The best small soundbars will change your sound, giving you cinema-quality sound at home, no matter how big your screen is. Soundbars are a great way to save space and give you powerful sound for all of your entertainment. This means they are made for smaller homes, rooms, and screens, but that doesn’t mean they don’t pack a punch.
When looking for the right soundbar for you, it’s best to measure your TV, cabinet, or the space where you plan to put it. This will tell you how big of a soundbar you can get. We also think you should look at the ports on each soundbar because the way they connect may be different.
Most of the ones on this list come with HDMI ARC built in, but you should always check your TV to see how many HDMI ARC ports it has, as some may already be in use. If you haven’t bought a TV yet, check out for all the newest TVs for your home. Below we have mentioned some of the best small soundbars.
Best Small Soundbars
Sonos Beam (Gen 2)
Connectivity | Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI, IrDA, Optical Audio, Wi-Fi |
Features | Dolby Atmos Enabled, Smart Speaker, Wireless |
Smart Functions | Display Screen, Voice Control |
Use | Radio |
The Beam Gen 2 has been updated in small ways to make it look like its bigger, more expensive brother, the Arc. It has an eARC HDMI port added to it, which lets it play full-fat, lossless Atmos soundtracks. To get the most out of it, you’ll need a TV that works with eARC. This is one of the best small soundbars you can buy this product.
Other than that, the Beam 2nd Gen is the same. It works best with TVs up to and including 49 inches. The current Beam has Wi-Fi and the S2 app, which lets you use streaming services like Tidal, Deezer, and Qobuz, as well as Sonos’ own Radio service. You can also use your voice to get help from Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. You can also turn on Trueplay, which adjusts the Beam’s sound to fit the environment.
Pros
- Clean and balanced sound
- Upgradeable
- Excellent size
- Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant support
Cons
- HDMI eARC input only
- Limited DTS support
Bose TV Speaker
Connectivity | AUX, Bluetooth, HDMI, Optical Audio, Wi-Fi |
Features | Remote Control, Wireless, With Wi-Fi |
Power Source | Battery, Integrated |
Style | Compact |
Consider the best small soundbars if you want something less expensive. It’s a well-made 2.0 bar that costs less than the Bose TV Speaker and may be a better deal if you mostly listen to stereo content like music and TV shows. It has a pretty balanced sound right out of the box, especially in the mids, where most voices and lead instruments are heard.
So, the dialogue in your favorite shows is clear and easy to understand, and when you listen to music, you can hear the voices and instruments clearly. Since it’s a stand-alone bar, you don’t get much low-bass rumble, but you can always add a separate subwoofer, which the manufacturer sells separately, to improve the bass. If you like this soundbar and know more about this, you can read all the information on official website.
Pros
- Great for dialogue content.
- Performs well at max volume.
Cons
- Doesn’t get very loud.
- Doesn’t support DTS.
- Always-on surround sound feature.
Yamaha SR-C20A
Features | Wireless |
Connectivity | AUX, Bluetooth, HDMI, IrDA, NFC, Optical Audio, USB, Wi-Fi |
Frequency Response | 22,000 Hz |
Power Source | AC Power Adaptor |
Speaker Placement | Wall |
Special Purpose | Passive Radiator, Soundbar |
And with the SR-C20A, the best small soundbars has put decades of experience into a very small soundbar that sounds great and is a lot of fun to listen to. The SR-C20A is a bold, detailed, and pretty big sounding speaker, as long as you don’t crank up the volume too much.
It can give movie soundtracks much more depth and width than your TV can, and it’s also a dynamic and revealing performer when it comes to games. It’s even willing to try to be a music speaker, though for all its dynamic range and ability to bring out details, it’s not the best soundbar for rhythm.
Pros
- Wide, well-organized sound
- Great with movie or game soundtracks
Cons
- Weaker at high volumes
- Nasty remote control
Samsung HW-S61A
Assistant Support | Amazon Alexa |
Connectivity | Bluetooth, HDMI, NFC, Optical Audio, USB, Wi-Fi |
Features | Wireless, With Wi-Fi |
Power Source | AC Power Adaptor, Battery |
Smart Functions | Voice Control |
Speaker Placement | Table Top |
The Samsung HW-S61A is a best small soundbars that can compete with the Sonos Beam Gen 2, especially if you want a soundbar that will look good in any room. It’s about the same size, shape, and look as the HW-S60T, which is a good thing because we thought the Kvadrat fabric on the HW-S60T made it look great. The buttons on the top surface and the LED indicator have been moved down so that they are easier to see when you are sitting down.
A display would be more helpful, but it’s possible that it’s not here because it would take away from how smooth the bar looks. The HW-S61A works with Samsung’s SmartThings app, which makes it easy to set up and connect to Wi-Fi. You can also use the app to control playback and turn on voice control for Amazon Alexa. For the kind of people who are likely to go to the bar, this is the type of control with a mobile device that will be most appealing.
Pros
- Wide, expansive sound
- Great with music
- Tweaked design over older model
- AirPlay 2 support
Cons
- Sonos Beam still offers more choice and value
- Bass limited
Roku Streambar
Assistant Support | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri |
Connectivity | Ethernet, Wi-Fi |
Features | With Local Playback, With Remote Included |
HD Type | Ultra HD (4K) |
Supported Services | Amazon Instant, BBC iPlayer, Internet, NOWTV, Netflix, Spotify |
The Roku Streambar is the best small soundbars for the money that we have tested. It’s a simple upgrade over your TV’s speakers that won’t break the bank. With a width of less than 14 inches, its small size makes it great for smaller living spaces at a cheaper price.
As a bonus, it gives you access to Roku’s media streamer, a useful tool that groups your streaming services like Netflix and Hulu into one interface so you can easily switch between your favorite shows. It’s well made for the price, and it has many wireless playback options like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi so you can stream music from your phone to the bar itself.
Pros
- Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, and Wi-Fi compatible.
- Dialogue enhancement feature available.
- Four EQ presets available.
Cons
- No room correction.
- Doesn’t get very loud.
- Really lacking low-bass.
What is Soundbars?
You’re not the only one who doesn’t know what a soundbar is. In the last few years, they have become more and more popular because speaker systems have gotten better. Once upon a time, a speaker system was a big, bulky thing that needed a lot of space, a lot of wires, and someone who really knew what they were doing to set up.
Soundbars are basically speaker systems that are easy to set up and are usually placed right under a TV. They work by replacing the TV’s built-in speakers with a better set of speakers that are outside of the TV.
Make sure you do your homework first to make sure they’re right for you. Even though a soundbar is a great way to improve your home theatre without putting in a lot of work, a surround sound system is still much better.
What Is The Purpose Of Soundbars?
It’s hard to imagine how seven small internal speakers could make sound as good as what a surround system does. This has changed over the years, and now many people use soundbars as part of their home entertainment systems. The small audio parts make it easier to connect them to other devices and give listeners a “surround sound” experience. Most TVs aren’t made to have good sound. The thin design makes it hard to add strong sound, so you have to wire in external speakers.
Not only does this take time, but it also means you have to add more cables to your setup. If you have a soundbar, you don’t need any extra cables. Before soundbars came out, the only way to get sound was to use the speakers that came with the device or to wire in external speakers.
FAQs
Are small soundbars worth it?
Most of the time, smaller soundbars don’t sound as big as their wider counterparts, but their smaller size makes them easier to move around and set up wherever you want. We’ve tested more than 160 soundbars, and the ones below are the best ones to buy if you want a small one.
Is Sonos soundbar better than Bose?
The Sonos Beam is the clear winner because it has a great ecosystem and lets you choose from different voice assistants. But if you want a speaker for your TV that will make it sound better, choose the Bose.
Is A soundbar better than a TV speaker?
If you want to improve the sound on your TV, you have to decide between a soundbar, which is easy to use and doesn’t cost much, and a surround-sound system, which has better sound quality but costs more. Both of these will give you better sound for your movies and TV shows, including Dolby Atmos.