Top 10 best soundbars of 2026

Find out which soundbars are best. A soundbar is a big upgrade for your TV or PC. You can buy one with or without a subwoofer. Prices vary: €200, €500, or even €1500. Which one is right for you? We put them to the test. This list helps you find the best soundbar to buy.

In this article

• Top 10 soundbars of 2026
• 1 Best-tested soundbar
• 2 Best soundbar without a subwoofer
• 3 Best soundbar with a subwoofer
• 4 Best soundbar with a built-in subwoofer
• 5 Best budget soundbar
• 6 Best soundbar under €200
• 7 Best soundbar under €500
• 8 Best soundbar for music
• 9 Best soundbar for TV
• 10 Best soundbar for PC
• All about soundbars
  • Three types
  • Number of channels
  • Width in cm
  • Connection: wired or wireless?
  • Most popular brands
  • Frequently asked questions

Best soundbar 2026

These are the best soundbars in our tests:

1. JBL Bar 500 Pro
   (Best soundbar 2026)
2. JBL 2.0
   (Best soundbar without a subwoofer)
3. Samsung HW-Q70T
   (Best soundbar with a subwoofer)
4. Bose TV Speaker
   (Best soundbar with a built-in subwoofer)
5. Samsung HW-T400
   (Best budget soundbar)
6. Bose Solo 5
   (Best soundbar under €200)
7. Sonos Beam - Soundbar
   (Best soundbar under €500)
8. JBL Bar 2.0
   (Best soundbar for music)
9. LG DSL4
   (Best soundbar for TV)
10. Trust Asto - Soundbar PC Speaker
    (Best soundbar for PC)

Soundbar test results

Our tests revealed big differences in quality, even between soundbars at similar prices. One lacks bass, while another has an annoying audio delay. That gave us even more reason to put together a clear list of the best models. Only the top performers in our tests make this list.

Best-tested soundbar 2026

This is our pick for the best soundbar you can buy right now. We keep this list up to date. Has the price changed? Has a better soundbar come out? Then we update the list.

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Best soundbar without a subwoofer

Many models have no separate subwoofer. You get a bar. That's it. There is a type of woofer built into the bar, though. It works much like Bluetooth speakers.

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Best soundbar with a subwoofer

A soundbar with an external subwoofer delivers extra-powerful sound. That makes watching TV and movies or listening to music more immersive. But a poor subwoofer can also ruin the sound. Which soundbar with a subwoofer is best?

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Best soundbar with a built-in subwoofer

Want deep bass without a large external subwoofer next to your TV stand? A soundbar with a built-in subwoofer is your best option. You get strong bass in a compact package.

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Best budget soundbar

You can spend as much as you like on a soundbar. Models with an external subwoofer usually cost more. Finding a speaker for €1000 is easy. But if you buy a budget soundbar under €100, what quality can you expect?

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Best soundbar under €200

Soundbars under €200 already give you a fuller sound than cheaper models. This is the price range where the bass really starts to make itself heard.

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Best soundbar under €500

With soundbars under €500, you reach a price range where the sound is fantastic. Especially compared with your TV's built-in sound. We chose the model below for our list, but honestly, most soundbars around €500 are simply good. They often deliver plenty of bass because they often include a subwoofer. That subwoofer is usually what drives up the price. If you love lots of bass, that's fine. Prefer balanced sound with a healthy touch of bass? A cheaper soundbar will do the job perfectly well.

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Best soundbar for music

You may be surprised how often you use your soundbar for music! If you plan to use it for music too, 2 things matter.

1. Good sound
2. Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi connectivity

Good sound speaks for itself: it is essential for enjoying your music. A Bluetooth connection makes it easy to listen to music from your phone or a radio app.

A Wi-Fi connection can be even more convenient. Think of Sonos systems, where you connect speakers throughout your home over Wi-Fi. Easy, but very expensive. Although that may be the best option for music, we prefer the value offered by other brands, such as JBL.

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Best soundbar for TV

Of course, you want to connect a soundbar to your TV. Let me start by saying that every model in this buying guide works perfectly with a TV. Still, some features make connecting to a TV easier. An optical cable connection, for example. It means you never have to turn the soundbar on separately after switching on your TV. All that juggling of remotes... With an optical cable, you have at least 1 fewer remote to deal with.

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Best soundbar for PC

You want good sound from your PC, whether you are gaming or listening to your favorite music on Spotify. Full, rich sound makes a difference.

A PC soundbar can help, but it needs to meet different requirements. You want a volume knob within reach. It also helps if the bar connects through a cable that carries volume controls. In other words, when you turn the music down on your PC, the sound should actually get quieter. An HDMI ARC cable offers the highest quality, though an old-fashioned RCA cable can also do the job.

And last but not least, gaming calls for as little latency as possible. That just means delay. Nothing is more annoying than firing your weapon and hearing the shot a second later.

• Those were the 10 best soundbars in our tests. Find more details below, or go back up to the list of 10 soundbars.

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All about soundbars

More and more people choose a soundbar to upgrade their TV or PC sound. But quality, price, and features vary widely. Think carefully about how you will use it first.

Why choose a soundbar?

A soundbar is a good choice if you want a big sound upgrade for your TV or PC. Many TVs do not sound very good. Manufacturers focus more on making TVs thin than on making them sound good. Good sound needs a large speaker enclosure, which simply will not fit inside a flat TV. That is where a good soundbar helps.

Soundbar with or without a subwoofer?

There are three types of soundbars:

• Soundbar without a subwoofer
• Soundbar with an external subwoofer
• Soundbar with a built-in subwoofer

Each type has pros and cons. The right one depends on how you use it.

Soundbar without a subwoofer

A soundbar without a subwoofer consists only of the bar, with no subwoofer built into the sides. At Eardopes, we strongly prefer a soundbar without a subwoofer. You will notice that it already delivers far more bass than you are used to from your TV. A subwoofer adds an unnatural amount of bass. You have to like that. We prefer a soundbar without one.

Soundbar with a built-in subwoofer

A soundbar with a built-in subwoofer is ideal if you like deep bass but do not want a large subwoofer next to your soundbar or TV. A subwoofer takes up quite a bit of space, which can be inconvenient, especially in a small home. A soundbar with an internal subwoofer is a good compromise if you still want plenty of bass.

Soundbar with an external subwoofer

A soundbar with a subwoofer comes in 2 parts. You get the soundbar itself, plus a subwoofer. You can place it under or beside your TV or PC. It delivers deep, powerful bass, which many people enjoy. You can almost always adjust the bass with a knob on the subwoofer. Want lots of bass? Turn it up. Prefer a better balance between bass and treble? Turn it down a little.

Number of soundbar channels

2.0, 2.1, 5.1, 9.1... When you shop for a soundbar, these numbers are everywhere. And these are just a few of the combinations you will see on product pages at stores like Bol.

View soundbars on Bol

The most common numbers are:

• 2.0 soundbar
• 2.1 soundbar
• 5.1 soundbar
• 9.1 soundbar

But what do those numbers actually mean?

It is simple: the two numbers refer to the speakers and the subwoofer. A 2.1 soundbar has 2 speakers and 1 subwoofer. A 2.0 soundbar has 2 speakers and no subwoofer.

The first number, such as 2, does not necessarily mean you get 2 separate speakers with the soundbar. It refers to the 2 built-in speakers on the left and right of the bar. With a higher number, such as 5.0, you almost always get 3 extra speakers with your soundbar.

• One for the rear left
• One for the rear right
• One for the rear center

In short: the higher the first number, the more Dolby surround sound you get. Especially with movies and games, hearing sound from behind you through a separate speaker is a nice touch.

We think a 9.1 soundbar is unnecessary for most people. A soundbar alone is already a big sound upgrade. Are you a real movie enthusiast who wants the best of the best? Then you can choose a 5.1 or even a 9.1 set.

Note: to get the most from your surround sound system, you need to connect the soundbar properly with the right cable. A good HDMI cable can carry the audio properly.

Soundbar sizes in cm

Soundbars come in different sizes, from 50 cm to 150 cm. Most fall into these size groups:

• ~ 60 cm
• ~ 80 cm
• ~ 100 cm
• ~ 120 cm

View soundbars on Coolblue

Size alone does not tell you how a soundbar sounds. Still, larger models tend to deliver more bass.

Size also matters when you buy because space on your TV stand is limited.

Connecting soundbars: wired and wireless

There are several ways to connect your TV to a soundbar. Wired or wireless. The obvious benefit of wireless is, well, no wire. A bit too obvious, sorry. The really useful part is that you can place the soundbar wherever you like. Why put it under your TV rather than under your couch? A wireless soundbar lets you do that.

Wired

Want to connect it to your TV with a cable? You have three options:

• HDMI
• HDMI ARC
• Optical connection

In short: HDMI ARC is the best option.

HDMI vs. HDMI ARC: what's the difference?

HDMI ARC can send data in both directions, while HDMI can only send it one way. HDMI was originally designed as an input for your TV. A game console, for example, sends video and audio signals to your TV. With a speaker, you want the opposite.

If you connect your external speaker to your TV with an HDMI ARC cable, the volume stays in sync. Turn your TV down, and the soundbar gets quieter too. Handy!

Wireless

Wireless means the data connection is wireless, not that there are no cables at all. Say you want to put your soundbar under the couch. You still need to plug it into an outlet. That is a good thing: you do not have to worry about charging batteries.

In short: wireless usually refers to the data connection, not the absence of a power cable. Sometimes the extra speakers in 5.1, 7.1, or 9.1 sets are completely wireless.

There are 2 wireless connection options:

• Bluetooth
• Wi-Fi

The most common wireless connection is Bluetooth. Your TV connects to the speaker over Bluetooth. Keep these points in mind:

1. Your TV needs Bluetooth. Almost all high-end TVs from 2018 onward have it.
2. You need to turn the soundbar on separately when you switch on your TV.

Connecting your speaker over Bluetooth is fine, but in our tests, it felt as though the TV treated Bluetooth as an afterthought.

I kept having to connect the soundbar manually over Bluetooth. I watch TV to relax, not to work through a to-do list. I'm only half joking. For this test, I used the JBL Bar 2.0 and an LG OLED 55B7V, a fantastic TV, by the way.

Some soundbars use a Wi-Fi connection to play audio. It is convenient and stable, and works a bit like a Chromecast. In an app such as Spotify, you choose to play your music through the soundbar. From that point, the soundbar accesses the song's source itself over Wi-Fi. Your phone no longer needs to send or stream the signal to the soundbar. Handy!

The best-known speakers built entirely around this approach are Sonos speakers. Sonos has developed a system you can expand almost without limits. If you want, you can put one or more speakers in every room. In the Sonos app, you choose where your music plays.

Sonos also makes a soundbar. It fits seamlessly into your Sonos system, all through your Wi-Fi connection.

Soundbar vs. soundplate

A soundbar is a long bar that produces sound. You need some space in front of your TV on the TV stand, though. If you do not have that, you can choose a soundplate instead. This is a large oval-shaped unit that sits beneath your TV's base. Your TV rests on top of it. Sonos has released a soundplate.

Different brands

JBL soundbars

JBL has a good range of soundbars. The Bar series has a model for every kind of listener. There is a 2.0 version without an external subwoofer, a 2.1 with a subwoofer, a 5.1 with 1 bar & 3 speakers for Dolby Digital, a 7.1 with 5 speakers, and a 9.1 with 7 extra speakers.

JBL is well known for making Bluetooth speakers. Its soundbars with Dolby systems also come with Bluetooth. You can place the Dolby speakers anywhere in your living room without running a long cable from the soundbar. You can plug the speakers into an outlet so you never have to charge them. In short: no connecting cable, and no charging to think about. Handy!

Samsung soundbars

Samsung has by far the widest soundbar range. From €100 to €1400, there is a Samsung soundbar at every price point. You can choose a 2.0 bar, a 9.1 bar, or anything in between.

Bose soundbars

Bose is known for powerful sound. It has a good range of soundbars, organized more clearly than some other brands. There are about 5 types of Bose soundbars to choose from. And the sound is fantastic.

Whether you want a 2.0 model or a Dolby Digital version, Bose has one. Another nice touch: many models also come in white, which suits plenty of living rooms.

Bose certainly does not disappoint on sound. Almost every model also has Bluetooth, which is handy for playing music from your phone.

Frequently asked questions

These are the most frequently asked questions about soundbars.

Do you need a soundbar?

You need a soundbar if your TV has very poor sound with no bass. It is also worth having if you love good audio and want to enjoy movies and music on your TV with the best possible sound.

Technically, it is not essential, of course. But it is a very good upgrade that will be music to your ears.

Why buy a soundbar?

You buy a soundbar if you want better sound from your TV or PC. Modern TVs do not tend to sound very good. Manufacturers do everything they can to make TVs as thin as possible. That is where their focus lies.

But rich, deep sound needs room: a speaker enclosure. You cannot fit a large one inside a flat TV.

That is why soundbars are so popular. You place one in front of or behind your TV, where it stays out of the way. The improvement in sound is considerable!

Soundbar vs. speakers: which is better?

You can choose separate speakers instead of a soundbar. Both can connect to your TV. Well, mostly...

There are 4 areas where a soundbar for your TV has a clear advantage over separate speakers:

• Shape
• HDMI ARC
• Optical cable
• Bluetooth

A soundbar is designed specifically for a TV. Its shape reflects that. It sits neatly in front of your TV and is barely noticeable. Take a look:

The bar has ports that make connecting and starting it up easy, such as an HDMI ARC port or an optical cable connection. That makes it easy to use. If you turn the TV

Bluetooth is worth considering too. It lets you connect the bar, subwoofer, and separate speakers wirelessly. Handy if you do not want cables running through your home. Regular speakers often lack Bluetooth, although it is becoming more common.

In short: if you want a sound system for your TV, a soundbar is your best option. But with a little research and preparation, you can also connect separate speakers to your TV.

How do you connect a soundbar?

You can connect a soundbar using HDMI, HDMI ARC, an optical cable, or Bluetooth. Some models also connect over Wi-Fi, but only as part of a Wi-Fi-based sound system such as Sonos.

HDMI ARC or an optical cable is your best option. The advantage of both is that you never have to turn the bar on separately.

White or black soundbar?

You may not want a black bar on a white TV stand. You have decorated your living room carefully and do not want an eyesore in it. White soundbars are available too. They stand out less and may suit your room better.

How can I improve my TV's sound?

Your TV probably does not have the best built-in sound. Manufacturers usually focus on a thin screen rather than good audio. Your best option is an external sound system that connects to your TV. You will notice a big improvement. A soundbar is a good solution. This article shows you which models are worth buying.

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• Also check out our hands-on review of the Eardopes B6 pro.