The 4 best budget soundbars: Top cheap picks for clear and balanced audio

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

If you're unhappy with the audio quality of your TV, a soundbar is a perfect solution. Though top models are pricey, you can still get solid performance without spending a ton. But with so many options out there, finding the best bang for your buck can be tricky. That's why our audio experts have tested dozens of popular models to find the best budget soundbars for all kinds of users.

Our top pick for most people is the Vizio V21d-J8. This basic yet reliable model is ideal for anyone who wants a cheap soundbar that's capable of clear dialogue and solid stereo effects. But buyers who crave more robust performance should check out the Bose Smart Soundbar. It's one of the most affordable Dolby Atmos soundbars with up-firing drivers. This feature enables the bar to bounce audio effects off your ceiling, making it sound like they're coming from above your head.  

We've been reviewing audio products for over a decade, and that extensive experience has helped us learn exactly which features you should and shouldn't look for in a budget soundbar. We've kept all our recommendations under $500 and curated each pick to suit different needs.

Our top picks for the best budget soundbars

Best overall: Vizio V-Series V21d-J8 - See at Walmart

Best with Dolby Atmos: Bose Smart Soundbar - See at Amazon

Best midrange pick: Yamaha YAS-209 - See at Amazon

Best for apartments: Sonos Ray - See at Amazon

Best overall

Vizio's V21d-J8 is the best budget soundbar for people who want a simple, no-fuss speaker that they can set and forget. This all-in-one system offers solid entry-level sound in a sleek design that blends into any decor without needing space for extra components or a bulky subwoofer.

The V21 connects to your TV via HDMI ARC, letting you use your TV remote for power and volume controls. For those with older TVs that lack an HDMI ARC connection, an optical input is included as a backup, while support for Bluetooth lets you stream audio from a phone or tablet.

The included remote lets you switch through settings like sound modes, inputs, and EQ adjustments. The bar doesn't have a spare HDMI port for video pass-through, but it does have an analog input for legacy audio devices.

The V21 offers basic two-channel stereo playback with built-in woofers for low frequencies. It delivers a moderate yet still appreciable improvement over the audio quality offered by an average TV, with boosted dialogue and some added punch in action scenes. The lack of a separate subwoofer limits bass response, but support for DTS Virtual:X simulated surround sound helps the bar expand beyond its 36-inch frame to create a bigger soundstage.

As you might expect, the V21 doesn't perform as well as pricier soundbars or multi-speaker home theater setups, but Vizio's talent for delivering good sound at an affordable price is on full display. If all you need is a budget-friendly way to boost your TV's audio performance, this value-packed bar is a great entry point.

Best with Dolby Atmos

The Bose Smart Soundbar is the best Dolby Atmos soundbar you can buy on a budget. Dolby's popular audio format spreads sound in all directions, including above your head. And unlike the similarly priced Sonos Beam, the Bose Smart Soundbar includes dedicated up-firing drivers for more convincing overhead effects. This feature allows the bar to bounce sound off your ceiling to simulate audio coming from above.

The Smart Soundbar is a slightly refreshed version of Bose's older Smart Soundbar 600, which is now discontinued. This revised model is basically the same soundbar but with updated software to support a couple of new features.

With Bose's advanced acoustic design and virtual surround sound software, the soundbar provides a full and immersive spatial audio experience. But the Smart Soundbar offers much more than just Dolby Atmos. During our tests, its small but capable frame provided clear dialogue and balanced sound across genres and formats, making it a great system for whatever you play.

If you ever have trouble hearing speech, the bar supports a handy new AI Dialogue mode. This function emphasizes dialogue without affecting the quality of other sound effects.

There's also a unique personal surround sound feature, which lets you pop in a pair of Bose Ultra Open Earbuds to use as rear speakers with the soundbar. This worked well, allowing us to hear surround sound effects through the earbuds while still hearing the soundbar. But while this is a cool feature to try if you happen to own the Ultra Open Earbuds already, we don't consider it a big selling point.

It's also worth noting that the soundbar's bass response is a bit limited. With its compact size and lack of a dedicated subwoofer, powerful moments in your favorite films tend to lose some of their impact in the lower frequencies. You can upgrade the system with a wireless Bose subwoofer, but that adds a lot to the cost.

Luckily, the Smart Soundbar has plenty of other tricks up its sleeve. Thanks to WiFi support and Bose's capable app, you can play your favorite tracks from many of the best music streaming services. Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, and Bluetooth are all on offer, while the soundbar's built-in microphones support Amazon Alexa voice control to make it an effective smart speaker.

Like many bars this size, the Smart Soundbar has limited connection options. It pairs with your TV through an HDMI eARC or optical port, but there are no spare HDMI pass-through inputs. It also lacks support for DTS sound formats, but its TrueSpace virtual surround still does an impressive job with most audio sent its way.

The Bose Smart Soundbar isn't the cheapest option in our guide, but its combination of immersive and musical sound, Dolby Atmos up-firing drivers, and chic design all add up to an investment that is (dare we say?) smart.

Visit our guide to all of the best Bose soundbars and best Bose headphones.

Best midrange pick

The Yamaha YAS-209 is an excellent midrange soundbar and is one of the few budget-friendly options available with a dedicated subwoofer. In fact, the YAS-209 is the overall champ in our complete guide to the best soundbars you can buy.

This 2.1-channel model impressed us with its refreshingly full and balanced sound, offering a smooth and warm midrange, clear dialogue, and plenty of punch via its included wireless subwoofer. While there's no Dolby Atmos support, DTS Virtual:X processing is included to expand the sound beyond its frame. Even in its standard mode, the YAS-209 delivers engaging performance that will ramp up everything you play.

The YAS-209 offers easy connection to your TV over HDMI ARC while sprinkling in a surprising arsenal of extras, including Bluetooth and WiFi support, built-in Amazon Alexa for voice control, and even a spare HDMI input for connecting external devices. But while the bar can pass through 4K video with HDR, it doesn't support Dolby Vision or 120Hz signals. That said, we rarely see any spare HDMI ports at this price, so those exclusions are easy to forgive.

The 209's rounded frame is wrapped in acoustic fabric for subtle style points, with accessible touch commands up top. At less than 2.5 inches high and 36 inches across, it's an easy fit on most media consoles and blends smoothly into the background. We do wish there was a full display up front, but given that we rarely needed to make any audio adjustments, it's another forgivable omission.

For more soundbar recommendations with dedicated bass, check out our guide to all the best soundbars with subwoofers.

Best for apartments

When we first heard the Sonos Ray, we were all but bowled over by its audio quality. Its tiny frame makes it look more like a Bluetooth speaker than a soundbar, but Sonos proves that size doesn't always dictate performance. This is ideal for people who want big sound from a compact device that fits in small spaces.

The Ray's audio signature is full, clear, and smooth. Details pop with the kind of textural sparkle that borders on premium. Bass response is subtle, but there's more authority than we expected in the lower midrange, lending some muscle to action flicks and dramas. The Ray is also a talented musical companion, balancing everything from jazz to electronic tracks with a deft hand. The sound signature occasionally obscures midrange frequencies when pushed too hard, but that was rarely an issue in testing.

The bar's impressive sonic skills do come at a cost elsewhere. Most notably, there's no HDMI ARC connection, offering only an optical input. This means the bar can't accept high-bandwidth audio signals like Dolby Atmos. The other notable drawback is that you can't automatically use your TV remote for power and volume control. Instead, you must use the Sonos app to program your TV remote for IR commands.

Luckily, most TV remotes are compatible, and the Sonos app walks you through the setup process. And since this is a Sonos device, the app can do much more, from controlling the bar's audio and settings to connecting it with other Sonos speakers as part of a multi-room audio system or a full surround configuration — something virtually nothing else at this price can match. The Ray also supports pairing with the Sonos Ace headphones, so you can switch to private listening.

Though many users ran into issues with the Sonos app after an update last year, most of these problems have been fixed. The app still isn't perfect, but in our experience, its lingering shortcomings are not a dealbreaker.

The Ray doesn't have Bluetooth connectivity, but the bar's WiFi support enables higher quality from wireless sources. The Ray's unique functionality takes some getting used to, but this mini bar's killer sound makes it an excellent budget proposition for those who want room-filling audio in an apartment.

Visit our guide to all of the best Sonos soundbars.

How we test budget soundbars

To find the best budget soundbars, our experts tested multiple models in various use cases. Our biggest focus is sound quality, but we also weigh supported audio formats, connectivity, ease of use, and advanced features like WiFi streaming and smart assistant compatibility.

We also evaluate factors for daily use, from setup and size to reliability and convenience perks like an app for adjusting EQ and other settings. As often as possible, we live with each soundbar for multiple days, using it in various scenarios as our main audio device to discover what it's truly like to own.

We use a carefully selected list of scenes from familiar films and TV shows for testing material. We look for a well-blended system across bass, midrange, and treble frequencies. We carefully consider dialogue delivery, especially when things get chaotic and during quiet moments. 

We also listen to a dedicated song list of tracks from multiple music genres and streaming services, including Spotify and high-resolution files on platforms like Amazon Music. We make sure to test each system for Bluetooth and WiFi reliability, as well as the responsiveness and convenience of smart assistants like Amazon Alexa.

Since our goal for this guide is to highlight the best budget soundbars, we also emphasized overall value, with an eye toward selecting models that closely match the performance of pricier options.

What to look for in a budget soundbar

When shopping for the best budget soundbar, consider the bar's connectivity carefully. HDMI ARC (or eARC) is preferred for pairing with a TV, as it offers higher bandwidth than a digital optical connection. HDMI also enables CEC (Consumer Electronics Control), so you can automatically use your TV's remote to control basic functions on your soundbar. Some budget soundbars, like the Sonos Ray, are limited to a digital optical connection rather than HDMI. An optical connection still works with modern TVs, but you must go through a few extra steps to use your TV's remote to control your soundbar.

Next, we recommend looking at available audio channels. Many budget models will be limited to 2.0 (stereo audio) or 2.1 channel configurations (which include a low-frequency channel or separate subwoofer for bass). Some models go further, supporting an integrated center channel (denoted as 3.0 or 3.1) or even 5.1-channel surround sound with rear speakers. Moving up in price can get you into soundbars with Dolby Atmos support. Bose's Smart Soundbar, for instance, supports a 3.0.2-channel speaker configuration, which means it offers three front channels and two "height" channels to create a more immersive soundstage.

Many budget soundbars will support both PCM and Dolby Digital stereo as a baseline, while some go further, including DTS formats. Many of the best budget soundbars we test also include virtual surround sound formats like DTS Virtual:X, which uses digital software to create an expanded soundstage. This can offer a notable bump in scope but won't be as effective as true multi-channel surround sound support.

Soundbars are also great for streaming music. The vast majority of budget soundbars offer at least some form of Bluetooth support to stream from your phone. At the same time, more advanced models include WiFi connectivity for streaming at higher quality from services like Spotify or Apple Music. WiFi connectivity may also enable support for digital assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. If smart features are important to you, you'll want to see if your bar offers built-in voice control via onboard microphones.

Budget soundbar FAQs

Are budget soundbars better than your TV's speakers?

In short, yes. While some of the best TVs can offer audio quality that competes with cheap soundbars, for the most part, the best budget soundbars will deliver a notable upgrade over TV sound. This is due to various factors, including a soundbar's location in front of the screen, its size and acoustic properties, and dedicated amplifiers and drivers. For these reasons, we recommend shoppers add a soundbar (or full-fledged speaker system) to their TV setup for an improved experience.

If you're shopping for a new TV to pair with your soundbar, check out our guides to the best 4K TVs, best smart TVs, best OLED TVs, and best budget TVs.

How much should I spend on a budget soundbar?

Our top pick in this guide costs just over $100, which we consider the baseline when shopping for the best budget soundbar. However, if you're picky about sound, you'll want to consider investing at least $200 to $300 for beefier audio performance. If you want more advanced features and support for Dolby Atmos, expect to spend even more, but you can still get a great experience for under $500.

The best budget soundbars often get discounts during big sales like Prime Day and Black Friday.

What is HDMI ARC?

HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) is a connection type that transmits audio and video signals. It's integrated into many TVs, soundbars, and AV receivers.

If your TV and soundbar have an HDMI ARC port, you can use an HDMI cable to pair them together to send audio signals back and forth. HDMI ARC connections can handle stereo signals and compressed surround sound formats like Dolby Digital, DTS, and even Dolby Atmos via Dolby Digital Plus.

Some devices use an upgraded version of HDMI ARC, called HDMI eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel). This version supports higher-bandwidth audio signals to enable the transmission of lossless Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA, and DTS:X tracks to get the best audio quality.

HDMI ARC and eARC connections also enable a feature called CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) on most modern TVs. This lets you use your display's remote to control basic functions on your soundbar, like power and volume.

Check out our guide to the best HDMI cables for recommendations to use with an HDMI ARC connection.

Can budget soundbars support Dolby Atmos?

Yes, our guide includes a budget-friendly soundbar model with Dolby Atmos support. One thing to note is that while budget-friendly Dolby Atmos soundbars can offer a height element for overhead sound effects, most models in this price range lack separate surround speakers.

Therefore, entry-level Atmos models may not be as immersive as less expensive soundbar and speaker packages that include actual rear satellites but omit Atmos support. For recommendations with rear speakers, check out our guide to the best surround sound systems.

For more information on Atmos technology, check out our guide to all the ins and outs of Dolby Atmos.