The quality of built-in sound on TVs has improved significantly over the years, but not quite very good TVs it can compete with dedicated soundbars. If you want to improve your home entertainment, investing in a good sound bar is the way to go. Thankfully, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on this, especially after you’ve already dropped a ton on your TV. An inexpensive soundbar is the perfect solution for getting the best conversation quality in your entertainment system. Whether it’s for watching movies and TV shows or even streaming music BluetoothThe best budget sound bars can make your TV sound better for under $200.
For $170, the 2.1 Soundbar includes a wireless subwoofer, HDMI connectivity and both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding. Even better than the previous Vizio V21, these soundbars excel at movie soundtracks and sound great with music, too.
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Benefits
- A huge sound stage
- Enjoyable, detailed audio for music and movies
- It is affordable
Evil
- No analog or optical
- You need an app to change the settings
- There are no length effects
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The compact Roku Streambar offers a lot for its low price. This is a complete 4K HDR broadcast with hundreds of supported services, as well as the ability to connect via Bluetooth. A quick upgrade to your TV speaker, with excellent sound quality.
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Benefits
- It’s compact, easy to set up and affordable
- A reproduction of an excellent conversation
- The tried and true Roku experience
Evil
- It has no bass in movies and music
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If you’re after a compact soundbar that offers Bluetooth, HDMI and really clean audio, the Yamaha SR-C20A has you covered. It also features DTS Virtual:X for excellent simulated surround from a single box.
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Benefits
- Easy to set up and use
- It sounds great with movies and music
- Multiple communication options
Evil
- There is no ability to add a subwoofer or rear
- There are no DTS playback options with DVD viewing restrictions
- The Vizio V21 beats home theater use
Expand Good and Evil
Soundbars can make a lot of sound in a small box, but nothing can compare to the bass that a dedicated subwoofer can deliver. Creative Stage offers a lot for just $80, including HDMI cable connectivity, but it’s the wired subwoofer that really makes the system sing. This sound bar also offers Bluetooth connectivity and a USB port for playing MP3s from an external drive. Although the Stage V2 is now available — which adds USB audio, digital coaxial and a clear audio mode for $109 — the original is still around.
Jump to the details
Benefits
- There are many features including HDMI and subwoofer
- Clear sound
- Good for music
- A useful display
Evil
- Not as good as dedicated TV sound bars
- Not much
Expand Good and Evil
BLUETOOTH SPEAKER DEALS OF THE WEEK
Deals are selected by the CNET Group’s marketing team, and may not be related to this article.
The budget models highlighted here are those that performed well in CNET’s hands-on testing, including those that cost less than $100. Everything is affordable soundbars in this list have Bluetooth, HDMI and optical connection, which makes connecting the TV easy. If you’re looking to up your audio game a bit more, our roundup of the best soundbars under $300 offers these same features and more. It’s time to stop the negative TV sound and turn up the volume for a better binge experience.
Benefits
-
A huge sound stage
-
Enjoyable, detailed audio for music and movies
-
It is affordable
Evil
-
No analog or optical
-
You need an app to change the settings
-
There are no length effects
For $170, the 2.1 Soundbar includes a wireless subwoofer, HDMI connectivity and both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding. Even better than the previous Vizio V21, these soundbars excel at movie soundtracks and sound great with music, too.
Benefits
-
It’s compact, easy to set up and affordable
-
A reproduction of an excellent conversation
-
The tried and true Roku experience
Evil
-
It has no bass in movies and music
The compact Roku Streambar offers a lot for its low price. This is a complete 4K HDR broadcast with hundreds of supported services, as well as the ability to connect via Bluetooth. A quick upgrade to your TV speaker, with excellent sound quality.
Benefits
-
Easy to set up and use
-
It sounds great with movies and music
-
Multiple communication options
Evil
-
There is no ability to add a subwoofer or rear
-
There are no DTS playback options with DVD viewing restrictions
-
The Vizio V21 beats home theater use
If you’re after a compact soundbar that offers Bluetooth, HDMI and really clean audio, the Yamaha SR-C20A has you covered. It also features DTS Virtual:X for excellent simulated surround from a single box.
Benefits
-
There are many features including HDMI and subwoofer
-
Clear sound
-
Good for music
-
A useful display
Evil
-
Not as good as dedicated TV sound bars
-
Not much
Soundbars can make a lot of sound in a small box, but nothing can compare to the bass that a dedicated subwoofer can deliver. Creative Stage offers a lot for just $80, including HDMI cable connectivity, but it’s the wired subwoofer that really makes the system sing. This sound bar also offers Bluetooth connectivity and a USB port for playing MP3s from an external drive. Although the Stage V2 is now available — which adds USB audio, digital coaxial and a clear audio mode for $109 — the original is still around.
TV speakers are traditionally very poor, so using even less can improve your programming immeasurably. For $100, you can buy something that doubles as a Bluetooth music player and a TV sound system. The quality of inexpensive soundbars has risen dramatically over the past few years, and the addition of subwoofers at this level has helped improve performance. Bass is something that no onboard TV speaker can provide.
All of the above soundbars will sound great and do so for less money, but there are benefits to stretching your budget. For $ 280, for example, the Sonos Ray will not only provide a better experience with sound, but improved features, including multiroom music. While the sky’s the limit on how much you can spend on improving your sound, the real sweet spot is between $300 and $400. See our list of the best sound bars, including models that offer state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos sound effects.
