handle glare in a bright room. However, it's a bit dim in HDR, so highlights don't pop out very much in HDR movies, shows, and games. Finally, the TV has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, 4k @ 120Hz, and VRR, so it's fully compatible with the features offered by modern gaming consoles.
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Best Sounding Budget TV
Mixed UsageHome TheaterBright RoomSportsGamingBrightnessBlack LevelColorMotion HandlingGame Mode ResponsivenessProcessing (In Development)Resolution:4kNative Refresh Rate:144HzScreen Finish:GlossyPanel Type:LCDSub-Type:VADolby Vision:YesSee all our test resultsSizes:55" 65" 75" 85" 98"The TCL QM6K is the best budget TV with decent sound quality that we've tested. It doesn't sound as good as the Sony BRAVIA 5, but the TV has a built-in 40W 2.1-channel Onkyo sound system that sounds decent, especially for a budget model. However, like most TVs, it barely produces any bass. Dialogue is easy to understand at low and moderate volume levels, but it becomes pretty unbalanced at the TV's maximum volume, which makes voices hard to hear during louder action scenes. Furthermore, the TV speakers don't get very loud, so you might find yourself using the speakers near maximum volume more often than not. If you eventually upgrade to a dedicated soundbar or surround sound system, the TV passes through all DTS and Dolby audio formats, which ensures great compatibility.
Fortunately, this is also one of, if not the best, budget TVs currently available. It has local dimming to help deepen blacks, so dark scenes don't look washed out. However, there's some blooming around subtitles and highlights in otherwise dark scenes. Colors aren't super vibrant on this model, but they look good enough that the image doesn't look dull. The TV is bright enough in SDR to handle glare in a well-lit room. However, its HDR brightness is a bit more limited, so highlights don't stand out as much as they should in HDR content. Still, the TV is loaded with modern gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, 4k @ 144Hz, 1080p @ 288Hz, and VRR, so it's a solid option for both console and PC gamers.
Notable Mentions
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Sony BRAVIA 9:
The Sony BRAVIA 9 competes with the Panasonic Z95B OLED and is a good alternative if you'd rather have an LED model than an OLED. The Sony's image quality isn't quite as good, but it's better than the Panasonic in very bright rooms due to its high peak brightness. The Sony's speakers sound very good, but they still don't match the built-in soundbar you get with the Panasonic.
See our review -
TCL QM8K:
The TCL QM8K competes with the Sony BRAVIA 5. The TCL is quieter and doesn't produce as much bass, but its built-in speakers still sound alright. Although it offers worse sound than the Sony, the TCL has superior image quality, so it's a good choice for those who would rather sacrifice some sound quality for superior image quality.
See our review -
Hisense U65QF:
The Hisense U65QF is an alternative to the TCL QM6K. The Hisense produces more bass and gets a bit louder, but the TCL has a more well-balanced sound profile, especially at high volume levels, so dialogue is easier to understand. The Hisense is brighter, so it's a bit better for bright rooms, but the TCL offers better image quality and features overall.
See our review
Recent Updates
Mar 19, 2026:
We moved the Sony BRAVIA 9 to the Notable Mentions, and updated that section with more relevant alternatives to our recommendations.
Nov 19, 2025:
Replaced the Panasonic Z95A OLED with the Panasonic Z95B OLED in the 'Best Sounding TV' category, the Sony BRAVIA 5 with the TCL QM8K in the 'Best Sounding Mid-Range TV' category, and the Hisense U6N with the TCL QM6K in the 'Best Sounding Budget TV' category. We also updated the Notable Mentions.
Apr 30, 2025:
We made the Panasonic Z95A OLED our new top pick and moved the Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED into a new 'Best Sounding Bright Room TV' category. We also moved the LG G4 OLED into Notable Mentions.
Dec 18, 2024:
We replaced the Sony X90L/X90CL with the Sony BRAVIA 7 QLED in the Notable Mentions section.
Oct 04, 2024: Replaced the LG G3 OLED, the Hisense U8/U8K, and the Hisense U6/U6K with their 2024 successors. We also updated some text throughout for clarity.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the TVs with the best sound to buy for most people with different needs. We factor in the price (a cheaper TV wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it) and availability (no TVs that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our reviews of TVs, sorted by their sound quality. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no TV is perfect, most TVs are great enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them. Keep in mind that no TV can deliver the sound quality of a dedicated sound system or a soundbar.