The Best Soundbars to Buy in 2025

Daniel Oropeza

August 7, 2025

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Daniel Oropeza

Staff Writer

Covering tech deals on laptops, headphones, speakers, and more.

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Our Top 5 Picks

Best Soundbar Overall

Sonos Arc Ultra

$879.00
at Amazon

$879.00
at Amazon
Best One-Piece High-End Soundbar

Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar With Dolby Atmos Plus

$699.00
at Amazon

$699.00
at Amazon
Best Spatial Audio Soundbar

JBL Bar 1300X

$1,699.95
at Amazon

$1,699.95
at Amazon
Best Soundbar for Small Spaces

Polk Audio MagniFi Mini AX

$499.00
at Amazon

$499.00
at Amazon
Best Value Soundbar

VIZIO 2.1 Soundbar with Subwoofer

$149.99
at Amazon

$149.99
at Amazon

Most people prioritize resolution and other visual factors when buying a new TV, but the audio quality is often ignored. Screens have gotten bigger and sharper and brighter, but built-in TV speakers remain tinny and underwhelming, making the purchase of an external speaker system or soundbar almost essential.

I’ve rounded up the best soundbars you can get in 2025. They’re separated into categories that will hopefully help you narrow down which option is the best for you. Without further ado, here are the best soundbars of 2025.

My Top Picks

Best Soundbar Overall

Sonos Arc Ultra

It should be no surprise at all that the Sonos Arc Ultra tops the list as the best soundbar overall. Sonos has been dominating the soundbar space for years, and the Sonos Arc Ultra is their flagship soundbar. The Sonos Arc Ultra comes with all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a premium soundbar, like Dolby Atmos support, spatial audio, voice assistant from Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control, and more. What’s most impressive is that it outperforms a lot of soundbar and subwoofer combos with just the soundbar—the bass is that good. However, you can still add more companions if you wish, like rear speakers and a subwoofer. You can read more about it on PCMag’s review.
- The Good
  - Best audio quality in a single soundbar
  - Impressive bass
  - Versatile connections and features
  The Bad
  - Expensive
  - Needs a wide space
Get It Now
Best One-Piece High-End Soundbar

Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar With Dolby Atmos Plus

For those who like the finer things in life but also appreciate minimalism, the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar offers the best audio without the need to get a whole surround sound system. It has a big and full sound with a relatively strong bass without a subwoofer (though you can add one if you want). It also has all three major voice assistants built-in (Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, and Amazon Alexa) for easy wifi streaming. You can read more about it in PCMag’s review.
- The Good
  - Powerful sound in a single soundbar
  - Great audio quality
  - Can expand to a subwoofer
  - Built-in voice assistant
  The Bad
  - Expensive
Get It Now
Best Spatial Audio Soundbar

JBL Bar 1300X

Spatial Audio is a technology that makes you feel like you’re immersed in what you’re watching with sound coming from all around you. The JBL Bar 1300X is the best soundbar with this technology, using Dolby Atmos, 11.1.4-channel spatial audio technology, and a subwoofer to give you this surround sound without the need to actually have speakers all around you. But if you still would like to experience that, you can detach the edges of the soundbar and place them behind you to give you a truer surround sound experience. You can read more about this soundbar in PCMag’s review.
- The Good
  - Best spatial audio technology
  - Powerful subwoofer
  - Can detach wireless satellites for a truer surround sound
  - Support for voice-assistant
  The Bad
  - Expensive
  - The detachable satellites need to be recharged
  - Can’t expand to a true surround sound
Get It Now
Best Soundbar for Small Spaces

Polk Audio MagniFi Mini AX

Not everybody has a lot of room to play with in their TV setup, but if you have at least 3.1 inches under your TV, chances are the Polk MagniFi Mini AX will work for you. This soundbar might be small, but it still creates powerful sound. It comes with a wireless subwoofer, too. Although it doesn’t offer the best spatial audio, it does come with Dolby Atmos support. You can read more about it in PCMag’s review.
- The Good
  - Small but mighty
  - Comes with wireless subwoofer
  - Has wireless streaming options
  The Bad
  - Spatial audio lacks accuracy
Get It Now
Best Value Soundbar

VIZIO 2.1 Soundbar with Subwoofer

If you want a one-and-done solution that offers a good bang for your buck and will keep you under $200, the VIZIO 2.1 Soundbar with Subwoofer combo is a great option. This combo has the least impressive audio quality of the bunch, but it’s still better than what most TVs can offer. It’s also very affordable and a great option for anyone looking to get more bass or their first soundbar. You can read more about it in PCMag’s review.
- The Good
  - Good value for your money
  - Comes with subwoofer later
  - Has Dolby Atmos
  - Powerful bass
  The Bad
  - Soundbar audio quality is not the best
Get It Now

The best soundbar for you will depend on your budget, how much space you have, and how you want to use it. Someone looking for a soundbar for their small apartment will likely prefer something more compact as opposed to an audiophile looking to maximize their audio experience in their dedicated media room. Hopefully, this roundup helps you narrow down your search for the best soundbar for you.

What do you think so far?