Your TV cost £800. The built-in speakers cost roughly 40p of that. That’s why explosions sound like paper tearing and dialogue mumbles under every score. A decent soundbar fixes the single biggest weakness in modern flat-screen TVs — and unlike a full 5.1 home cinema setup, you don’t need to drill holes, run cables behind skirting boards, or explain to your partner why there’s a subwoofer in the fireplace.
In This Article
- Why TV Speakers Are Terrible
- What to Look for in a Soundbar
- Best Overall: Sonos Arc Ultra
- Best Budget: Sony HT-S400
- Best Mid-Range: Samsung HW Q800D
- Best for Small Rooms: Bose Smart Soundbar
- Best Premium: Sennheiser Ambeo Plus
- Best for Dialogue: Zvox AV200
- Setup and Placement
- Dolby Atmos: Is It Worth Paying For?
- Troubleshooting Common Problems
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why TV Speakers Are Terrible
Modern TVs are 3cm thick. Good speakers need enclosed space — cabinets, ports, room for a driver to move air. There’s no physical space inside a slim TV for the hardware required to produce proper sound. Manufacturers fit tiny down-firing or rear-firing drivers because that’s all that fits, and the sound reflects off the floor or wall behind the TV.
The result is thin, compressed audio with no bass and no spatial information. Dialogue gets buried under music and effects in cinematic content because the dynamic range of a modern film mix assumes a system that can handle both. Your Bravia can handle a chat show. It cannot handle Dune.
What a Soundbar Actually Does
A soundbar is a single enclosure containing multiple drivers aimed at different angles. Even the cheapest models have larger cabinets and better drivers than your TV. The best ones add dedicated centre channels for dialogue, rear-channel virtualisation for surround, and up-firing drivers for height channels in Dolby Atmos content.
Add a wireless subwoofer and you’ve solved the bass problem too. Bass frequencies are non-directional below about 80Hz, which is why you can put a sub behind the sofa or against a wall and it still sounds right.
What to Look for in a Soundbar
Before you buy, understand what actually matters. Most soundbar specs are marketing noise.
- Channels (2.0, 3.1, 5.1.2) — the first number is horizontal speakers, the second is subwoofer, the third is up-firing height speakers. A 5.1.2 bar is noticeably better than a 2.0 bar, but 3.1 is the sweet spot for most UK living rooms.
- HDMI eARC support — essential. This lets the TV pass full-resolution audio from streaming apps and disc players to the bar. Without eARC, you’re stuck with compressed audio or optical cable limitations.
- Dedicated centre channel — critical for dialogue clarity. Bars without a centre channel mix voices into the left/right speakers, and voices get lost under music and effects.
- Wireless subwoofer — bass makes more difference to perceived audio quality than any other factor. A 2.1 bar with a real sub beats a 5.0 bar without one.
- Room-correction calibration — bars that listen to their environment and EQ themselves sound noticeably better than static EQ. Sonos Trueplay and Denon’s calibration systems work well. Most cheap bars skip this.
What Doesn’t Matter
Wattage. Manufacturers inflate peak-power numbers to look impressive. Real-world volume is governed by driver size and amplifier class, not marketing W. Two bars with the same wattage can sound completely different. Our guide to bookshelf speakers for hi-fi covers the same principle — what actually matters for audio quality versus marketing specs.
Proprietary wireless surround systems (Sony’s Bravia Sync, Samsung’s Q-Symphony, Sonos Grouping). These are nice-to-have but only work if the rest of your kit is the same brand. Don’t let brand lock-in push you into a bar you wouldn’t otherwise buy.
Best Overall: Sonos Arc Ultra
The Sonos Arc Ultra is £999 from John Lewis, Currys, and Sonos direct. It replaced the original Sonos Arc in late 2025 and is the bar I’d recommend to most people spending £500+ on TV sound.
What the Arc Ultra Gets Right
Nine drivers in a single bar, including proper up-firing drivers that bounce height channels off your ceiling for Dolby Atmos content. The centre channel is dedicated and clearly audible — voices sit in front of the music and effects rather than under them. Room correction via Trueplay works on iOS and now Android (finally), and the difference is obvious — untuned it sounds good, tuned it sounds properly professional.
Integration is where Sonos wins against every competitor. Add a Sub Mini (£429) or Sub (£799) and you get real bass without running cables. Add two Era 300s (£449 each) as rears and you have a proper 7.1.4 system that doesn’t need an AV receiver or speaker wire.
Honest Trade-Offs
It’s £999. That’s a lot for a soundbar. You also need a relatively flat ceiling for the Atmos bounce to work — vaulted or textured ceilings kill the height effect. And Sonos’s software occasionally has bad weeks where the app refuses to play nicely — worth checking current user reviews before committing.
The Arc Ultra works best in rooms between 15-25m². In smaller rooms it’s overkill; in rooms above 30m² you’ll want the Sub to fill out the low end.
Best Budget: Sony HT-S400
The Sony HT-S400 is £199 from Amazon UK, Argos, and Currys. It’s a 2.1 bar with a wireless subwoofer — the cheapest route to a major upgrade over TV speakers.
What You Get for £199
Proper separation between low frequencies and mids, thanks to the wireless sub. The bar itself has two front-firing drivers plus passive radiators for extra body. No Atmos, no height channels, no room correction — but for movies, TV shows, and gaming, it sounds roughly three times better than any TV’s built-in speakers.
The subwoofer is compact enough to tuck behind a sofa arm. It’s not a beast but it fills the bottom end adequately for 95% of content.
Who It’s For
First-time soundbar buyers in flats or small houses. Anyone who wants a dramatic improvement over TV speakers without spending over £300. Anyone setting up a bedroom TV where the Arc would be wasted.
What It Isn’t
A cinematic experience for an open-plan living space. Dialogue handling is fine but not outstanding. If voice clarity is your main priority, the Zvox pick further down is a better £250 spend.
Best Mid-Range: Samsung HW Q800D
The Samsung HW-Q800D is £549 from John Lewis, Currys, and Amazon UK. It’s a 5.1.2-channel bar with up-firing Atmos drivers and a wireless subwoofer — proper value for what you get.
Why It’s the Mid-Range Pick
Two up-firing drivers create a convincing Atmos effect on most flat ceilings up to 2.8m. The subwoofer hits hard without being boomy — Samsung’s bass calibration has improved hugely over the last two generations. Adaptive Sound mode adjusts settings based on content type (dialogue-heavy shows get a vocal boost, action films get more dynamics).
Pair it with a Samsung TV and Q-Symphony activates the TV speakers as additional height channels. It sounds gimmicky but actually works — the soundstage widens and height effects become more convincing. Pointless if you have an LG or Sony TV, obviously.
The Limitations
The centre channel isn’t as strong as the Sonos or Bose picks. Dialogue occasionally gets buried during complex scenes. The app is functional but feels unfinished compared to Sonos. And it’s physically large — 1.2m wide — so measure your TV unit before buying.
Best for Small Rooms: Bose Smart Soundbar
The Bose Smart Soundbar (the 2024 model, not the older Soundbar 600) is £499 from John Lewis, Bose UK, and Currys. It’s a 3.0.2 bar — no wireless sub in the box, but addable later.
Why It Wins for Compact Spaces
At 70cm wide and 55mm tall, it fits under most TVs without blocking the IR receiver. Despite the size, Bose’s PhaseGuide tech and two up-firing drivers produce a properly wide soundstage. For a room under 20m², this sounds better than many larger 5.1 bars.
Dialogue clarity is where Bose has always won and this generation is no exception. The A.I. Dialogue Mode actively separates voice from music and adjusts in real-time — it’s the best automatic dialogue enhancement I’ve heard, better than the gimmicky modes on Samsung or LG bars.
When You Should Upgrade
Add the Bose Bass Module 500 (£549) or 700 (£849) for proper low end. Without a sub, the bar does better in dialogue and music than it does in action films — there’s physical limits to what a 70cm cabinet can produce below 60Hz.
Best Premium: Sennheiser Ambeo Plus
The Sennheiser Ambeo Plus is £1,199 from Sevenoaks Sound & Vision, Richer Sounds, and Sennheiser UK. It’s a single-bar 7.1.4 system — no external sub, no rears.
What Makes It Worth £1,199
Nine drivers plus two integrated subwoofers in a single 1.05m cabinet. The bass output is properly surprising for a bar without an external sub — enough for small-to-medium rooms without the WAF penalty of a separate subwoofer. Sennheiser’s room calibration uses multiple microphone positions and creates one of the most convincing virtualised surround effects of any bar at any price.
Audio quality with music is where it pulls ahead of Sonos. The Ambeo Plus handles jazz, orchestral, and acoustic content with real finesse — something most soundbars simply don’t bother with because TV content isn’t demanding.
Why Most People Shouldn’t Buy It
If you have space for a separate subwoofer, you can get better cinematic performance from a Sonos Arc Ultra + Sub combo for roughly the same money. The Ambeo Plus makes sense when a separate sub isn’t an option — wall-mounted TVs in living rooms where no floor space is available, or renters who move frequently.
Best for Dialogue: Zvox AV200
The Zvox AV200 is £249 from Amazon UK and Zvox direct. It’s a dedicated dialogue-enhancement bar with no subwoofer and only stereo channels.
Why This Is Different
Zvox makes audio equipment originally aimed at people with hearing difficulties — their AccuVoice tech isolates and amplifies vocal frequencies without the artefacts of generic “dialogue modes” on mainstream bars. The AV200 has 12 levels of voice enhancement, letting you dial in exactly the right balance for your hearing.
For older households, anyone with mild hearing loss, or anyone who just hates not understanding what characters are saying, this is a game-changer. Every other soundbar is designed for cinematic impact first, dialogue second. The Zvox inverts that priority.
The Trade-Offs
Mono-ish sound. No subwoofer, no surround, no Atmos, no height channels. This is a tool for a specific problem, not a general-purpose soundbar. Don’t buy this expecting to rattle the windows during explosions.
Setup and Placement
A good soundbar in the wrong position sounds worse than a mediocre bar placed correctly.
Positioning the Bar
- Centre it horizontally below or above the TV. Not offset — sound should come from where the image is.
- At ear height when seated. If your TV is wall-mounted high, the bar should be just below it. If your TV sits on a unit, the bar in front is fine.
- Nothing blocking the drivers. A glass shelf or AV cabinet door in front of the bar kills the high frequencies. Give it clear air forwards and upwards (for Atmos bars).
- Not recessed into furniture. Don’t mount it inside an alcove or entertainment unit where the sides are walled in. The soundstage collapses.
Positioning the Subwoofer
Subwoofers are non-directional below 80Hz, but placement still affects output. The corner of a room boosts bass perception by 6-9dB. Front wall placement (same wall as the TV) keeps the bass coherent with the rest of the audio. Avoid sticking it in the middle of a room — you’ll create a null spot right at head height for anyone sitting in the wrong place.
The classic trick: put the sub where you normally sit, play music with bass, and walk around the room. Where the bass sounds best, put the sub there.
Cables You Actually Need
An HDMI eARC cable from TV to bar. That’s it. The HDMI Forum maintains the full technical spec, but practically: use HDMI 2.1-rated cable from the eARC-labelled port on your TV. If your TV has multiple HDMI ports, only one (usually HDMI 1 or the bottom port) supports eARC — check the manual. Do not use optical if HDMI eARC is available — optical cannot carry lossless Atmos or DTS-HD.
Dolby Atmos: Is It Worth Paying For?
Atmos is a surround format that adds height channels — speakers that create a sense of sound coming from above. It’s impressive when it works and invisible when it doesn’t. Our full breakdown of Dolby Atmos at home covers the codecs and content side in more depth.
When Atmos Bars Work
- Flat or lightly textured ceilings 2.2-2.8m high
- Rooms under 30m² where the sound can build up naturally
- Streaming Atmos-encoded content from Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, or 4K Blu-ray
- Mid-range to premium bars with at least two up-firing drivers
When Atmos Doesn’t Work
Vaulted ceilings. Ceilings above 3m. Rooms with exposed beams or irregular surfaces. Cheap bars with virtualised Atmos processing but no physical up-firing drivers — these are marketing only.
Honest answer: if your ceiling is flat and under 2.7m and you watch a lot of cinematic content, Atmos is worth paying for. Otherwise, a great 3.1 bar without Atmos will sound better than a mediocre 5.1.2 Atmos bar. Dolby’s own home Atmos setup guide is worth reading before buying.
Troubleshooting Common Problems
Soundbar Is Quieter Than Expected
Check HDMI eARC is enabled in TV settings (labelled differently on every brand — “eARC”, “Enhanced ARC”, or hidden under “audio output”). Verify the bar is on the correct HDMI input. On Samsung TVs specifically, disable “Digital Output Audio Format” auto-switching if dialogue is thin.
Lip Sync Is Off
Common with eARC connections. Most bars have an audio delay setting — typical values are 40-80ms. Adjust until on-screen mouths match the dialogue. If the bar has no delay setting, use the TV’s A/V sync option.
Bass Is Boomy
The sub is too close to a corner or wall. Move it 15-30cm away from the nearest wall. If the problem persists, reduce sub level by 3dB on the bar’s EQ.
Can’t Get Dolby Atmos From Netflix
Netflix Atmos requires a Premium subscription (£18.99/mo) and an Atmos-compatible content title. Check Netflix’s “Dolby Atmos” collection. On the TV, verify audio output is set to pass-through, not downmix to stereo.
App Connection Keeps Dropping
Wi-Fi issue, not a bar problem. Put the bar on 5GHz where possible. If using 2.4GHz, move away from microwaves and baby monitors. Sonos specifically benefits from wired ethernet if the Wi-Fi is flaky.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a subwoofer?
Yes, if you watch action films or listen to music. No, if you mainly watch news, talk shows, or sitcoms. For mixed viewing in a flat, a wireless sub transforms the listening experience more than any other single upgrade.
Can I use a soundbar with any TV?
If the TV has HDMI ARC or eARC (every TV sold since 2017), yes. Older TVs may need optical cable, which limits audio quality but still works.
Will a soundbar work without HDMI?
Most bars also accept optical (Toslink) or 3.5mm analogue input. Optical caps out at Dolby Digital 5.1 — no lossless audio, no Atmos. Analogue is stereo only.
How loud should a soundbar be?
A good bar should comfortably fill a typical UK living room (15-25m²) at 50-60% volume. If you’re maxing it out regularly, the bar is underpowered for your room.
Can I mount a soundbar on a wall?
Most bars include mounting brackets. Stud-mount if possible. Position at or just below TV height, centred horizontally. Keep the bar at least 10cm from the TV to avoid interference.
Do soundbars work with turntables?
Some do via analogue input, but soundbars aren’t optimised for music listening. If vinyl is important, get proper bookshelf speakers or a receiver-based setup instead. A soundbar is for TV and casual music listening.
Should I buy a soundbar or a full 5.1 system?
Soundbar for 90% of households. Full 5.1 if you have a dedicated home cinema room, don’t mind speaker wire, and care about maximum audio fidelity. Modern premium soundbars (Sonos Arc Ultra, Sennheiser Ambeo Plus) approach 5.1 quality without the wiring hassle. If you’re going the separates route instead, our guide to home cinema on a budget walks through what’s worth spending on.
How long do soundbars last?
7-10 years for the bar itself. Wireless subwoofers sometimes lose pairing after 4-5 years and need replacement. Software updates may stop earlier on cheaper bars — Sonos and Denon have the best long-term support.