Our Picks
BLUETOOTH SPEAKER DEALS OF THE WEEK
- $199 (save $50)
- $30 (save $10)
- $30 (save $10)
- $119 (save $30)
The built-in sound quality on TVs has gotten a lot better over the years, but not even the best TVs can compete with dedicated soundbars. If you want to improve your home entertainment experience, investing in a good soundbar is the way to go. Thankfully, you don't need to spend a lot for this, especially after you've already dropped a ton on your TV. A cheap soundbar is the perfect solution for getting better dialogue quality out of your entertainment system. Whether it's for watching movies and TV shows or even streaming music over Bluetooth, the best budget soundbars can make your TV sound better for less than $200.
The budget models highlighted here are ones that performed well in CNET's hands-on tests, including one that costs under $100. All of the affordable soundbars on this list have Bluetooth, HDMI and an optical connection, making hooking up to a TV easy. If you're looking to step up your audio game just a bit more, our roundup of the best soundbars under $300 offer these same features and more. It's time to abandon poor TV sound and turn up the volume on a better binging experience.
Best budget soundbar
Pros
- Huge soundstage
- Exciting, detailed sound for music and movies
- Affordable
Cons
- No analog or optical
- Need app to change settings
- No height 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, this soundbars excels with movie soundtracks and sounds great with music, too.
Best smart soundbar
Pros
- Compact, easy to set up and affordable
- Excellent dialogue reproduction
- Tried and true Roku experience
Cons
- Lacks bass in movies and music
The compact Roku Streambar offers a lot for its low price tag. This is a fully-fledged 4K HDR streamer with hundreds of supported services, plus the ability to connect via Bluetooth. It's an instant upgrade on your TV speaker, with excellent vocal clarity.
Best for dialogue
Pros
- Easy to set up and use
- Sound great with movies and music
- Plenty of connection options
Cons
- No ability to add a subwoofer or rears
- No DTS playback limits DVD watching options
- Vizio V21 beats it for home theater use
If you're after a compact soundbar that offers Bluetooth, HDMI and really clean dialogue, the Yamaha SR-C20A has you covered. It also includes DTS Virtual:X for excellent simulated surround from a single box.
Best sound under $100
Pros
- Plenty of features including HDMI and subwoofer
- Clear sound
- Great with music
- Useful display
Cons
- Not as good as dedicated TV soundbars
- Not very loud
Soundbars are able to make a lot of noise from a tiny box, but nothing can compare with the bass that a dedicated subwoofer can bring. The Creative Stage offers a lot for just $80, including HDMI cable connectivity, but it's the wired subwoofer that makes the system really sing. This soundbar also offers Bluetooth connectivity and a USB port for playing MP3s from an external drive. Though the Stage V2 now exists -- which adds USB audio, digital coaxial and a clear sound mode for $109 -- the original is still current.
TV speakers traditionally perform very poorly, so spending even just a little can improve your shows immeasurably. For around $100, you can buy something that doubles as a Bluetooth music streamer and a TV sound system. The quality of cheap soundbars has increased significantly in the past few years, and the addition of subwoofers at this level has also helped boost performance. Bass is something that no onboard TV speaker can offer.
All of the above soundbars will sound great and do so for a minimal amount of money, but there are advantages to increasing your budget. At $280, for example, the Sonos Ray will not only offer you a better experience and sound, but improved features, including multiroom music. While the sky's the limit to how much you can spend on upgrading your sound, the real sweet spot is between $300 and $400. See our list of best soundbars, which includes models that offer state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos audio effects.