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Soundbars: What to know before you buy

A soundbar is one of the best upgrades you can make to your TV, but there are so many to choose from. Here’s what you should know and a selection of excellent soundbars hand-picked by CNET editors. You can see the products featured in this video here 👇 Sennheiser Ambeo Sonos Arc Vizio V21 Roku…

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A soundbar is one of the best upgrades you can make to your TV, but there are so many to choose from. Here’s what you should know and a selection of excellent soundbars hand-picked by CNET editors.

You can see the products featured in this video here 👇
Sennheiser Ambeo
Sonos Arc
Vizio V21
Roku Streambar
*CNET may get a commission from these offers.

Read about all the best soundbars here:

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67 Comments

67 Comments

  1. Demetri Harris

    December 2, 2021 at 10:30 pm

    Amazing channel

  2. Garage Sale

    December 2, 2021 at 10:32 pm

    Klipsch Cinema 600 5.1

  3. Bill Last

    December 2, 2021 at 10:34 pm

    Just connect your stereo speakers like I do JBL to your TV

  4. Andre Ferreira Freitas

    December 2, 2021 at 10:38 pm

    Jesus… got my place bugged…

    • H8er Maker $

      December 2, 2021 at 11:05 pm

      It’s not your place it’s your phone bro, I was literally talking about a home theater system yesterday & this popped up in my feed…. Samsung snoops the most.

    • Andre Ferreira Freitas

      December 3, 2021 at 12:31 am

      @H8er Maker $ ron swanson was right

  5. L.V. Legit

    December 2, 2021 at 10:41 pm

    Could gad dropped this pre black friday

  6. Tony Okami

    December 2, 2021 at 10:58 pm

    JBL9.1 😎 never got any issues since I got it last year with my LG CX, connected to Apple TV 4K, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and works with airplay 2.

  7. 平和

    December 2, 2021 at 11:05 pm

    Just avoid any devices that come with an integrated voice assistant…

    • Mahu Mike

      December 3, 2021 at 3:18 am

      why?

    • Potomac Studios

      December 3, 2021 at 3:59 am

      because they can go out of date as compared to a book shelf speaker or a monitor like a jbl 305 or a 2.1 set like klipsch promedia that will never be obsolete or require software or online connectivity. I know sonos speakers are the worst offenders

    • Mahu Mike

      December 3, 2021 at 4:20 am

      @Potomac Studios good point

    • MBJ920

      December 3, 2021 at 6:33 am

      @Potomac Studios just curious as to how a soundbar with wifi capabilities can go out of date but a bookshelf speaker can’t? Is this because you can always adjust and add to a bookshelf sound system? Thanks for your input as I’m in the market to purchase one of the two

  8. Japan log -cityscapes and landscapes-

    December 2, 2021 at 11:14 pm

    Just the soundbar information I want to know! 😭
    Thank you for the wonderful video!

  9. Grandiora

    December 2, 2021 at 11:18 pm

    Explains the soundbar concept by introducing Sony and its videos then skips the brand entirely afterwards when looking at models across segments… You could easily have put in the Sony A5000 or A7000 in. They perform much better than the Sonos Arc and actually has a HDMI 2.1 switch.

    • iyaz akhtar

      December 3, 2021 at 10:19 pm

      Hey there. I thought the Sony video illustrated the concepts well. As for Sony’s performance — that’s something for our expert reviewers to determine. Thanks for the info on the Sony A5000 and A7000 though. Thanks for watching and for your feedback! Always appreciated

  10. Trevor Dennis

    December 2, 2021 at 11:44 pm

    I much prefer my AV receiver and 5.1 speakers.

    • PrezidentHughes

      December 3, 2021 at 7:25 am

      That’s much better. Even an AV and 2.1ch, or a pair of powered bookshelf speakers with a sub would sound much better than most soundbars. They can be connected to the headphone jack of the TV and use the TV’s built-in virtual surround sound DSP. Why pay for features already available. 🤷🏾‍♂️

  11. WOOD

    December 2, 2021 at 11:49 pm

    Want to get a sound bar? Scrap that get two solid bookshelf speakers instead

  12. LeeTronix

    December 3, 2021 at 12:06 am

    Utter rubbish just tosh. I recommend a dedicated audio channel for people looking to make a decision on a sound bar or speakers not this drivel I just watched.

    • iyaz akhtar

      December 3, 2021 at 6:25 pm

      I respectfully disagree on the “utter rubbish” part, but you’re entitled to your opinion. And by all means, everyone should look at all kinds of channels

    • LeeTronix

      December 3, 2021 at 9:45 pm

      @iyaz akhtar Fair enough.

  13. Be Flabbergasted

    December 3, 2021 at 12:39 am

    For the “best” soundbar, I would certainly go for the Lyravox Stereomaster II 200. And it is quite affordable with its 22k price tag. Anyway, all and all this was an informative video with interesting products. However, the sound of your voice on the video itself is not good at all. It is very flat and “thin” I am sure you do not really sound like that in real life. If you are going to make a video about the sound quality of a product should you not make an effort to sound great on the video? The reason I ask is because everyone listens or perceives sound differently. And maybe the sound on the video is what you consider good sound quality. And if that was the case maybe the products you are suggesting do not sound as good as some of us may be led to believe they do? Anyway. This is just a point of view. Great stuff. Keep it up.

    • alwaysasn

      December 3, 2021 at 4:28 am

      His voice sounds fine to me

    • Be Flabbergasted

      December 3, 2021 at 8:49 pm

      @alwaysasn Nope. There is something missing. It may depend on what you are using to listen to the video clip. But it certainly is not correct. It should be “warmer”, more present. He sounds like a 3-way speaker without the woofer and without the tweeter. Very unnatural.

  14. Nicolas Boudreault

    December 3, 2021 at 2:19 am

    what about the sonos beam gen 2 ?

  15. PrezidentHughes

    December 3, 2021 at 2:23 am

    If the soundbar doesn’t have up-firing speakers, or isn’t at least an exceptional true 3.1ch, you’re better off getting a pair of HiFi 2-way bookshelf speakers with sub for the same money, connect to your TV’s headphone jack and use the virtual surround already built into the TV. Why spend extra money for virtual surround you already have or streaming features you already have on your mobile phone? And you’ll end up with much more proficient drivers and save a precious HDMI port too. Soundbars hardly save space if you really think about it.

    • Albert Pintor

      December 5, 2021 at 3:09 am

      I have a 5.1 system in my room and a 1965 packard bell rpc-39 stereo console and I feel that even the console would still beat a $600 dollar soundbar

    • Albert Pintor

      December 5, 2021 at 3:09 am

      I have a 5.1 system in my room and a 1965 packard bell rpc-39 stereo console and I feel that even the console would still beat a $600 dollar soundbar on sound quality and I think its annoying that consoles are overlooked because a console would take up no more space than a tv stand plus soundbar

    • xuxon24

      December 6, 2021 at 10:04 pm

      Ease of use to begin with, a lot people struggle set a soundbar and even if it’s fairly simple what you said it’s not the easier thing to do for the most.

    • xuxon24

      December 6, 2021 at 10:05 pm

      Also there are much better options that will offer you rich sound than using an aux port.

    • PrezidentHughes

      December 6, 2021 at 10:40 pm

      Only problem with optical is that you have to use the volume control of the speaker system, which if you use aux, you can use the volume control of the source, which is preferable for me rather than fiddling with different remotes.

  16. dankcatvacs

    December 3, 2021 at 3:00 am

    hdmi plugged in to my sony sound bar and now cant controll audio with tv remote LAME!

  17. QuietStormX

    December 3, 2021 at 5:13 am

    I mean do you need them? Have you checked the audio specs of your Flat screen? If you selected a Flat screen with the same or higher audio specs, you don’t need to spend $$$$ extra. Invest in a display for less then and use the sound bar audio. If you select one of these cheap Flat screens? I read both specs… Video/Audio and outputs..

  18. MBJ920

    December 3, 2021 at 6:41 am

    If you have a new Samsung QLED, I suggest going with a Samsung Q series soundbar to get extra features such as Q symphony, acoustic beam (object tracking on screen), and a room scanner (to adjust sound to your room’s layout and furniture placement).

    • Sly Carl

      December 3, 2021 at 10:11 am

      Does the q70a have that feature?

  19. MBJ920

    December 3, 2021 at 6:41 am

    If you have a new Samsung QLED, I suggest going with a Samsung Q series soundbar to get extra features such as Q symphony (adds the use of TV speakers to your sound bar at the same time), acoustic beam (object tracking on screen), and a room scanner (to adjust sound to your room’s layout and furniture placement).

    • Debasish Ghosh

      December 4, 2021 at 3:07 am

      @Sly Carl yes

    • MBJ920

      December 4, 2021 at 3:14 am

      @Sly Carl it should as it has that Q in the name, but I would look it up, but I am 99% sure it should. Just pair it up to another Q named sound bar system and then set it to play in Q symphony in the TV audio settings

  20. LonkiGames

    December 3, 2021 at 7:08 am

    Im just scared of adding extra input lag or limit the capability’s of my LG CX

  21. Dmitriy TechMix

    December 3, 2021 at 7:32 am

    You read my mind every time. Thanks for this one epic video 📸☺️

  22. Ritesh Dalvi

    December 3, 2021 at 7:47 am

    What about bose 900 @cnet?

  23. Adam R

    December 3, 2021 at 10:04 am

    Another option for folks with an Apple TV 4K is a pair of HomePod Minis. When they are on sell you can get them for under $200 total.

  24. Munyaradzi Marumahoko

    December 3, 2021 at 10:40 am

    Don’t buy Vizio. You have been warned. Their soundars are plagued with firmware issues.

  25. videojomo

    December 3, 2021 at 10:40 am

    (me, surrounded by filing cabinet-sized speakers)
    Where were you when I was young and naive?!

  26. Eric ten Westenend

    December 3, 2021 at 3:43 pm

    Bluesound pulse?

  27. Abdulaziz Abdullah

    December 3, 2021 at 4:51 pm

    I needed thia video a month ago 😂

  28. BreakTime101

    December 3, 2021 at 8:23 pm

    HDMI ARC does not support Dolby Atmos, HDMI eARC does though.
    Google cast lets you send audio to other Google speakers.

    • andykillsu

      December 5, 2021 at 5:24 am

      Have you ever heard of DD+…

    • BreakTime101

      December 5, 2021 at 1:45 pm

      @andykillsu Yes and it’s not the same thing as Dolby Atmos.

    • andykillsu

      December 5, 2021 at 3:16 pm

      @BreakTime101 🤣 Why don’t you look again…

  29. 37375

    December 4, 2021 at 8:49 am

    I hate my Klipsch sound bar the Bluetooth subwoofer is always coming disconnected and making terrible noises.

    • Albert Pintor

      December 5, 2021 at 3:19 am

      Get a 2.1 stereo or if you like minimalism then replace the TV stand with a console stereo from the 60s or 70s but make sure it has a tape or aux input

  30. Kal-El The Last

    December 4, 2021 at 9:01 am

    🤔..

  31. Avneesh Seth

    December 4, 2021 at 9:05 pm

    Bose soundbars are a lot better than Sonos. Specially the 900 is leaves ahead of the arc.

  32. Zach M

    December 5, 2021 at 12:50 am

    Vizio V51 was an amazing deal from Costco … It was like $180 and includes the subwoofer and rear surrounds… Based on what I’ve seen the Dolby Atmos from most sound bars is ineffective compared to actual speakers so why spend the extra money

  33. NiCoOo

    December 5, 2021 at 2:40 am

    get the best one to avoid any regret, I went all the way for q950a and it blew my mind away how top end bluetooth soundbar sound just as good as wired one!

    • Jesus Alvarez

      December 5, 2021 at 7:28 am

      Yeah no

  34. AP

    December 5, 2021 at 3:41 am

    If Apple ever makes a TV, you can bet that their speakers will probably blow us away. But an actual TV from Apple is just wishful thinking, especially when we got faked out and they gave us a streaming box 😂

    • Tony T. aka DoubleT23

      December 7, 2021 at 6:35 am

      Well they had the Homepod. I was able to get one and I use it as my speaker for my Apple TV, but I wish I had that second homepod to complete the setup.

  35. andykillsu

    December 5, 2021 at 5:22 am

    This is one of the most terrible sounds videos I have seen. Not only did you get things wrong about the specs of ARC, you also failed to recommend actually good soundbars like the Q950A and HT-A9. Disliked.

  36. Felix Five

    December 5, 2021 at 8:11 am

    Oops I just bought a couple of cheap Sony Soundbars…. And their sound is great. They just work, have ARC and heaps of bass.

  37. G B

    December 6, 2021 at 8:46 pm

    Music doesn’t sound great on the Ambeo…? I’d check your Ambeo settings… or something is definitely wrong…

  38. xuxon24

    December 6, 2021 at 10:22 pm

    Almost everytime there is a video like this always the purists appear with the don’t buy a soundbar just get a bookshelf speakers or get a proper home theater but that’s not good for everyone. First a proper home theater with atmos support will more than likely cost you like 2 or 3 times more than a top of the line soundbar, if you don’t have the technical knowledge you’ll had to pay for the installation and that’s more money on top of that you need to wire everything and that can be a nightmare for a first install. Now you can easily get good sound for less than 1000 and awesome sound for less than 2000 in the soundbar category. If you feel you need more and are ready to pay get a proper home theater it would be the best.

    • xuxon24

      December 6, 2021 at 10:30 pm

      And also I don’t agree with the recommendations in this video they went with one of the most expensive to the middle and then a bunch of cheap ones that aren’t that good. A lot of good soundbars from Samsung, Sony and LG could’ve been mentioned but I just saw a lot of Vizio that are notorious for not being that good and dodgy firmware.

  39. mountainman0270

    December 7, 2021 at 6:17 am

    Sonos ftw!

  40. Joe Baron

    December 7, 2021 at 8:31 pm

    Always wondered what ARC was on the HDMI – thanks! Last time I looked at sound bars there was so much variance in price and functions that I bought a milky bar instead – saved me a few hundred quid! Makes a lot of sense that streaming and speaker tech converges: makes things more invisible; less gadgets to plug in and power, less remotes etc. Might have another look!

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